Larks c. Tiger-Cats | A first match against Khari Jones

Before the start of the season, it was believed that this was the year that the Eastern teams would finally measure up against the Western teams in the CFL. Mistake.

Miguel Bujold
The Press

The combined record of the four Eastern teams is currently 6-17. Only the Toronto Argonauts have a winning record (3-2), they who played luck. David Côté’s failed field goal allowed them to win against the Alouettes and they have just defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders ravaged by an outbreak of COVID-19.

So as is often the case, the team that finishes fourth in the West will likely displace the team that finishes third in the East for the playoffs. The famous “crossover”.

Since the Ottawa Redblacks are still looking for their first win (0-6) and will have to play most of their season without starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, the odds that the Argos, Alouettes ( 2-4) and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-5) vying for the two available spots in the East are strong.

This is the first of three reasons that make Thursday night’s game (7:30 pm) between the Alouettes and the Tiger-Cats at Tim Horton’s Field in Hamilton particularly important.

The second is that the Birds will face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in their next two games. A victory in Hamilton would therefore be a good investment. Double Gray Cup champions, the Bombers are still undefeated this season (7-0).

The third reason is that it will be a reunion night with Khari Jones, who was hired as a special consultant by the Tiger-Cats last week.

“I can’t wait to see Khari again and to be able to chat with him, I love this man. He is an exceptional guy, a very good leader and an excellent trainer. I’m glad he found a new job quickly,” said catcher Jake Wieneke.

That pretty much sums up the general feeling among the Alouettes. The next time someone says bad things about Jones, it will be the first. “Business is business,” but everyone at the Alouettes has a lot of respect for Jones, including general manager Danny Maciocia, who made the difficult decision to fire Jones three weeks ago.

André Bolduc, he lost a great accomplice in Jones. The Quebecer was his assistant coach and a good friend.

“We have communicated a lot since his departure, but not at all this week. We both know the situation, our teams will face each other twice in the next month [à Montréal, le 20 août]. So there won’t be any conversations, but we’ll start talking again after these two games,” said the running backs coach.

Responsible for the ground game, Bolduc had to adjust his game plan considerably this week.

“I had been presenting our ground game plan to Khari for five years at every game, so I had to change a lot of things for sure. »

As for the passing game, Maciocia felt that it had already been given a makeover, so Jones won’t be able to help the Tiger-Cats too much in their preparation.

“We took an important turn with the attack. Our players move more [dans la formation] than in the past and we distribute the ball a little more. So it’s not something that worries me too much. We are comfortable with the system of play and the offensive concepts that we will use in Hamilton. »

Adams absent son

It is Dominique Davis who will be the second of Trevor Harris, Thursday evening. Vernon Adams Jr. is injured in an elbow.

Harris cemented his starting spot with a strong performance in Ottawa last week. In his only game against the Rouge et Noir, Adams Junior fumbled and lost the ball.

Is the absence of Adams Jr against the Tiger-Cats a prelude to a transaction? Will he suffer the same fate as Jones when he has to leave Montreal?

The last time the Alouettes played Hamilton, it was Harris who fumbled and lost the ball. Three times… The Tiger-Cats then eliminated the Alouettes, 23-12, in the Eastern semi-finals on November 28th.

“Their defense is very good, especially their front. So we’re going to have to be perfect in our execution. I doubt we can make 50-yard plays against them, so we’ll have to be methodical,” Bolduc said.

“We don’t trust their record because it is not at all representative of their talent. We go by what we see on the videotapes and they are still a solid team. »