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.

-------------------------
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.

Football will be Played

Just yesterday, I wrote here on Missed Field Goal that one of the biggest questions for the Als would be all the off-field questions. Well one has been answered.

The CFL and CFLPA have reached tentative agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The deal has yet to be ratified, but as a CFL veteran put it 'Football will be played this summer'.

This is great news for the CFL and the CFLPA, it just did not make any sense to delay or postpone the 2010 season. Professional football leagues, other than the NFL, are tough to sustain but the CFL has been kicking for a while now and a stoppage would hurt it's future. It's great to see that the owners and players realize how much they need each other to survive.

In the New CBA there will be drug testing. Something that both the players and owners wanted to implement this year. Just adds more credibility to the league. More details will come once the deal will be finalized.

-----------
On an Als note, single game tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon, check out www.montrealalouettes.com for details.

Priming for the 2010 CFL Season

As the Montreal Canadiens distracted the city until yesterday, the Montreal Alouettes brass have been busy preparing for the opening of training camp on June 6th in Sherbrooke.

You can get excited about all the signings like O.J. Santiago and NFL releases like S.J. Green, but if CFL training camps that I have attended are any indication, there are alot of no shows and quick departures.

The fact is the Montreal Alouettes of 2010 will look alot like the Montreal Alouettes of 2009 at least on the offensive side of the ball. The questions about Brian Chiu and Anthony Calvillo were quickly answered and Ben Cahoon's return was always assumed.

Barring any major injuries, the Alouettes offense will be pretty much the same it has always been under Marc Trestman. But training camp could always yield a couple of surprises.

The questions for the Als are mostly off-field.
-Can they sell out a 25,000 seat stadium consistently?
-Can Rob Wetenhall and Larry Smith re-sign GM Jim Popp?
-Will the CFL and CFLPA agree to their CBA in time for Training Camp?

Those will be the topics leading up to June 6th but once that first ball is thrown, caught, kicked, dropped, muffed, tipped or fumbled all the focus will be on The Als quest to repeat as Grey Cup Champs