Montreal Alouettes Thread

[jerrym]

The Als have released several players and clarified their QB picture for the moment at least.

The Montreal Alouettes have released three players, the team announced Tuesday, including sophomore quarterback Antonio Pipkin. National receiver Seydou Junior Haidara and international running back Amir Carlisle were also let go.

Pipkin was part of the group competing for the Alouettes’ starting quarterback job in training camp this year. The 22-year-old saw his first action in the three-down game last November, stepping in against the Ticats and completing just two of nine passing attempts for 14 yards.

The Alouettes appear to have decided on their quarterback depth chart going into the season, with Drew Willy starting ahead of Matt Shiltz and recently-signed Jeff Mathews. Rookie Garrett Fugate is on the team’s practice roster. Shiltz remains on the team’s one-game injured list following Week 1, with his status up in the air going into a Week 2 clash with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/06/19/alouet...ore-qb-pipkin/

[jerrym]

When OC Khari Jones says "No reason to be in panic mode", you know the offence stinks, despite all the qualifiers he adds.

[Flutie]

The way Ottawa and Hamilton are playing, Montreal will be eliminated in the next few weeks. They may load up with NFL cuts in a few weeks but they won't have time to catch up. That O-line was pushed back and overwhelmed on every snap. Willy didn't have time to react.

[jerrym]

The Als have added International QB Kenny Hill, who broke Johnny Manziel's single game passing record with 511 yards, to the PR. His suspension was for public intoxication.

Kenneth Wade Hill, Jr. (born December 20, 1994) is an American college football quarterback for the TCU Horned Frogs. He previously played for the Texas A&M Aggies. In his first start with the Aggies, he broke Johnny Manziel's school single-game passing yards record with 511 yards. ...

College career[edit]

Texas A&M (2013–2014)[edit]

See also: 2013 Texas A&M Aggies football team and 2014 Texas A&M Aggies football team
As a true freshman in 2013, Hill was a backup to starter Johnny Manziel. He appeared in four games, passing for 183 yards and a touchdown.
After Manziel was drafted, Hill was named the Aggies starting quarterback for the 2014 season on August 16, 2014.^[10][11] In his first start against #9 South Carolina, Hill broke Manziel's passing yards record with 511 yards and four touchdowns. With a 52–28 win, the #21 Texas A&M broke South Carolina's 18-game streak of home victories. During that same game, he broke Ryan Tannehill's record of most passing yards in first career start and Jerrod Johnson's record of most completions in a game, with the record now at 44 completions. It was also the second-most completions and fifth-most passing yards in a game in SEC history. On September 6, 2014, in his second game as a starter, Hill had another stellar performance against the FCS school, Lamar University, completing 17 of 26 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns in a blowout 73–3 win.^[12] He continued playing well in his next two games against Rice and SMU, with respective completion percentages of 64.5 and 72.7.^[13]
However, when the Aggies reached mid-season and began playing tougher opponents, Hill's performance dropped notably. On September 27 he threw 41 passes against Arkansas , only 21 of which were completed, giving him a completion percentage of 51.2-- his worst as a college football starter as of August 2017. In the following three games against ranked Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Alabama, Hill averaged 301.3 yards per game for six touchdowns and six interceptions. He was sacked 11 times. He completed only one pass of 30 or more yards in these three games.^[14] Due to these struggles on the field, notably against better competition where the Aggies lost three straight games, Hill was replaced mid-season by true freshman Kyle Allen.^[15] On November 1, 2014, the team suspended Hill for two games due to a violation of team rules and athletic department policies.^[16]
TCU (2015–2017)[edit]

On January 9, 2015, Texas A&M granted Hill a release from his football scholarship with two years of eligibility remaining.^[17] On May 22, 2015, Hill announced that he was transferring to Texas Christian University and planned to play for the TCU Horned Frogs football team.^[18] As a transfer, Hill was required to sit out the 2015 season.^[18]
Ahead of the 2016 Big 12 media days, and prior to TCU head coach Gary Patterson naming a starting quarterback for the 2016 season, Hill was selected by Big 12 media voters as the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year.^[5] On August 25, 2016, Hill was named the starting quarterback over redshirt sophomore Foster Sawyer.^[19]
Hill and the Horned Frogs finished the 2017 season 11-3 and ranked 9th in both the final AP and Coaches poll. He ended the season and his college career having beat the then 15th ranked Stanford Cardinal football team, 39-37, in the 2017 Valero Alamo Bowl^[20].
College Career Statistics[edit]

2013	Texas A&M	4	22	16	72.7%	183	1	0	157.6	7	37	5.3	0
2014	Texas A&M	8	321	214	66.7%	2649	23	8	154.6	52	156	3.0	0
2016	TCU	13	440	269	61.1%	3208	17	13	129.2	125	609	4.9	10
2017	TCU	13	400	269	67.3%	3152	23	8	148.4	100	325	3.3	5
Total		38	1183	768	64.9%	9192	64	29	143.1	284	1127	4.0	15

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Hill_(quarterback)

[R.J]

In a move that should surprise no one - Alouettes have signed Vernon Adams.
http://3downnation.com/2018/06/26/al...s-to-montreal/

[jerrym]

It looks like the Als will continue to bench International OL Xavier Fulton, using Phil Blake at OT instead, with Kirby Fabien replacing Blake at left guard, giving Montreal an all Canadian OL. Sherman made this change in the second half of the Winnipeg blowout and he notes that it stabilized the situation to some extent.

