We cannot take away the two victories acquired since the start of the season for the Montreal Alouettes, but they were acquired against clubs that have records of 0-2 and 0-3 respectively. Are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the first real test for the Birds in 2023?
“It’s a great organization. For six seasons, I believe they’ve won 10 or more games each time,” Montreal head coach Jason Maas said. They’ve gone to the last three Gray Cup finals and won two. I think they have one of the best head coaches (Mike O’Shea) and they probably have several future members of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on their roster. They have been very consistent over the years and we have a lot of respect for their team.
“But whoever lines up in front of us, I’m confident we can beat them and that’s what we plan to do. »
“Without a doubt, Winnipeg has proven to be the gold standard in recent years. But it doesn’t matter who they play against, it’s professional football and everyone is subject to the same rules, including the salary cap, “noted quarterback Cody Fajardo, referring to the Rouge et Noir of Ottawa (0-2) and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-3), two first victims of the Alouettes (2-0) this season.
“Some teams take longer to get going, but if you don’t give it your all every week, you won’t win no matter who you’re up against,” Fajardo continued. But it’s true that it’s a team of veterans and if we take the lead quickly, they won’t panic. On our side, we have to have the pedal to the metal all game and hope to be in a position to win in the fourth quarter. »
The Bombers (2-1) come to Montreal after suffering a rare loss in which they were downgraded in the last six seasons following a 30-6 thrashing at the hands of the Columbia Lions. British last week. It’s a safe bet that the Manitoba team will not want to leave the metropolis with a second loss on their record.
“Certainly we can look at it from that angle,” guard Kristian Matte said. They may have a little more aggressiveness, to show that it was just a mistake. But on the other hand, the Lions are playing big football. […] Maybe it is time to show that the hierarchy is called to change in the Canadian League.
“We are playing very good football at the moment, it is no coincidence. This is a great opportunity to make a statement on our side. »
The Alouettes’ offensive line will have to show a lot of cohesion against the Bombers’ quarterback chasers, notably Adam Bighill, Celestin Haba and Willie Jefferson, in particular. Fajardo has been caught behind his line of scrimmage 10 times in two games. However, we felt a better cohesion on the part of the Alouettes’ offensive front last week.
“We felt that way on the field and watching the videotapes too,” Matte said. Sure, four sacks isn’t good yet, but there are a lot of factors that come into play. […] It’s positive: in the first game, we really didn’t play well. There are still occasions where (Cody) gets hit that we would like to avoid, so there is still work to be done on that side. »
On the other side of the ball, Zach Collaros, the CFL’s MVP for the past two seasons, is tied for first in the league with five touchdown passes. The loss to the Lions ended a 16-game streak with at least one touchdown pass. Dalton Schoen, rookie par excellence last year, is his prime target again: he had 239 yards on 15 passes, good for fourth in the league.
The Bombers will also have to be wary of the Alouettes: Fajardo has the league’s best efficiency ratio at 129.2 and while Austin Mack’s 201 receiving yards give him eighth place in the league, his average of 22.3 yards by caught places him in second place.
The action will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday.
