Wisely, the Alouettes are looking ahead. Back in training for the semi-final of the East Division they will play against the Tiger-Cats, Sunday in Hamilton (1 p.m.), Khari Jones and his players want to turn the page on a season that has not lived up to expectations.
“Our 7-7 record is average, but I think all of our ups and downs have been used to build our team. If a team is not used to getting up when it falls to the mat, it can have some really nasty surprises in the playoffs, ”commented linebacker Patrick Levels.
“The real season starts now. You have to have a 1-0 record every week, and if you do, there’s no one else to talk about the season. ”
Emotional leader of the defense if there is one, Levels did not need much to pray on Monday. Pumped up, the Texan made a Mark Messier of himself.
“We will play with strength, speed and discipline. And if we do, our team cannot be stopped. When we lose, it’s always because we are fighting ourselves, because of turnovers or penalties. No team has dominated us this season, it hasn’t happened once.
“We will go to the home of our opponents and we will take control of their stadium, it is not more complicated than that! We’re going to win in Hamilton. And you can put it right in front of me if we don’t. You can write it down and say it: the Montreal Alouettes are coming! ”
“You all know Pat. You could make him say the same thing before each of our games, he will always guarantee victory. But that doesn’t bother me, because that’s his personality, ”Jones said.
In addition to his head coach, Levels obtained the blessing of his general manager… who however expressed a reservation.
“If he feels it and believes it, and he’s able to take the whole team on board with him, well, let’s go and I endorse him. I will encourage him to say what he thinks, ”said Danny Maciocia.
“But words are words. You have to be able to do it in the field and deliver, ”added the general manager.
Healthy Stanback
Withdrawn from the game in the loss to the Ottawa Rouge et Noir on Friday night, William Stanback confirmed that he was in good health and that he did not suffer from any serious injuries.
“I’m not the one making these decisions. I will do what the coaches want. If they think it’s better for me to get out of the game, that’s what I’m going to do, Stanback said. I could have continued to play. ”
Recall that rookie Jeshrun Antwi escaped and lost the ball on two occasions after taking over from Stanback. Two decisive games in the 19-18 loss to Ottawa.
“All the players are a bit messed up at this point in the season. Khari just wanted to make sure I was healthy and ready for Hamilton, ”said Stanback, who said he was 100% in good shape, Monday.
“You can always question decisions after the fact. But you do what you think is in the best interests of the team at the moment and you live with your choices, ”commented Jones.
A poorly prepared team?
Unsurprisingly, Maciocia did not appreciate his club’s performance on Friday night, and the same could surely be said of the season as a whole. But the Quebecer recalled that the coming weeks could completely change the picture of the situation.
“Like everyone else, we were disappointed [de la défaite de vendredi]. But we have to get it out of the system and that’s what we did over the weekend. Nobody was happy with our game, but the reality is that we are in the playoffs and we have a big game to play on Sunday in Hamilton. It is very important that we are well prepared physically and mentally. ”
“When a team is not ready to play physically and mentally, it will pay the price. Unfortunately, I think we did not respect the opponent in this match [vendredi]. And when you don’t respect your opponent, I think you don’t respect sport. When we do not respect these two things, there is collateral damage and we have paid for it, ”said Maciocia, before mitigating his remarks a bit.
It happens, matches like these. The question is how to handle the situation. Good teams are capable of evacuating defeats like this.
Danny Maciocia, General Manager of the Alouettes
When a colleague of mine asked Jones if he felt his team was poorly prepared on Friday night, the head coach was adamant.
” Not at all. We all saw what happened, we made fumbles and that was the story of the game. It was not because we had taken the opponent lightly. “
“After each game, we have a meeting the next day with our head coach, Khari Jones, and we talk about the game, the decisions, the injuries. It’s kind of a summary. We have [abordé] the game, and now all of our effort and focus is on our next one, ”Maciocia explained.
Regarding their team’s 7-7 record, Maciocia and Jones agreed, however, that it is disappointing. Both men believe, however, that the ending could be happy.
“We’ll have the opportunity to do a post-mortem at the end of the year and talk about the season in detail, but we’re currently part of a tournament, so I’d like to keep all of our energies on that. I want things to be positive around the team. ”
“At the end of the day, if we win our next three games, I don’t think we’re going to talk about our 7-7 record. And probably I’m going to feel completely different from how I feel today, ”Maciocia said.
“I think our record is indicative of our season, which has been uneven. But I think we were competitive in each of our games, ”Jones said.
“I expected a better record, but it’s okay. I’m excited to face Hamilton to see what our team is made of. I still love her and I continue to believe that she has all the ingredients to make it through. ”
Offensive line: new contracts
Sean Jamieson (knee) returned to play on Friday and Philippe Gagnon (lower leg) was back in training on Monday. These two players, as well as Kristian Matte and Landon Rice, should therefore all be at their posts against the Tiger-Cats.
And those four players will all be back with the Alouettes in 2022 after signing new two-year contracts over the past few days.
“These players are extremely important to me. The success we’ve had with our ground game this season is largely down to our offensive line, ”commented Maciocia, who made the new deals within days of starting talks mid-last week.
I’m not saying it was easy, but their desire to stay with the team was strong and it was mutual.
Danny Maciocia, General Manager of the Alouettes
“They love their teammates, the city, the team, their positional coach [Luc Brodeur-Jourdain] and they see the potential we have for the next few years. I say it often, games are won on the line of scrimmage. Then, [le fait] to have these four players under contract, that inspires me a lot for the future. ”
The other starting player of the quintet is Tony Washington. The left tackle, whose contract will expire this winter, did not make the last game or practice on Monday due to a calf injury. However, he should be back in his post as of Wednesday as the Alouettes return to practice after a day off, Jones said.