Post game Alservations: Deeing it Up

The Montreal Alouettes relied on the defensive side of the ball in their 27-4 victory past the Edmonton Eskimoes. Here are this week's Alservations...

- Chip Cox may still be behind some other contenders but is making his claim as one of the top defensive players in the game. He had 4 tackles, 2 sack and a pair of forced fumbles.

- Moton Hopkins making his Als debut sacked Ricky Ray a pair of times himself, The Als in all had 6 sacks... None by John Bowman.

- The Als Dominance in run defence continued as the Esks had 7 carries for minus 1 yard. Jerome Messum was a non-factor on the ground.

- Speaking of the ground, not only did the Als Sack Ray 6 times, they hit him 10 more times.

- Another Milestone or two for AC. Calvillo now has 400 career touchdown passes and over 70 000 passing.

- The pass protection on AC wasn't as strong as Coach Trestman would like. he was sacked 3 times and was rushed out of the pocket more than he normally is.

- Calvillo still has never thrown for 3 TDs in 18 head to head match-ups with Ricky Ray. He had two tosses both to Jamel Richardson.

- Ramon Guzman's hit on Jerome Messum will make the plays of the year.

-Kicking wise Sean Whyte has hit 19 straight FGs on the season with 4 in the game, But he punted and kicked off better than he has all season long. Maybe he was trying to prove something to Damon Duval making his return to Montreal.

-Tim Maypray tweeted this morning that he only has an ankle sprain and nothing will keep him down. he was finally able to break a big run on Duval's MFG.

- Scott Flory said he may wrestle a Bear or "A Coyot" on his Bye Week

The Als don't play until August 27th in Calgary as they will get a coming days off. We'll break down the first unofficial half of the season this coming Tuesday on The Als This Week on The TEAM 990 www.team990.com at 7pm eastern.

Post- Game Alservations: Put it in the Record books

Well it was going to happen for Anthony Calvillo sooner or later, he just decided on sooner. AC hit Eric Deslauriers in the 1st quarter to break the CFL's all-time TD mark as the Als trumped the Argos 40-17.

-This game wasn't all AC, RB Brandon Whitaker played a huge role with 27 touches and 214 total yards. The fact that Whitaker caught 11 passes means that the Argos DBs were doing their job.

-It did seem however, that Jim Barker did not implement a game plan for the one they call B-Whit. He showed a tremondous ammount of vision on numerous run plays finding not one or two holes but sometimes three.

-Back to AC, he's thrown 2 INTs this year, both started in the hands of his own receiver (Jamel Richardson and Eric Deslauriers).

-Chip Cox set a CFL record of his own with his 108 Fumble return. The previous mark was that of Ottawa Roughrider Al Washington in 1984 of 104 yards.

-Including special teams Chip Cox played 69 plays total in this game, He also had a pic and 7 tackles.

-Chad Kackert was washing dishes before the game and forgot to dry off his hands before playing, 2 fumbles at critical points in the game.

-Decent night for the Alouettes D line, 4, hurries, 4 hits and 2 sacks on Cleo Lemon.

-It was OL Scott Flory's 35th birthday, He was forced to play tackle when Josh Bourke got hurt. He hasn't done so since 2005. He prefers Guard as he was called for a holding penalty in the tackle position.

-Great to see Brandon London improve his game for the 3rd straight game. game 1: 1 reception, game 2: 3 receptions and game 3: 6 receptions. Anthony Calvillo is developing confidence with the wideout.

-What would have happened if Jamel Richardson and Kerry Watkins were in the line-up?

-It was a nice ceremony for Ben Cahoon, it is always great to see him in Montreal. But I have always believed if its a no-brainer to retire an athletes number, then there is no reason to wait. Just do it right away.

The Alouettes now have a long week of rest a recuperation as the host Saskatechewan next next Saunday evening a Percival Molson Stadium.

Post- Game Alservations: AC tops Darian and Damon

The Montreal Alouettes went into Mosaic Stadium and put the hammer down with a 39-25 road victory over the Roughriders. Here’s this week Alservations:

-Anthony Calvillo throws for 5 TDs for only (yup only) the 3rd time in his career. He ties Damon Allen for the most TD passes in CFL history with 394. Maybe he’ll hit number 400 next week.

