Montreal Alouettes Thread

[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.

[jerrym]

Colin Kaepernick is still on Montreal's negotiation list.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Name	Position	College
Woody Baron	DL	Virginia Tech
Brian Hill	RB	Wyoming
Colin Kaepernick	QB	Nevada
Devante Kincade	QB	Grambling State
Jonathan Krause	WR	Vanderbilt
Riley McCarron	WR	Iowa
Nick Moody	LB	Florida State
Anthony Philyaw	RB	Howard
Austin Renkow	K	Idaho
Rico Richardson	WR	Jackson State

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...-players-team/

[KCargosfan]

Kaepernick would make a better QB than Freeman IMO, and I'm a fellow K-Stater.

Freeman throws a great deep ball, but the rest of his passing game leaves a bit to be desired.

[jerrym]

Josh Freeman may or may not work out as a starting QB for the Alouettes, but he is at least approaching it with the right attitude, something he did not always show earlier in his career.

“I have way too much to learn to start addressing (his status). But having an open competition is how you get the best out of everybody. It pushes the energy. It adds a level of significance to practice. Every throw counts. Everyone’s pushing. Everyone’s a better player for it and the team’s better for it.”
Freeman, of course, arrives in Montreal with some baggage. A player doesn’t go from being a first-round NFL draft pick to an obscure league to the CFL without having garnered a reputation, justified or not. He admits suffering from misguided energy when he was younger; being too immature to deal with adversity.
“I had a bunch of anger, frustration and disappointment. I should have taken that energy and turned it into something positive,” said Freeman, who has passed for 13,873 career yards along with 81 touchdowns.
“I could have played it a lot better, smarter. That’s what lessons are. I learned a lot about myself — who I was as a person and player. Moving forward, what do I want? What are the things that are important to me?”

http://montrealgazette.com/sports/fo...e-alouettes-qb

[jerrym]

HC Mike Sherman discusses his coaching staff in the video below.

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...oaching-staff/

[jerrym]

If the following rumour is true, it suggests Calvillo wants nothing to do with the mess in Montreal as he and his family have been ensconced in Montreal for 20+ years.

Hearing Calvillo could be coming back to the #CFL in a coaching role. Not with #Als

— L.A. Lariviere (@L_A_theRiver) March 2, 2018

[AngeloV]

If the following rumour is true, it suggests Calvillo wants nothing to do with the mess in Montreal as he and his family have been ensconced in Montreal for 20+ years.

Hearing Calvillo could be coming back to the #CFL in a coaching role. Not with #Als

— L.A. Lariviere (@L_A_theRiver) March 2, 2018

Could be Argos if his relationship with Trestman has anything to do with it. QB coach? I think Brady unofficially had that last year as well as his OC duties.

[jerrym]

Could be Argos if his relationship with Trestman has anything to do with it. QB coach? I think Brady unofficially had that last year as well as his OC duties.

The relationship with Trestman and Popp and the success they had working together in the glory days of the Alouettes not that long ago would make such a move unsurprising. Having both Calvillo and Ray helping in the development of Franklin would be an extra bonus.

[jerrym]

The Alouettes will be holding their training camp for the first time at Olympic Stadium It will run from May 20th to June 9th.

[jerrym]

Montreal has signed former BC Lion National RB Shaquille Murray-Lawrence, who was involved in a car accident in September, put on the disabled list, and later released by BC.

http://3downnation.com/2018/03/11/al...r-hit-and-run/

[jerrym]

Montreal has signed four of their 2017 draft picks for 2018: WRs Malcolm Carter and Alexander Morrison, OL Zach Annen, and DB Ty Cranston. 6'6" Carter seems promising and he had some good results at the National Combine last year.

Morrison (6’4″, 302 lbs.) returned to the UBC Thunderbirds for his final collegiate season after taking part in the Alouettes training camp in 2017. In 11 games with the Thunderbirds, the 25-year-old caught 42 passes for 707 yards while scoring ten majors. He made two catches good for 18 yards in theAlouettes two preseason games last June. The Alouettes fourth round pick (29th overall) was voted a Western Conference all-star following the 2015 season.

Carter (6’6″, 192 lbs.) had another great season with the Ottawa Sooners in the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) in 2017, as he was named the Ontario Conference offensive player of the year following a year where he caught 23 passes for 423 yards, including seven touchdowns in only eight games. Selected in the sixth round (45th total) in the 2017 draft, the 22-year-old played three seasons for the Carleton University Ravens prior to joining the Sooners.

Annen (6’4″, 192 lbs.) completed his collegiate career with the Carleton University Ravens in 2017 after taking part in the Alouettes training camp. Selected in the fifth round (39th overall) by Montreal, the centre was selected an All-Canadian last fall. The 23-year-old aerospace engineering major helped strengthen the offensive line that helped running back Michael Arruda amass 1,110 rushing yards in only eight games, the second-highest count in the country. The line also allowed rookie quarterback Michael Arruda to pass for 2,146 yards and to become the second rookie in the school’s history to pass for more than 2,000 yards in one season.

Cranston (6’3″, 205 lbs.) helped the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees’ defensive squad lead the OUA by scoring a total of 14 interceptions in 2017, one in the team’s quarterfinal matchup. A few weeks after taking part in the Alouettes training camp, the 23-year-old began his final collegiate season during which he made 30 tackles in eight games, while forcing two fumbles and recovering one.

