Will the REAL ALS please Stand Up?

Alouettes de Montréal
#1

Is Tonight the night that the REAL ALS stand up? Is tonight the night that Strong armed JOHNY CROMPTON takes the ALS starting job and leads the ALS to the playoffs?

I think this matchup is good for the ALS- Ottawa has some suspect receivers who dont seem to be able to catch anything.

I hope we don't see the HIGGINS look of Bewilderment on his face during the game? His look on his face is reminiscent of a guy who just bet Huge on the roulette wheel only to see the Dreaded ZERO come up!

Honestly as a longtime CFL observer I can tell you guys that TOM HIGGINS could possibly be one of the worst Head coaches in CFL history- I mean ya he is a nice guy, but you can clearly tell he is not a PRO COACH -- more like your old HIGH SCHOOL football coach where you could coach half asleep-- HIGGINS motor and activity on the sidelines is too slow- He does not have the tenacity and understanding and aggressiveness to be a head coach-
IT was no coincidence when he was in EDMONTON that RICKY RAY was also struggling and was considered washed up.

When you have success for many years you are bound to struggle after you lose a great head coach and QB and other veterans-

The ALS are in rebuild mode but they dont know how to rebuild- They got lucky by hiring TRESTMAN who was far smarter than other CFL coaches-
Now they have a coach who is far less as smart as other coaches-- The results are the exact opposite of TRESTMAN-

The ALS issues stem from this- When they enjoyed so much success from 2008-2013, it forced TRESTMAN and POPP to start looking for a CAREER UPGRADE-- TRESTMAN landed the job as BEARS HEAD COACH and POPP was flirting with the Carolina GM JOB- At that point the ALS were discarded and no thought or effort was put into the ALS organization--

The following areas were not adressed as they should have in the years of 2011-2013-

1- A 40 year old QB CALVILLO was nearing retirement and the ALS did a lousy job of grooming his successor-

2- Canadian receiver was a weak spot- I find it impossible to believe that there is not a better CANADIAN receiver than ERIC DESLAURIERS on the market- All the West teams have drafted good canadians such as Anthony Parker, Shamad CHambers, Nate Cooehorn, Rob Bagg-- Sean Gore--

3- Defensive Lineman has been UNDERSIZED for years- They just dont have the SIZE of the lineman that EDMONTON and SASK and CALGARY have- They are all speed guys and the interior of the D line has no playmakers-

4- Sean White is decent but he is not as good as other kickers- He cant punt for distance and is wild on longer field goal attempts-

5-Coaching hires have been an abysmal mess, making me BELIEVE that they got LUCKY hiring TRESTMAN- Hawkins and now HIGGINS- When they hired HIGGINS I told my brother ALS are going to go in the toilet this season- HIGGINS will not outcoach CHRIS JONES< CHAMBLIN, HUFFNAGEL< AUSTIN, MILANOVICH- All intense guys and then you have the lost HIGGINS who looks like he should be on a golf course instead-

6-POPP's attempts at taking NFL castoffs such as CHAD JOHNSON which was only done to INCREASE season tickets and not for the betterment of the team-- BOTTOM LINE are the ALS better with CHAD or worse? I think you would have a tough argument saying that CHAD deserves his spot and there is not a better import option out there>

7- Letting SHEA EMRY walk was ridiculous- You dont lose CANADIAN IMPACT PLAYERS-- PAY THEM and keep them-

8- Many of the players who starred under TRESTMAN arent taking the new coaches seriously- I can see the attitudes of BRANDON LONDON and SJ GREEN getting worse as they cant have confidence in HIGGINS --

These are some concerns that the ALS have not addressed--

#2

From what I had heard/read.. he left because the LB in Thorpe's system he used more to plug the run, and Emry would rather go to a system where a star LB is exploited to his full potential. Reversely the Als likely didn't figure they could invest too much in position that the defensive system they employ doesn't require a playmaker per say.
The gong show that has been the coaching staff since Trestman left, Calvillo leaving, I'm sure helped him move on as well.

To me the mistake is the system, all blitz all the time can worked in spurts but can also get burned a ton as the season progresses. I'd rather have a D-line that is able to get pressure consistently with a 4man rush, but it seems our personnel & system is built in a way that simply accepts that this will not be the case.
Oh how I would love for Popp to find a truly dominant DL to complement Bowman who has been working alone forever. That would be my #1 wish on D. It would also allow for a more balanced blitz ratio, certainly wouldn't mind that.

I'm more sad that we will be losing Edem for nothing at year's end.. while the lesser Brouillette plays instead.

#3

Yes my friend it's frustrating with the D line. It seems that Some general managers after a while get lazy.
Poppa recruiting was much stronger in his first 5 years
Than it has been in the last 5 years.
Alex Hall is a guy that is a must sign. Pay him and then
You have 2 good book end rushers.

Also Popp needs to expand his recruiting scouting
To find dominant interior defensive lineman.
Edmontin has 3 dominant d lineman. Cgy also has a
Stable of depth as does Sask.

Football is won in the trenches and the ALS are
Weak in this area.

Losing trestman was unfortunate but the manner
In which the ALS have attempted to rebuild the team
Suggests to me that there is no plan of strategies
Or goals.

They are acting like they are a successful restaurant who just
Lost their top chef. They are trying to replace the
Chef (trestman) with local cooks at the local pub
( Hawkins Higgins ). You can't replace a 5 star chef
With a local pub chef.

When they hire the right chefs the ALS will be back in track