Last year after Montreal had won their first Grey Cup we debated whether or not they would repeat (I was right, they did), so now we’re back again discussing whether or not they can threepeat.

Brandon:

So, Calvillo’s main target for so many years is gone in Ben Cahoon, so what? It’s like if Pippen was out for the season on the Bulls, Wade out on the Heat, Wainwright being out for the Cards. As long as they have, Jordan,Lebron, Pujols somebody else will gladly jump in there and seem to do a pretty good job. Thus, is the luxury of having the best players in the league to back them up.

Chris:

We’ve seen it time and time again when a star receiver retires, and their QB’s numbers drop off, simply because the man that he had grown so comfortable throwing to is no longer there. This means that he has Calvillo has to learn to gel with Cahoon’s replacement, as well as continue to build his chemistry with the other receivers on the team.
Not only did the Als lose Cahoon, but they let Cobourne go as a free agent. They didn’t trade him, he didn’t retire, they simply refused to resign one of the best running backs in the game. losing that calibre player is hard, and not only that, they lost a leader. They may be playing well thus far, but losing that much veteran leadership will hurt them later.

Brandon:

As good as Avon Cobourne is, when people say AC they aren’t referring to Avon, but, rather that it’s really hot and some one needs to turn the Air Conditioning on because Brandon Whitaker is on fire. not to mention they have a guy who is a back to back 1000 yard rusher as their backup in De’Andra Cobb… serious fire. But, honestly AC stands for Anthony Calvillo and as we witnessed last season in the NFL when you have the best QB (Peyton) in the league you barely need to run the ball. Not to mention that having the best QB also allows you to take risks and as glad as I am that Avon is in Hamilton having guys like Cahoon, Chiu, etc. retire and looking at the age of their main guys. They’re doing the smart thing in trying to stay competitive in the long-term like post Calvillo and instead of bringing in more veterans they’re mixing it up and inserting the young guys on a veteran team hoping to groom them into future stars, while still staying competitive short-term.
They’ve been doing it all along and are doing what they can to help ease through the eventual retirements of their key guys or in this case they felt the apprentice (Whitaker) was ready to become the master. Therefore the master (Cobourne) was no longer needed, could that backfire, it certainly could. The same goes for Duvall, they got  rid of him and brought in a young guy, could very well back fire. The main thing here is to have a plan B and the Alouettes have that as you take a look at their depth chart where they have veterans like Cobb and Deangelis ready to step in when needed.

Chris:

While it’s always great to have a young guy come in and catch fire for a few games, a lot of times it doesn’t last, and then you are just left regretting your decision to release a proven star. Besides, I’d hardly say anyone or anything is on fire when the combined record of the opponents they’ve beat is 1-8, and have been outscored by a combined 107 points. It’s pretty easy to run when you’ve got holes big enough to drive tanks through.
Let’s see how the apprentices do when they play a team with a decent defence (Winnipeg), or one that seemingly score at will as they do (Edmonton). We’ll see in weeks 7 (EDM), and 12 (WPG), if the apprentice has really become the master in Montreal.
The great thing about the CFL is that it isn’t terribly common for teams to win in back to back years. It’s only happened three times since 1963. It’s even more rare for a team to win three, or more, times in a row, happening only twice since 1948, and both of those times it was Edmonton doing the winning. What it boils down to is that dynasties rarely last, especially when there are a few very good teams in the league.

Brandon:

 …or you could just wait until next week when they face Hamilton and their nasty defence.
By the way, you don’t need holes when you’re driving a tank because you just obliterate whatever is in your way…
Anyway, although the Roughriders do suck (whoops), an 8+ YPC in your last two games is not something to be taken lightly and remember if Montreal gets that first seed. it only takes a two game hot streak to three-peat.
If the Celtics can win 8 straight titles in a 9 team league. you gotta believe Montreal can win three in an eight team league.

Chris:

“although the Roughriders do suck”

Thanks for making my point. Their last three opponents have been playing at the pee wee level rather than a professional level, hence the 8+ YPC stat you mentioned. Once they start playing real teams, that 8 will drop A LOT, as will their win count.

