Montreal Alouettes Thread

[jerrym]

The Als named their coaching staff for the upcoming season. The article below gives a detailed description of each one's background. Four of the six have previous CFL coaching experience.

The Montreal Alouettes announced the coaching staff for the upcoming season on Tuesday. Paul Dunn (offensive line coach and run game coordinator), Bert Hill (defensive line coach), Jason Tucker (receivers coach), Todd Howard (linebackers coach), André Bolduc (running backs coach) and Billy Parker (defensive backs coach) will be a part of head coach Mike Sherman‘s coaching staff for the 2018 season. Quality control coaches will be added at a later date.

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...s-2018-season/

[jerrym]

More bad news for the Als. Uzooma Okeke has turned down a contract extension as Football Operations Assistant/Scout - another sign of people deserting a chaotic organization that already lost Catherine Raiche and Chantal Covington to the Argos today.

[Flutie]

Keith Shologan and Giguere released in Montreal. They both had bad seasons so I'm not surprised. Both over the hill so I can't see them helping any team.

[jerrym]

In the following interview, the Als new OC Khari Jones discusses how he sees Montreal, his style, his approach to dealing with Josh Freeman and his assistants.

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...s-als-offence/

[jerrym]

GM Kavis Reed has announced major changes in their roster with the release of six players and the addition of four others. The additions have very limited professional experience.

Linebackers Brandon Calver and Robbie Meade, running back Josh Robinson and receiver Jack Bramswig are the new additions.With the exception of Shologan, who is 32, all the other five players cut are 27 or younger, so this does not help reduce the average age of the team which had 21 players 30 or older last year when the next oldest team had only 12 players 30 or older. This is still an aged team more susceptible to injury as the season wears on and with many players with declining skills due to age. Not a great formula for success for a team that finished last.
The team has released offensive linemen Vincent Brown and Jeremy Lewis, defensive tackle Keith Shologan, fullback Nate O’Halloran, receiver Alex Carroll and special teams member Chad Bushley.
Meade makes his return to the Als after being part of the team’s training camp last season. The six-foot-three, 245-pound quarterback became a linebacker during his final two seasons of university sport.
Calver joins the Alouettes after five seasons with the Wilfrid-Laurier University Golden Hawks. The linebacker is six-foot-three weighing 220 pounds and was on the 2017 Ontario All-Star team.

Robinson is five-foot-eight, weighing 217 pounds and played for the University of Mississippi. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round in 2015 and had a workout with the Detroit Lions. After a season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he played in the Spring League, where players from the NFL and CFL are showcased.
Bramswig is six-foot-five and weighs 220 pounds. He played for one season with the Boston College Eagles on special teams after graduating from Manhattanville College and played in the Indoor Football League.

http://montrealgazette.com/sports/fo...s-six-releases

[jerrym]

The Als have added another five players to their roster including two quarterbacks: QBs Garrett Fugate and Nick Shafnifsky, in addition to WR Lonnie Outlaw, LB Jordan Harris and DL Ventral McMillan. The 2 QBs profiles below show they are both capable runners and have some talent as passers. Outlaw spent three years in Arena football and had a short stay with the Bombers. McMillan was on the Als PR last year.

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...rbacks-roster/

[jerrym]

Does Nik Lewis want to make a comeback? You've had a great career, please don't push your body and your reputation too far.

Every time I watch games like this I wonder how I can live life without the opportunity to play in one again. #Decisions

— Nik Lewis (@nikel18) January 21, 2018

[jerrym]

The new Als' QB Josh Freeman is interviewed below.

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...-josh-freeman/

[jerrym]

Herb Zurkowsky claims that Montreal's release of Frederic Plesius was in part the result of a post-game meltdown after playing the Bombers. However, it was much more likely that it was directly related to Plesius being due a $27,000 bonus tomorrow.

After his post-game meltdown in Winnipeg last season, I’m surprised it took #AlsMTL this long to release LB Frederic Plesius

— Herb Zurkowsky (@HerbZurkowsky1) January 31, 2018

[jerrym]

I suspect that many quality free agents like Adarius Bowman will say not thanks to the chaos that reigns in Montreal, which is also reflected in the mass exodus of management personnel over the last year.

#AlsMTL are kicking the tires but it doesn’t seem like @AdariusBowman is headed to the team.

— Herb Zurkowsky (@HerbZurkowsky1) February 6, 2018

[jerrym]

Montreal is also actively pursuing Kienan Lafrance and Emanuel Davis, who were both recently released by the Riders.

