This Thursday’s duel between the Alouettes and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be the first test of a key streak for the Montreal football club.
Jason Maas’ team will kick off its second half of the season at IG Field in Winnipeg against the Bombers (8-2), first in the West and an example to follow in the CFL for the past four seasons.
This first duel of the second half of the season for the Birds is the first of four crucial games that the team will have to play against leading teams in the Ambrosie circuit.
After this game against the Bombers, the Alouettes will host the BC Lions (7-3) and play a home and away series against the Toronto Argonauts (7-1).
“Honestly, I’m only thinking about how we’re going to get through the next day, not even the next game,” head coach Jason Maas explained after practice on Tuesday, admitting that he was happy with the position his club is in, second in the East.
“I know everyone is going to talk about those four games and I don’t know what the outcome will be, but there are still five more to go after that. These five games will be just as important as the next four,” added general manager Danny Maciocia.
“I know it’s cliché to only talk about one game at a time. But the reality is that we are trying to identify the 45 players who will be in uniform for Thursday’s game and the way things have gone here this season, they may not be the same 45 as last Saturday. »
Maciocia could not describe the situation of the Alouettes better… and their infirmary. The squad lost a few feathers again this week, forcing Maas to sharpen his pencil.
First, the good news: Cody Fajardo will take over the Alouettes’ offensive reins for this game after missing the last two.
Despite a very short week punctuated by two trips – the Alouettes played in Ottawa on Saturday and took the road to Winnipeg on Wednesday – Maas never thought of giving his No. home stretch.
“He just had two weeks off,” Maas noted. Mind you, the decision was made each time in the warm-up, but the plan was always to get him back into the lineup as soon as he was back to peak form. It didn’t make sense not to play him when he was so close to playing last week in Ottawa. »
The schedule for the past two weeks has also been talked about. Asked about these two games in five days on opposing lawns, general manager Danny Maciocia – who had to approve the schedule at the start of the year – recalled that his mind was elsewhere last January.
“When I studied and approved the schedule, I only hoped to be able to hold training camp,” he said of this chaotic period in the club’s history. Asked if he would accept such an offer now, he would not say more, but his body language suggested that he would challenge such a proposal from the league.
Receiver Quartney Davis, meanwhile, missed Tuesday’s practice with an ankle injury, and if that’s bad news for him — his name has been dropped from the roster — it might be the move. of personnel that will allow the Alouettes to count on their American running backs in their formation.
Walter Fletcher also appears as the starting running back in the roster provided by the club on Wednesday, ahead of William Stanback, who had a tougher game with 31 yards on 10 carries on Saturday, and Jeshrun Antwi.
Specialist in punt returns, Chandler Worthy will work in doubles, since his name was also listed in place of Davis among the group of receivers. Kevin Kaya will be used instead of Jake Harty.
For the Bombers, the news of the week is the return of quarterback Zach Collaros as a starter. Injured two weeks ago against the Edmonton Elks, he gave up his place to Dru Brown in the victory against the Calgary Stampeders last week.
The one who was named CFL MVP for the past two seasons will certainly be a thorn in the side of the Montreal defense. But she’ll also have to keep an eye on the Bombers’ running game, which boasts the league’s best running back this season in Brady Oliveira and his 783 yards – more than 200 than his closest pursuer.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.