Back on the Air: Als This Week

It's a new CFL Season July 1st and The Als This Week begins Tonight at 8pm on The TEAM 990 Radio Station in Montreal (to listen online www.team990.com). It looks like that time slot will be our home for the summer and fall.

On our first Show of the year, We'll get things kicked-off with CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon. There is plenty to discuss as big news came out today with the CFL and CFLPA ratifying their new CBA.

Secondly, Mitch Gallo was out at Alouettes Practice today and we'll here from some of the players and hopefully if we can catch him in between flights from alsinsideout.com The Montreal Gazette's own Herb Zurkowsky.

Then we'll finish it off with Dan O'Connor of CJNB Radio in Saskatchewan to tee up the Als first game of the 2010 regular season in Riderville

All that and more on the Als this Week on The TEAM 990 Tuesday at 8pm(eastern) www.team990.com

Hired Help

Here at Missed Field Goal we proudly introduce the hired help. By being hired I'm not implying that I will be paying him.

Hello to Mitch Gallo!

Not only does Gallo work with me at The TEAM 990 as an Alouettes reporter and Producer/Co-Host on the Als this Week, he also writes for the Suburban sports section, which means you may see some complete sentences on MFG.

Gallo will be contributing to MFG throughout the CFL season. Here's his first piece.

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Key Departures

By Mitch Gallo

It’s the last week of June and it’s an exciting time for Alouette fans. Training camp has concluded, the final roster has been released and opening day is just around the corner as the Als prep to take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders on July 1^st.

So how do the Als compare to last years team?

The roster is almost identical. Anthony Calvillo will be the quarterback and he’ll be throwing to a core of receivers that’s he’s familiar with.

On the defensive side of the ball, there’s a ton a familiar faces with Mark Estelle, Shea Emry, Diamond Ferri, Chip Cox and Anwar Stewart.

But still there’s some key elements from last year’s team that won’t be back in the quest to repeat as Grey Cup Champions, something that hasn’t been done since the Toronto Argonauts accomplished it back in the mid 90’s.

Larry Taylor: Probably the most popular of the departed Alouettes is Larry Taylor because of his flashy play and his ability to return the ball 120 yards for touchdowns. He leaves the Als to pursue his lifelong dream of playing in the National Football League. And it’s the New York Jets again plucking players of the Alouettes roster; most remember Etienne Boulay two years ago.

It will be tough to replace what Taylor brought to the field.

Taylor, 24, had a league high 788 yards on 89 punt returns, which averaged to 8.9 yards a carry. Two of his returns were for touchdowns. He was also an East Division and CFL all-star.

Big shoes to fill, but a viable option on special teams is Andrew Hawkins.

Yes, he was injured last year; however he plays a style similar to the one of Taylor.

Davis Sanchez: He goes to his hometown BC Lions after requesting a release, a clause that was put into his contract. Sanchez had three stints with the Alouettes and played in 16 games with the Als last season. Sanchez is climbing up in years at 36 years old and his role with the Lions is still to be determined.

Keron Williams: Personally, I’m disappointed to see this guy leave because he’s still a young player. He strikes me as a leader and possesses a ton of speed off the line.

Maybe the fact that he met his future wife (restaurant manager) on an Als road trip to BC factored into his decision to leave.

Bryan Chiu: Lastly, Bryan Chiu’s departure is one that was unexpected. It almost feels like Chiu has always lined up directly in front of Anthony Cavillo. We’ll have to wait and see how AC reacts to getting away from his comfort zone and taking snaps from Paul Lambert.

Als Roster Revealed

Als 2010 full roster is listed here, curtosy of www.montrealalouettes.com

http://en.montrealalouettes.com/roster/index/team/9/sort/last

The Alouettes always do their best to protect their players, within the rules of 1-game, 9-game injury lists and the practice roster has yet to be released.

The Als roster looks eerily similar to the 2009 version. The key players gone off the starting postitons are of course Davis Sanchez(FA-Lions), Keron Williams(FA-Lions), Larry Taylor(NFL) and Bryan Chiu(retirement).

The players replacing them are all going to be in house. Except if you see Tim Maypray returning the opening kick-off on July 1st.

Players of note to look at on the Als Roster, or not on the roster, Adrian McPherson on the 9-game injury list. This could affect the Als short yardage play. Chris Leak will be taking those 1-yard dives but he gives at least 4 inches to McPherson. It was automatic last year, this year it will be something to keep an eye on. As for if AC gets hurt, Leak is more than capable to run the show.

O.J. Santiago on the 1-game list. I'm just really curious on how he'll fit in on the Als roster and who will be sitting out in his place. He's a big body that has hands, but he'd be a new target for AC and I'm curious how that relationship will develop.

Kick-Off is only a week away. Don't forget the 1st Als this Week Show for 2010 on The TEAM 990 www.team990.com is on Tuesday June 29th at 8pm.