-Great game for WR Brian Bratton, the 5 receptions, 76 yards and 2 TDs doesn’t tell the whole story. His key catch set-up Whitaker’s TD and he laid out a great WR block as S Green scored. Plus on more than one occasion Bratton was pass protecting for AC.

-Very rough game for some of the Alouette stars on Saturday. On separate occasions, Jamel Richardson, Mark Estelle, John Bowman, Brandon Whitaker and SJ Green all had to be tended to and helped off the field. Whitaker did not return and according to HerbZ of Alsinsideout has a concussion but hasn’t been ruled out for Friday at home against Toronto.

-But it was great to see Whitaker on the sidelines late in the fourth signally in plays to Dahrren Diedrick.

-Loved Dwight Anderson’s aggressiveness and ability to close the gap on Dressler on numerous occasions.

-Ever wonder why Chip Cox plays special teams when he’s an all-star on defence. Well watching him chase down returner Tristan Jackson, should answer that.

-All the pushing a shoving after the whistles makes me want to skip week three against Toronto and to invite Saskatchewan to town now. The Riders are easily the Als best rivalry in the west.

-After the game Darian Durant said he sees Anthony Calvillo as the greatest QB ever in the CFL. He only ever ‘heard’ of Doug Flutie.

-Speaking of Durant, I thought he looked a lot better than last week. He didn’t turn over the ball and put together a couple of very nice looking drives. He just doesn’t have the arsenal of receivers that he had to play with last season.

-The Riders Coaching staff did not get Wes Cates the ball enough he only had 9 touches overall in the game

-All three of Brandon London’s catches were for first downs

-With 419 passing yards, AC is now only 3490 yards away from passing Allen on the All-time passing yards list.

Post Game Alservations: Win it for Brown

The Alouettes season is one game deep, and they are on the road to BC with the 30-26 win over the Lions. Here are tonight's Alservations.

-NorthEast stands empty. 2011 is Sell out streak over 22 317 fans. How much did ticket prices go up... Not the number Ray Lalonde wanted to start his tenure with

-First series first touchdown SJ Green lines up outside, Ben Cahoon never did that 51yards

-Jeff Hecht gets thrown into the fire with the Brown injury, Billy Parker moves back to DHB.

-Chip Cox may be a linebacker but he still has DB speed, but after a drop of a sure pic in the 3rd quarter he’s probably better off where he is playing.

-Huge block by Jeff Hecht on Lions OL John Hameister-Ries on the Missed Field goal return by Tim Maypray, You’ll see it in the highlight packages for a bit.

-Jamel Richardson is ready to make his mark on the CFL in 2011, TDs of 40 and 46 yards, one displaying his speed, the other showing off his strength. He finished with 9 rec and 162 yards.

-Rough game for OL Jeff Perrett, gave up a sack and a holding call

-Special teams coverage still needs to be addressed, lanes were open right up the middle on the Tim Brown return

-The Alouettes lost a little luster when they turned to the run game in the 3rd quarter, its not like it didn’t work, but it couldn’t counter the Lions quick pace because ethey were down by so much.

-Travis Lulay took awhile to get going, but he can put a nice drive together in a time of need. He does run when he is in trouble, good thing he’s young.

-Nice to see the Alouettes hang Jerald Brown’s #39 jersey hang in the middle of the locker room after the game, Trestman says he’ll have surgery tomorrow and is likely done for the year

Post Game Alservations: Remember the Receivers

Well that’s pre-season CFL football, I promise it gets better. 27-15 final for the Alouettes over the Bombers.

Here’s what I noticed

-Only 1 quarter of play for Adrian Mcpherson, But ran the ship like it was his. There are many CFL coaches that wish he was the man calling the shots on their team.

-Rough go-around for Brandon Whitaker only three carries for minus 2 yards. However, twice he was met in the backfield by a Bomber defender that beat Ryan Bomben who was replacing Scott Flory, who had the night off.

