RDs writes: Larry Taylor: divorce-split/bye bye- avec les Alouettes. They-RDS- write that they have received confirmation that Larry Taylor is no longer a member of the Als organization; he was not at practice today,which was also confirmed by Radio-Canada.
Why? Don't know,although I would not be surprised if it was/is a money matter.We don't need him. Hawkins or Maypray will be in uniform in his place.
Richard
Could it also be a get well will see you in june kind of divorce?
We don’t need him?
Don’t know if you’ve noticed…but our return game has been pathetic this year.
I say again…the Alouettes have been doing things on the cheap.
Not signing Taylor is just one more example.
Prediction for the Final:
We will lose the field position battle, and thus the game.
Chad Owens will be huge and the organisation has no one to blame but themselves.
Whether this comes true or not (hopefully not)
Shame!!!
This is Jim Popp`s take on the situation:
[url=http://www.cjad.com/blog/AlouettesNews/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10164677]http://www.cjad.com/blog/AlouettesNews/ ... D=10164677[/url]It is kind of surprising, but lets give Trestman and Popp the benefit of the doubt. If they relesed him - were not just talking about sitting him out - there has to be a good reason.
With his late arrival after the Jets release, his recent going home for a few days, he seems like a player that just did not want to be here anymore.
Not the same situation as with Owens where a mistake was clearly made.
Chad Owens should not be huge in this game because Montreal should not be letting him touch the ball in this game.
If they do, they should certainly just give up the no yards calls on punts and hammer him.
When a player has lost interest in what he is doing/when he thinks that he is "bigger" than the team,we don't need him anymore and the only thing to do is to release him,as the Als did; same in any organization,no matter who you are.
We won 11 games without him; if/should we lose Sunday,it will be because of Toronto special teams-particularly Chad Owens- and their defense,not because Larry Taylor was released. Tim Maypray will replace him adequately,as he did for most of the 2010 regular season.
Richard
Maypray (23.6) actually had a better kickoff return average than Owens (22.9).
Owens(12.6) had the better punt average than Maypray (7.8).
But 5 yards a punt on let`s say 6 punts a game is only 30 yards. Not the end of the world.
No you’re right
With Owens they were clearly too cheap to spring for a return specialist who hadn’t yet become a star.
With Taylor they’re simply too miserly to pay for an established one.
Right
Owens was at the top of the league in punt returns
Maypray was last of the regular punt returners
Amazing how people can say just about anything with statistics
Here’s reality however:
This year…Owens has single-handedly won games for the Argos…both with the excellent field position he’s given them…or by outright scoring touchdowns on returns.
Last two previous years…Taylor did the same regularly for the Alouettes.
Not only do the scores and the field position mean sooooo much…but the electric boost it gives to the entire team is incalculable.
…as is the total flatness that has been the Maypray punt return game.
Everyone in the organisation…from the owner to the players know this all too well. If anyone here wants to lie to themselves go ahead. But as far as I’m concerned this year’s motto on special teams has been:
Fool me once…shame on you
Fool me twice…shame on me
I don't have a problem with how Jim manages the roster. Barker had more wiggle room on a rebuilding team than Jim would have on a Grey Cup winner. Also Owens would not have cracked the starting lineup with Watkins , Green, Cahoon, Richardson where Barker had ONE established receiver.
When Taylor came out of college no NFL team would touch him and the Als invested a year in him so he could learn the CFL game. If he wasn't happy than this is for the best, give Van and Maypray a chance. Maypray's done more in his first season with the Als than Taylor did in his rookie year...
Wow that’s interesting…
I simply don’t recall the Alouettes desperately scouring the continent trying to find a replacement for Taylor in 2008.
In fact, I quite clearly remember Taylor excelling in the playoffs…returning 2 punts for touchdowns against Edmonton.
He also averaged 11.9 yards/punt return it the 2008 regular season…better than his 2009 average (when he won Special Teams Player of the Year)
Interesting how things change all of a sudden, isn’t it?
Here’s an article about LT and his return to the Als:
[url=http://www.cflgreycup.ca/article/moffat-many-happy-returns-for-smiling-taylor]http://www.cflgreycup.ca/article/moffat ... ing-taylor[/url]Leaving all the hoopla and hype aside, one has to marvel how Larry went from
a special guy and he’s gonna give you that spark and a jolt and I think our (special) teams will all benefitAccording to Duval...and if you can believe Ben Cahoon:
Ben Cahoon bears character witness for Taylor: “He’s a special player and such a positive guy. Being cut from the NFL had to be a hard pill to swallow obviously, but he’s been warmly welcomed back. We need a boost!...to a guy with a bad attitude.
I’m sure his attitude was as bad as anyone that wants to be paid what they’ve earned.
Must’ve wiped the smile right offa Popp’s face.
I don't think Taylor is a "problem player" but he didn't want to come back... Als forced his hand when he asked to got to the UFL. Obviously he was not interested, motivated whatever terminology one wants to use. You can't blame Jim Popp for trying to enforce a contract. No question a motivated Taylor would have helped us but that guy didn't show up...
Cette réflexion reflète exactement la philosophie de Trestman : personne n’est plus important que l’équipe.
