Larks | Khari Jones’ last chance?

It is an organization that does not help itself than that of the Montreal Alouettes. She had made an appointment with her supporters, Wednesday at noon, at Complexe Desjardins to present her 2022 edition. The players arrived around 12:30 p.m.…

Miguel Bujold
The Press

Due to a lack of communication, the buses carrying the players left the Olympic Stadium at… noon. Between 50 and 100 fans were there and waited patiently, even though some of them were starting to tap their feet. Not strong.

Neither club president Mario Cecchini nor general manager Danny Maciocia were on hand. Cecchini contracted COVID-19 and recorded a short video in which he addressed fans.

Of all the club members present, it was Anthony Calvillo who received the most applause. Among the players, Eugene Lewis, Jake Wieneke, Marc-Antoine Dequoy and David Côté were among those who received the warmest welcome. Fans also warmly applauded head coach Khari Jones.

Indeed, the Alouettes must recreate the magic of 2019, and it is urgent. Otherwise, Jones is likely to lose his job within ten days, at most.

The Alouettes could very well be 2-0 right now, but it’s more like 0-2. The next two games, which will be played against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Thursday in Montreal and July 2 in Regina, are therefore critical for Jones’ future. Everyone on the team knows that. Jones wouldn’t survive an 0-4 record, that’s almost certain.

In addition to its spring break following its double against the Riders, Montreal will welcome the worst team in the league, the Edmonton Elks, when it returns to the game. When you know that it is always better for a new coach -chief to have a less formidable adversary as an introduction…

Jones is not fooled. He knows well what hangs at the end of his nose. The quick quarterback change he made last week said a lot. There is a huge sense of urgency.

“I don’t read articles and I don’t watch TV, so I don’t think about it too much. I can’t worry about things I have no control over. If I leave, I leave. What concerns me is finding a way to win the next game, not so much for me as for the team,” Jones replied when I asked him about his future with the team on Wednesday.

The Alouettes absolutely cannot afford to start losing again. After several years of misery, the bleeding was stopped in 2019 – thanks to Jones – but it remains fragile. It takes victories in order to occupy more space in the Quebec sports landscape (a little punctuality wouldn’t hurt either).

Players and assistant coaches remain loyal to Jones. He remains loved and appreciated at the club.

But we all know it, it was not Maciocia who hired him. And general managers want and deserve to be able to hire the person of their choice for the most important position on a football team. Neither Jones nor Maciocia can be blamed for the current situation. It’s just like that…

The candidates

If Jones loses his position, there would only be three logical choices to replace him. Three men well known to the public and who would improve the visibility of the club.

The first is André Bolduc, who is Jones’ assistant and responsible for the running backs. The problem is that he wasn’t hired by Maciocia either.

The second is Anthony Calvillo, who continues to improve his French and is the best player in franchise history. He was hired by Maciocia, but would he be ready to be a head coach?

The third and most logical option is Maciocia. If the adventure did not work well on the sidelines, he could choose a new head coach at the end of the season.

It’s awkward to talk as if Jones already had one foot outside the organization. He deserves a better fate. Unfortunately, it seems written in the sky that his coaching career with the Alouettes is coming to an end.

Unless there is a winning streak that would start with Thursday night’s game. Without William Stanback, Jake Wieneke, Greg Reid and Chris Ackie, it won’t be easy.