-On a pass blocking note, Whitaker didn’t miss an assignment, which is the good news.

-Eesh the ghosts of Duval at Percival Molson already? Whyte’s 1st FG attempt wide right from 38 yards out.

-My players to watch showed up early and often. Brandon London started with a huge contested grab on the 2nd play of scrimmage for 47 yards he finished with 8 catches and 145 yards, and Bo Bowling had the 9 yard TD catch to kick things off then his final numbers were 7 for 67.

-De’Audra Dix looked primed, took some chances ball-hawking but its pre-season and I can appreciate that. He knows he’s competing for playing time.

-The sack on Ricky Santos in the 2nd quarter, went right through Kristian Matte and Chris Pino.

-Bo Bowling reminds me of Ben Cahoon…. On the field.

-Avon Cobourne was paying attention to the game he tweeted his well wishes: @AvonCobourne: ALS looking for a running back and they have 8 carries going to in to the 4th. Good luck fellas.

- Speaking of Twitter, you can follow the games star Brandon London @yourboyBLONDON

-The B squad on Defense played and looked like a B squad, The Alouettes better stay healthy on that side of the ball.

-I liked Tad Crawford’s speed versus Boulay’s, this battle for the safety position should continue into the first few weeks of the season.

-Eric Deslauriers had the highlight of the night, with a great contested grab for 44yards in the 2nd quarter, It set up the 2nd TD by Emmanuel Marc

-DL Kitwana Jones looks like he’s here to stay, expect a lot more time on Special teams than Defense.

-Great to see the Alouettes organization finally put their retired numbers in a markee position under the second deck on the south side. Press row has a great view of #56 Trawick, #92 Etcheverry, #75 Patterson, #28 Dixon, #63 Desjardins, #74 Dalla Riva, #77 #Ah You and #27 Pringle.

-Walter Spencer left the game with an elbow injury, Trestman deems it precautionary

-Trestman felt they were forced to pass the ball early and abandon the run because Winnipeg kept putting 8 in the box. He wanted to run more

The Als will head back to Bishop’s university to continue Training Camp over the weekend, they expect to get some bodies back on the field. We can also expect some cuts to be made after tonights game. The Als next play in Hamilton next Wednesday, It’ll be AC time!

Alservations: From Training Camp

Have no fear, Alservations is back for the 2011 season. Anytime I am able to escape the Radio studio and head to a football field, there will be Alservations. I Headed off to Sherbrooke today to catch up with our Local Canadian Football team, here are a few things I did notice:

-Despite not playing on Thursday, Anthony Calvillo wants to get in his reps during practice. Even though he didn’t toss the ball around, he still participated in the RB drills handing off primarily to Brandon Whitaker

-Brandon Whitaker’s attitude has changed along with his status with the team. In the post practice interview he did not sound or act like the practice roster player I talked to at the end of last year.

-WR Brandon London is trying to make his mark. As far as offensive players go, he definitely stood out more than anyone, making numerous tough hard catches that he had to compete for in the air with the DBs.

-Bo Bowling was probably the receiver with the most catches.

-Prechae Rodriguez looked out of sorts on a few plays, turning right when the ball went left and dropping at least one that was right in his hands. He has missed a couple of days because of injury.

-RB Yvenson Bernard’s legs are fast; when he gets into the open, watch out!

-DB Billy Parker looked good at CB, because of injuries and Dwight Anderson slated to be at Defensive HB, Parker has been on the Outside of the defence. Making him match up well will the taller outside receivers

-Despite not practicing due to a ‘rest day’ from Marc Trestman John Bowman participated in every DL drill, coaching and motivating his teammates.

-As for Kickers, looks like Sandro DeAngelis prefers the 2 different cleats style, whereas Sean Whyte likes to match.

-WR Eric Deslauriers looks to play a bigger role in the offence with Ben Cahoon moving on. Well his voice was at least heard. He was by far the Alouette with the most energy on the field. I’m pretty sure some teammates appreciated his liveliness and others just shook their head.

