”It’s like on Broadway, he first said. If you replace one actor by another one who doesn’t know his lines yet, you have a problem.” That’s the analogy Coach Sherman used to answer the question that was on everyone’s tongue: why didn’t Johnny Manziel play?
Last night, the Alouettes – particularly Vernon Adams Jr. – dealt with the pressure of a crowd that wanted just that; to see the NFL first draft pick hit the field. As early as the second quarter, the fans in the stands were chanting ”Johnny, Johnny, Johnny”. Vernon, however, who displays the same set of skills as Manziel handled his first test pretty well. Like his new teammates would have done, he used his legs, moved around in his pocket and didn’t hesitate to run forward whenever he saw an open corridor. The young QB’s mobility was not, however, enough to have the last word in the matchup versus the Edmonton Eskimos.
At first glance, the game that ended in a score of 44-23 in favour of our opponents, was promising! It only took one possession for our Alouettes to set foot in the end zone after the Eskis received a 41-yard penalty for pass interference on receiver Chris Harper. A regular on quarterback sneaks, Vernon took advantage of his position at the Edmonton one yard line and kicked off his first matchup as a starter in 2018 with a touchdown.
On the following series, the defence was able to cover Mike Reilly’s offence well enough – despite a 51-yard penalty for pass interference –, forcing the Eskimos to call for the services of kicker Sean Whyte on third down.
Montreal was leading 7-3 after the first quarter and the game seemed to be within the reach of Mike Sherman’s team. A successful field goal by Boris Bede even solidified our men’s lead to start off the second quarter. But it didn’t take long for Edmonton to make a come back. In their following two offensive series, the Eskimos outplayed the Als defence and took the lead 17 to 10 with a little more than 7:30 minutes to play in the first half.
Penalties unfortunately played a far too important role in the matchup – like it’s often the case when the Als take on the Esks. We bet the guys will hear all about it this morning: nine flags for 143 yards. That’s a NO. And the Eskimos were worse with 17 flags for 191 yards!
The other stat that hurts: six sacks. Why didn’t Johnny play, you ask? Why take the risk when you have two new actors (the Broadway comparison works here as well), Tony Washington and Landon Rice, who were also making their debut without knowing all their lines? Protection wasn’t on point, but we couldn’t expect it to be, given the circumstances.
Nevertheless, some things did work out well:
The running game: André Bolduc’s squad stood out once again. Whether it was Tyrell Sutton – who’s most outstanding play, however, had to be a 45-yard catch at the beginning of the third followed by a 10-yard run… holy hands! -, William Stanback who finished the game with 147 yards on kick returns (averaging 36.8 yards per return!) or Ryder Stone who scored his first touchdown with the pros. The ball carrier and Dartmouth graduate expressed mixed feelings after the game: ”I’m not happy about the outcome, he admitted from the get-go. But, personally, I’m happy I scored my first touchdown, of course. As a running back, when you are given the ball at the 5-yard line, you don’t have a choice. You have to get in.” Ryder executed. Flawlessly.
Let’s also note that Vernon himself finished the game with 72 rushing yards, maintaining an average of 9 yards per carry.
The receiving corps: it wasn’t impeccable – and throws will have to be more on target – but the receivers’ group has what it takes to be great. Geno Lewis showed up – 3 catches for 54 yards -, BJ Cunningham, although he wasn’t targeted much, was reliable as always and Chris Harper proved how fast he can be once again. If the team traded Chris Williams it’s most likely because it believes in the 24-year-old receiver’s ability to stretch the field. We wish he would have caught Vernon’s bomb in the red zone in the second quarter, but it seems like he hurt his leg on that play. We’re hoping for a quick recovery because with the style of our new QBs, having a deep threat like Harper or TJ Graham becomes really interesting. May chemistry work its magic!
Fortunately, our Alouettes will have the opportunity to make a comeback at home as early as next week. On Friday, August 3, the boys will face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in what promises to be quite the battle considering the trade that happened a few days ago. Lots of work to do this week… lots of lines to learn for each unit.
