Montreal Alouettes Thread

[KCargosfan]

Whether we like it or not, it's now become the new normal. When you have someone like Martha Stewart getting involved in the business that changes the perception.

Health Canada regulations governing the new classes of cannabis-infused goods, including topicals put on the skin and vaporizable concentrates will come into force on Oct. 17 – exactly one year since the legalization of recreational pot in Canada.

Riedle said he expects that is when more Canadians will embrace cannabis culture.

“The majority of new customers – the ‘canna-curious’ 1 are looking for new delivery systems for cannabis. Elderly and new cannabis consumers don’t want to put smoke in their lungs. They are looking for edibles, they are looking for vapes, and topicals,” he said.

I was being somewhat serious. If there is a distant section, allow people to light up joints and blunts there.

[bannedforlife]

I was being somewhat serious. If there is a distant section, allow people to light up joints and blunts there.

I don't think that is legal for two reasons. One, smoking in a public area and two, a fire hazard. I can still recall watching, on a distant screen in a tavern, the horrific site of the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985, which killed 56 people and was started by a lit cigarette. I don't think anyone want's to take a chance on revisiting that.



Now that I think about it, it is Quebec and their smoking laws may be more liberal in public places, I don't know.

[bannedforlife]

Report: Alouettes sign Brandon Bridge to one-year deal
CFL.ca Staff June 21 2019

MONTREAL — After his release from the Toronto Argonauts just a few weeks ago, Canadian quarterback Brandon Bridge has landed in Montreal.

According to a report from TSN’s Farhan Lalji, Bridge has signed a one-year deal with the Alouettes, the team that originally drafted him in 2015.

Bridge signed with the Argonauts as a free agent this off-season and was among Toronto’s final training camp cuts earlier this month. In his two pre-season games with the double blue, Bridge completed 20 of 29 passes for 364 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Toronto, Ont. native played eight games for Saskatchewan in 2018, throwing for 804 yards and a touchdown. The six-foot-five, 235-pound QB was selected in the fourth round of the 2015 CFL Draft by Montreal getting in two games as a rookie for the Als.

The 26-year-old signed with the Roughriders in 2016 and a year later became the first Canadian QB to throw for at least three touchdowns in a game in over 30 years when he led the Riders to a road win road over Hamilton. In 25 career games, Bridge has thrown for 2,485 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding 321 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

‘Air Canada’ played two seasons at Alcorn State University in Mississippi (2010-2011), starting as a freshman for the Braves and throwing for over 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns with 601 yards rushing and eight scores on the ground that season. After his sophomore season, Bridge transferred to the University of South Alabama to finish his college football career for the Jaguars (2013-2014).

[bannedforlife]

Randy Ambrosie breaks silence on Alouettes ownership saga
3Down Staff 3downnation.com June 25, 2019

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has broken his silence about the Montreal Alouettes’ ownership situation, but didn’t reveal much in the way of details about the process.

Montreal-based entrepreneur Vincenzo Guzzo spilled the real details — from his perspective, at least — about his meetings with the CFL. Ambrosie recently had dinner with Guzzo in Toronto.

“I’m a former offensive lineman so you can see me in a restaurant all the time. There’s really no news in that,” Ambrosie said on TSN 690 radio in Montreal.

“In my estimation, Vince Guzzo is a remarkable man, a truly remarkable man, a great Quebecer, a fantastic Canadian. We’ve had a conversation and I won’t say about what, you guys can fill in the blanks.”

Guzzo described the private meetings publicly, but Ambrosie wouldn’t comment on any of them. Instead the commish defended the timeline for finding a new owner in Montreal.

“I know it can look and feel like it’s an extraordinarily long time, but it’s really not. In my past lives in the corporate world, I can tell you to do a transaction takes many months,” Ambrosie said.

“There’s a lot of sifting through some amazing potential owners, getting to know them, they’re getting to know you. They’re doing their due diligence on us and the team and vice versa. In reality, it’s not an exceptionally long time. I know it feels like a long time, but it really isn’t.”

Ambrosie has considered various groups interested in purchasing the Alouettes franchise. A strong connection to Montreal is one of the criteria. There are various parties who want to own the Alouettes and more than one group involved in the process have never had their names surface. It’s a matter of preference for how each group decides to pursue their bid.

“You have a difficult time deciding which group has the best capacity to take you where you want to go. It’s not a lack of people who are interested in the team, it’s that we’ve had so many that it has made it difficult to decide which group are we going to ultimately select to go forward with,” Ambrosie said.

“The message from our governors all along has been let’s get this right. Fast is nice. But more important that we get the right situation completed because we’re talking about a long-term future.”

The Alouettes have lost millions recently, according to CBC Radio Canada reporter Michel Chabot: $50 million since the Wetenhall family owned the team, including $25 million for three years. In 2018 alone, losses would have reached $12.5 million due to a revenue decline of approximately $6 million and an increase in expenditures of more than $6 million.

That debt could be a sticking point for any potential new ownership group. But Ambrosie “absolutely” believes the Alouettes can be a profitable franchise.

“Especially through the lens of a 2.0 strategy. There are revenue streams that we have never tapped into, there are opportunities that we have never harvested. If we’ve had a problem it’s that we’ve been too small for too long,” Ambrosie said.

