Montreal Alouettes Thread

[doubleblue]

For the good of the League I hope Manziel helps make the Alouettes great again. Except when they play the Argos.

[AngeloV]

Well, this is a good move, Pipkin doesn't hurt the roster, that's for sure.

As for Manziel, he is a talented QB. If he gets and accepts a longer-term offer, he can and will be a star in the CFL.

I agree wit this. Manziel has shown improvement every time out. Get some good players around him, and he could be scary good.

[OV Argo]

Well, this is a good move, Pipkin doesn't hurt the roster, that's for sure.

As for Manziel, he is a talented QB. If he gets and accepts a longer-term offer, he can and will be a star in the CFL.

Pipkin, IMO, looks clearly & easily better than Manzier, based on play this season; still a lot to prove for both though, as they are both learning the CFL game. I hope for the Als sake, there is real competition for the starting job next TC and that Manzier just does not get handed the job based on hype and selling tickets; and if he is a me first dofus that his team-mates don't really like - he should be punted out of town there. The rush to see good on his mediocre, but brief flashes of talent, play in the CFL thus far is predictable. Too bad Mavis and the Wet-and-alls clown act there wouldn't give a local Canadian kid QB and proven talent & winner in college ball like Hugo Richard a real chance to compete at QB for them; but i pretty well could guarantee that if he had got a shot and thrown a bunch of picks and looked lost or useless like Manzier did at first, he would have been laughed at and flushed, pronto. GO Johnny Football though ! The good ole CFL. ;o)

[jerrym]

HC Mike Sherman said the switch from Manziel to Pipkin at half-time was determined before the Argo game and that Manziel agreed that that was the case.

[jerrym]

After being the laughing stock of the CFL for most the season, the Als have shown significant improvement in their last five games while the Argos have moved in the opposite direction.

[jerrym]

The Alouettes have announced they will be decreasing their seating capacity back down to 20,000.

Former team president Larry Smith convinced city and provincial governments to pony up the lion’s share of the $29 million needed to expand the tired old stadium by 5,000 seats. ...

It’s still a nice facility, but there will be serious complaints now — and with reason — because the Alouettes have decided, doggone it, they just don’t need those extra seats. Something about a lack of fans, which hurts because of the $29.3-million cost of the expansion, the Quebec government put up $19.3 million and the city of Montreal $4 million, with Wetenhall on the hook for the balance.
Some of it went to refurbish the antiquated press facilities and even more antiquated stadium restrooms, and to provide the attractive entrance on the east side, which blends well with Mount Royal. But the bulk of it went to that 5,000-seat expansion that has now been deemed unnecessary as the team goes for “cosy.”

This past week, as the Alouettes stumbled toward the finish line of yet another lost season, they announced they would be shrinking the stadium from the current 23,430 seats to 20,025. The buzzword the Als are using is “reconfigure. The organization has decided to strategically lower the maximum capacity of the stadium,” the club said in its press release. In other words, roughly a decade and a shade less than $30 million after going for the gusto, the Alouettes and we overburdened taxpayers are back where we started, with a 20,000-seat stadium.

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/f...e-they-started

[jerrym]

Manuel says he will be back and better next year.

“At least I have a plan now, knowing I have a place to come back to. I’m under contract. I haven’t had that in a while,” Manziel told a phalanx of reporters crowded around his cubicle. “I’m all in … for next year. I’m all in being back here. That starts from the day I get back home (Monday). “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” ...

Manziel, who didn’t sign with the Ticats until May, is reportedly due a $75,000 roster bonus March 1, although with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire before players report to training camp, commissioner Randy Ambrosie has decreed no players will receive winter bonus payments. That bonus would push Manziel’s base salary to $202,000, it has been reported. And he could get an additional $150,000 in potential playtime bonuses. General manager Kavis Reed might be reluctant to make a sophomore quarterback the team’s highest-paid player — one without a proven track record. On the other hand, Ticats management had no qualms about signing Manziel to this deal, based on reputation alone.

