Aug 23 Als 34-25 Win Over Roughriders A Question Of Teamwork

Those that see life as the "glass being half empty" may be of the ilk that the Montreal Alouettes were lucky to be on the winning side of Friday's 34-25 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, citing weaker offense and lucky bounces due to turnovers. While arguments can be made that were it not for 5 Saskatchewan turnovers and a couple of picks, the score could have been different, it still remains that the Als' defence created those situations and the offense was able to adapt and overcome any resistance the Roughriders were handing them.

Yes, Anthony Calvillo was sacked a total of 4 times, with Saskatchewan's Stevie Baggs leading the way with 2 as well as 10 tackles on the night. It is common knowledge that you have to get in Calvillo's grill early if you hope to have any chance at throwing the wily veteran off his game. But the problem most teams are starting to come to terms with is that it is getting harder and harder to do this. When Montreal saw that their air game was being challenged, they responded by running the ball, giving Avon Cobourne 101 yards on 19 carries.

Defence was again key for the Als, who have yet to allow a touchdown in the first quarter thus far this season. A key, defining moment for the back end came when Shea Emry and company thwarted Saskatchewan's 3 consecutive efforts at goal in commanding fashion. When the Roughriders did pour it on, gaining 15 points in the air during the second quarter to take the lead, Montreal's "D" reacted and responded by tightening up their zone and holding the Roughriders down to just 8 points for the whole second half.

Matthieu Proulx had another remarkable night with 4 tackles and 2 interceptions, however, he gave the offense credit for taking advantage of the opportunities they were given and racking up the points when they could. Not to mention Larry Taylor's 68-yard punt return bringing the Als to 8-0 in the first quarter after he tore down the middle, cut right andwas home free.. 

There is no question that Marc Trestman's stamp is on this team with his "It's all about the team" attitude and it appears to be showing as neither side is willing to say the other is missing opportunities. And isn't that what teams are supposed to be about? You can not expect both offense and defence to be perfect game in and game out, so it is only normal that during one particular game, one side picks up the slack if the other is having issues.

On this particular night, when Darian Durant completed 19 passes for 326 yards, Anthony Calvillo was limited to 170 on 19 throws, his defensive core minimized the impact that the huge discrepancy may have given on the score sheet.

The Als head into a bye week and while Marc Trestman will give his boys a well deserved rest, you can rest assured that he probably had game tape made available and will be addressing any "chinks" in the Als' armour and will address it prior to their September 4th contest against the Lions in BC.

But if the defence experiences any difficulties in the early goings, you can bet that the offense will pick up the slack to give them a chance to regroup. It's what teams do.

pic from tsn.ca

Tags: Als \ Anthony Calvillo \ Avon Cobourne \ cfl \ Darian Durant \ defence \ Larry Taylor \ Marc Trestman \ Matthieu Proulx \ Montreal Alouettes \ offense \ recap \ result \ Saskatchewan RoughRiders \ score