The Montreal Alouettes off-season changes, or lack thereof, were minimal for a team that missed its first post-season in franchise history. The Alouettes broke even with their gains and losses, but their biggest contributions were the re-signings of John Bowman, Winston Venable, Kristian Matte, Nik Lewis, Dominique Ellis and Mitchell White. For a team that went 6-12 in 2015 and 9-9 in 2014, were the Alouettes off-season changes enough to bring them back to winning ways?
Alouettes Off-Season Changes: Enough Done?
The Alouettes biggest upgrade was undoubtedly at the receiver position. Popp was able to convince Duron Carter to return to the CFL after spending a year in NFL with the Indianapolis Colts. Carter played for the Alouettes in 2013 and 2014, earning 909 and 1030 yards of receiving in each season, respectively. He was the leader of their attack en route to their Eastern Final berth in 2014, and S.J. Green did not seem to fit that role last season the same way Carter did, despite his leading 1036 yards in 2015. Green does not carry the same charisma and leadership that Carter had during his time.
After trading away Kenny Stafford to the Edmonton Eskimos before the start of last season, Stafford was the second receiver to rejoin the team. Stafford exploded in Alberta with over 700 yards on the Grey Cup-winning team, and he made a name for himself. The addition of Stafford makes the receiving core as explosive as ever, and with the surprising ageless wonder Nik Lewis returning for another season, they could wreak havoc in the East.
Unfortunately for the players, the Alouettes do not have a solidified number one quarterback. Almost a dozen pivots played behind centre last season, and the carousel was stopped when they acquired veteran Kevin Glenn at the trade deadline. Glenn will be 37-years-old by the time the season rolls around, and at his age, he could have another season like he had in Calgary when he led them to the Grey Cup game in 2012, or just falter altogether.
With the depth behind him relatively unstable, some were questioning the team’s inability to sign the coveted Trevor Harris. Harris signed in Ottawa, and will be an understudy to Burris for one more season, before taking reigns of the team into his own hands. He could have had the same fate in Montreal, and whether Rakeem Cato, Jonathan Crompton or Brandon Bridge will become the number one guy after Glenn’s time is up, neither of three will be able to replicate what Harris will eventually do in Ottawa. The inability to sign a young QB like Harris might bite Popp in the future.
Montreal lost two massive veterans when offensive lineman Josh Bourke and defensive back Jerald Brown both signed with the rival Toronto Argonauts. They were able to salvage their All-Canadian offensive line when Kristian Matte was given a three-year extension, and Brown’s spot will be filled by journeyman Jovon Johnson, who signed a one-year deal with the Alouettes. But regarding both the offensive line, whose members were oft-injured in 2015 and their play was feeble, and the inconsistent defence, the team did not get better.
The defence, usually the strongest aspect of the Alouettes, seemed to be their most fragile gear in 2015. Too many times they allowed opposing offences to drive the ball long down the field and get points of it. They finished in sixth in both rushing and passing yards against, an anomaly in comparison to seasons past. Although they did have some major injuries, including Bear Woods, Kyler Elsworth, Kyries Hebert, Aaron Lavarias and Daryl Townsend, management needed to find depth, and once again, they failed to do so. With some names like Arnaud Gascon-Nadon, Ted Laurent, Justin Capicciotti and Keith Shologan available for the defensive side of the ball, Popp signed linebacker Kevin Regimbald and defensive back DeQuin Evans.
Popp will need to have his fingers crossed for over 18 weeks because he did not make his team deeper or better, and the Alouettes will crumble in case of injuries. There is no denying they have a good team, and have the opportunity to play a leading rusher in Tyrell Sutton and leading receiver in Carter, and on the defensive side, Woods, Elsworth, Johnson, Bowman and Gabriel Knapton could all do serious damage, but when healthy. But this is football, and unless the Alouettes are blessed with a miracle, they will have injuries.
Did the Alouettes off-season changes make them better? In the grand scheme, no. The silver lining is that the team can still be better than they were last year, even with the same core of players.
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