“I’m happy here right now,” said Manziel, 25. “Football got to a point for me in the past where it was about money. I’m comfortable right now. Comfortable with a great group of teammates. Comfortable in a great city and happy being back on the field. I don’t know if that would be the situation in another league. I’m happy with where I’m at, what’s going on and the opportunity to at least come in and compete and play.” ...

“It’s been a good learning experience,” he said. “It hasn’t gone exactly the way I wanted it to as far as winning games … the product on the field. I’m excited for next year already. It’s bittersweet that the season’s over. There were growing pains, but I truly feel like I’ll be better … moving forward. I’ll be much better next season.”

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/f...y-manziel-vows

[R.J]

#Alouettes talking to potential general managers in case they fire Kavis Reed https://t.co/5hHVUkU0Lv #Montreal #AlsMTL #CFL pic.twitter.com/3CY9SrbCUt

— IG: J12Dunk (@JDunk12) November 6, 2018

Interesting, and could have implications on Sherman and Manziel.

[R.J]

The @MTLAlouettes will retain GM Kavis Reed and head coach Mike Sherman. #CFL #Als

— David William Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) November 8, 2018

Mike Sherman anticipates competition for starting QB role in training camp next spring, calls it a “position of strength.” #CFL #Als

— David William Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) November 8, 2018

Not surprising, but I do wonder how much the football ops cap played into this and Edmonton's decisions.

[jerrym]

Mathieu Boulay has written an article in French entitled 'The Ten Tasks of Kavis Reed", referring to the what he reads to do before next season. Here are the tasks in English. The url below also describes Boulay's thinking on each task in French.

1. Find quality receivers
2. Invest in recruitment
3. Find a worthy successor to John Bowman
4. Stefan Logan is not eternal
5.The moment for the divorce of Boris Bede
6. Dismissing the offensive and defensive coordinators
7. Signing a new contract with Tony Washington
8. Bringing help for Henoc Muamba
9. Assuring a winning season
10. Giving more responsibility to Canadian receivers

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/20...-de-kavis-reed

[jerrym]

The CFL's Montreal Alouettes are getting a whole new look in 2019 and thanks to a series of trademark registrations by the team we've gotten ourselves a good idea of what to expect.

See it all here: https://t.co/hhBtTYFdZM pic.twitter.com/wnh2qikwEH

— Chris Creamer (@sportslogosnet) November 12, 2018

[KCargosfan]

If I were in Montreal I'd be livid about whatever the hell they are doing to reduce capacity in the stadium.

Here's an idea: Instead of focusing on things like logos, win games. Then the fans will come back and you won't need to do anything about a stadium (there's no need to now, anyway).

Since Calvillo retired that has to be one of the most incompetent franchises in pro sports.

[OV Argo]

Mathieu Boulay has written an article in French entitled 'The Ten Tasks of Kavis Reed", referring to the what he reads to do before next season. Here are the tasks in English. The url below also describes Boulay's thinking on each task in French.

1. Find quality receivers
2. Invest in recruitment
3. Find a worthy successor to John Bowman
4. Stefan Logan is not eternal
5.The moment for the divorce of Boris Bede
6. Dismissing the offensive and defensive coordinators
7. Signing a new contract with Tony Washington
8. Bringing help for Henoc Muamba
9. Assuring a winning season
10. Giving more responsibility to Canadian receivers

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/20...-de-kavis-reed

Interesting list, but not sure a Mavis type can grasp much that is there.

Agreed that receiver talent is a huge need, but IMO there is plenty of receiver talent out there (including known FAs or new guys) to audition at TC and a good talent evaluator should be able to put together a strong corps (Earnest Jackson is the only real keeper there IMO - if they can figure out how to use him better); Adarius Bowman is just not what he once was and they should move on from him IMO; and their offence had little to no use for Canadian receiver talent last year (George Johnson was rarely targeted but did look decent a few times) - not sure that gob myopic attitude is going to change there, but this coming draft year with lots of receiver talent would be a good time to change.