Brandon:

I go back to my point about Indianapolis having no run game last season and making the playoffs. A long as Calvillo has guys like SJ Green, Kerry Watkins (when he’s back), Jamel Richardson and even Brian Bratton to throw to, they’ll be alright. Hell, he could throw to five Prechae Rodriguez’s and still win games. Not to mention their back up QB is so damn fast he could be a running back for garsh sakes. As good as Cahoon was, you have to remember the receiver is only as good as his QB.

Calvillo makes somebody out of nobody’s and if Montreal management feel the need to get a top receiver, they’ll pick one up. I hope Hamilton isn’t this stupid, but, Arland Bruce has been a name floating around as available. Not to mention Marquay McDaniel is sitting on the bench after finishing just 2 yards shy of 1000 last season. B.C. doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Hi, Geroy!

As for the running game, if Whitaker struggles look no further than Calgary backup Jon Cornish as a potential target, not to mention the other decent backups in the league and Montreal’s backups themselves. They also apparently no longer have Cobb, which is a guy who, like I said, has back to back 1000+ yard rushing seasons.

After, allowing a combined 51 points the first two weeks that defence has seemed to calm down holding Toronto to just 17 points, not to mention what they could hold the Riders to. After they’re coming off just scoring a long field goal in Hamilton. Now let’s say they beat the Riders go 4-0, then drop their game, like you said against a decent defence in Hamilton, win against the Argos, and drop their game to the red-hot Esks. They go into the bye 5-2 and probably still atop the East, get some rest for the vets and possibly get Watkins back for week 9 or 10. that’s when we’re really going to see what Montreal is made of as their second half schedule is tougher facing Calgary twice, Hamilton three times, Winnipeg 3 times, and the Eskimos once. Making up 9 of their final 11 games, that’s when we see what this team is really made of and who was right about what and who was wrong.

Chris:

I love that you keep bringing up the Indianapolis Colts, because I’d like to point out that in Peyton Manning’s career they have won ONE Super Bowl. It’s still early in the season, but I don’t see Whitaker keeping this pace all year, putting that much more pressure on Calvillo, and with the second half of their schedule being so tough, Montreal won’t threepeat.

Brandon:

Yet, Peyton Manning is the reason they’re perennial favourites to win it each year. Same with Montreal they’re just one of those teams that even when people think they aren’t going to be there, they are. That’s because of Calvillo. Now Calvillo doesn’t have the best success record in the big game and recent history might suggest that the threepeat is over as the Lakers we’re eliminated in the second round last year, the Phillies failed to win the NL pennant for the third straight year, as did the Yankees with the AL pennant. But, Calvillo always seems to have no problem getting his team to the big game, whether they do threepeat remains to be seen. But, I can almost guarantee you they will be in Vancouver at the end of the season.

The Argonauts have been one of the CFL’s surprises so far this season and very few people thought the Alouettes and them would both be 3-1-0 going into this contest.

On the surface, it may look like Toronto is playing with enough confidence to make the 10-point football betting spread too much to lay with the Alouettes, but we’ll stick with the favourite in this contest.

"The Argonauts (are) due for a whipping from the Montreal Alouettes"

Toronto Argonauts at Montreal Alouettes
Thursday, July 29 – 7:35 p.m. ET
CFL Odds: Alouettes -10

Catching up with the Argonauts

The Argonauts have righted the ship – there’s no doubt about it – but let’s be clear: They have caught some breaks in the first month of the CFL season.

They caught Winnipeg off guard in Week 2 and needed a thrilling finish to beat the Calgary Stampeders at home in Week 3 before facing the B.C. Lions without Casey Printers in Week 4.

Toronto’s margin of victory in the three wins is 3.0 points-per-game, which indicates the Argonauts aren’t exactly dominating anyone.

Nonetheless, they are confident right now and for them, that may be all that matters. This is a team that was in shambles last season and just the fact that they believe they can compete on a weekly basis is a big plus for them.

Catching up with the Alouettes

The Alouettes have been one of the most impressive teams in the CFL so far this season and that doesn’t catch anyone’s eye. They were expected to do so and they are executing according to plan.

After losing in overtime in dramatic fashion in Saskatchewan during the opening week, they have won three straight games including their most comfortable win this week, which was a 23-point triumph over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Considering that the Tiger-Cats are just 1-3 and the Blue Bombers are 2-2, a win over Toronto this week gives the Alouettes a comfortable two-game lead over everyone in the East Division.

One reason the Alouettes find themselves in the driver’s seat is because they have scored a league-high 137 points so far this season.

