Practices for the final game of the year are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
At Tuesday's practice Vernon Adams was back on the field after suffering a contusion on his thigh. Rakeem Cato however took most of the reps according to Herb Zurkowsky. Jacques Chapdelaine wanted to see if Adams is healthy enough to play this Saturday. Chapdelaine also mentioned that Shane Carden could get some reps during practice and see action against Hamilton.
[url=http://www.rds.ca/football/alouettes/alouettes-terminer-sur-une-bonne-note-a-hamilton-lcf-1.3645359?localLinksEnabled=false]http://www.rds.ca/football/alouettes/al ... bled=false[/url]In Herb Zurkowsky's Als article today, the subject was whether Rakeem Cato is a starter or not. Obviously Cato himself thinks he is, but says he has been hurt by the unstable situation in Montreal. Chapdelaine hinted that Cato might be better suited as a backup because there is less pressure put on the young QB.
Rakeem Cato:
“I don’t think any quarterback would have done well in this situation we’ve been put in … with the things that have been going on in the locker room,? Cato said following Tuesday’s abbreviated practice at Stade Hébert. “No quarterback in history — Tom Brady, Joe Montana … the biggest quarterbacks you can name — nobody would have functioned right in this system. You can’t function like that.
“You’re either fighting with somebody or you have to be quiet and be a sucker. That’s not the way to play the game, being a sucker and being a yes-man,? Cato continued. “I’ve never played the game like that before.?
“In football, you have to depend on the next player,? Cato said. “You never know what those guys are going to do. Are they going to work hard, run hard, run their right route, know the right route, know the right play, know the snap count? All these things play a factor.
“I don’t blame nobody and I’m not stressing. I’m here to be a great team player and do what I have to do.?
“In my eyes (being a backup) might be possible. But in my eyes, I feel like I’m a starter … anywhere in this league. At all levels,? he said. “I’m going to always feel like I’m a starter. I’ve never been a backup.?
Jacques Chapdelaine:
“I think the pressure of starting got to him to some level, to some aspect. It may have,? Chapdelaine said. “It’s really unfair for a young guy to be put in that situation. It’s not that he’s not talented enough, that he can’t perform at that level. The intangibles of the job, dealing with the media on a daily basis … sometimes these young guys read and listen to what’s coming out. Then there’s the internal peer pressure as well.
“In his case, he had to right a season that wasn’t so right. That was another thing I’m sure played on his mind. That’s why you want to have a veteran presence at times, so the pressure doesn’t fall on the shoulders of a young guy.
“Rakeem’s an accurate passer; we know that. He reads well and has great vision. When he can capitalize on those things, he’s going to do well.?
[url=http://montrealgazette.com/sports/football/cfl/montreal-alouettes/alouettes-qb-rakeem-cato-moves-past-discord-focuses-on-starters-job]http://montrealgazette.com/sports/footb ... arters-job[/url]Jake Piotrowski's vision is better so he will start at LG instead of Ryan White.
With the exception of Zach Collaros who is returning after suffering a concussion, the Ti-Cats will be resting a number of their players as backups took 1st team reps at practice for: Simoni Lawrence, Larry Dean, Ted Laurent, Mike Atkinson, C.J. Gable, Adrian Tracy, Ryan Bomben, and Emanuel Davis.
[url=http://3downnation.com/2016/11/01/ticats-look-rest-regulars-season-finale-though-not-collaros/]http://3downnation.com/2016/11/01/ticat ... -collaros/[/url]Als could end up as the Eastern team with the most wins against the West if the Redblacks lose this week against the Bombers. Because Redblacks have already clinched the East and want to rest Henry Burris, they are expected to start Brock Jensen at QB.
John Bowman getting at least one sack would mean him getting 10 or more for the 7th time in his career.
Nik Lewis needs 2 receptions to reach 100 for the year. Lewis is 2nd in the league in YAC, only behind Derel Walker.
Solomon Elimimian leads Bear Woods by 4 in Defensive Plays and 5 in Defensive Tackles. Since BC plays the last regular season game of the year, it would seem that who finishes first in both categories will be decided by him.
In the category of Total Kick Return Yards, Stefan Logan is currently 1st: 11 yards ahead of Chris Rainey and 49 yards ahead of Roy Finch.
Usually teams who end the year on the positive side in Turnover Ratio make the playoffs. This year's Als would be a rare exception as they are currently at a +3.
In this weeks Als Flightdeck show, Tim Capper mentioned that the CFL insiders he has talked to say that the QB on the current roster who has the best chance at becoming the stater in 2017 is Jonathan Crompton.
Capper also notes that a win by the Als on Saturday would be that the Als would finish the year "tied for second" in the East. Technically that would be an improvement compared to 2015 because last year, the team had 1 fewer win and ended up in 4th place.
Off-topic because he is now a former Al, but here is Duron Carter talking about living in Montreal. In the short clip, he comes off as a likeable and maybe a little sad that he is no longer an Alouette.
[url=https://www.facebook.com/MTLBlurb/videos/vb.1833257746900589/2013417325551296/?type=2&theater]https://www.facebook.com/MTLBlurb/video ... =2&theater[/url]
