Montreal Alouettes Thread

[jerrym]

The speculation about who will own the Als continues.

The Montreal-based group involving Stephen Bronfman had representation at the Eastern Semi-Final, hosted by the Montreal Alouettes at Percival Molson Stadium Sunday, according to Montreal Gazette reporter Herb Zurkowsky. ...

Bronfman is the executive chairman of Claridge Inc. which is a company that represents the interests of the Bronfman family and is actively involved in the management of a diverse portfolio of investments in private equity, hedge funds, public equities, and real estate. ...

The Lenkov brothers are still in the mix to buy the team. They’ve been at Alouettes games on the road and in Montreal while cheering them on publicly on social media. Peter Lenkov is a 55-year-old writer and producer. He studied film at Concordia University in Montreal. Jeffrey Lenkov , who is 53 years old, is a lawyer based in California. The younger brother went to McGill University.

The CFL officially purchased the Alouettes from the Wetenhall’s in late May. The league and Wetenhall family had been working for several months to identify and assess potential new owners and that process is ongoing with Randy Ambrosie leading the way.

It could be a competition between two groups as the next owners of the Alouettes.

https://3downnation.com/2019/11/10/c...-playoff-game/

[jerrym]

Centre Kristian Matte was the first to support Vernon Adams after he threw three interceptions in the Als playoff game.

Adams Jr. was distraught on the field after throwing three interceptions, Matte was the first player to embrace and console him. “I think he just put a lot of pressure on himself. At the end of the game, he felt like he was to blame for everything,” explained Matte, who just completed his ninth Canadian Football League season — all with Montreal — after being selected seventh overall in 2010. ...

“We’re 40 or 50 guys on the field. Every play counts and it wasn’t just him. I feel like he takes a lot of the blame. A lot of quarterbacks are like that,” Matte continued. “In the moment, honestly in my heart, I felt like I needed to go see him because I was proud of him. I told him I was proud of what he did.” ...

Little was expected of the Als this season, especially after the team lost its opening two games — both on the road — and Adams, 26, was buried on the depth chart when he arrived at training camp in May, listed behind Antonio Pipkin, Matthew Shiltz and even veteran Jeff Mathews. ...

“We kind of made something happen out of nothing this year, both (Adams) and the team,” Matte said. “I wanted to make sure he knew that, because he was really down on himself. I wanted to make him realize he’s a very good player. He’s just at the beginning of his career and he’s going to be a great quarterback for a long time. Everyone counted us out all year. No one ever gave him a thought. Then, all of a sudden, he became the man. He proved a lot of people wrong. He should be proud and keep his head high.” ...

Adams said Matte’s gesture resonated with him. “For him to do that and say those kind words, after a game like that, it was awesome,” Adams said. “It was very special to me. He’s a vet, a leader. He’s been doing the right things, on and off the field. He’s always coming to me and talking about different protections and what I might see from teams. He’s really helped me grow my game, seeing coverages and blitzes.”

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/f...his-year-matte

[jerrym]

The Alouettes team president Patrick Boivin says that they are close to resigning Khari Jones as HC.

[jerrym]

Former Alouette, Bomber and Stampeder Jordan Hefney has been sentenced to nine years in prison for drug trafficking. CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie noted that his CFL serious injury while playing with the Als may have impacted his downward path because he had to use GoFundMe to pay for his medical needs once his CFL injury coverage ran out.

Hefney suffered a catastrophic injury in a CFL game that limited his arm mobility, prevented him from working and forced him to turn to GoFundMe to pay for medical fees. Many felt his incarceration was a direct result of the league’s failure to properly support injured players. ...

Hefney suffered three fractured vertebrae and nerve damage that left him with limited use of his arm. ...

The Montreal Alouettes, for whom Hefney played when he was hurt, covered the cost of Hefney’s first surgery via insurance but their obligations ended a year after the injury. That has since changed.

“Jonathan Hefney was a flashpoint for a different type of discussion.” Ambrosie admitted, as he praised the league and CFLPA for their work on injury protection during last year’s CBA negotiations. “American players are now covered for three years and that is a big step in the right direction.” The commissioner wasn’t coy about more needing to be done, however. “We have to think differently about this issue,” he conceded. “Maybe going forward we can get ahead of it.”