-And have no worries Marc Trestman still runs the show; on numerous occasions calling out players that lagged behind between drills. One can only assume this is a daily occurrence.

- Brian Bratton realises that Cahoon is gone and that Kerry Watkins has yet to arrive and with Jamel Richardson on the sidelines he was the elder statesman for receivers today. He relished the role and felt that SJ Green also played a leadership role too.

As for the upcoming pre-season game Thursday night at Percival Molson Stadium vs Winnipeg, here are a few line-up notes:

Out- Jamel Richardson (Hip Flexor), Danny Deriveaux (knee), Mark Estelle (shoulder)
Anthony Calvillo (vet Status), Scott Flory (vet Status), Jermaine McElveen(personal), De’Andra Cobb (Hamstring)

Questionable- Jerald Brown, Eric Wilson, John Bowman, RB Emmanuel Marc

Sean Whyte will kick for the first 2-3 quarters, then Sandro DeAngelis. It’ll be either Ricky Santos or Marc-Olivier Brouillette as holder.

Adrian McPherson will start, then the hometown fans will see Ricky Santos and the game will wrap up with Josh Neiswander.

Most of the RBs will get touches, starting with Whitaker, but then Yvenson Bernard, Emmanuel Marc (if he can go) and Rashad Slaughter. Dahrran Diedrick is in the mix too.

Trestman finished up by saying the goal is to get most of the ‘new’ guys time in a game situation. Don’t expect the vets to be in their for long, so don’t be late.

Off Season Alservations- In case you Missed it

For the Back to back Grey Cup Champions, The Alouettes have had an incredibly busy off-season. You would think that Status-Quo would be the way to go. But winning titles has its downsides, like everyone else wanting a piece of that tasty winning pie. So if you have been hibernating or just decided not to pay attention the CFL or the Als he’s a quick overlook at what the Alouettes have been doing since the 98th Grey Cup in Edmonton.

Retirements:
- SB Ben Cahoon : Yup, Shocking News. #86 the all-time receptions leader in the CFL hung up the cleats. He loved Montreal and Montreal loved him. His press conference was a moment that he let fans and media into the real Ben Cahoon full of life and humour that was rarely shown outside of the Als Locker room. Even through his numbers were down in 2010 he will be the most missed by the club. Cahoon will continue in Football as a receivers coach at BYU

- C Paul Lambert: In an interesting couple of days, Lambert was released by the Als and chose the route of retirement after a couple of days thinking about playing elsewhere. Jim Popp asked Lambert to stay on but at a significant pay-cut. Lambert’s last 2 seasons have been filled with injuries allowing Luc Brodeur-Jourdain time to prove he can play at centre. Like Cahoon Lambert will join the College coaching ranks but a little closer to home with McGill.

Re-signings:
QB Anthony Calvillo: AC gets a brand new 2 year contract but better than that he’s healthy. In an emotional interview after the Grey Cup, Calvillo revealed that he had lesions on his thyroid that would need to be looked at. They were cancerous. But Calvillo’s treatment has been quick a success and he has been given the green light to prepare for the 2011 season as per usual.

LB Chip Cox: is here to stay. The dynamic linebacker who is coming off a career year has been re-signed in Montreal on a 4 year contract. Expect Cox to make plays in Montreal for a long time.

WR SJ Green: was being pursued once again by NFL clubs but Jim Popp convinced the high-light reel catching wideout to stay in Montreal with a 3 year contract. The big question is will they use him at the slotback position where Cahoon was or use him on the outside, either way expect big plays.
WR Jerry Porter: Former NFLer is in the fold in Montreal, but we’ve seen that train before (see OJ Santiago). There is a relationship with Trestman from his Raider days.

Plus, DB Jerald Brown (3 years), DL JP Bekasiak (3 years), LS Martin Bedard (3 years), RB Brandon Whitaker(2 years), WR Danny Derisveaux (2 years), RB Ahman Green –Yup the Former Packer(2 years)

Free-Agency Losses:
RB Avon Cobourne: The beloved Grey Cup MVP of 2009 is no longer an Alouette and it was all about money. It’s the CFL, No one in their right mind would blame another player for leaving an organization for greener pastures (pardon the pun). Avon will get $55 000 up front and $75 000 for the next 3 seasons from the Hamilton Ti-Cats. So don’t worry Als fans you’ll see plenty of Cobourne. Look for a battle at training camp in Hamilton with DeAndra Cobb. For the Als I think its Whitaker’s job to lose.

