Grey Cup 98-Keys to Victory

It's been a rather tame week for the Alouettes and Roughriders heading to their Grey Cup match this evening. besides the Als claiming second class treatment but that has nothing to do with on field play.

That is where we will focus MFG's Keys to Victory for both sides

How the Alouettes will win the Grey Cup:

-Offense, They will need to convert most drives into Touchdowns. Field goals will help however, short Field goals from the redzone could come back and haunt them.

-No dropped balls from Jamel Richardson, I think everyone knows how explosive and strong #18 is, however is is prone to drop some balls on occasion, that cannot happen in this game, it will stall drives.

-get Avon Cobourne involved, Last week I thought the magic number for Avon against Toronto was 16 touches, On his 16th he scored his TD and went on to dominate the Argos Defence. Magic number today 14 touches. AC will need him in pass protection.

-Defensive stand early, an early two and in most games for the Alouettes defence amplifies their game the rest of the way, its been that way all season.

-Tackling Darian Durant, When an Alouettes defensive player as a hand on him, they cannot let him loose. He will make you pay.

-Minimum 2 turnovers, 1 may not be enough.

-Focus on the game not the crowd, the Alouettes have not been strong on the road all season long, just like last year the Rider fans travelled in droves, it will be 85% green in Edmonton.

How the Roughriders will win the Grey Cup:

-Scoring, the Als will score, so Saskatchewan will have to be able to go shot for shot with them, just like they did in the Week one thriller.

-Keep Kerry Watkins under wraps, his sideline and deep play opens up the middle of the field for Jamel Richardson, if he has 4 or less catches, The Riders will be pleased.

-Wes Cates, He is a double threat just like Cobourne, With the pressure that will be forced on Durant look for Draw and Screen dump offs. If he turns them into first downs, it'll be a long day for the Als D. He Needs a Minimum of 17 touches in the
cold.

-Hit Anthony Calvillo, it may not be a sack and it may be a penalty but its cold and AC likes his comfort, they need to make him uncomfortable, look for the rushes to come on the left side of the line.

-Patience, the Alouettes drives may be quicker and shorter, but Durant may want to take his time down the field and keep AC cold on the sidelines.

Either way it I think we are in for another treat from these two teams, I would be pretty shocked if one team blew out the other. If there is going to be a blowout, I can only see the Als putting their foot down. For the Riders their victory will have a flare for the dramatics.
Predictions, coming next!

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

Saskatchewan & Durant in for a Rough Ride

I was possibly thinking that this could be the week that the Alouettes finally drop one at Percival Molson Stadium. But then Darian Durant had to throw a wrench into the "possible" plan.

Durant only got on the field once this week and I saw him after he landed in Montreal, he did not sound good or look good. I cannot in my good mind take the Riders.

The Alouettes on their part have played their best two games on the season at home blowing out Hamilton and Toronto, so they have no given me any indication not to take them.

Plus looking at the line-up changes for the Als, Skip Seagreaves is better than Luc Brodeur-Jourdain and even though Brian Bratton is a big loss to the receiving core, all it means is that SJ Green will be on the field more often. That cannot hurt the Als chances.

Two players to key in on early, #4 of the Riders Darian Durant, It's a cool nice evening in Montreal so heat & humidity will not be a factor, but his stomach virus could affect hime come the 2nd, 3rd anf 4th quarters. The other player is #6 of the Montreal Alouettes Avon Cobourne, he"ll want to continue his success of last week early, he'll want his touches.

The Defence will also be better than Week 1, we will not see over 100 points combined.

Alouettes 37, Roughriders 29

No Durant No Chance

Only one more sleep until this Weeks CFL Markee Match-up between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes. The League's two top Offences will face off at Percival Molson Stadium.

The game may lose some luster if Darian Durant's stomach ailment will prevent him from playing. That is unlikely however. Durant did say today that he felt "a but out of it" but he did just arrive from the airport. He also stated that he will be starting.

It's been real humid in Montreal, it is suppose to cool down after the thundershowers tonight, but if its going to be as muggy as today, that would not be the best situation for a player that has been battling his stomach.