The matchup

The Argonauts – and quarterback Cleo Lemon – have managed their contests well, but this game will get away from them. Look for the Alouettes to build an early lead and force the Argonauts’ hand, which is not something they are ready to do. Toronto isn’t capable of getting into a shootout and the Alouettes will score regularly.

Football betting pick: Alouettes -10

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.

Since facing off on Canada Day both teams have handled their opponents with relative ease. Saskatchewan has developed a defensive identity and defensive end Brett Hawkins has become a breakout star. The Riders have silenced the preseason critics (myself included) who questioned their abiliy on the other side of the football.

"Montreal and Saskatchewan are heads above the rest of the CFL"

With the play of quarterback Darian Durant, who is looking like the front runner in the most outstanding player race, and a healthy receiving core, the Riders are the easy choice as favourites in a Western Division that is no longer the power division that it was a few years ago.

In the East, which with the improvements made by Hamilton, Winnipeg, and Toronto is much tougher than last year, which was a laugher of a title race for Montreal, the Alouettes still continue to be the top dog with the famiiar faces continuing to play at a top level.

It appears that the rest of the league can’t catch up, each team having a significant flaw. It is a long season, but it looks like we are headed for another classic Grey Cup matchup, featuring two new rivals that look like they are entrenched as the elite teams in the CFL.

Last season, all of the cards seemed to be falling into place for the Tiger-Cats and Alouettes to meet in the East Division final for the right to go to the Grey Cup. The British Columbia Lions spoiled the dreams of Hamilton though. Once again in 2010, the Alouettes and Tiger-Cats were expected to be the top two teams in this division.

"As (Hamilton and Montreal) get ready to engage in CFL betting warfare at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, their records don't necessarily indicate those of champions"

However, as these two teams get ready to engage in CFL betting warfare at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, their records don’t necessarily indicate those of champions.

The Alouettes started off the season with three straight road games against West Division foes. Surviving with a 2-1 record is nice, but many CFL pundits were expecting a 3-0 beginning. Hamilton slumped to losses in their first two games of the year against Winnipeg and Calgary, but they finally got the bagel out of their win column with their best defensive showing of the year, a 28-7 win over the Bombers at home last week.

For the Tiger-Cats, duplicating last week’s intensity on defence is going to be the only path to victory against a high-flying Montreal team. The Tiger-Cats have allowed 79 points in three games this season, ranking them first in the East Division and third in the CFL. Not only could the Bombers not figure out how to score on the Hamilton defence last week, but they couldn’t move the pigskin either. Winnipeg mustered just 282 yards of offense and if not for a few big gainers by running back Fred Reid, it would have probably been shutout.

Offensively, the play of quarterback Kevin Glenn is improving from his opening week dud against those same Bombers. Hamilton’s signal caller threw for 336 yards and three TDs last week against the team he led to the Grey Cup just three seasons ago. Glenn is the second highest rated passer in the CFL at 110.0 and he has the best completion percentage in the league at 70.0 percent. Throwing for 889 yards is good for third in the league.

The rushing game has been a huge problem, though. Expectations were high this season for DeAndra’ Cobb, but they just haven’t panned out at all. Cobb only has 112 rushing yards and one score on the season, making him one of the few backs in this league that has failed to rush for at least 60 yards in a game on the season.

In comparison to the rest of the teams in the East, Montreal should be in a league of its own, particularly on offence. Though the 100 points scored on the season is the second best mark in the league behind Saskatchewan, scoring just 49 points over the last two weeks isn’t all that impressive for an offence that is used to dropping 30+ points on virtually all of its foes.

Quarterback Anthony Calvillo is up to his old tricks once again. He has 902 passing yards on the season and is well on his way to another 5,000+ yard year. He is second in the league in touchdown passes with six and has only committed two blunders all season long. No one has more pass attempts (119) or completions (77) this year in the CFL than the veteran Calvillo.

Though you won’t find a Montreal receiver in the Top 10 in the league in receptions, there is a remarkable consistency amongst the top six receivers for this team. All six, one of which is running back Avon Cobourne, have between 11 and 13 receptions and all six have somewhere between 109 and 192 receiving yards on the season.