Les Alouettes ont battu toutes les équipes de la ligue sans Taylor. Je crois que tant Popp que Trestman voulaient ravoir Taylor dans l’équipe pour qu’il reprenne son bon travail sur les retours de bottés, et que c’est pour ça que Popp disait hier que si Taylor voulait revenir avec les Alouettes en 2011, il est très ouvert à discuter avec lui. Sauf que le Taylor qui est revenu n’est pas celui qui est parti. C’est Larry Taylor avec un rêve brisé qui est revenu à Montréal malgré lui, sans doute parce qu’il ne voulait plus jouer au Canada. Les Alouettes sont en séries et n’ont pas besoin d’un joueur dégonflé dans leurs rangs. D’une certaine façon, je n’ai pas senti sur les 2 retours de bottés de Taylor beaucoup plus de nitroglycérine dans ses souliers que dans ceux de Vann.
Popp n’avait pas le choix que de faire respecter son contrat, sinon, tous les joueurs qu’il voudrait embaucher ne le prendraient pas au sérieux. Mais à partir du moment où le coeur de Taylor n’était plus au football sur le terrain des Alouettes, autant le retourner chez lui avant qu’il ne devienne une distraction. L’autre point, c’est que ça lance le message aux joueurs que si quelqu’un ne veut pas jouer, il devra laisser sa place à ceux qui le veulent.
You make good points LeStaf, but on Wed. afternoon Trestman told reporters he anticipated Taylor being the returner.
What happened at that evenings coaches meeting to completely change the situation? And why send Taylor home rather than just sit him out? Hawkins is not playing this week, but they didnt send him home. This is highly unlikely, but there is always the possibility of Maypray being injured in the Tor. game, and Taylor being required for the Grey Cup.
Is the fact we don`t have an experienced Special Teams coach to properly motivate a Taylor a part of this?
All very strange coming from a Trestman/Popp Alouette team.
But we will still kick ass on Sun.!
Peut-être que Trestman espérait jusqu’à la toute fin de voir l’étincelle de Taylor revenir, mais que finalement, elle n’est pas venue. Ses mots rapportés mercerdi visaient peut-être à le motiver, et que finalement, Taylor n’a rien montré de plus à l’entraînement. Le sapinage fait un très bon feu, mais il ne chauffe pas longtemps.
The team has played " ring around the Rosie" with the returning team this year, First, they traded Chad Owens to Toronto for a 4th round pick in next years draft. Then Maypray notched a couple of returns into touchdowns. Later in the season, Vann was given the job as Maypray proved he was ineffective, particularly against kicks. Van quickly proved he was not up for the job and, Maypray returned after which Taylor was signed now Maypray is THE man.
Chad Owens has been a game winning whiz for Toronto- for certain he will get one of the all star slots. Maybe, he will be recognized as the league's MVP. Popp has pulled the blunder of his football life and, his diminished status as a judge of talent, will be on display on sunday. Or, the team might be ordered not to kick to Owens- so Popp can save face. Then the game will be in the hands of Duval as he will be called upon to aim his punts- especially to the coffin corner. Duval could be the hero sunday or, the goat should he be innaccurate with his punts. His status and those of Popp's will emerge as the game develops.
LOL. Today's Owens can very easily be tomorrow's Dorsey / Holmes / Stokes / Levingston / Armstead.
People are getting way too bent out of shape about the Owens trade.
Good points…
Owens is no “flash in the pan”
He performed in the one game he played in with the Alouettes
and has only gotten BIGGER ever since
The whole “returner-gate” thing has been a bummer all year
Anointing Maypray now after such a year is what exactly?
Supposed to inspire confidence?
Confi-dunce…maybe.
About as much confi-dunce as one feels watching Duval interviewed on kicking the ball to the sidelines and helping his coverage teams. Everybody knows that’s what he needs to do. Everybody knows it’s the weakest part of his game.
Climie made a good point…something you need to listen to when watching comments by insiders: If the Alouettes want to stop Owens they might need to send some of their starters down the field in coverage…“if the players want to” . The special teams disaster this year begins and ends with the Owens trade. Take away a potential star like Chad Owens and watch him dominate on a rival team…and you take the heart right out of the whole unit.
Hopefully everyone’s looking at this like a whole new season…but if the Taylor sacking is due to something other than the rather “thin” official story line, count on the players knowing it…it’s not going to do anything but demoralise an already dysfunctional squad.
The proof’s in the puddin’.
If the Alouettes special teams under-achieve like they’ve proven so capable of doing this year…we’ll all be one step closer to knowing what really happened to the “electric” Larry taylor.
...and what's with sitting Hawkins out?
He filled in admirably during Watkins' injury
and gets benched as a reward?
Or is it all those drops on that last "keystone-cops" buffoon-aganza?
Guess that game wasn't so meaningless after all
If you get benched for not performing
The Hawk is one of the most gifted Alouettes and suddenly turns to vapour
He's earned Andre Dawson's nickname...and most certainly will do so in the future
Given the chance
The Alouettes seem to be mis-managing their talent "Titanically"
God knows how players like Hawkins and McPherson feel about it
One can only expect them to eventually go the way of a Larry Taylor
They've got to be even more frustrated
than those fans that are dying to see them play