The key will be to watch Durant in the first quarter, see how many times he's hit, rushed and knocked down. For a guy that isn't feeling up to snuff energy lost early could be gone for the game.

If Durant can't complete the game, expect the Als to runaway with it. Ryan Dinwiddie and Cole Berqquist aren't the budding superstars in the CFL that Durant is. I was leaning towards the Riders because i love the way Coach Miller has adjusted to the Als in their last two contests, but with questions surrounding Durant... I'm undecided.

My picks will be up with the rest of the gang on MFG's Pick'em, Win'em tomorrow.

Cobourne's Running Trend

Sorry that I missed my post game Alservations following the Als 41-10 victory over Toronto, but there really wasn't much to say. The Als as predicted are a much better team than the Argos.

It was good for Alouette fans to see the Avon Cobourne still has it, not that there was any doubt but its always a positive sign when one of the keys to the Alouettes Offence plays such a dominant role.

28 touches (20 rushes and 8 receptions) tied a career high for Cobourne who in 2008 v Win and 2009 v Ham was able to handle the ball that many times.

However this Friday the Alouettes have the fun task of facing the 4-1 Saskatchewan Roughriders, who topped the Als 54-51 Classic in the 2010 CFL Kick-Off Markee Match-up.

It seems at least against The Roughriders, As Avon Cobourne goes as do the Alouettes.

Since week 3 of 2009 The Alouettes have faced the Roughriders 4 times, with Friday's contest being #5.
In week 3 of 2009, Avon Cobourne ran for 146 yards, the Als won by 33 points.
In week 8 of 2009, Avon Cobourne ran for 101 yards, the Als won by 9 points.
In The Grey Cup of 2009, Avon Cobourne ran for 85 yards, the Als won by 1 point.
In week 1 of 2010, Avon Cobourne ran for 39 yards, the als lost by 3 points.

By golly has Ken Miller figured the secret code to unlocking the Alouettes amazing offence... maybe, just maybe. it is clear over the last year and change Miller has been able to adjust his strategy to improve each time he's faced the Als.

It's now Marc Trestman's turn.

-----Notes-----

Please note 'Als This Week' will air at 7pm(est) on The TEAM 990 Radio in montreal or www.team990.com

Canada Kick-Off 2010

The Montreal Alouettes defence of the 2009 Grey Cup Championship begins today with their grudge match against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. What can one expect from the 2010 version of Alouettes?

-Expect a healthy Anthony Calvillo to dominant the Passing Stats again this year.
-Expect a Healthy Avon Cobourne to gain over 1000 yards, Mostly in the 3rd and 4th Quarter when the Als have their big leads.
-Expect less sacks from the D-Line with an older Anwar Stewart & no more Keron Williams
-Expect more sacks from the Linebackers
-Expect more INTS, with Jerald Brown and Billy Parker add another year of experience.
-Expect to be impressed with CB Stanford Samuels
-Expect to see S.J. Green to play a big role in 5 receiver sets.

-Don't expect Anthony Calvillo not to get sacked. The O-Line will need a couple of games to smooth out communication
-Don't expect big returns every kick, Bratton and Maypray are quick, just not Taylor Quick
-Don't expect a .500 record for the home Opener in week 4. The Als will have tough times in Sask and B.C.
-Don't expect a 14 plus win season, the east is better. Toronto's bad, but they are better.

It's going to be a similar but interesting season for the Als, but how will they motivate themselves. They are still clearly the class of the East, but Hamilton is better and Winnipeg is still a huge question mark, but a with direction unlike under Mike Kelly. The Argos have a first step but are still a ways off.

In the West, much like last year it is a crap shoot. The Riders are poised to represent the West once again in the Grey Cup after their disappointing loss. The Eskimos want to make the jump to Cup in their hometown. The Lions picked up some potent free-agents in Williams, Davis Sanchez and Jamal Robertson and the Stamps are hard to put down because they have a guy like Henry Burris at the helm.

Nonetheless here are some fearless predictions:
East
Montreal 12-6
*Hamilton 10-8
Winnipeg 10-8
Toronto 4-14

West
Saskatchewan 10-8
*B.C. 9-9
Edmonton 9-9
Calgary 8-10

*win on tie-break