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

CFL Pick'em Win'em Week 6

It's tight atop the standings.
No one is bleeding green. Maybe because Durant is bleeding within.
Heavy on Edmonton and Calgary as I am the only one to still have faith in Lulay, even though I don't.

Nick Murdocco-Franchise- (14-6) Mtl, Edm, Ham, Cal
Gary Whitaker-Franchise (14-6) Mtl, Edm, Win, Cal
Trex Griffin- Snack- (14-6)Mtl, Tor, Win, Cal
Mitch Gallo-4 Aces (13-7) Mtl, Edm, Ham, Cal
Joey Alfieri- NHALL Tonight (13-7) Mtl, Edm, Ham, Cal
Moe Khan- Snack (12-8)Mtl,Edm, Win, Cal
Shaun Starr- Mornings (12-8) Mtl, Edm, Ham, Cal
Sean Campbell-Midday (11-9)Mtl, Edm, Ham, BC
Jack Bedell- ProPlayers (11-9) Mtl, Edm, Ham, Cal
Conor McKenna- Playoff Push (10-10) Mtl, Edm, Ham, Cal
Crazy Pierre- He’s Nuts (10-10) Mtl, Tor, Win, Cal
Cam E2- In front of Press Box (10-10) Mtl, Edm, Win, Cal

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.

Alouettes have some Popp

So the Alouettes finally decided to announce that Jim Popp will be staying with the club through 2014. It's not really a surprise, Jim Popp has been with the team since 1996 when the Als made their return to Montreal.

In 14 seasons under Popp The Alouettes are 168-88-1, the team has never missed the playoffs, played in 12 East Finals, 7 Grey Cups and won two of them. The numbers pretty much forced the organization to re-sign him at any cost.

It was funny talking to the players today. Because Jim Popp is a great asset for an owner and a team president because he finds ways to fit so much talent under a very small Salary Cap. For the players, you would think he's just the guy that can get talented players at a reasonable price.

"I think he's honest with everything that he does" -Anwar Stewart
"Everyone in this locker room can thank Jim and the whole staff for bringing us in, we appreciate what he's done for us" -Anthony Calvillo
"He gave me an opportunity, because I was out of work" -Avon Cobourne

Of Course no one expects negativity from any Alouette players when commenting on a member of the organization. So I had to ask Calvillo about Popp The Negotiator.

"When it comes to negotiating, at times it can be a different person, but that's what he does and he's good at that"

I think Calvillo hits the nail on the head. To go along with finding talent anywhere and convincing players to not only come north to Canada but to a province where language "could" be an issue, he gets them sign for salaries that work best for the team.

So it'll be 4 more years Jim Popp steering the Alouettes ship. Stewart already has ideas on what he can do first with the new contract under his belt.

"Probably takes him maybe an hour to get his hair just right in the morning, maybe he can get a trim with this extra money he just got"

I'm sure they have clippers in the locker room.

Going Retro

To somes delight to others dismay, the Montreal Alouettes will be wearing their 1977 uniforms this Friday against Saskatchewan.
I'm a bigger fan of last years retro look, however the '77 colors & triangle will definitely bring back alot of memories for the long time Als fan.

It be interesting if one day they had the players wear the old school pads too, that be some shin splinting football.

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

CFL Pick'em Win'em Week 5 Results

There's only one way to guarantee to stay on top in this pool, and that is going perfect. Nick, Gary and Trex put up their 1st 4-0's. Gallo does it for the 2nd time and Alfy and Starr push up the standings.
With Cam going 3-1, no one is below .500 on the season thru 5 weeks, talk about experts.
*Next week will separate the men from the boys.

Nick Murdocco-Franchise- (14-6) Mtl, Edm, Sask, Cal-4-0
Gary Whitaker-Franchise (14-6) Mtl, Edm, Sask, Cal-4-0
Trex Griffin- Snack- (14-6) Mtl, Edm, Sask, Cal-4-0
Mitch Gallo-4 Aces (13-7) Mtl, Edm, Sask, Cal-4-0
Joey Alfieri- NHALL Tonight (13-7) Mtl, Edm, Sask, Cal-4-0
Moe Khan- Snack (12-8) Mtl, BC, Sask, Cal-3-1
Shaun Starr- Mornings (12-8) Mtl, Edm, Sask, Cal-4-0
Sean Campbell-Midday (11-9)Mtl, BC, Sask, Win-2-2
Jack Bedell- ProPlayers (11-9) Mtl, BC, Sask, Cal-3-1
Conor McKenna- Playoff Push (10-10) Mtl, BC, Sask, Win-2-2
Crazy Pierre- He’s Nuts (10-10) Mtl, Edm, Ham, Win-2-2
Cam E2- In front of Press Box (10-10) Mtl, BC, Sask, Cal -3-1


------Week 6 due Fiday at 7pm----
Sask@Mtl
Tor@Edm
Win@Ham
Cal@BC