O’Leary: Als, Esks ready for battle in the trenches

When the Montreal Alouettes and the Edmonton Eskimos finally line up against each other on Sunday, there will be plenty of flashy matchups that will be after your attention. 

There’s the contrasting style of quarterbacks, in Vernon Adams Jr. and Trevor Harris. You have the running backs, Edmonton’s C.J. Gable and Montreal’s William Stanback that will try to run through the middle linebackers, in Montreal’s Henoc Muamba and Edmonton’s Larry Dean. 

The two head coaches in this game are a fascinating mix of temperament and former duelling quarterbacks. Jason Maas leads Edmonton into what some are calling a must-win for the hold-nothing-back fourth-year head coach, while Khari Jones has his Als team loose but aware of the gravity of the moment. 

The less glamorous but perhaps most important battle in the Eastern Semi-Final, though, comes at the line of scrimmage. Edmonton’s offensive line has had itself a year, setting the standard in the league for quarterback protection. O-line coach Mike Gibson’s players have allowed 25 sacks on Edmonton QBs this year, which was tops in the CFL. 


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Gibson says continuity — he’s had some of these players with him for four years now — is a big part of the line’s success this year. 

“The four years we’ve been here we’ve been first (in sacks) twice second once,” Gibson pointed out.  

“It’s a combination of things (factoring into the success). Those running backs do a good job, the receivers get open, the quarterback knows where to throw the ball, so it’s a combination of things. It’s not just on them. 

“They get all the blame when there’s a sack, so they get credit when there’s not a sack but it’s a team effort. We’ve played seven (linemen) primarily this year and we’ve played guys at different positions and I just think it’s a it’s a work ethic. They want to be good at it.” 

The 25 sacks allowed is the second-best total a team has put together this decade. The 2016 Calgary Stampeders kept Bo Levi Mitchell sparkling clean, allowing just 20 sacks. That low-to-mid-20s mark is a gold standard for o-lines. The 2008 Montreal Alouettes allowed 22 sacks and th 2005 Saskatchewan Roughriders allowed 23. 

A run-centric Hamilton Tiger-Cats team put together some very impressive seasons in the early 2000s. They allowed 10 sacks in 2004, 15 in 2002 and 200 and 14 in 2001. Their most impressive total came in 1999 — the last time they won the Grey Cup — when they allowed just seven sacks the entire year. 

Veteran o-lineman Matt O’Donnell said that they would have loved to have gotten under 20 sacks this year, but injuries put the entire group to the test. 

“Every guy that walks in that room has been busting their butt,” O’Donnell said. He picked up his second West Division All-Star nod this week. He didn’t play in the Esks’ loss to the Als on July 20, but the film showed him an active opponent lining up across from his teammates. 

“They slant a lot, they move a lot, they involve their backers a lot, have a lot of edge pressure. They’re very fast, aggressive defence and we’ve got to make sure to hit them in the mouth,” O’Donnell said. 

What makes this matchup so interesting is that the battle in the trenches is a statistical contrast. The Esks’ protection (aided in part by Trevor Harris’ fast release of the ball) has been well known and well-documented all season. 

The Als have had their best season in seven years, but their defensive stats won’t blow anyone away. 

 

Their defensive line registered 27 sacks this year, which was ninth in the league. Their 38 knockdowns are also ninth. On paper, it makes the trench battle look like a mismatch. Add in Sunday’s forecasted cool game — a high of 5C that feels like 1C, with a 60 percent chance of rain — that should skew toward more running plays and it seems like Edmonton might have an edge.  

Surprising no one, the Als don’t see it that way. 

“We’ve just got to play our game,” said third-year Als defensive tackle Fabion Foote. 

“We know they have the least amount of sacks all year and they’re very good at protecting their quarterback, Harris. He gets the ball out fast, that’s how he does his game. We just have to get our hands up and get them moving side-to-side and just beat them on our rushes.” 

Foote had 15 tackles and a sack this year. He and his defensive teammates see their work as a whole, less so being led by individuals with big numbers. 

“I think our defence was really good. Statistics-wise we might not be at the top of the league but if you look at it on film, we generate a lot of pressure. We get to the quarterback. He doesn’t set his feet when teams play against us.” he said. 

“DBs are very good, we have a couple of all-stars in our back end. So sometimes we do let up some plays but we make it up with the turnovers, the interceptions, the fumbles. That’s our key to win.” 

What Montreal lacks in pulling quarterbacks to the ground, it makes up for in other game-changing plays. The Als are fourth in turnovers, with 35. They only forced 12 fumbles (another league-low) but recovered 12, which is tied for third and two off the league lead. 

“We’ve just got to make turnovers, make big plays and keep running to the ball,” Foote continued. 

“I don’t think there’s any team in the CFL that runs to the ball like we do. We run with exuberant efforts and we just get to the ball.” 

Woody Baron, another Als’ defensive tackle, said that he felt collectively, the defence looks good. 

“What matters the most is that we’re still playing, you know, we have enough wins to be in the playoffs and that’s what’s most important,” he said. 

“We talked about it in the locker room. This time last year we were at home already. The season was over. That’s not something that we take for granted. 

“We’re very appreciative of the moment but we also realize how we got here. We have standards that we’ve put in since camp, all the way back in May that have brought us here. That’s our identity as a team, and we’re aware that.” 

 

If Henoc Muamba is the heart of the Als’ defence, thumping away in the middle, John Bowman is the face. The 37-year-old defensive end led the team with eight sacks. He wasn’t available to media on Friday, but earlier in the week, he told the Montreal Gazette’s Herb Zurkowsky that the defence has done what it’s needed to do to win this year. 

“I feel like there’s been plenty of games where we’ve held guys to well below their average,” he said.

“It’s about doing enough to win and we’ve been fortunate enough to win some games. If you start in negative territory (over midfield) a few times, of course, they’re going to get short possessions and score touchdowns. 

“Our job is to go out there and win. They can score 60. If we score 61 and hold them, that’s it.”