“It’s time for us to be big, it’s time for us to puff out our chests and become a big CFL rather than a small one. And I think we’re going to look back on this past year as the year where we totally transformed the CFL from a small national league to a large global league where we have players from around the world and fans from around the world.”

[bannedforlife]

Sources: Alouettes to add veteran kicker
Joey Alfieri 3downnation July 1, 2019

After a couple of rocky performances from kicker Boris Bede to start the 2019 season, it sounds like the Montreal Alouettes are ready to bring in a proven kicker as competition.

According to my sources, the Alouettes will sign Canadian Tyler Crapigna. The 26-year-old klcked for the Saskatchewan Roughriders during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, but he missed all of 2018 with a lower-body injury. He was released by the Riders on May 7, but was quickly scooped up by the Toronto Argonauts, who later released him at the end of training camp.

Crapigna didn’t punt for the Riders during his two full seasons there, but he hit 85.7 percent of his field goals in each of those two campaigns.

Of course, Bede kicks field goals, punts and kicks off for the Alouettes, so if they’re going to roll with Crapigna, they may have to find themselves another Canadian kicker that can handle the punting duties for them.

There’s no denying that Bede has one of the strongest legs in the CFL, but his lack of consistency is what leaves his team frustrated. The 29-year-old has been the Als’ full-time kicker since 2015. He’s averaged 44.1 yards per punt and he’s hit 80.6 percent of his field goals. Bede hit 90 percent of his field goals during his rookie season but he’s followed that up with percentages of 52.4, 82.9, and 85 (he’s at 66.7 percent this year as he’s made two of three). He missed a field goal from inside 40 yards in Week 1 against Edmonton and his punting has been an issue through two contests.

Bede consistently leads the league in kickoff yardage by a wide margin, but that doesn’t really help an Als team that doesn’t score many touchdowns.

This move doesn’t necessarily signal the end for Bede in Montreal, but this move isn’t exactly good news for, either.

[gilthethrill]

Zac Zoya is killing it at halftime of the Cats Als game. Killing it.

[Argo57]

Zac Zoya is killing it at halftime of the Cats Als game. Killing it.

He certainly did👍
Go Alouettes!

[Argo57]

This is the first game I’ve enjoyed this season😁

[argolio]

This is the first game I’ve enjoyed this season

Go easy on the boy.....but not too easy.

[jerrym]

The Als have just signed one of the best Canadian defenders in the CFL in Chris Ackie who can start at DB or LB. The Als traded him to Ottawa just before the playoffs. After the season his contract allowed him to leave in December to pursue his NFL dream.

[jerrym]

Following his final game last week Luc Brodeur-Jourdain has been made an assistant OL coach.

The Montreal Alouettes announced on Tuesday that Luc Brodeur-Jourdain is joining the Alouettes coaching staff as an assistant coach of the offensive line. Freshly retired from his playing career, he will support Paul Dunn who is in his second year as an offensive line coach.
The former Montreal Alouettes offensive lineman, who played his last game Thursday in a spectacular win against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, will be taking his first steps as a coach. Brodeur-Jourdain played 11 seasons with Montreal and won two Grey Cup in 2009 and 2010.

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/07/09/brodeu...ve-line-coach/

[jerrym]

Ottawa HC Rick Campbell, whose RedBlacks play Montreal this week, sees the Als as a quickly improving team.

What seemed like a gimme a week ago, is suddenly a big early season game.

“All eyes are on a big important divisional opponent in Montreal now,” said Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell, after his team returned to work Tuesday. “(Montreal) … they’re good. People weren’t giving them enough credit. People tend to be all or nothing on things. But they had Edmonton tied (late) and then beat Hamilton. The difference between teams in this league talent-wise is very small. Every team grows as the season goes on. The real key thing is to keep moving on whether you win or whether you lose. And the key is to put all our energy and effort on Montreal and not look at the big picture. We’re in a long season here.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foo...9-68ea83271924

[jerrym]

William Stanback is not only leading the league in rushing. Last week he became the first Alouette to rush for more than 200 yards in a game since Mike Pringle did it in 1998. The following article gives some background on him.

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/f...earning-reSean Thomas Erlingtonspect-with-alouettes

[Argo57]

Just when the Als seem to have turned the corner to respectability Reed gets canned, should have happened a long time ago.
Wonder if a sale is imminent?

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...s-reed-duties/

[AngeloV]

Just when the Als seem to have turned the corner to respectability Reed gets canned, should have happened a long time ago.
Wonder if a sale is imminent?

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...s-reed-duties/

Sale being imminent is the only thing that makes sense. The team is looking good right now. New owners probably insisted on not being on the hook for his contract.

[gilthethrill]

Isn't Kavis a former STC???

[bannedforlife]

Isn't Kavis a former STC???

What's an STC?

[bannedforlife]

Wonder if a sale is imminent?

The rumours seem not to be related to the sale. He allegedly found a way to circumvent the salary cap, he tried to get the Als to pay for personal expenses such as plane trips, and apparently wasn't paying his apartment rent to the tune of $6200. When this came to the attention of the Als they had to let him go.

[gilthethrill]

What's an STC?

Special Teams Coordinator.....something the Argos need to replace.

[bannedforlife]

He allegedly found a way to circumvent the salary cap

Supposedly part of this was paying players with companies who supposedly passed this money on to other players.