WR/R Andrew Hawkins: Off the NFl, he signed with the St.Louis Rams. Plus he’ll be in Geogre Clooney’s new Movie The Ides of March.

Plus, WR/R Larry Taylor (Cal), DL Shawn Mayne (Win).
ON the free Agent Market: QB Chris Leak, K Damon Duval, LB Ramon Guzman

Free Agent Acquisitions:
DB Dwight Anderson: Probably one of the bigger defensive names out there and Jim Popp decided to go out of his house to help improve the defensive backfield. Anderson is known for his big trash talking mouth. But he can also bring it, with 5 INTs last season for one of the best defensive cores in the league in Calgary. With Brown, Parker and Estelle already in the fold, the Als DBs will line up nicely with their star receiving core

S Tad Crawford: A Canadian safety go figure, from the BC Lions. He’ll battle with Etienne Boulay for starting time. What about Matt Proulx, don’t be surprised if he’s added to the retirement list, but he can still play (when healthy).

RB Yvenson Bernard: from Win. He’ll attempt to grab that starting position at RB. For all those RBs trying out, note of advice, make sure you can pass block.

Coaching Staff:
Def Coor Tim Burke: is no longer on Staff, he accepted the same position with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Burke wants to be a Head Coach in the league and did not see a future in Montreal

LB coach Tim Tibesar: is your New DC in Montreal. An Alouette move by promoting within, he’ll still work with the Linebackers.

DB coach Daronte Jones is the newest Coaching staff Member, Jones was a defensive assistant with the UCLA Bruins in the NCAA last season.

HC Marc Trestman: Nominated for the third consecutive year for Coach of the year in the CFL. He’s up against Ken Miller and Jim Barker, Trestman won it last season.

News and Notes:
-Former Alouettes Head Coach Don Matthews and Former Alouettes WR Terry Vaughn are both to be inducted to the CFL Hall of Fame in 2011

-Random Signings: RB Remene Alston Jr., DE Jermaine McGhee, LB Buster Davis, QB Paul Smith and WR Reggie Smith, R Rashaud Slaughter.

-LB Mike Labinjo was acquired via trade form Calgary but the Alouettes voided the deal due to concerns about his injured elbow.

-The Alouettes have had informal conversatiosn with former Ti-Cats Kicker Nick Setta

-Still no indication on the Alouettes new Team President

Well like I said it’s been a busy off-season and it will only continue. I’m sure I missed something along the way but I used to be a Kicker, so 80% is satisfactory.

Post Game Alservations: Als Well that Ends Well

It is a day late, but yesterday was a travel day, so without further ado the final Post Game Alservations of the 2010 season

-Even in the chill of Edmonton, I don’t think many people thought it was going to be a 39 total point game.

-Congrats to Jamel Richardson, who not only made any catch coming his ay, bu the timing of his catches really earned him the MVP.

-It seemed that SJ Green took over the job of Kerry Watkins on Sunday, making space for #18.

-I bet if he had even just 1 TD pass, AC is your game MVP.

-The OL made great adjustments after the first half, after allowing a couple of sacks early.

-Only 12 touches from Wes Cates, I felt Ken Miller Abandoned him too early in the game.

-Darian Durant is 0-2 in Grey Cups, Well AC was once 1-5, He’ll get his, Durant is a quality QB.

-Despite a rollercoaster season, #17 Billy Parker played tight and aggressive against the Sask Recievers,

-the Whole secondary that was being attacked stepped up and held string throughout the game.

-If Als fans are wondering, Vancouver has more than one 5 star hotel for Grey Cup 99.

-It most possibly could have been Ben Cahoon’s final game in an Alouettes uniform, don’t be surprised if Matt Proulx played his final game the week before. ACL injuries are tough on Football players.