[jerrym]

Jeff Mathews is taking first team reps for the Als this week. Hardly surprising as Willy recovers from what HC Sherman called a stinger injury to the neck or shoulder and after his failure to ignite the offence so far this season.

[jerrym]

After signing Faith Ekakitie in mid-June following his release by the Bombers, his time on the active roster did not last long as he has torn his ACL and will be out for the rest of the season.

[jerrym]

Montreal may have lost two of its best players against Ottawa for an extended period: Chris Williams suffered a hamstring injury, something that can linger for a long time; and Stefan Logan had to be carried off the field by teammates as he could put no weight on his legs what looked like an ankle injury.

[jerrym]

Like the Argos, the Als have paid heavily in attendance for having a home opener stinker with attendance falling from 19,498 to 16,719 in their second home game. Gone are the days of 105 consecutive sellouts from 1999 to 2010. Now the Als are another troubled franchise.

[halifaxguy]

Mathews didn't look too bad at QB but it does hurt losing a pretty good returner and Chris Williams looked like he was regaining his old form.
Good news is that they have a bye week, the bad news is that their next game is in Calgary.

[jerrym]

During the CFL Supplemental Draft, the Als selected OT Tyler Johnstone. As an Outland Trophy winner and National due to dual citizenship, he could be an excellent pickup for Montreal.

Johnstone, (6’6¨, 275 lbs) played 39 games in three seasons with the University of Oregon Ducks in the NCAA between 2012 and 2015. In 2015, the Arizona native won the Outland Trophy, awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States, in addition to winning the Rotary Lombardi Trophy, awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. That same season, he was selected on the first-team All-Pac 12 and on the second-team All-American.
“We are thrilled to have acquired Tyler’s rights,” declared Alouettes General Manager Kavis Reed. “Tyler was one of the best national offensive linemen available this year and he would have been next year as well. Our position has allowed us to solidify our offensive line by selecting Trey Rutherford and Tyler Johnstone, and by acquiring Ryan Bomben during a short span of time.”
In 2013, Johnstone helped the Oregon Ducks lead the Pac-12 division in rushing yards (273.5 yards per game), total offence (565 yards per game) and scoring (45.5 points per game) while ranking third in the fewest quarterback sacks allowed (1.38 average).
The 25 year-old lineman joined the Los Angeles Chargers in 2016 as an undrafted free agent.
Johnstone was declared eligible for the supplemental draft as his national status wasn’t regulated prior to the 2018 CFL Canadian Draft.

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...ler-johnstone/

The 25-year-old attended the 2016 NFL Combine where he checked in at six-foot-five, 301 pounds benched 225 pounds for 24 reps, ran a 5.21-second 40-yard dash, 4.60-second shuttle, 7.31-second three-cone, recorded a 30.5-inch vertical, eight foot, six-inch broad jump. ...

Supplemental drafts are held when players miss the deadline for entry into the main CFL draft and there was a number of them last year. Each CFL team has the option to “bid” on the player by forfeiting a selection in the 2019 CFL Draft and the process continues based on waiver priority – the reverse order of the 2018 draft – until the highest choice is identified. The team who puts up that pick (or possesses the top waiver priority) gets the player.
As for Johnstone and his pro three-down prospects, he has the ability to be a ratio-breaking offensive tackle in the CFL.
“He’s going to be a first-round pick,” one CFL scout said about Johnstone.

http://3downnation.com/2018/05/14/fo...emental-draft/

[argolio]

I don't know who wrote that article from the Al's site, but for the sake of accuracy Johnstone didn't win the Outland or the Lombardi. He was on pre-season watch lists for both awards, which typically list about 50 players.

[jerrym]

Here are updates on Stefan Longan's and Chris William's injuries suffered last week.

#AlsMtl Stef Logan suffered a sprained ankle, according to Coach Sherman. It looked a lot worse at the moment the injury occurred late in Q4. #CFL @CFLonTSN

— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) July 7, 2018

#AlsMtl Coach Sherman says Chris Williams strained his hamstring. Still doubtful to return vs #RNation. #CFL @CFLonTSN

— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) July 7, 2018

[jerrym]

Ernest Jackson has been a major disappointment so far for the Als with only eight catches for 114 yards in four games and had not catches against Ottawa. The man who many expected to be the top receiver in Montreal is fourth in receiving yardage on the team.

[argolio]

Ernest Jackson must have been replaced by his evil twin after he signed with the Als.

[halifaxguy]

Ernest Jackson has been a major disappointment so far for the Als with only eight catches for 114 yards in four games and had not catches against Ottawa. The man who many expected to be the top receiver in Montreal is fourth in receiving yardage on the team.

In Ottawa he had two 1,000 yard plus seasons, he caught anything thrown at him. The problem is that since going to Montreal he hasn't had a QB that can throw to him very often. He can't catch balls if they don't throw to him.

[doubleblue]

In Ottawa he had two 1,000 yard plus seasons, he caught anything thrown at him. The problem is that since going to Montreal he hasn't had a QB that can throw to him very often. He can't catch balls if they don't throw to him.

Whatever the reason he hasn't looked very good. IMO he has lost a step or two.

[AngeloV]

In Ottawa he had two 1,000 yard plus seasons, he caught anything thrown at him. The problem is that since going to Montreal he hasn't had a QB that can throw to him very often. He can't catch balls if they don't throw to him.

You can blame the QB situation all you want, but the fact is, he has dropped a lot of balls since going to Montreal.

[Argo]

You can blame the QB situation all you want, but the fact is, he has dropped a lot of balls since going to Montreal.

He badly needs a change of scene and a last chance.