Montreal Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia took advantage of the recent week off to assess his group and concluded that they should do better in terms of trench warfare between the offensive and defensive lines .
This assessment led to the hiring of Shawn Lemon, whose mission will be to create confusion by chasing opposing quarterbacks.
“During the week, we talked about the line of scrimmage,” Maciocia said Wednesday after the Alouettes’ first practice since a 35-27 loss to the Toronto Argonauts on July 14. Even if we are satisfied with the work of the defense, we have to go to the opposing quarter more often.
“That doesn’t just mean you have to get more sacks, but you have to mess with the quarterback and tire him out to the point where we’re making it difficult for him,” Maciocia added.
Lemon, who signed a contract with the Alouettes on Monday, had 14 sacks and 29 defensive tackles with the Calgary Stampeders in 2022. He also knocked down four assists, in addition to causing five fumbles.
He is 15th in Canadian Football League history with 92 sacks and was named a CFL All-Star in 2022. Lemon also won the Gray Cup with the Stampeders in 2014 and with the Toronto Argonauts in 2017.
However, the American will be on his seventh team in the CFL. He was cut by the BC Lions during camp to make room for Canadian players. He also carries a reputation as a player with a strong personality that may not appeal to everyone in a locker room.
On this subject, Maciocia insisted that he had done his homework and had no fears that Lemon would be added to his group.
“You have to be careful what you hear sometimes,” Maciocia said. A lot of people were saying the same thing about Trevor Harris last year and it wasn’t. He was quite a teammate and a leader.
“Before calling his agent [in Lemon], I spoke to some of his former coaches and even players who play here who have played with him in the past. From what I have been told, he is a good teammate, who will give everything and get along well with everyone. That’s what I expect of him. »
Lemon, who also briefly belonged to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2011, does not want to complete his CFL tour by ending up with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by the end of his career. The 34-year-old hopes to settle in with the Alouettes.
“I could have [joined the Tiger-Cats], but I preferred to come here, replied Lemon, asked if he planned to complete his Canadian tour one day. I’m happy to be here and I hope to play here for a long time. »
The Alouettes (2-3) will return to action Sunday night when they host the Stampeders (2-4) at Percival-Molson Stadium. It is not yet known what role Lemon will have in this match.
As a good veteran, Lemon assured to have followed all the games of the CFL since the beginning of the season, doing his homework while waiting to find a new job.
“Usually it’s just the terminology that’s different from team to team,” noted Alouettes head coach Jason Maas. No one is reinventing the wheel. Once he gets used to our way of calling games, he’ll be ready.
“There is also a question of energy. He has been away from the camps. But he’s a pro and it shows in the meetings,” he concluded.