-If Marc Trestman were to live for the State of Minnesota in NCAA or NFL. I think that the Als would be well placed under Scott Milanovitch, who has been learning for the Best CFL coach or three years running.

-Now learning what AC has gone through this season, anybody want to change their Most outstanding vote?

-Avon’s 2 TDs gives him 6 TDs in 6 games as a starting RB in the playoffs.

-Damon Duval struggled for the second straight grey Cup and was sub-par by his own accord all season long. Finding a Kicker that can Kick and Punt is hard to do. The Als have to play this one right, but first thing should be to bring in competition for Training camp in June in 2011.

-Grey Cup Parade is on Wednesday, get those work excuses ready today.

-I wonder how gaudy the 2010 Grey Cup ring will be

Post Game Alservations: AL-berta Bound

Well the Alouettes are back on top of the football world after taking the last month off. Big victory 48-17 over the Argos, I'd like to say I told youso but I predicted 47-16, maybe next time.

On to the Alservations...

-3 straight 2 and outs on defence, a 53 yard bomb for a TD and an 85 yard Punt return for A TD is one hell of a way to get 58 021 fans into a game quickly.

- Avon Cobourne is a playoff performer, check the numbers: in 5 playoff games as a starting RB he has 89 touches for 609 yards and 4 TDs.

-AC looked rested after a couple of weeks off, dont't you think.

-John Bowman and Chip Cox both showed why they are the leaders on this team defensively, Cox led the team intackles with 8 and Bowman had 2 sacks.

-Both Matt Proulx and Mark Estelle were injured in this game, Looks like a knee injury for Proulx, more to come tomorrow.

-Eric Wilson said it best after the game 'If you really want to talk you better show up, Montreal is a team that can back it up and we found out today that Toronto is not'

-Cleo Lemon looked lost and thats a props to Tim Burke and his defensive game plan.

-Kerry Watkins brings a different dynamic to this Als line-up, he's a guy that opens lanes up for himself and his teammates.

-I don't think Hamilton would have faired any better.

-Toronto's Defence got AC to the turf three times in the Als first two drives, which is what they wanted to do, however they trailed 10-0.

-Cory Boyd may have played his last game in the CFL' not because he was hurt, but because he is NFL good.

-At least Duval didn't miss a FG, he only had it blocked...

-And good for Tim Maypray, alot of eyes were focused in on him... except Toronto's Punt cover team...

-Despite all speculation to the contrary, Paul Lambert is going to The Grey Cup to cheer on his teammates.

the Alouettes leave on Tuesday for Edmonton, still not sure if MFG is hitting Alberta this year, nonetheless we will have it covered for you.

Alservations: Ho-Hum Als Clinch

The Alouettes won the game (barely) 22-19 over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday afternoon, thus Clinching the East division for the third straight year.
Here's this week's Alservations

-It was fun, as expected alot more defensive plays than I had envisioned.

-I've said it many times on MFG, I would take Stephen Jyles on my team anyday. It seems he's finding his QB groove at the wrong time of the season.

-With so much focus on John Bowman and Jermaine McElveen, sometimes people forget the ALouettes have Eric Wilson, he played a big role on Sunday

-AC mis-threw more balls than usual, however his bottom line was still impressive 25-37 271 yards and 2 tds

-Ben Cahoon TD spells relief for him and his fans, His last TD came in the Grey Cup in Calgary.

-Ramon Guzman is quietly becoming one of the Als best defensive players.

-Speaking of Best defensive players, Chip Cox's play at the end of the game to strip and recover is a perfect example why he should be up for Defensive player of the year in 2010 form the east.

-I think that Colt David experiment is over.

-Luc Brodeur Jourdain looks better at Centre than at Left guard

3 more games left in the season, only one home game, the Als get a chance to play their playoff opponent either Hamilton ot Toronto. How much will Coach Trestman show his opposition.

