Alservations: Getting Burrised

After a couple of weeks of vacation MFG is back up with some Alservations from Week 4.
It was a tough week for the Als on the road with their 39-24 loss. Now things are tight up top the East standings.

-To get things started, Henry Burris was on fire. only 3 incompletions all game. I know I get on his case a lot but full kudos will go his way.

-I will still stress that the Alouettes defense have talent but they are not glued together, they got John Bowman back but give him another week to get their gears in order.

-Kyries Hebert was one of the bright spots individually on defense.

-Jamel Richardson looks injured. and if he's not bothered by an injury he needs to find a way to fight through the double teams. and cannot afford anymore drops.

-There isn't much that people dont like about Marc Trestman's offense but I still thin he abandons the run too early when the team gets off to a bad start.

-If I were coach I would find more playing time for Bo Bowling and less for Eric Deslauriers. He's had his chance, he's just not grabbing it. That would mean finding another Canadian starter somewhere.

-Brandon London was great this week, please note he was The Als This Week guest.

-AC is playing through pain, that is obvious but he is still performing. There is no need to start any talk about Adrian McPherson taking over.

-Penalties are killing the Alouettes DBs, Once they figure out what they can do and cant do, they will be fine.

-Chris Williams is a cocky talent and almost cost his team a TD (props to Ridgeway) but he's lucky he's got that talent. And I would have him on my team any day of the week.

That's it for this week, at 2-2 the Als still can grab control of the East division as they have games against Toronto and Winnipeg coming up.

Alservations: Is it Week 2 Yet?

It was a rough start to the season for the Alouettes in Calgary losing 38-10 in their opener. The offense struggled, the defense struggled and Special Teams did not get off the ground floor. Here are week one's Alservations:

-With the way the offense is set up 3 receptions for 2 yards is waaay too little for Brandon Whitaker, he needs to be an essential part of the passing game as well as the running game.

-Anthony Calvillo will be better in game 2, A couple of poor thrown balls could possibly be attributed to only playing 4 series in the pre-season.

-Jamel Richardson fumble in the first quarter changed the flow of the football game, to have the turnover so early on the road of a home opener was a killer. If the fumble changed the flow, Shea Emry's unnecessary roughness penalty on Drew Tate killed it.

-On Defense, the Alouettes have top end talent, I'm still not convinced they understand the new scheme under DC Jeff Reinbold. Reinbold has to figure out how to use his talents properly. Maybe he was adjusting too much with John Bowman out of the line-up.

-No wonder Jon Cornish had a strong day, the Als Defensive line only had 3 tackles combined all game long.

-Chip Cox made a game high 13 tackles, but his pass coverage was not where it was last season, (at least through one game).

-I am reserving the right to wait on Noel Devine and Trent Guy as returners, when you are new to the CFL field it does take time to adjust.

-Now that Eric Deslauriers is part of the 5 receiver set, he needs to be able to catch the contested balls as well as the easy ones.

-I think everyone can agree it was just good to see DB Jerald Brown on the field.

All in all, I think the Als were happy they were on the road for game one as that type of performance at home would have been a tough sell. They have the Bombers next on Friday, one can only expect Marc Trestman to have his crew ready to go.

5 Reasons to Follow the CFL in 2012

The 2012 CFL season approaches and there are plenty of reasons to watch. You may already be a fan of the Canadian game or you may not, but there are 5 compelling reasons why you should pay attention.

5.Quality of play

Over the last decade the CFL has had to compete against other secondary leagues to the NFL. From arena ball to NFL Europe to The XFL and to the UFL the CFL has stood tall and doesn't have to worry about teams folding mid-season, players cracking their skulls open on "coin-tosses" or 6 game seasons that are shortened. The CFL has proven the after the NFL it is the primary destination for Professional football players in North America.

4.Parody and competition

The phrase "only in the CFL" comes to mind when thinking of the 2012 season. The exodus of star QBs from the West to the East could mean a power shift in the league or it means that the next generation of QBs are ready to go. But before Kick-off on Friday all eight teams feel like they have a shot at the championship in Toronto come November. I know in a league of eight teams that is easy to say but even our friends at Bodog have the longest shot at the Grey Cup at 9 to 1 with Edmonton and Saskatchewan.

3.Canadian rivalries

Taking pride in your city means alot in Canada, most Montrealers hate anything Toronto does. Ask a Calgarian what they think of Edmonton. Winnipeg and Saskatchewan may be stuck in the middle of Canada together but it doesn't mean they like each other. Rivalries are great and within the CFL they are easily created as you play each team up to possibly 4 times a season, Before playoffs. You may not like your local CFL team, but you can easily hate the others.


2.Players that you can relate to

The CFL is full of hard working blue-collar guys. Players that need to have other interests other than football, not other interests as in hobbies, other interests as in jobs. Fans appreciate players they can relate to, but understand that these CFL players also relate to the fans and appreciate the support more so then any other professional sport. Most of these players are on second chances in their football careers and love the game so much that they will work 6 months of the year to support their families so that the other 6 months they can earn $45000 getting their bodies beat up for the pleasure of their fan base.

1. Accessible and affordable

As professional sports go, is there a more affordable product? Is there a more accessible game? Each game is televised on TSN, Each stadium has it's own flavor and ticket, concession and parking prices are more than reasonable in any of the 8 Canadian cities. If you want to see a game, you can, anyone can. You just have to take the time.

--------------------------------------------

Since it's my first post of 2012 and the season starts tomorrow, I guess I'll put it all on the line with some predictions. I'll blame the vertigo medication I'm on when I'm wrong.


WEST:
BC 13-5
Cal 11-7
Sask 10-8
Edm 4-14


East:
Ham 11-7
Mtl 10-8
Tor 8-10
Win 8-10

Grey Cup BC over Mtl