Last season, it was the road team that got the best of the CFL betting festivities between these two teams. Montreal did win all three games outright, but Hamilton covered CFL lines of plus 13 and plus 14.5 in two games at Molson Stadium in 41-38 and 21-8 defeats respectively. Two of the three clashes stayed ‘under’ the ‘total’.

In the first meeting of the season between these two teams, the Alouettes opened up as nine-point favorites. However, in their home opener, they have dropped as low as minus seven. The ‘total’ currently posted is 53.

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.

No. 4—Toronto Argonauts

The Argos are in better hands with Jim Barker, but the team is still one with a lot of question marks in key positions.
The quarterback position has the biggest question mark with Dalton Bell leading the way. Bell left the Saskatchewan Roughriders after realizing he wasn’t going to move into the No. 1 position ahead of starter Darian Durant. Moving to Toronto will give him a better chance at a starting job, but don’t count out Kerwin Bell to win a starting job.
The Argos have too many unproven youngsters pieced together to think that they will make the step out of the basement. Knowing Jim Barker’s ability to find talent makes me think there could be a step up to the No. 3 spot, but there are just too many new faces for me to think it will happen.

No. 3—Winnipeg Blue Bombers

New head coach Paul Lapolice made some big strides in his value, as some solid play calling in the playoffs brought the Riders to within seconds of winning a Grey Cup.
Even though Winnipeg fans will be much more understanding with Lapolice because he isn’t Mike Kelly, fans weren’t hugely fond of Lapolice when he was the Bombers offensive coordinator. Hopefully for Lapolice, he is somewhat successful; if not, he can only hope that the fans are more forgiving.
The Blue Bombers are looking more stable than they were at the beginning of last year, and even though the quarterbacks aren’t bona fide No. 1s, Buck Pierce and Steven Jyles have seen success. The only knock against Pierce is that he hasn’t been super durable
Winnipeg has made big strides, but not quite enough to pass the Als or Ti-Cats.

No. 2—Hamilton Tiger-Cats

It’s too soon to say that Hamilton is a Grey Cup contender, but the pieces seem to be in place for a team that could dethrone Montreal very soon.

The most important part of this team’s success—and I have been saying this for years—is the offensive line. A unit that had been weak for years, the deep front five is going to be a piece of the puzzle that makes this team strong for the next decade…if they can keep them that long.
With a strong O-line, the rest of the offense will be that much better, especially at quarterback. Even though Quinton Porter showed hints of success, Kevin Glenn is the man Hamilton needs at No. 1 to be successful this year. The running backs, Cobb and Summers, will also be much better with some good hogs to block.
With a decent defense and a good offense, the Tiger-Cats have the definite potential to fight for No. 1, at least next year if not this year.

No. 1—Montreal Alouettes

The Grey Cup Champions are getting old, but not retired just yet. Bryan Chiu was the first of a long line of potential Hall of Famers to call it a career and the rest, notably Anthony Calvillo and Ben Cahoon, shouldn’t be much further behind him.
That being said, they are still Alouettes, and with both stars looking to solidify a few CFL records, you shouldn’t see any of them letting up this year. The Als are still very strong on both sides of the ball, and even though they will have more competition inside their division, they should have enough to finish on top of the East.

With CFL training camps inching closer, we decided to tackle a topic that is sure to come up as the season approaches: Will the Montreal Alouettes repeat as Grey Cup champions?

Without a doubt!

by Chris Powell

What does it take for a team to win a championship? Talent, poise, good coaches and great leadership are all necessary components of a winning team. Montreal has all four.

Many fans, especially those in Saskatchewan, will argue that the Roughriders should have won the Grey Cup last year, but they are only partially right. The Roughriders should have won, yes, but the Alouettes deserved the win as well. Despite going into half time down 14 points. The Als didn’t lose focus and came out to win the game in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. They fought back, despite the Riders’ momentum, and put themselves in a position to win.

The poise that they showed, even when the game seemed out of reach was inspiring. They never gave up. The offence, led by veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo and running back Avon Cobourne, maintained their composure and led the team to several fourth quarter scoring drives, including the game winning drive.

While they were impressive last season, past successes aren’t always indicative of future successes, especially in leagues with a salary cap where teams tend to lose some of their best players due to increasing salaries. Montreal has not only avoided a lot of turnover, but they have also added several very talented players during the off season, both through the draft and free agency. This has lead to a team that is even better than they were last year.