Post Game Alservations-CAHOOOOON

Well the Als were able to pull through with the big 46-19 home win against Calgary.
It's kinda funny how this game went down exactly how i thought it would, however I did not expect a 27 point differencial.

on to the Alservations...
-First thing is first congrats to Ben Cahoon on 1007 receptions in the CFL, the most all time.

-If you have never met Ben Cahoon, well your missing out on a great individual.

-If I were the referee I'd given Ben the first down on that play

-He was 100% embarrassed that they stopped the play to congratulate him.

-Cahoon said he felt some pressure because his family flew up for the occasion and didn't want them to wait another week.

-AC was happy it was he that threw to cahoon on the record breaking play, it was called a run play in the huddle.

-on to the game, 2 TDs in 33 seconds was the fastest Brian Bratton ever scored in his entire playing career

-Henry Burris look dis-interested, 4 turnovers on his own.

-I still think Burris has the goods to be a QB that can win the Grey Cup, but he'll have to put together 2 straight weeks of strong performances

-Ramon Guzman was the spark plug early on for the Als defence on the first series he stopped Joffrey Reynolds in his tracks and forced a intentional grounding penalty on Henry Burris

-Anwar Stewart was the spark plug the rest of the way, with two sacks and a forced fumble

-Billy Parker was alot stronger and was close to unbeatable this week.

-and Colt David is a great placekicker 6 for 6 on FGs, however his punting and kickoffs need alot of work.

Up next for the Als Winnipeg, Watch out, they are still alive in the play-off hunt

Mid Week Practice Alservations

they let me out once again! It's always nice to hit Alouettes practice on beautiful days and today was one of them.

-The practice was short maybe a an hour and 15 minutes total, it wasn't too humid and at a considerable ammount of time was spent working on the special teams.

-Calvillo was gloveless, but had his right index finger taped. he threw very sharp and direct short passes very well. I felt he missed on a couple longer throws to Brian Bratton and Jamel Richardson, but the coach seemed to feel different about when I asked him.

'I don't agree with that I thought he threw the ball very well the entire day'

Hey what do I know, I do know that coach Trestman knows QBs so lets side with him on this onl.

-#60 Andrew Woodruff took all the 1st unit snaps a Left guard, if he starts, that would make 3 LGs in 3 weeks.

-#31 Mark Estelle did not practice today but has been cleared to hit the field tomorrow, mor eon the CB position then.

-I spoke with 4 defensive players following the practice, Woldu, Wilson, Bowman and Guzman. the word 'Beast' came up on more than one occasion when defining Argo RB Cory Boyd.

-The last few practices I've noticed the Als implement some trickery, (ex: the KOR end around with Chip Cox vs Sask). Fake field goal, flee flickers and hook and ladders are all in play, apparently.

-Alot of people have been asking about KR\WR #0 Andrew Hawkins, I know our good friend HerbZ from The Gazette is on the case of the dissapearing twitter feed... make sure to read him this week www.alsinsideout.com and www.montrealgazette.com, or just pick up the paper.

-It's back on the road for the Als, they are 2-1 away from PMS.

Post Game Alservations: Down to the Wire

Well that was another doozy of a game. If the Alouettes and Riders meet up again in Edmonton come November I don't think anyone would be disappointed.

On to the Alservations...

-I've said it many times, but it deserves to be said again, Darian is a Superstar in the CFL.

-Coach Miller called Durant a bit off tonight, he was right. Sure he had 445 yards, but the two INTs were on him.

-The Pass interference calls on the Als were iffy at best tonight.

-Wes Cates single handily turned a 4 point game into a 14 point game with his 15 yard penalty at the end of the 2nd quarter.

-Tim Maypray has two MFG (name drop) returns this year against Saskatchewan.

-Anthony Calvillo's finger was still crooked in the post game interviews

-We all love Ben, but this is probably his last season in the CFL for the Hall of famer.

-Watching Jermaine McElveen makes one think Keron who?

-Does anyone know what makes Weston Dressler so good, is it his speed or size?

-2nd and long is still killing the Alouettes Defence, one can only wonder how long bend but don't break philosophy can work, well at least another, its the Argos next week.

-Calvillo had 229 passing yards in the 1st half, 23 in the 2nd.

