(Montreal) Friday’s game against the Toronto Argonauts made us see all the faces of the Montreal Alouettes at once.
An attack completely extinguished in the first half, then practically unstoppable in the last two quarters. An almost perfect defense which keeps the club in the match, but which falters in the two most important sequences of the match. A team that ultimately stood up to one of the CFL’s “Big Three,” but ultimately still lost 23-20.
With five games remaining this season, we are entitled to wonder which version of the Alouettes is the right one.
The one that is 0-7 against the Argos, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and BC Lions or the one that is 6-0 against every other club on the circuit? The one who has just experienced four consecutive losses or the one who had won six of her first nine duels?
But first, the Alouettes will have to secure their place in the playoffs. This setback leaves Jason Maas’s team just two points ahead of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. A lead that could disappear if the Ti-Cats (5-7) win on Saturday against the Bombers.
True, the Alouettes hold the tiebreaker against the Tiger-Cats. Ideally, you should not have to use it.
How do you turn the tide after a series of four losses? Simple, according to Maas: don’t think about it anymore.
“There’s nothing more we can do. When you win four games in a row, you stop thinking about it and watch the next one. It’s the same thing after four defeats. This locker room works tirelessly and will want to turn the tide in the next match. No matter what happens, it’s always the next game that counts. If you always think about the past, you cannot be focused on the present. »
“We’re 6-7 and when you’re down .500, you’re not a good team,” recalled quarterback Cody Fajardo. But we are still in second place in the East, which is good news. We also have one of the youngest teams if not the youngest when you look at our starters, many of whom are in their first or second season in the league. We will learn from this match and move forward. »
And, Fajardo reminded, the season championship does not guarantee you hoisting the Gray Cup in November.
“The thing I’ve learned in all my years in the CFL is that it’s not necessarily the best team that wins in the end, but the one that gets to the playoffs with the best pace. So our goals are still very achievable. »
The Alouettes must wish their quarterback was also a soothsayer. And that the team finds this famous rhythm.