[jerrym]

Montreal has signed four new recruits, National LB Brandon Calver, and three Internationals: RB Josh Robinson, who was an Indianapolis Colt draft choice and attended their and Rider TCs; WR Jack Bramswig who played in the Indoor Football League; LB Robbie Meade, who was on the Als' PR last year.

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...layers-roster/

[jerrym]

Despite being an Eastern All-Star and making 110 tackles, Kyries Hebert to pursue a job elsewhere. Not unexpected for a 37 year old LB.

[jerrym]

Despite GM Kavis Reed's denials the chaos in Montreal means a lot of players and their agents have no interest in signing with the Als.

“I don’t think we’re at any disadvantage based on last season’s record or previous years,” Reed said. “We have to promote that we’re shifting the culture and environment. Montreal’s a good place to play football. We have a good fan base. The city’s nice and the team’s headed in the right direction.”
Nonetheless, one CFL agent made it clear he won’t be shopping his clients’ services to the Als.
“You never know but, right now, the Als are a mess. And unless I have no choice to park a guy there, most free agents — unless they’re getting overpaid — will pass on Montreal. Like Toronto last year when they had no general manager or head coach,” said the agent, who wished to remain anonymous.
“The (Als’) coaching staff really has no body of work in the positions they were hired,” the agent continued. “That’s a hard sell to a top player.”

http://montrealgazette.com/sports/fo...-agency-begins

[R.J]

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/02/14/alouet...qb-drew-willy/

The battle for the Alouettes starting QB spot should be epic between Willy and Freeman.

[jerrym]

Reed's comment below the players he has signed through extensions and free agency is ironic. He is right he has a big collection of players with long records of success. The trouble is many of them are long in the tooth as well, with 22 who are thirty or older, in other words, Groundhog Day all over again.

“We have guys that have done a tremendous job so far in their careers,” Reed said.

http://montrealgazette.com/sports/fo...cus-on-defence

[jerrym]

Another example of the mismanagement in Montreal that is going on is the $40,000 bonus paid by GM Kavis Reed to Kyreis Hebert on February 1st who was told only a few days later that he could look for another team to sign with. When Hebert was then cut, he had a new contract and job in four hours. While I understand the trimming of players on an aging team, the Als have been signing many players 30 or older at the same time that they have been cutting others, leaving them with 21 players 30 or over, the same number they had last year, when they were the oldest team in the league (no other team had more than 12 players 30 or over). So despite saying the team had to get younger at the end of the 2017 season, Reed despite numerous changes is exactly in the same position he was in last year and paid out a bonus that he did not need to pay with some coherent planning.

Hebert is 37, old for any football player and especially for a linebacker. But he has continued to defy age during the latter part of his 12 season career, the last six with Montreal. He had a career-high 110 tackles last season, two sacks, an interception and three forced fumbles. Despite the Als’ abysmal record, Hebert was named the division’s outstanding defensive player.
Hebert, who earned a not-outrageous $110,000 last season, received a $40,000 bonus on Feb. 1. About eight days later, he was told by Defensive Coordinator Kahlil Carter and general manager Kavis Reed his role would be diminished in Carter’s defensive scheme. As a non-starter, that would likely have required a pay cut, although Hebert said a new contract wasn’t offered.

http://montrealgazette.com/sports/fo...-kyries-hebert

[Argo57]

Another example of the mismanagement in Montreal that is going on is the $40,000 bonus paid to GM Kavis Reed on February 1st only to be told a few days later that he could look for another team to sign with. When he was then cut, he had a new contract and job in four hours. While I understand the trimming of players on an aging team, the Als have been signing many players 30 or older at the same time that they have been cutting others, leaving them with 21 players 30 or over, the same number they had last year, when they were the oldest team in the league (no other team had more than 12 players 30 or over). So despite saying the team had to get younger at the end of the 2017 season, Reed despite numerous changes is exactly in the same position he was in last year and paid out a bonus that he did not need to pay with some coherent planning.



http://montrealgazette.com/sports/fo...-kyries-hebert

They are also paying a financial premium to get these players to sign in Montreal.

[jerrym]

In the video interview below, when asked about the fact that the media feels he has overpaid for many of their free agent signings, Kavis Reed responds that he paid market value. Strange how almost no one else thinks so.

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...free-agency-2/

[R.J]

#AlsMTL finally sign some Canadian free agents - RB Shaquille Murray-Lawrence and K Quinn van Gylswyk ... not to mention import LB Kyle Knox from Winnipeg

— Herb Zurkowsky (@HerbZurkowsky1) February 19, 2018

Damn. While I figured it was a long shot at best, Van Gylwyk going to the Als sucks. We need a kicker.