The Alouettes have been quite good for several years, and despite their past post season struggles, they will be looking to win the Grey Cup again, and they will be striving to do it in a more convincing fashion than last year. Winning by one point in one of the most dramatic Grey Cup finishes in recent memory wasn’t what the Alouettes were trying to do. Entering the game as the heavy favorites they struggled to keep up with the Riders who had an answer for everything they tried. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Als started looking like the Als . I expect that they will not only win the Grey Cup, but it will be the convincing win that everyone expected in 2010.

The question isn’t “Can Montreal win the Grey Cup in 2010?” but, “Can they win a third straight Grey Cup in 2011?”

History says that Montreal will fail to repeat

by Jonathan Hamelin

History doesn’t bode well for the Montreal Alouettes.

The Montreal Alouettes, like the 2007 B.C. Lions squad, will not repeat.

The Alouettes, who defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 28-27 in the Grey Cup last season, will be hard pressed to repeat this season. No team has won the Grey Cup in back-to-back years for over ten years. The Toronto Argonauts, who won the Grey Cup in 1996 and 1997, were the last team to accomplish this feat.

During this time, there have been many solid teams who have failed to repeat. The B.C. Lions of 2007 are a perfect example of this. In 2006, the Lions boasted a record of 13-5-0. They finished first in the West Division, the preceded to knock of Montreal in the Grey Cup game by a score of 25-14. Heading into the playoffs next season, with an even better record of 14-3-1, it appeared like B.C. had a great chance to repeat. Then the Roughriders, the Cinderella team of the season, shocked the Lions by beating them 26-17 in the West Division final. B.C.’s hopes of a repeat were over.

So, though history clearly is against them, why else do I feel Montreal will come up short?

Frankly, the pressure is off in Montreal. Before last season, the Alouettes have had to listen to claims that they can’t win the big game. After all, since 1996, Montreal had only won one Grey Cup in six attempts. They notoriously came up short when it mattered the most. Still, these past disappointments seemed to motivate the Alouettes to prove their doubters wrong. Now that they have won the big game, there isn’t as much motivation driving the Alouettes forward.

The Hamilton Tiger Cats and the Roughriders are two more big reasons that Montreal won’t repeat.

Hamilton has finally emerged as a dominant threat in the East Division and should challenge Montreal for eastern dominance this season. The Alouettes may be oozing with offensive talent, but so is Hamilton. Kevin Glenn is a solid quarterback and Quinton Porter is a reliable backup. Running back DeAndra Cobb, as well as receivers Arland Bruce III, Maurice Mann and Marquay McDaniel, gives Hamilton plenty of offensive firepower. On defence, Hamilton has a fierce front seven led by linebacker’s Jamall Johnson and Markeith Knowlton.

Will Hamilton finish first in the East? Not necessarily, but they will give the Alouettes a run for their money and make it harder for them to represent the East in the Grey Cup.

Saskatchewan, who is still haunted by their tragic Grey Cup loss, desperately wants another shot at the Alouettes. It would not be a stretch to say we could very well be in for a Grey Cup rematch this season. If that is the case, the Roughriders are better prepared then last season.

After their impressive off-season, the Riders have a revamped roster. They added speedster Dominique Dorsey, who will help in the running game, wide receiver Prechae Rodriguez, who will help stretch the field for the Riders much like Kerry Watkins has for the Alouettes, and solidified their offensive line. Led by quarterback Darian Durant, who has more experience under his belt, the Riders offence should be just as good as the Montreal offence.

On defence, despite the loss of defensive end’s John Chick and Stevie Baggs, the Riders defence doesn’t have many wholes. New middle linebacker Barrin Simpson will help shutdown Avon Cobourne, who ran effectively against the Riders in the Grey Cup, particularly down the stretch.

Finally, there seems to be a misconceived notion that Montreal is “invincible”. Sure Montreal posted a record of 15-3-0 last season and finally won the Grey Cup, but they are not unbeatable. If the Riders had not had too many men on the field, Montreal would have lost the Grey Cup to a team many thought they would destroy.

A lot can happen in a season. A couple of untimely injuries could end the Alouettes season, they could be playing poorly come playoff time, or some team could simply outplay them when it matters most.

A team has not repeated as Grey Cup champions since 1997, and it is not going to happen for Montreal this season.