MONTREAL – For the first time since 2012, the Alouettes will host the Eastern final. The Montreal team will want, at all costs, to avoid the cruel disappointment of this defeat, 12 years ago, in front of its fans.
The Alouettes trailed 27-20 with 47 seconds left when Anthony Calvillo spotted Brian Bratton in the end zone on third down and ten yards to go.
No doubt disturbed by the opponent a few feet in front of him, Bratton fumbled this touchdown pass destroying the party at the Olympic Stadium. A pass that Bratton would catch 95 times out of 100 if he could get his act together.
“It’s a shame, Brian was a very good player for us, we would have liked this pass to be completed. To lose this match, here, in the Olympic Stadium, it was very difficult and it has always left a bitter taste in my mouth. I didn’t want to see these images too often. But the fact remains that the Eastern finals in Montreal, those were very beautiful moments,” recalled Luc Brodeur-Jourdain who was the center of the offensive line.
Ironically, Jason Maas was the quarterbacks coach for the Argonauts in 2012.
“It was quite a battle and Ricky Ray had to be solid against this excellent Alouettes defense. Every time you face Anthony Calvillo, you know it will be a great challenge. The atmosphere was wonderful, it brings back good memories,” reacted Maas, the Alouettes pilot, on Wednesday.
Obviously, Maas wants to reverse the final result on Saturday at Percival-Molson Stadium. To accomplish this mission, Maas relies on optimal preparation and he has also immersed his players in an interesting approach.
“I asked the players to put themselves in the mindset that it was already Saturday. I wanted each player to be invested in each play in training,” said Maas, who loved his team’s session.
Concretely, the Alouettes’ attack will have to offer inspired performance to keep up with the rhythm of that of the Argos. The Ottawa Redblacks’ 38-point performance against Toronto could be an inspiration.
“Our offense lives and dies through explosive plays, we take a lot of pride from that. But we know that they are not going to come here to give us an easy match, they will be on fire. The Rouge et Noir scored a lot of points, but Toronto’s defense managed two touchdowns on interceptions to close out this game. Many people rely too much on statistics and instead realize the true talent of their defense. We will have to play at our best,” said quarterback Cody Fajardo.
By building the game plan, Maas had material to create, but he had to remain faithful to his club.
“Yes, the Rouge et Noir used different tricks and you take inspiration from everything that works on the different teams based on the strengths of your group. Of course you look to see if there are any vulnerabilities,” Maas responded.
Ottawa’s offense was able to accumulate 487 air yards against Toronto, thanks in part to very convincing work from its offensive line.
“We have to determine what we can do tactically and technically to counter Toronto’s front which has speed on the points and a physical side in the center. Toronto probably hadn’t prepared that much for this creative football from the Rouge et Noir. It was creative, but a little risky in my opinion,” analyzed Brodeur-Jourdain, who supervises the Birds’ offensive line.
Like the Montreal attack, Brodeur-Jourdain’s unit has not been successful throughout the season. However, she was comforting in the last match.
“This is the objective of a season, to demonstrate progression until the end. In the last few weeks, we had experienced a certain decline in offensive production,” admitted LBJ.
Let us add that the right tackle, Jamar McGloster, should be able to face Toronto. He missed the previous game with a right hand injury and got most of the reps ahead of his replacement, Donald Ventrelli.
For the 2023 Eastern final, Alouettes fans watched their favorites surprise Toronto on RDS on the screen of their choice. This time, there will be 23,035 spectators pushing behind their team on the Montreal hill.
“The crowd will excite us, we will play even better in front of our supporters. It’s very exciting for us to have this chance. Besides, it takes a victory otherwise the season is over. We better not lack enthusiasm, that would deprive us of boarding the plane to Vancouver, which is what we want to experience,” said Fajardo with conviction.
