One of the many things professional athletes need to know how to do – and need to do well – is pick themselves up off the floor. Whether it’s coming back from an injury, getting back on their feet after a fall, or rebounding after a crushing defeat… whatever the scenario, they have to be psychologically ready to overcome each and every obstacle. You can call that whatever you’d like – “tunnel vision,” a “next play mentality,” “short-term memory” – the important thing is to understand your mistakes, make use of the lessons learnt and then turn the page.
At the end of last season, running back Tyrell Sutton spoke with us in this video about the concept of equilibrium and his comments remain just as relevant now in context of last week’s loss against Winnipeg. “I think you have to find that even keel. You don’t want to be on a rollercoaster because it can go up for four or five seconds, then down at full speed for two seconds. You want to be on a merry-go-round because you know it can only go so high or go so low. It has very good equilibrium.”
This Saturday night, our Alouettes will hit the field at Mosaic Stadium to take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders – a team that also is dealing with some issues on offence, most notably the injury suffered by starting quarterback Zach Collaros. You can follow our team on TSN, RDS, TSN690 or 98,5 to see how they have adjusted following Week 2.
While waiting for kickoff, here are three things to keep in mind:
Drew Willy must stay the course… as must his teammates
As Coach Mike Sherman said during his press conference this week, “We need to play better as a team. Pinning it all on the quarterback is unfair. We need to do a better job of protecting him and do what we have to do around him.”
You guessed it, Drew will be starting under centre this week against the Riders. The game will be a good test for our offensive line, as well as ball carriers Sutton and Patrick Lavoie, who will be going up against a solid Saskatchewan defensive line.
The defence has to spend less time on the field
“We have to get off the field faster,” Coach Sherman said Thursday. “The Bombers’ first drive last week was way too long.”
Good news: The defensive unit will be welcoming back legendary defensive end John Bowman. Plus, linebacker Henoc Muamba, who is leading the league in tackles (he recorded 11 last week), will certainly be pumped about going up against his former teammates.
More tackles. More sacks. But above all else, what’s needed is more discipline and better communication to limit penalties and first downs.
Familiar faces
True to form, players will no doubt be giving s/o to their former teammates on Instagram, reflecting the league’s spirit of brotherhood.
There’ll be a reunion between marquee players Jerome Messam and Tyrell Sutton (@sutty330). The two running backs got to know one another at training camp in 2013 when they shared a room at Bishop’s University. Sutty’s performance on Saturday will be key as the running game should be, once again, a major factor in the game.
There’ll be former Alouettes on the defensive side of the ball: The multi-talented Duron Carter will likely be playing defensive back for the second consecutive game, alongside Quebecer Marco Brouillette at safety.
And there’s also quarterback Brandon Bridge, who Montreal fans know well: He’ll be Saskatchewan’s starting QB on Saturday night. Will this be an advantage for players like John Bowman (@johnbowman7) and Chip Cox (@chipcox11) who played with Bridge in 2015? TBC, Saturday, June 30, starting at 9 pm.