Vets like Bowman and Logan (still a sure-handed and smart punt returner, but not the big play talent he once had), maybe Chip Cox too (?) - they might have to move on from them, but i bet all 3 could still contribute one more season as vet leaders to a further re-build.

Bede is a good punter and league best distance kick-off guy; just find an accurate FG kicker to go with him.

Mavis already traded away "help" for Muamba in a break-out OLB talent in Chris Ackie. Their defence does have plenty of good talent though IMO, and find a quality rush end to replace Bowman and they could be a league best defence IMO

Real issue is finding the starting QB (and Pipkin, Manzier or Adams all have potential to be a good CFL QB IMO), AND getting them some better receivers, AND way better play-calling. Good luck on that front.

[paulwoods13]

Mathieu Boulay has written an article in French entitled 'The Ten Tasks of Kavis Reed", referring to the what he reads to do before next season. Here are the tasks in English. The url below also describes Boulay's thinking on each task in French.

1. Find quality receivers
2. Invest in recruitment
3. Find a worthy successor to John Bowman
4. Stefan Logan is not eternal
5.The moment for the divorce of Boris Bede
6. Dismissing the offensive and defensive coordinators
7. Signing a new contract with Tony Washington
8. Bringing help for Henoc Muamba
9. Assuring a winning season
10. Giving more responsibility to Canadian receivers

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/20...-de-kavis-reed

Love to know how Kavis -- or anyone -- could successfully do No. 9 before next season.

[jerrym]

Love to know how Kavis -- or anyone -- could successfully do No. 9 before next season.

What Boulay is saying in the article is that if Reed wants to survive beyond next year he needs a winning season. The winning season is also needed from the point of view of avoiding losing even more of the fanbase - something that is obvious in the subtext of the decision to reduce attendance capacity from 24,000 to 20,000, just a few years after increasing the attendance capacity from 20,000 to 24,000.

[jerrym]

Here's Herb Zurkowsky's perspective on where the Als are at:

If he’s [GM Reed] not aware just how unpopular he is among many who still follow the team, he need only look to Marc Bergevin for comfort. The Canadiens’ GM, assailed a year ago, suddenly has become a genius; the sports world, and its fans, fickle.

“When you sit around and worry about your job, you’re not doing your job. Leadership’s not about being popular,” Reed said. “Do you feel confident in your plan? People below you aren’t going to see what you see. They don’t have the information. They’re going to make assessments. When you’re not successful by record, you’re going to be criticized. You should be. We didn’t expect to be 5-13. We failed in the expectations. We didn’t accomplish that, and I have to shoulder that as GM.”

Sherman, of course, gets a mulligan as a rookie CFL head coach. But he’s had a year now to learn the Canadian game. People complained he looked lost, at times, on the sideline, and maybe this peculiar game truly was foreign to him. There were some decisions that left many shaking their heads, potential points left on the board.
But a coach also is only as good as the players with which he has to work — as supplied by the GM. Reed credited Sherman with establishing an environment in which the players, by season’s end, expected to win. So now, they must.

There’s a base from which to build for Reed and Sherman. The quarterback position, led by Johnny Manziel but not exclusively limited to him, is the deepest — although not necessarily the strongest — it has been in years. The offensive line, while displaying numerous cracks, has some pieces, including Trey Rutherford, Tyler Johnstone, Sean Jamieson and Kristian Matte. Left-tackle Tony Washington’s a potential free agent, although Reed said he’s confident a new deal can be negotiated. The GM did admit the Als must get more explosive at receiver, require more depth on the defensive line and more competition in the secondary. When a team scores a league-low 345 points, it’s no secret the offence could be in store for an overhaul. That includes the wildly inconsistent Boris Bede, the kicker who only seemed to perform after competition for his job periodically was brought to practice. He simply left too many points off the scoreboard.

Sherman refused to declare Manziel the starter heading into training camp next May, although it appears the job’s his to lose. Instead, he said the off-season preparation by Manziel, along with the others, will dictate and define who will be behind centre.

