Random Thoughts

Alouettes de Montréal
1

As for the positive.....
-Duron Carter at times looks too good for this league.

-The difference between Cato this year and last years version is remarkable. With him its only a question of time.

-Nik Lewis is not only hanging in there but is a vital productive part of the offence,
-Kevin Glenn can still get the job done.

Now for the negative......

-Perhaps Boris Bede misses Tanner Marsh? On FGs he looked horrible!

-Duron Carter needs to grow up fast. Yes the Ottawa coach flopped like a soccer player in the penalty box, but that's no excuse. When he is in the game he's sooooo good, but after he was thrown out, the Als weren't the same.

-Brouillette is not or never will be a CFL caliber safety, no speed, no ball skills. Like Chip Cox, great around the LOS but can't cover.

-For all of his devotion to the Als and the League, Jim Popp should and probably will be going to the HOF (wherever it is). It is clear to me however, that he is unable to manage his team on field and keep his team focused. Too many penalties, dumb challenges and general chaos do not inspire confidence. Let Jim do what Jim does best...build a roster that will dominate the league for a decade...he's done it before! To be competitive we need a full time professional coach.

-Whoever called a running play when the team was way behind (which caused a an apparently serious injury to Sutton) should be fired.

-While Jim is doing his GM job FULL time, let him rebuild our secondary.

-Can someone tell whoever is in charge of officiating that they don't have to throw a flag EVERY play? Yes many were deserved, but between the penalties and the challenges, there is no flow to the game.

All this being said, the Als lost game that they very well could of won, to a very good team.

2

Can't disagree with any of your points, especially Popp. THIS is where you need a real head coach, not a figurehead. After two games, I am appalled at the penalties and lack of overall discipline. Jim had better get a handle on this during the bye week.

3

Carter: Just a bad, bad embarrassing display for Montreal and CFL. It'll be fascinating to see how Popp handles this. The whole team was a walking flag from Cox's opening UR on first kickoff til the end. Horrid. Glenn was shaky at best. In both games he was inaccurate on anything not directly in front of him. Receivers were constantly thrown into danger. Cato was poised and I was shocked he wasn't allowed to finish the drive. Seemed like a no brainer to me.

The one area that I thought really exposed the Als was the horizontal game of the RedBlacks. They started the game with the run and kept expanding the width of the field, both in running and crossing routes. The lack of defensive speed became evident to me.

But all this said I probably wouldn't be too disappointed in the game (as Ottawa is very good at his stage) if Carter incident didn't happen. That just turned everything very dark. And then his tirade on his own sideline was almost scary. This guy is very unbalanced imo.

4

No surprise really. Penalties were an issue last year under Popp. Trend continues.

He is not a HC.

5

I had a field pass for after the game. I See Bob W coming towards me. I say hi bob, whats ur name young man. My name is mike can u sign my ball? Sure he signs my ball, and as he signing says "i want to apologize for this stty fcking performance tonight.

Hes so gangster, dressed like a regular fan. I think he knows the end for this team is in the near future.

6

That’s essentially my feeling, but if we don’t make the playoffs this year, he won’t be our GM either. He’s doubled down on the team as he’s put it together by being the head coach. Now there is no more passing the buck. No coaches to be fired, no excuses to be offered. He has to get the team back on the right track and last night was a major step back from that goal. It wasn’t the loss per se that rankled – Ottawa is a really good team – but the dysfunction of how we lost.

7

I have to agree. The loss to a good team is one thing but the way it happened is what is concerning. Ottawa is a good team so no reason to get down but the penalties and extra curricular activities are a lack of dicipline. I know these guys are pros but even at this level it's a direct reflection on the management and coaching

8

[i]Kris Sweet is probably not qualified to be a head coach (no disrespect meant to Sweet), but his players (the offensive lineman) do not screw around and act undisciplined. He has control over his guys and you get the feeling no one would do something stupid under his watch, or there would be consequences. He also has his players always fully prepared and the accountability between coach and players runs both ways.

We need these qualities in a head coach. Popp does not have these qualities.[/i]

9

Good point. The offensive line, which was supposed to be a problem area for us this year, has been remarkably consistent despite four players playing new positions on the line and two rookies becoming starters. Sweet hasn’t been the problem at all.

IMO Carter should hear from Popp, Calvillo, and Chapdelaine (who’s the receivers coach) on this matter.

10

My few random thoughts: Carter was our finest against WPeg but, he has to be sat down and severely confronted for his inability to control his actions, his taunting and his feelings. Nik Lewis played well.He is an example of the model someone like Carter should strive towards, Cunninham could be used more frequently if SJ has an injury, our DL was inadequate with O's run and pass game, Glen showed his downside, Cato got the team moving but was pulled immediately, we'll need a new HC and DF next season.
Having both teams sharing the same side of the field is stupid.