Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca
Last year at this time most articles written and media segments dedicated to anything regarding the Montreal Alouettes were what you could generously call a ‘doubtful’ perspective.
Jason Maas was coming off a tough year as offensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where he was the first of what would become many, and major incoming changes. Meanwhile, the receiving room was set to take a major hit as ownership uncertainty resonated across the franchise, including to general manager Danny Maciocia, who was attempting to piece his team together under trying circumstances.
Fast forward a full season and the Alouettes are the reigning Grey Cup champions with a stable quarterback situation thanks to Cody Fajardo. They have as healthy a front office to coaching staff relationship as you’ll find anywhere in the CFL, thanks to the trust earned by Maas and his outstanding staff.
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Here we stand, a little over a week after CFL Free Agency officially opened and while Calgary and Maas’ old club Saskatchewan took big swings in the market, the Alouettes largely stood pat. They built out the roster in their vision and didn’t see the need to dive in on a Tim White bidding war or to overextend the salary cap for the potential of bringing 2023 sack master and Montreal native Mathieu Betts home.
Nope, the Als just made shrewd, sensible business decisions and carried on with their day. They shifted the backfield by letting William Stanback move on to BC while maintaining the promise of Walter Fletcher paired with Jeshrun Antwi and tinkering with the homegrown fit of Sean Thomas Erlington coming in from Hamilton.
They saw a veteran presence in Ciante Evans test the market and find his fit elsewhere, but have full belief in a replacement plan that worked well much of the season when Evans was unavailable.
They allowed fullback James Tuck to move on, all the while trusting in 2023 second round draft pick David Dallaire to develop and find his full-time footing in his sophomore season.
They watched standout receiver and stand up all-around man Austin Mack use his single season CFL leverage to parlay another shot in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons. They then calmly acquired Free Agent Tevin Jones from the Riders in hopes that he’ll provide the same game changing route running that helped so many elements of Fajardo’s game open up.
They added some veteran pass rushing with Dylan Wynn, Derek Wiggan and Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund. They’ll pair with what evolved into one of the CFL’s best defensive line units by the final whistle of the Grey Cup last November in an attempt to lessen the loss of Lwal Uguak, whose rookie season turned into a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Als aren’t guaranteed anything in 2024, but their organizational consistency has them in a good place (Thomas Skrlj/CFL.ca)
All of it, piece-by-piece was methodical and reserved, the 2024 plan coming into focus more clearly with each transaction. Maybe it’s the confidence of a championship, perhaps it’s the residue of seeing Maciocia’s plan work or ownership solidify, but the Alouettes feel stable and built to last for as long as a reigning Grey Cup champion can.
Here’s the thing: ‘running it back’ and seeing the exact same results just won’t happen. There will be evolution caused by injury and typical mid-season CFL intrigue. The script won’t be the same for Montreal and despite being named top team in the recent CFL.ca Way Too Early Power Rankings, the possibility of finishing anywhere from first to fourth in the East Division is always present.
With so much parity and moving pieces for the other eight franchises outside of Montreal though, perhaps the Alouettes’ secret to success in 2024 will be their consistency in messaging.
Montreal has been plagued over the last decade by changes in power at all levels from ownership to quarterback, coordinator to middle linebacker. The 2024 campaign is the dawn of a new day, stable ground and a consistent approach on which to build and maximize potential.
Whether or not the result is another championship remains to be seen, but what’s clear now is the plan, and the execution of it with clear belief that the Alouettes have figured out the ‘right’ way to do things in their building. The real test of that concept comes beginning this May and through the following six months.
