CFL.ca
Anthony Calvillo knows you’re never as good as your last win or as bad as your last loss, so with Als fans still on a high from the Thanksgiving/AC Day Holiday buzz here’s 13 things Montreal should not overlook.
1. Leap of Faith
Playmakers like Brandon London and Duron Carter got airborne to come up with clutch catches for their man Jonathan Crompton in the biggest win, by scoring margin, of the season, so no coincidence the Als are finally a plus team (+1) in the big play category through the air. London hauled in his season-high of receiving yards as Carter dashed to his first multi-TD game of the season and 3rd 100+ yardage performance.
2. Your best BallHawks have to be your best Ballhawks
The Alouettes are not only a plus team in the Giveaway/ Takeaway Ratio, but their grand larceny against the Roughriders now has them as a plus team in points off of turnovers. Only Edmonton has more takeaways this season and the Als are finally cashing in on the opportunities handed them by Defensive Coordinator Noel Thorpe’s scheming.
3. Defensive scoring is key
The Als are +8 scoring off turnovers (90 for, 82 against) while the rest of the CFL East is a -94! Don’t know that George Clooney is Coach Thorpe’s body-double, but his defense has helped steal a share of 1st place in the East so if they make an “Ocean’s 14”—Thorpe deserves to be in on the big heist.
4. Tisdale leading the way
2013 Interception leader Geoff Tisdale now has as many interceptions as the rest of the Alouette defense (4). Tisdale has quietly restored his reputation as a “Shutdown Corner” after a slow start marred by several drops.
5. Crompton finding a groove
Crompton is 5-1 as a starter; you knew that already, but if you count his first 2 outings as a form of on-the-job training, look at these Calvillo-esque numbers, his last 4 starts: 2 picks, 7 TDs (including the ugly win over Ottawa). Over a full season, that’s 9 interceptions, 31 TDs.
6. Als thrive under pressure
The Als are also the only Eastern team with a higher passer efficiency rating on 2nd Down than on 1st Down. The Als’ QB rating spikes 10% on 2nd downs, while the CFL average is a drop of 8%. The Lions are the only other team that improves from 1st to 2nd down.
7. Dividends on the Sack Exchange
The Als are now second in the CFL “Sack Exchange” behind only Calgary (+13 to +20) and 3rd in sacks overall. Problem this week is, they’re up against an Argo O-line that has escaped being called for holding even once this season. First-year offensive line coach Bryan Chiu is a former Alouette all-star, but he’s not a miracle worker. Flags will fly eventually even with Ricky Ray’s quick release.
8. Red Zone stand
Chiu had better have Ray’s bodyguards ready Friday night. The Als don’t just mug quarterbacks (still tied for 1st in roughing the passer calls), they know where to find a dark alley. The red zone defence is stingiest in the East and only BC and Edmonton are tougher inside the20 yard line.
9. All of a Sutton
The Als will be better in the red zone offensively these final weeks not just because Tanner Marsh has scored more often than SJ Green, Brandon London, and Chad Johnson combined, but because Tyrell Sutton crashes off bodies and drags tacklers with him for “YAC” yards (yards after contact). He slashed his way to 6.1 YAC yards/carry in his first start of the season as featured back subbing for the injured Brandon Whitaker.
10. Depth in the backfield
The Als also proved they’ve got solid depth with former NFLer Chris Rainey (5th round pick of the Steelers in 2012) who has impressed the coaching the staff and dashed to a 5.5 yard average in mop-up work when the Riders knew the Als were just trying to kill the clock fourth quarter.
| Alouettes vs. Argonauts Saturday |
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11. Mr. Rodgers neighbours
Only 6 games into his CFL career, James Rodgers is returning punts at a pace that would shatter the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in franchise history and easily break the record set in the mid-70s by former Heisman legend Johnny Rodgers. Problem is, “Mr. Rodgers” neighbors are getting too clingy.
12. Hurting themselves
The Als have led the CFL all season long in penalties against their return teams. Those helping hands have hurt with flags 32 times already this season. Even Special Teams cover units have drawn another 26 infractions. That explains why their average punt return is only 4.7 yards—shockingly less than the 5-yard halo zone instituted for the Als’ original “JR”.
13. Discipline means Clean Hands
Als defenders have taken only 4 pass interference and only 4 illegal contact calls, the cleanest group in the country. In contrast, the Argos and Ti-Cats have taken more than twice as many (17 and 20 respectively).
