If you were able to catch the official presentation of the players at the beginning of the week, then you know how excited the entire organization is to get the season started. The changes made to the roster… to the coaching staff… to the organization’s brand image… were all positively received by the players who are pumped to get back onto the field and work hard towards restoring Montrealers’ and Quebecers’ faith in having a competitive team that they have always enjoyed supporting.
According to Coach Sherman it’s a work in progress, but the process is well underway and will continue on Saturday, June 16 at 10:00 p.m. EDT when your Alouettes take on the BC Lions in Vancouver. Here are a few things to know about the matchup before turning on your TV (TSN and RDS) or switching on the radio (TSN 690 and 98,5) tomorrow.
- In addition to a win, a clean game with few penalties would also please the coach. “A healthy, clean game, I don’t want to be a penalized team. I want us to play with class and character,” Coach Sherman told the media after practice on Wednesday. It’s a wish that’s both respectable and justified considering the Lions’ physical style of play and the importance of establishing discipline and toughness in the first week of the season.
- According to all-star cornerback Tommie Campbell, the key to stopping the BC offence led by Jonathon Jennings is to hit the quarterback as often as possible. The defensive line, which is without a doubt one of the strengths of the Als’ 2018 roster, has important work to do to ensure Jennings does not start scrambling. We know we’ll be able to count on the powerful Westerman brothers to get the job done. As a whole, we are anticipating a very, very solid defense. The many new signings are continuing to grasp how to play together as a unit, but the high level of experience that each brings to the team has helped to facilitate communication since the start of training camp.
- Something to watch out for on Saturday as well as the entire season: The performance of special teams. It will be crucial, and in all facets. Whether it’s Boris Bede’s kickoffs or Stef Logan’s returns or the tackling (for losses preferably!) by the likes of Dominique Ellis, all could be huge contributing factors when it comes to helping the offence put points on the board. And make no mistake: each and every opportunity to register points must be capitalized upon. Hey, no pressure Boris, we believe in you!
- Even if the receivers did not make any highlight-reel like catches during the two pre-season games, we can say that they were able to open up the field and thereby help the running game. Drew Willy and Tyrell Sutton are no strangers to one another, and it showed. Their timing was good, their plays were crisp, and we believe André Bolduc when he said that Sutton worked harder than ever this off-season. It looks like good things are going to happen.
We will also have the pleasure of watching Chris Williams – who will be in familiar territory at BC Place – and BJ Cunningham at work. Although Cunningham suffered a minor injury (bruised ribs) in the pre-season game in Ottawa, he’s due to be back in the line-up on Saturday at 100 per cent.
- The offensive line will have to make relentless efforts to contain BC’s defensive line and stop linebacker Solomon Elimimian. All-star offensive lineman Ryan Bomben should be in the line-up to help out his teammates.
- Interesting fact: The team will only leave for Vancouver on Friday afternoon. Why so late? “There are two schools of thought,” Coach Sherman said. “Either you go really early or as late as possible. Our approach for this game is to try to go as late as we can to get out there later in the day. We practice in Montreal on Friday morning, then we leave. We have dinner late, have meetings late and let them sleep-in to a certain extent the next morning so that their bodies adjust to the time difference.”
Make sure to watch on either TSN or RDS, or listen on TSN 690 or 98,5 Saturday night at 10:00 p.m. EDT. Moreover, remember that our home opener is at Percival Molson Stadium on June 22 and it will be the first ever Budweiser Friday Night Lights game!