Als Release Ten

Alouettes Press Release:

Montréal, le 21 juin 2010 - Les Alouettes de Montréal ont libéré les joueurs suivants aujourd'hui / The Montreal Alouettes have released the folllowing players:

G/G, David Bouchard, PL/DT, Darrell Campbell*, DC/CB, Alex Chandler*, RÉ/WR, Patrick Cobourne*, BL/T, Kristoffer Doura*, RÉ/WR, Marcus Freeman*, RÉ/WR, C.J. Hawthorne*, DI/SB, Taylor Krislock, PL/DT, Justin Lawrence, DC/CB, Sir Snowden
**Non-canadien/Import

L'alignement final sera dévoilé le jeudi 24 juin à 15h / The final roster will be announced this Thursday, June 24 at 3 p.m.

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No big shockers, Darrell Campbell's performance was underwhelming in the pre-seaosn and he did have the inside track on the DT position left open by Keron Williams. Campbell knew the defensive scheme as he was on the 2009 edition of the Als. Campbell lost over 35 pounds in the off-season to become more useful to the team. However the weight loss, could have lost him some strength when it came to run-defense.

It would have been a nice story if Patrick Cobourne made the squad, however Patrick was in tough to try and crack the Als at the receiver position. Most of the Back-up receivers will be Canadians. This may not be the last we see of the younger Cobourne.

And you got to think the Als had what DB's they wanted on the squad prior to the game against The Argos. Both Chandler and Snowden had INTs in that game and looked solid.

It does seem like the returners position is still up for grabs as Maypray, Owens and Whitaker and still around, for now.

Post Game Alservations: Pre-Season Predictable

Sure it was a pre-season game but there was plenty of eye-catching performances and moments for the good or the bad.

-It's going to be a long season to the Argos

-AC looked good in his two series, in for 11 plays, 8 completions, 1 hand-off. One of his two incompletions was a dropped ball.

-Each of the starting WR got a touch from AC, #81 Watkins, #85 Bratton, #19 Green with 1 catch and #86 Cahoon and #18 Richardson with 2.

-The Battle for Kick/Punt returner was a good one. #4 Owens, #3 Maypray and #2 Whitaker all had some quality returns.

-#3 Maypray may have won the battle because his play at WR, lead the way with 4 receptions and 54 yards and 1 TD.

-#2 Whitaker is in a tough spot because he's a RB and # 6 Cobourne has a lock on that position.

-DB #25 Tanard Davis made a couple of great plays on defense, Two weeks in a row he's impressed. The decision at CB will be tough. I still think it'll go to #35 Dix or #16 Samuels.

-QB #12 Chris Leak could start/star for at least 3 other CFL teams, cool and collected.

-The Als back -up defense had 4 sacks, 3 pics and 2 forced fumbles. They played 60 minutes.

-RB #30 Deidrick had a slight pull of the hamstring in the game.

-The Als O-Line cycled positions throughout the game which made it tough on #5 McPherson and #12 Leak. Expect Brodeur-Jourdain to be at Left guard come July 1st.

- #57 Scott Flory did no play, Congrats to the Flory's and their new baby Girl.

Als are off for a couple of days, and will practice next week for a couple of days at Concordia. Coach Trestman has tough decisions to make for the final roster spots, just don't expect any shock and awe cuts to be made.

Week 2: Training Camp News, Notes

Week 2 is in full swing. The Alouettes today continued to prep for the 2010 season at Bishop's University. Here are todays News, Notes and Observations

-No pads for #0 Andrew Hawkins, #83 OJ Santiago, #25 Tanard Davis, #55 Skip Seagreaves and #91 Shawn Mayne

-seeing #8 Kerry Carter line-up as a Tight-end a couple of times

-Coach Trestman was pumping crowd noise at Coulter Field, Said it was to prep for the 3-game road trip to start the season, and for his defense at home.

-#18 Jamel Richardson, twice took himself out of 1st unit scrimmages, he's either banged up or lazy.

-#3 Tim Maypray got some reps on 1st unite receiver core, as did #80 Eric Deslauriers

-#12 Chris Leak has a great arm, I would think at least half the league would love to have him as thier pivot.

-#94 Darrell Campbell played at 354 lbs last year, reported to camp at 306lbs

-#15 Damon Duval is cheering for the USA at the World Cup but expects Brazil to take the crown

-#14 Patrick Cobourne looks and speaks just like his brother Avon, but minus the flair.

-Just like last year the Als Defense feeds off the energy of #9 Anwar Stewart, he goes 100% in every drill.

-#12 Leak had back to back beautifull plays with #42 Marcus Freeman

-If i had to choose a horse right now on who will be returning kicks on July 1st, I'd go with #4 Chad Owens, Until #0 Hawkins gets healthy.

-If you want to see your favorite Alouettes in the game on Saturday afternoon at 1pm at the refurbished McGill Stadium, don't miss the 1st quarter, they won't be in for long.