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...7-draft-class/

[jerrym]

Jeff Krever notes that while nearly all of CFL's current successful starting QBs arrived well before 30, those who came later rarely had much success (excuse me for reminding of the name Cleo Lemon). It raises the question of whether Josh Freeman at 30 will be different or not from the typical trail of older QBs arriving in the CFL.

Almost all of today’s star quarterbacks in the CFL also came from the NFL, but usually under the age of 26. Bo Levi Mitchell was 22 when he arrived in Calgary. Mike Reilly played for four NFL teams, but was 25 when he arrived in City of Champions. Same for Trevor Harris.
All of them had one thing in common: they came at a young age, and all of them had a chance to sit and develop and learn the Canadian game.

QUARTERBACK	AGE ARRIVED	AGE FULL-TIME STARTER
Jonathon Jennings	22	23
Travis Lulay	25	27
Mike Reilly	25	28
Bo Levi Mitchell	22	24
Zach Collaros	23	25
Matt Nichols	22	27
Jeremiah Masoli	23	29
Ricky Ray	22	22
Trevor Harris	25	30

Ryan Lindley is the most recent example of a quarterback who came from the NFL, played in his first CFL season and struggled. The former Arizona Cardinals pivot, who started an NFL playoff game, stepped in for Trevor Harris and completed 40 of 81 passes for 391 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Lindley is currently 28 and looking for a new team after being released this month.
The Alouettes went down a similar path with Troy Smith, a former Heisman Trophy winner who played with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. The Als were a little more patient with Smith, but the former Ohio State star failed to complete 50 per cent of his passes (49.8%), finishing his CFL career with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Akili Smith, John Beck, Max Hall and Mike McMahon are other notable NFL quarterbacks who have tried the Canadian game, and who could forget Vince Young‘s failed comeback bid last year, which started with a bang but ended with a whimper after an injury suffered in camp.

Henry Burris and Doug Flutie played in both leagues and enjoyed stellar careers on this side of the border, but both were in the CFL at a young age.
With the Als’ quarterback situation in Freeman, I’m immediately reminded of Cleo Lemon.

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/03/16/als-fr...ng-case-study/

[jerrym]

HC Mike Sherman says that Josh Freeman will have to battle Drew Willy, Antonio Pipkin and Mathew Shiltz for the starting job. This sounds more like the standard preseason blarney rather than an accurate description of what will happen, especially when Shiltz showed little in play last year and Pipkin has a grand total of 2 completions out of 9 passes so far. Willy has also accomplished little since his first season in Winnipeg in 2014.

[jerrym]

Duane Ford and Dave Naylor discuss the importance of this year's CFL draft for the Als in the video below, pointing out even the #1 overall draft choice often does not immediately impact the likelihood of success of a team and that the Als, other than signing Jamaal Westerman, have focused on signing Internationals in free agency meaning that even a good draft for the Als is not likely to improve their fortunes this year.

https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/video/als-des...raft%7E1355583

[jerrym]

Perhaps finally realizing he doesn't have the National talent the Als need to be successful after focusing on signing International free agents, Kavis Reed has announced he is willing to trade his #1 overall draft choice, who is unlikely to bring about a dramatic improvement in team performance in his first year. He may well sense that another horrendous year could spell curtains for himself. The question remains however that even if he obtained a valuable but aging National or two in return how likely is that going to be enough to make much of a difference this year on this woeful team and, if, in the unlikely event that it does, what happens shortly thereafter when these players wither away.

[jerrym]

The Als have signed three Nationals: LS Emmett Tims, LB Adrian Clarke, and RB Chuck Okafor.

Clarke (6’3”, 233 lbs.), a former Bishop’s University Gaiterreturns to la belle province after spending his first three professional seasons with the British Columbia Lions. The 26-year-old has been a force on special teams with the Lions, racking up 25 special teams tackles in 50 games. The Mississauga, ON native was selected in the fourth round (32nd overall) of the 2014 CFL Canadian Draft by BC.
Tims (6’5″, 240 lbs.), who was drafted in the sixth round (50th overall) by the Alouettes in 2016, played at the wide receiver position during his first three seasons with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, before making the switch to the defensive line. The Calgary, AB native was the team’s long snapper throughout his collegiate career and made 3.5 tackles in that role last fall.
Okafor (5’11, 215 lbs.) played two seasons (2013 and 2014) with the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks. The 23-year-old running back gained 106 yards and scored one touchdown in 23 rushes. In September 2014 against Waterloo University, the Calgary, AB native scored one touchdown and amassed 62 yards in 10 runs.

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

[jerrym]

Montreal has signed Internationals QB Justin Holman and WR Cameron Posey.

Holman (6’4”, 225 lbs.) took part in the Jacksonville Jaguarsrookie minicamp in 2017 following his collegiate career with the Central Florida University Knights. In 32 games with the Knights, the 23-year-old completed 395 of his 739 passes good for 4,916 yards and 34 touchdowns. Holman also stretched series thanks to his speed as he rushed for 494 yards on 202 carries, including five majors.
The Tuscaloosa, AL native had his best season in 2014 when he was named the Knights offensive player of the year after completing 223 of his 494 passes good for 2,952 yards and 23 touchdowns. He threw a touchdown pass in all the 13 games he played in that season.

Posey (6’1, 192 lbs.) played three years with the Purdue University Boilemaker in the NCAA. In 35 games, the 24-year-old receiver from Boca Raton, FL caught 71 passes for 740 yards and five majors. He spent some time with the Los Angeles Chargers. In 2017, he was invited to the Carolina Panthers minicamp.

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...cameron-posey/