Posted at 5:00 a.m.
The biggest question at the start of training camp is not very difficult to determine. Who will be the starting quarterback when the Alouettes’ season kicks off on June 9 in Calgary?
It would be pretty amazing if it wasn’t Vernon Adams Jr., who got votes of confidence from Danny Maciocia, Khari Jones and Anthony Calvillo over the past few months. But what will happen in a few months? Will he be robbed of his post by Trevor Harris during the season?
Adams Jr. welcomed the acquisition of Harris with maturity last season, at least publicly. He was then injured in a shoulder and put the interests of the club before his own.
His reaction was quite different when the Alouettes decided to hire this same Harris on the free agent market during the winter. Adams Jr. made no secret of his displeasure on social media with a few sibylline messages. He said he has since accepted the team’s decision, but no doubt it whipped his pride.
Adams Jr. has recovered from a season-ending injury last fall and will hold the lead starting Sunday. On the other hand, he will have to be productive early in the calendar. More so than last year, when he regressed after his breakout in 2019. Aged 29 and arriving in the CFL six years ago, Adams Jr. should normally be approaching the peak of his career.
Harris, he is no longer the quarterback who was part of the cream of the circuit not so long ago. His game has suffered from inconsistency for a few years and he struggles to beat the “big” teams on the circuit. He remains a fine passer, who could once again become one of the most prolific in Canadian football with all the offensive talent there is in Montreal.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Quarterback Trevor Harris
Harris and Adams Jr. obviously want the starting job. In Harris’ case, bonuses are also directly or indirectly tied to his playing time. So expect the competition between the two quarterbacks to remain a hot topic for much of the season. One of the keys to the success of the team could be that this competition remains healthy and does not become the center of a divide inside the club.
Talented Canadian receivers
Unless a newcomer forces the hand of the team by making a very good impression during camp and the two preseason games, the Alouettes’ five best American receivers in 2022 should be Eugene Lewis, Jake Wieneke, Reggie White Jr., Quan Bray and Dante Absher. Lewis and Wieneke are definitely part of the top 10 in the league and the other three should continue to progress over the summer.
The competition will be fiercer on the Canadian side. Maciocia recently said the team isn’t ruling out the possibility of using two Canadian receivers in its starting lineup this season, but that remains unlikely. But since the hatched lines (hash marks) will be in the center of the field from this season, there will not really be a receiver on the wide side. Players in this position received very few passes due to the distance the ball had to travel. Passes that were deemed too risky.
CFL teams typically chose to use one of their seven Canadian starters as the wide receiver. However, these will now have to make a greater contribution due to the refocusing of the hatched lines. So inevitably, the talent of Canadian receivers will become more important than it was before.
It is surely no coincidence that Maciocia hired Hergy Mayala, a former first choice who did well with the Calgary Stampeders, and that he chose Tyson Philbot with the ninth choice of the last draft. These two players will be in competition with another rookie, Vincent Forbes-Mombleau (Laval), veteran Kaion Julien-Grant and Quebecer Mathieu Robitaille, in particular.
A blocker on the left and depth
Head coach Khari Jones likes Nick Callender and Maciocia said the team has some alternatives in place to replace Tony Washington, who was traded to the Edmonton Elks this offseason. However, it’s a safe bet that it’s Chris Schleuger who will be the left tackle when the season gets under way in less than a month. Schleuger has almost always done well when he started the roster in 2019 and 2021.
The other four starters will be left guard Philippe Gagnon, center Sean Jamieson, right guard Kristian Matte and right tackle Landon Rice. If the situation of the starters seems good, the depth on the offensive line is currently not very reassuring. Young players, including Quebecer Samuel Thomassin, will have to make good progress to change the situation.
Find the right combination in defense
In his second season as defensive coordinator, Barron Miles will certainly be more comfortable and will know better the strengths and weaknesses of the players he will have on hand. There is a nice depth on the first line and within the secondary. Newcomers Avery Ellis and Mike Moore will join Almondo Sewell, Nick Usher and Michael Wakefield on the defensive line.
Will the first pick of the last draft, Tyrell Richards, earn a starting position in his rookie season at linebackers? Will Marc-Antoine Dequoy establish himself as the club’s first marauder? Will defensive backs Wesley Sutton, Adarius Pickett and Rodney Randle Jr. improve with more Canadian football experience?
PHOTO THE CANADIAN PRESS
Linebacker Tyrell Richards
There is talent within the Montreal defense, the key will be to find the right combination during the camp and at the start of the season.
Reinebold’s Absence
The return to the nest of Anthony Calvillo as quarterbacks coach is significant and the presence of Greg Quick (defensive line) throughout the season should pay off. Young coaches Byron Archambault (linebackers) and Michael Lionello (receivers) will also contribute.
But on the side of the Alouettes’ new coaches, it is perhaps the acquisition of Jeff Reinebold that would have had the greatest impact in 2022. Special teams ace who began his career in the CFL in the early 1990s, Reinebold however, will not be part of the Alouettes’ coaching staff for personal reasons.
It is finally Archambault, who held the same position with the Carabins of the University of Montreal, who will replace Mickey Donovan, who had never managed to give consistency to the special teams during his three seasons with the team.
Archambault will notably be able to count on good players, including precision kicker David Côté, punter Joseph Zema and kick return specialist Mario Alford, and Quebecers Christophe Normand and Alexandre Gagné, who excel as tacklers on special units.
Note also that Quebecers André Bolduc (running back and assistant head coach) and Luc Brodeur-Jourdain (offensive line) are still part of the team’s coaching staff.