Veteran additions Darnell Sankey and Shawn Lemon during the season were new additions that made a difference for the Alouettes. They anchored and stabilized the defensive line, which was the Montreal club’s biggest weakness at the start of the season.
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The 29-year-old Sankey obviously plays as a linebacker, but with his presence and size he can get rid of a player on the opposing offensive line while playing his position.
Sankey’s arrival notably allowed the Alouettes to regularly play with a three-player defensive front. This inevitably hinders the work of the opposing attack. The 35-year-old Lemon is intimidating in defense while Mustafa Johnson is doing an exceptional job.
Instead of turning to Sankey and Lemon, the Alouettes could have hired young and dashing Americans. However, general manager Danny Maciocia was right when he saw that these two veterans would make a difference.
Emotions that need to be controlled
In addition to being authority figures on the field, Sankey and Lemon have also integrated perfectly into the Alouettes’ locker room after discussing it with head coach Jason Maas after the final game of the regular season. We communicated with them and they accepted their role to become true leaders. These two players couldn’t have arrived at the Alouettes at a better time, and if the team is to be successful in the playoffs, they will be responsible. The hard-working Sankey and Lemon know what it takes to win and inspire the entire defensive unit.
However, a win for the Alouettes in the Eastern Section semifinals against the Tiger-Cats is not a given. However, Montreal has the advantage. After winning against Hamilton three times in as many games during the regular season, it’s obvious to me that the Ti-Cats are taking the risk of coming into this game with a lot of emotions, and that’s not always a good thing in football. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Tiger-Cats were to impose unnecessary penalties and decisions based on these emotions weren’t always the right ones.
-Comments collected by Benoît Rioux