Never since the start of the season have the Alouettes enjoyed a victory against one of the three best teams in the Canadian Football League. A situation which the Montreal team wishes to remedy on Friday during the visit of the Argonauts.
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The six losses of the “Sparrows” (6-6) came against Toronto (10-1), the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-3) and the British Columbia Lions (8-4).
“It’s important to put things into perspective,” offensive line coach Luc Brodeur-Jourdain said earlier this week. In our first three-game losing streak, we had a road game in British Columbia and then we only had four days to prepare to face Toronto, who had just had a week off.”
“However, we must not say that it is correct because we lost to the best. The goal is to beat them and get to the Gray Cup,” recalled Brodeur-Jourdain.
Sequences
Jason Maas’ troupe is experiencing a season punctuated by sequences. Two victories, followed by three defeats, four wins and three failures.
“When you take it one week at a time and learn from your mistakes, you move forward. If you are mentally strong, nothing should discourage you,” said the head coach after Wednesday’s training.
Despite the Alouettes’ recent failures – they lost their last three games – the atmosphere was good this week at practice and the members of the organization tried to maintain morale.
“I like the state of mind in which the guys show up every day, I like the atmosphere in the locker room, our culture, seeing that the players are there for their teammates. The results are mixed, but we don’t focus on that. We continue to grow as a group,” said Maas.
Big challenge
It’s good to stay positive, but the “Als” need to get back to winning ways. However, the task will not be easy against the powerful team from the Queen City, at the Percival-Molson stadium.
“Everything is going well for the Argonauts,” noted Pier-Olivier Lestage. They have a good ground game and are also very good through the air. […] We’re not missing a lot of things: a little execution and consistency, every day, every half, every play.”
The offensive lineman assures that his team learned from the tough 39-10 defeat last week in Toronto.
“You have to play intelligently and protect the ball so as not to give away free plays and avoid punishments. That’s probably what hurt us the most,” Lestage said.
Two hands on the ball!
The ground game was also lacking, with blocks on the faceoff line not always helping the running backs.
“With carries of 2-3 yards and sometimes even less than a yard, anyone will turn to veiled passes and aerial play,” admitted Brodeur-Jourdain.
The latter believes that the Argos are not so dominant offensively, but that they “benefit from good positioning because of the turnovers.”
So it’s no coincidence that instructors have repeatedly reminded players to keep two hands on the ball this week in practice.
Without Stanback? With the newcomer?
Running back William Stanback, injured in his right hand on Saturday, could miss the next game. However, there is a good chance that linebacker Avery Williams, receiver Kaion Julien-Grant and defensive backs Dionté Ruffin and Wesley Sutton will return to action.
In addition, linebacker Darnell Sankey, XFL champion with the Arlington Renegades in the spring, could make his debut in an Alouettes uniform.
“He’s good, but it’s certain that when it’s been a while since you’ve played, you’re like you’re in training camp,” explained the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator. , Byron Archambault, about the former Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders. There are some adjustments to be made, but the energy is there, as is the focus.”