Alouettes need to develop killer instinct in off-season
MONTREAL — Perhaps this is exactly what the team required, a little dose of reality. A little taste of comeuppance.
We’ll see next June, when the Montreal Alouettes regroup at training camp and commence their 2012 journey.
For the first time in four years, Alouettes and Grey Cup no longer will be synonymous. Finally, they’ll return to being the hunters instead of the hunted.
When a season has ended prematurely,burberry outlet cheap when a team is eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs — and the defeat comes at home — there can be no excuses.
At least the Alouettes bowed out with their heads high. More than a week ago, they went through the motions in losing by 42 on the road against the B.C. Lions. In the East Division semifinal, at least they exhibited some spunk before falling, valiantly, 52-44 in overtime to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
That doesn’t mask the fact the season ended with four straight losses, 95 points allowed in the span of eight days
“You’ve got to come early, stay late and know your opponent. We didn’t do it enough. Guys were scot-free,” said veteran rush end Anwar Stewart, the defence’s elder statesman, at 35. “That (46-yard touchdown) run by Avon Cobourne, that’s not us. The little things. When you don’t do it, this happens.
“We need a wake-up call,” Stewart continued. “We have to look at ourselves in the mirror, check our pride and egos, be students of the game. When you have too much success, maybe you don’t work as hard, watch film or take a day off. You’ve got to strive to excel or you cut yourself and the team short.”
Defence wins championships. We believe this now, more than ever.
Yes, the Alouettes suffered far too many injuries defensively to compete, losing Jerald Brown, Mark Estelle, Etienne Boulay, Dwight Anderson, Shea Emry and Ramon Guzman. That’s six of 12 starters.
But the Alouettes were disgustingly healthy along their defensive line, and failed to inflict enough damage against quarterbacks, failing to register a sack their final three games. Sure, they came close and applied pressure. But close counts only in horseshoes and hand-grenades.
Processing your request, Please wait....