It will be too little, too late for Jonathan Hefney, but hopefully the next player in need won’t face the same struggles.

https://3downnation.com/2019/11/22/j...in-the-future/

[jerrym]

Montreal has signed HC, OC and QB coach Khari Jones to a three year contract.

[jerrym]

The Als have asked for permission to interview five people for GM: Assistant GM Danny McManus and Director of College Scouting Ryan Rigmaiden of the Bombers,Director of Player Personnel Eric McEvoy of the Lions, Director of Player Personnel Jean-Marc Edme of the Redblacks, and Senior Director of Personnel and Co-Manager of Football Operations Shawn Burke of the Tiger Cats.

[jerrym]

The Als have signed six players, including Canadian QB Hugo Richard. The others are FB Etienne Moisan, WR Malcolm Carter, DE Chase DeMoor, and LBs Jason Hall and Paris Taylor.

Richard (6’2″, 225 lbs.) joined the Alouettes in January of 2018 and played three games with the team in 2019. He trained as a quarterback and on specials teams. He concluded his collegiate career by hoisting the Vanier Cup, in 2018, at Stade Telus-Université Laval. During his five seasons in Quebec City, the 25-year-old led the Rouge et Or to two Vanier Cup championships, earning game MVP honours both times. In 38 career games with Laval, the Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, QC native completed 782 of his 1,145 passes for gains of 10,271 yards, while throwing 70 touchdown passes. Richard was also a rushing threat for opposing defences as he also kept the ball 200 times for gains of 1,228 yards and 30 majors. He is the only player in RSEQ history to score 70 passing and 30 rushing touchdowns.

Moisan (6’0″, 195 lbs.) played 12 games in his first season with the Alouettes in 2019. The 25-year-old fullback made four tackles on special teams. He was drafted in the sixth round (51st overall) by the Alouettes in 2018. He returned to Université Laval to play one final season in 2018 and helped the Rouge et Or win its 10th Vanier Cup. The 25-year-old from Saint-Eustache, QC completed his collegiate career with 50 catches for 699 yards and three majors, while making nine tackles.

Carter (6’6”, 192 lbs.) was playing in his second season with the Alouettes in 2019. In seven games, the Toronto, Ont. native caught four balls for gains of 36 yards. The 24-years-old receiver, a former Carleton University Raven, was a sixth-round pick by the Alouettes in the 2017 CFL Draft (45th total).

Hall (6’3”, 216 lbs.) played two games with the Alouettes this year and registered two special team tackles. Born in South Grand Prairie, TX, Hall played for the Texas University Athletics. In his senior season, the 23-year-old registered 20 tackles, one sack, four knockdowns, one interception and forced one fumble in 13 games.

DeMoor (6’5”, 265 lbs.) played college for the Central Washington University Wildcats and was named Division II Special Teams Player of the Year by Hero Sports. The Eatonville, WA native had the most blocked kicks in the NCAA during the 2018 season. He played in the FCS National Bowl and was an honorable mention for Defensive MVP. The 23-year-old defensive end was also invited to the FBS All American Bowl.

Taylor (6’3”, 220 lbs.) was part of the Montreal Alouettes training camp in 2019 during which he played two pre-season games and registered six tackles, including one on special teams. He played college for three seasons with the Central Washington University Cougars. In 37 games, he registered 16 solo tackles and 12 assisted. The 25-year-old linebacker from Orlando, FL, added one sack and recovered one fumble.

https://en.montrealalouettes.com/201...tienne-moisan/

[jerrym]

Pat Steinberg looks at Khari Jones' role in the Als success in 2019 below.

While Hamilton’s Orlondo Steinauer got my final vote for Coach of the Year, it was actually Jones who got the nod from me in the initial round of polling to determine the finalists. For me, considering all the circumstances, no one did a better job of coaching in 2019 than Jones. Jones joined the Alouettes’ staff in 2019 as their offensive coordinator, so he was a newcomer to begin with. Five months later, Montreal parted ways with Head Coach Mike Sherman and all of a sudden Jones was THE guy. Oh, and all of this just happened to transpire less than a week before Montreal started the regular season. ...

