Eastern Final | Facing the Argonauts, the Alouettes rely on their experience

(Montreal) The Montreal Alouettes know exactly what state of mind the Toronto Argonauts are in on the eve of the Eastern final, which will be presented Saturday at Percival-Molson Stadium.

At this time last year, the Alouettes were preparing to face the best team in the CFL at home to earn their spot in the Gray Cup final. This year, it is the Argos who find themselves in a similar position, with the same objective.

“Several people have spoken to me about the vengeful spirit in which the Argos can find themselves. But we understand exactly what state of mind they are in, because we experienced that last year, going to their stadium and wanting to beat the best team in the league,” recalled quarterback Cody Fajardo. Our experience means we know what it will take to win on Saturday. I am convinced that our extra week of preparation and the way it allowed us to get closer as a team will pay off.

While head coach Jason Maas admits to understanding the similarity, he refuses to rely too much on past exploits to try to predict Saturday’s result.

“We cannot think of anything other than our execution or the present moment. I’m sure it’s human to do it, but we should be fully focused on the task at hand,” declared the Birds head coach.

What is good for the Alouettes can also be useful for the Argos, who also plan to use their experience from last year to give themselves an advantage.

“Yes, we will have to manage better, only take what their defense gives us,” said quarterback Chad Kelly. We will have to execute the plays no matter what is asked of us. It can get boring, but we must not deviate from what is asked of us.

“In three-down football, you have to make sure you don’t have a long distance to go, because that’s when they do things that are out of the ordinary. »

The Argos reiterated the importance of not committing turnovers. Last year, they seemed headed for a sure touchdown on their first drive, until Marc-Antoine Dequoy intercepted a pass from Kelly and ran across the field to score a touchdown.

“We focused on protecting the ball in these big games,” said head coach Ryan Dinwiddie. I don’t want to dwell too much on the past and only think about that, though. It’s a new season, a new team and [Kelly] learned from his performance last year. »

“It’s in the past, it’s over,” assured Kelly. It’s clear that I thought about it afterwards, but as I explained, we have to manage the meeting, take what they are going to give us and not force the game.

“The thing about Chad Kelly is he’s a really, really good quarterback. We saw last week what he can do and I expect the best from him, declared Dequoy. […] If we’re ready for it, we’ll be in a better position to neutralize it. »

Mack and McGloster uncertain cases

The Alouettes could be without receiver Austin Mack and offensive lineman Jamar McGloster for this meeting.

On the training sent to the media on Friday, the names of Mack and McGloster are written there, but the letters “GTD” – game time decision – are also there, a sign that a decision will only be made during the warm-up. pre-match in their case.

Always reluctant to discuss injuries, Maas had fun with journalists who inquired about the state of health of the two players.

“He’s on the roster, so you should expect him to play,” he said of Mack, before adding that “McGloster is on the roster, too.”

It would be a significant loss for the Alouettes’ offense, although the club has negotiated most of the season without the star American receiver.

After a first season of 1,154 yards and four touchdowns, Mack received the call from the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. Unable to find a place for himself, he returned to Montreal last August.

His return, however, only lasted one game, against Edmonton, on August 25, since the receiver injured his ankle in training the following week, an injury which kept him sidelined for six weeks. Ultimately, Mack only played three games this season, catching 10 passes for 145 yards.

If he is unable to play the game, the kickoff of which is scheduled for 3 p.m., James Letcher Jr. will take his place as starter. Letcher was added to the lineup, for now as a backup.

Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund is also back in the lineup, as is guard Kristian Matte, who was confined to the sidelines by injuries most of the season.

The Argos earned their place in the Eastern final by triumphing over the Ottawa Rouge et Noir 58-38 last week. The winner of this duel will head to Vancouver for the 111^e Gray Cup, against the winner of the game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Canadian Press reporter Dan Ralph contributed to this article from Toronto.