Head coach Jason Maas knew only too well that he would be asked about the performance of the Alouettes’ offensive line on Monday as the Montreal side resumed training after a week-long hiatus.
“We analyzed everything, there is room for improvement in all aspects of the game and the offensive line is no different,” he decided. Above all, the coaches support the players and we have to adapt too. The offensive did a lot of very good things too and we will focus on those positive points to keep them. We’ll take care of the rest as best we can.”
In the Alouettes’ only regular season game, quarterback Cody Fajardo suffered six sacks in a 19-12 win over the Ottawa Redblacks. In the win, ball carriers, including William Stanback, also seemed to struggle to find gaps.
“We looked at the videotapes and corrected what we needed to correct,” said offensive lineman Pier-Olivier Lestage. It is certain that by granting six sacks we do not want this to happen again and we will ensure that this does not happen again.
“We’re going to work on cohesion with the receivers, who also block certain plays, and cohesion with the quarterback and running backs,” Lestage said. It’s sure to get better this week.
Clawless Ti cats
The Alouettes are preparing to take on the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton on Friday night. The Montreal formation then meets a team that lost their first two games of the season.
“There is actually no main point where you can improve, the goal is to get better as a team from week to week,” emphasized Maas.
The Tiger-Cats lost 32-14 to the Argonauts in Toronto on Sunday. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell in particular had a tough evening, rushing for just 158 yards through the air and suffering two interceptions. He was also eliminated from the game in the fourth quarter due to injury. Mitchell could still face the Alouettes.
Hamilton previously suffered a 42-31 loss in Winnipeg on June 9th. While this will be the Alouettes’ first away game of the season, the Ti-Cats will look to find their way back to victory in the home opener.