-If you weren't at the game, it was LOUD on the field during the final series.

Als are back on the road next Saturday in Toronto

Post Game Alservations: It's Duval Good

The Montreal Alouettes pulled it through with a convincing 37-14 victory over the Hamilton Ti-Cats. The game wasn't without a few hiccups, including an Als offence that struggled in the Red Zone. Here's tonights Alservations:

-It's becoming pretty effective using #85 Bratton in the run game

-A healthy Dave Stala is a very good player, too bad the Als never got to see that a couple years back

-The Ti-Cats front four were most effective in the Red Zone... in the first half.

-Nice to see #21 Giffin making plays on the Special teams

-you can hear the difference 5000 extra fans make

-#15 Duval's 7 FGs ties his own record he got last year against Toronto, (Terry Baker had 7 FGs in 2000 against Calgary)

-#7 Bowman had 3 sacks & 3 forced fumbles, I know there are 3 games in Week 4, He should win a Gibson's Finest

-#19 Green had 0 catches at half and 2 at the end of the game, it's not enough.

-On the 53 yard MFG at the end of half, The Als had great special teams coverage to limit Thigpen's return. Risking play by Als.

-#13 Calvillo's Knee went numb, that's why he stayed down. Was able to plant his left leg without pain, that's why he returned.

-#13 Calvillo did state that he expects it to be sore this week, look for a couple days off for the reigning MOP.

-#41 Emry is not sure anyone reads his work on www.alsinsideout.com, check it out.

-Coach Trestman says its dissapointing that they had trouble in the Red Zone but is not concerned

-with only 10 points at half I was worried about my 44 point prediction, but in the end I was one Shea Emry Pic 6 away from hitting the mark.

-The Stadium looks good.

Als next play Toronto in Montreal in a week, The Red Zone watch is back on.

Post Game Alservations: Bombs Away!

Well, what can one say after that thriller of a game.

The CFL is designed to create entertaining football.

So the Als drop a 54-51 2OT decision in the Grey Cup Grudge match to the Riders. A game filled with great offensive plays is a game that has defensive mistakes. Let's take a quick look at game 1 of the Als season.

-Love the way #13 AC bounced back from an interception and sack to start his season. Big numbers 28/42 368 yards and 4TDs. He's still got it.

-#18 Jamel Richardson 5 rec for 79 yards, could have been better. A couple of drops in the hands tonight

-#3 Tim Maypray with the 2nd longest MFG Return in Als history 122 yards for the TD. that's great news for a team that might have started to miss Larry Taylor.

-#19 S.J. Green with the catch of the Season already in OT on the 2-point conversion, you can see what the Jets liked in him. Just keep him out of the backfield on blocking assignments, he miss reads the blitzes.

-The Als Secondary gave up 478 yards and 5 TDs to Darian Durant. 1- They were missing Mark Estelle 2- The Riders probably have the best receiving core the Als will see this year 3-Darian Durant is in the Top 3 QBs in the CFL (see Calvillo and Ray)

-#17 Billy Parker took alot of chances. hit or miss. It was a miss tonight.

-#11 Chip Cox, looked good in coverage and added a sack and a forced fumble

-Not a good sign when your safety leads the team in Tackles (#20 Proulx with 6).

-The Als defensive line, looked gassed in the 3rd and 4th quarter, Trestman may want to work in a bigger rotation for some of his big names on the line.

-I think #85 Brian Bratton will have huge numbers this year.

-Dressler and Durant could have more completions together than Calvillo and Cahoon, this year.

-The Als O-Line will need at least 3 games to gel properly.

-Don't be shocked about Avon Cobourne's 10 carries, He'll get his touches, just not in a Wild West OT Shootout.

-Circle august 6th on your calendar, Riders in Montreal. I know Coach Trestman already has.

-The CFL is fun

-The CFL is smiling ear to ear with this being the game to debut on the NFL Network.

The Alouettes have 10 days to think about this loss, you know coach Trestman will have geared to pick up their 1st win of the season in Edmonton on Sunday july 11th

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.