Even with an 0-2 start, a couple smart people (maybe named Jeff Krever and Chris O’Leary, maybe not) kept saying “this is a different Als team.” Those unnamed humans were correct, because this was a good team, and Jones had a huge part to play.

It wasn’t a coincidence that Vernon Adams Jr. arrived in 2019 with Jones as his head coach and OC. Yes, I know Adams was not the Week 1 starter in Montreal, but you can’t convince me having Jones there didn’t help. More than anything, Jones didn’t try to fit Adams into any particular quarterback mold or archetype. Instead, he let Adams shape things and, thus, shape the offence. The Alouettes’ offence allowed Adams to be a true hybrid quarterback; he was able to drop back and pass, throw on the run, or pull the ball down on a keeper. Jones’s ability to design an offence in which Adams would thrive was crucial in 2019, and thrive is exactly what he did. Adams finished the season with a CFL-high 36 total touchdowns; he tied for the league-lead with 12 on the ground and was second to McLeod Bethel-Thompson with 24 through the air.

Montreal’s 2019 offence was a balanced one, too. Led by Adams, the Als also got great years from playmakers like William Stanback, Eugene Lewis, and Quan Bray. One of Jones’s decision I really appreciated was when he tweaked the ratio late in the season to allow both Stanback and Jeremiah Johnson to have a hand in the backfield. It made the team’s rushing attack that much more dangerous.

More than anything, Jones seemed to have the respect of his players. He’s only 12 years removed from an extremely successful career on the field and, at 48, is still very relatable to his players. Jones walked into an extremely difficult situation six months ago and was a huge part of turning that tough spot into a successful season.

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/12/02/steinb...ture-together/

[jerrym]

The Als have signed Canadian DT Michael Sanelli, as well as American WRs Fabian Guerra and Malachi Jones through 2021. Sanelli played in three games in his 2019 rookie season. Guerra was Rookie of the Year in the Arena Football League in 2019. Jones was Offensive Player of the Year in 2019 in the Arena Football League while playing for the league champions.

[jerrym]

Shawn Burke, Hamilton Tiger Cats Senior Director of Personnel and Co-Manager of Football Operations has withdrawn from the Als GM search; Danny McManus, Bombers Assistant GM, has been eliminated from consideration; and former Argos and Als GM Jim Popp says he'd love to be the Als GM again.

Although Popp had considerable success in his early years in Montreal, I can't see him winning the job after the shape he left the Als in at the time of his departure.

[jerrym]

Canadian RB/KR Shaquille Murray-Lawrence has signed an extension with the Als. After three years with the Lions, he signed with Montreal in 2019. In his four years in the CFL he has gained 1,478 yards in kick returns, 151 yards rushing and 73 receiving yards.

[jerrym]

2019 third round draft pick Zach Wilkinson, who played two games last year, has signed a new deal with the Als.

[jerrym]

Another potential Als GM is now out of the picture. Blue Bomber Director of College Scouting Ryan Rigmaiden has turned the offer of the GM position, according to Farhan Lalji. I suspect that OV may comment on the GOBs Lalji listed below as proof of his theory.

Lalji suggested that they could circle back on a number of individuals, including Eric Tillman, Brendan Taman, Geroy Simon, Danny Maciocia, David Turner and Jim Popp — who was with the organization from 1996-2016, where he worked in a multitude of roles.

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/12/13/report...s-gm-position/

[OV Argo]

Another potential Als GM is now out of the picture. Blue Bomber Director of College Scouting Ryan Rigmaiden has turned the offer of the GM position, according to Farhan Lalji. I suspect that OV may comment on the GOBs Lalji listed below as proof of his theory.

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/12/13/report...s-gm-position/

Ever notice how GOB spelled backwards = BOG ? ;o)

CFL = a very close knit league - LOL = nepotism & sycophants

[jerrym]

Eric Deslauriers has moved up the management ladder from Coordinator of Player Personnel to Director of Football Operations.

[jerrym]

Marcel Bellefeuille, who has 16 years of CFL coaching experience including as Tiger Cat HC and OC in Montreal, has been hired as the new OL coach.