One would expect there will be changes, as well, on the coaching staff and in the scouting department. The latter, in particular, has long considered one of the organization’s weaknesses in terms of discovering talent. But here’s the thing about Reed returning: the optics don’t look good. And this is an organization hardly dealing from a position of strength. The Als exist during the summer, when the Canadiens are on sabbatical, and are engaged in a battle against soccer’s Impact for a share of the sporting pie.

Once the Canadiens report for training camp, the Als are virtually forgotten — unless they win. Patrick Boivin, the Als’ president, must work hard to sell the return of Sherman and, especially, Reed. He said the organization is selling the perspective of what they’re building toward. Time will tell whether that’s enough.

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/f...s-gm-reed-says

[jerrym]

The Als are promising that they will be a playoff team in 2019. They may make it but broken promises have consequences.

"You all deserve much better and we need to give you reasons to celebrate," said team president Patrick Boivin, acknowledging fan frustration after the Alouettes (5-13) wrapped up their season by missing the playoffs for the fourth year in a row last weekend. To find ourselves here today with five wins is unacceptable."
Boivin was joined by Als head coach Mike Sherman and general manager Kavis Reed, who took turns answering questions about the disappointing campaign.

Boivin also flatly denied reports the team was actively shopping for a replacement for the embattled Reed, who has run up an 8-28 record in two seasons since being appointed GM in December 2016. But the president added anything less than a playoff appearance wouldn't suffice in 2019.
"These guys both know exactly what they have to do and they know we need to have results," Boivin said. Reed, who took responsibility for a team that fell short, acknowledged he'd heard the rumours about being replaced. "I obviously heard about it but my biggest thing is when you start to focus on those things, you become unfocused on what you're supposed to do," Reed said. "At 5-13, there will always be noise ... as long as I'm here, I'm going to my job, period."

https://www.tsn.ca/fresh-off-disappo...2019-1.1206475

[jerrym]

The @CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said that he was concerned about the Alouettes current state of the franchise. He said he hasn’t had any conversation with the Wetenhalls about selling the team.

— Didier Orméjuste 🇭🇹 (@DidierRDS) November 23, 2018

[jerrym]

The Als have signed eight players through 2019: LB Glen Love, LB Kevin Haynes, LB Paris Taylor, WR Dante Absher, WR Ike Lewis, DB Jamal Marshall, DB Larry Hope, and DE Dante Holmes.

Despite only playing 13 games in 2018, Love, a 6-foot-4, 225-pounder, was the team leader with 18 special-team tackles. He also had 30 tackles and knocked down one pass. He began his CFL career in 2012 and has played for the B.C. Lions, Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders

Haynes, a 6-foot-1, 228-pounder, joined the Alouettes last season from Central Washington University, where he recorded 178 tackles, five interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and nine knockdowns in 30 games. He played two games with Montreal.

Holmes, a 6-foot-4, 230-pounder, joined the team last season following a collegiate career with the Northern Michigan University Wildcats, where he had 47 tackles and 12 sacks in 21 games, and time with the Arena Football League’s Lehigh Valley Steelhawks.

Marshall, a 6-foot-3, 203-pounder joined the Als last season following a collegiate career with the University of North Texas. In 2016, he took part in the Seattle Seahawks’ rookie mini-camp.

Taylor, a 6-foot-3, 223-pounder, joined Montreal last season after a collegiate career with the Washington State University Cougars.

Absher, a 6-foot-3, 180-pounder, played four seasons at Glenville State College, where he caught 214 passes for 2,670 yards and 29 touchdowns in 43 games.

Hope Jr., a 6-foot, 192-pounder, played for the University and the University of Miami Hurricanes, and took part in the Miami Dolphins’ training camp in 2017 .

Lewis, a 5-foot-10, 175-pounder, played four seasons with Appalachian State University Mountaineers, notching 93 catches for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns in 46 games.

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/f...-eight-players

[jerrym]

In the podcast below John Bowman discusses his career, the offseason, how and when he will decide whether to return next year, the teammates he is closest to, and his relationship with the Montreal community.

https://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-69...back-1.1219494