Argonauts-Alouettes | Stanback: “It’s no longer the regular season in our eyes”

It’s not very complicated: by sweeping the two-game series they are about to play against the Toronto Argonauts, the Alouettes would only have to win the Eastern Final at Percival-Molson Stadium, on November 13, to reach the Gray Cup game for the first time in 12 years.

Miguel Bujold
The Press

Not complicated, but not easy. The Argos (10-6), who will face the Als (8-8) at Percival-Molson Stadium this Saturday at 4 p.m., have won six of their last seven games and will be looking to win their second straight Eastern Championship .

“It’s a team that is well managed and has probably been the most consistent in the Eastern Division this season,” acknowledged Danny Maciocia on Friday.

Bethel-Thompson leads the CFL in yards with 4,491, but as Marc-Antoine Dequoy pointed out, his 93.8 save factor isn’t one of the best. Among quarterbacks who have attempted a minimum of 70 passes, Bethel-Thompson comes in 8^e rank.

“He’s a quarterback who’s going to throw a lot of passes, whether they work or not. It’s a team that spends a lot more than it runs, ”noted the marauder.

The Alouettes will probably want to give their own ground game a little more work this Saturday and next week in Toronto. William Stanback will be playing his third game since returning to action and feels his ankle is almost 100%.

“There was a little bit of rust, but I feel like I’m getting rid of it. »

The good news is that Stanback is fresh and ready. Given his style of play, the carrier is normally a bit banged up at this point in the season.

“Having fresh legs so late in the season, I definitely feel that will give me an advantage, and I’m going to try to take advantage of that as much as possible. »

” [Stanback] adds a new element to our attack. Even if it’s a 2^e try with 6 or 7 yards to go, we can opt for a ground game because he is able to resist a few tackles and get a first down,” said Trevor Harris.

The turn of the season

When the Alouettes were 2-6, no one was talking about a division championship. Mere playoff participation only seemed possible due to the weakness of the East.

“I think it’s a team that realizes it has a great opportunity ahead of it. I spoke about it again this morning and I told our players that it was thanks to them that we had this opportunity,” Maciocia said on Friday.

“There was a bit of resistance and doubt, but our players never stopped working. When we were 2-6 and we were going to play in Winnipeg, I think everyone was predicting another loss, but we found a way to get a win.

“There’s not a cat that doesn’t believe in our team in this locker room. Everyone believes in it and there is a lot of confidence. »

According to Dequoy, the atmosphere and the solidarity within the team are remarkable. “It’s only my second season and I haven’t played anywhere else, so I can’t compare. But there are several players who have gone through transfers who tell me that the energy in our team is different from what they have seen in other CFL teams. »

One game at a time. It’s the only way to go for any team. But the Alouettes know that all hopes are allowed if they have their best month of the season.

“Both teams know what’s at stake in Saturday’s game. It’s not the regular season for us anymore, it’s the playoffs,” Stanback said.

“It’s very exciting, because we know we can [de se rendre jusqu’au bout]. This has been our goal since the start of the season. »

Special occasion player

SJ Green will be at Percival-Molson Stadium this Saturday after signing a one-day contract so he can retire as a member of the Alouettes.

“SJ was a spectacular player. When his team needed a big catch, he was there,” Maciocia said of the former receiver.

“When he said he was going to deliver, he did. He was not a big talker, little doer. And it was when there were big games that he had the biggest impact. He was a big-time player. »