Key Time for MacPherson

The news of Anthony Calvillo staying in Montreal for the Pre-season game in Winnipeg is no surprise to anyone. AC will play his 2 plus quarters at home in a week. The start of course goes to #2 man Adrian MacPherson and this is a key start for him.

The Alouettes are a machine that is designed for AC, there's is no question that MacPherson brings different attributes to the table. I also realize that Coach Trestman has plays designed solely for MacPherson and not AC.

But time is very limited for a back-up to Mr. Calvillo. If he's not injured any playing time MacPherson will get will be at the end of a blow-out, where he'll just be handing the ball off to the 3rd string RB.

For MacPherson to prove himself around the league these pre-season starts are important for him. For MacPherson to be ready in any case of injury the pre-season is the only real competition he'll get. It'll probably be the only time he plays in game (besides post playoff clinching) that the score will be within 20.

Look for him to use his legs, they are an asset, plus he won't have the 'A' receiving crew at hand. So don't just look at the box score when it's over. MacPherson knows his place on the depth chart in Montreal but it doesn't mean he won't be strutting his stuff on Sunday in Winnipeg.

Training Camp News, Notes

Well they let me out of studio so I could head take the 2 hour drive to Lennoxville to catch the Als camp today. It was good to see the players and good to see some football being played.

Here are today's News & Notes

-Within the first 10 minutes, #18 Jamel Richardson had three drops, our good friend HerbZ, noted that I just missed one prior to showing up too.

-No #65 Paul Lambert on the field, He was with doctors, he "tweaked" his knee according to Coach Trestman

-With Chiu retired, Lambert MIA and#57 Scott Flory nursing a hamstring injury (he was on the bike today) the future is now for Als OL, #60 Andrew Woodruff RT, #62 Dylan Steenbergen LT and #58 Luc Brodeur-Jourdain C were all taking 1st team reps today.

-# 8 Kerry Carter, #82 Danny Deriveaux and #37 Martin Bedard were not wearing pads today

-#35De'Audra Dix picked off #5 Adrian MacPherson in his bid to claim a starting spot.

-#83 OJ Santiago took reps as a Fullback with Carter out.

-#19 SJ Green made a great one-handed snag along the sidelines, but instant replay may have shown he stepped out of bounds.

-Coach Trestman puts as much pressure on his coaches to perform as his players

-No Competition at the QB or kicker positions, only 3 and 1 in camp.

-As for the Pre-season game in Winnipeg on Sunday. Coach Trestman called it a "Young Man's Game" And there will be alot of Vets not making the trip.

It's All In Their Heads

Big news in the CFL today as they will be moving forward with headsets in the QB's helmets. Another positive step for the CFL as they continue to grow year by year.

It took awhile for the CFL to get HD replay for the referees, however they got it and they got it right. Headsets for the QBs may be years behind the NFL, however it is now in effect.

Coaches will be able to communicate with their QBs up until 10 seconds left on the play clock and the headsets won't be turned back on until the play is whistled dead.

What does this mean for the Alouettes? More offense. This can only benefit a team that is already on the same page offensively. The Als are a team that can run a hurry up offense at ease, meaning coach Trestman will be able to communicate to Calvillo even more knowledge at times of need. The two already have a great relationship this piece of technology can't hurt the potent tandem.

The Headsets are only one-way, meaning the QBs will not be able talkback to their coaches, I'm sure the coaching staffs prefer it that way.

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Camp notes:
-Gavin Walls is out with a torn ACL in this knee, he suffered the injury on the opening day of camp.
-I'll be making the 2-hour trek to Sherbrooke tomorrow morning for camp, I'll be tweeting updates at www.twitter.com/seanrcampbell

Hole Up the Middle

Congratulations to #68 Bryan Chiu on a great career with the Montreal Alouettes. At the team's physical Chiu came to the decision that his time to call it a career is now.

That career included 13 seasons in a Montreal Alouettes uniform, 7 CFL All-Star Nominations, 9 Eastern All-Star Nominations, 2002 CFL Most Outstanding Lineman award and 2 Grey Cup Championships.

So many props go out to a west coast guy who has made the east coast his home. Going out a champion is not always the easiest thing to do.

However, since being drafted 2nd back in 1996 by the Alouettes, Chiu has been a main stay in the middle of the offensive line. His shoes will not be easy ones to fill.

That hole will most likely be filled by another Alouette veteran, Paul Lambert. Unless the Als decide to look elsewhere for a centre, Lambert is the in-house solution. That creates an opportunity for Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, who filled in for Lambert at the left guard position when he was out with turf-toe last season. Brodeur-Jourdain struggled early but finished strong in his substitution role.

Brodeur-Jourdain's biggest issue last year was communicating with Chiu. The now retired player had been used to Paul Lambert and Scott Flory by his sides for years and there was now almost no need to communicate verbally. They had practically developed a 6th sense having played together for so long.

Look for some early issues as all eyes will be on the center and left guard positions during trainging camp and early in the season. But knowing each play starts at the centre position, Head Coach Marc Trestman will not waste his time finding a proper solution.