DC Bob Slowik, DL coach Todd Howard and Receivers coach Robert Gordon are all returning on new deals through 2020.

[jerrym]

Below is a look at the Als management, coaches, free agents, Canadian and other personnel as the off-season continues:

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/12/18/off-se...l-alouettes-2/

[jerrym]

ST Coordinator Mickey Donovan and Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, who became assistant OL coach after retiring one game into the 2019 season, have resigned with Montreal, while Andre Bolduc has been made assistant HC in addition to his RB coach duties.

[jerrym]

Another week - another twist in the Als ownership story. It doesn't look good.

And with another week, this only-in-the-Canadian Football League adventure has taken yet another twist with the revelation Montreal entrepreneur Clifford Starke is ready and willing to become involved again. He has reached out to CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie, who didn’t respond to a text message Friday from The Gazette. But the sheer fact the ownership issue remains unsettled could indicate the bidding process remains open.
“I’m still interested, 100 per cent,” Starke told The Gazette. “But we don’t know what to do anymore. It’s ridiculous. This situation gets worse and worse. The Montreal fans must think this is a complete joke. There’s something missing. It seems never-ending. The only thing I don’t understand is how is the CFL sitting here and picking up this bill?” ...

Starke, you might remember, was willing to purchase the Als before the start of the season, when the league took control of the club from owners Robert and Andrew Wetenhall. Starke sent an amended proposal in June, but then withdrew his offer in early July, when an exclusive negotiation window was granted to brothers Jeffrey and Peter Lenkov. ...

Ambrosie, who has been criticized for his handling of the situation, made TV appearance on July 19 and intimated the Lenkovs were about to assume control. And they were at the Als’ home game the next day, sitting in the owner’s box and hugging players in the dressing room following Montreal’s victory over Edmonton.

One or both brothers might still be in the mix, but sources have indicated they were unable to raise the necessary funds. Montreal-based Claridge Investment Ltd., a firm headed by Stephen Bronfman and Pierre Boivin, appears to be involved, but to what extent?

“I do see value” said Starke, 36, the chair of Hampstead Private Capital who has acted as a consultant, adviser and/or director to more than 15 publicly-listed companies. “I like buying things low. In this case, you can’t get lower. There could be some value created. I don’t see much risk. It would be fun to work with Claridge. Those guys are serious. I’m not doing this to lose millions of dollars. It’s okay if I take a small loss and have fun and build something. There’s going to be value somewhere on this, whether it’s in three, four or five years. There’s going to be a value creation there.”

Starke originally wanted former CFL commissioner and two-time Als president Larry Smith involved in some capacity. Smith, who served as a mentor to Starke in the spring, probably would have sat on the board of governors with the possibility of eventually being named chief executive officer. ...

“That period of time between the Grey Cup and Christmas is very important for selling season tickets,” Smith said. “Clearly, the club has to sell significantly more. Deals that take a long time … are sometimes deals that have changes, hiccups and things that are modified. The club is missing a big opportunity to benefit from the uptake in the season and what transpired. I’m hopeful something will get done quickly enough so they don’t lose any more momentum.”

While the Als finally announced some additions to head coach Khari Jones’ staff on Friday, it appears the organization has done little since the season ended. No significant players have been re-signed and the club remains without a general manager since being rebuffed by Hamilton’s Shawn Burke and Winnipeg’s Ryan Rigmaiden. Others, including B.C.’s Neil McEvoy and Ottawa’s Jean-Marc Edmé, refused to be interviewed. It doesn’t look good. ...

“There are no first-round draft picks. Any GM is walking in without ideal expectations of control,” said a league source. “Will he be able to hire his own staff and scouts that he can trust? It’s not an ideal job. Hamilton’s built for the long haul. There’s new coaches in Ottawa and Toronto. Those teams are going to be better. Montreal has a good coach in place. He galvanized the season. That gave them momentum. The locker-room believes in the coach. The cupboard’s not bare. But to win next season you have to win this time of year for personnel. What they’re doing currently isn’t fast enough to win.”

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/f...enews-interest

[jerrym]

After working out for several teams, RB William Stanback is reported to be signing a two year contract with a six figure bonus with the Las Vegas Raiders, leaving the Als with a big hole to fill.