It has been a horrible week for sports teams in Montreal. The Montreal Canadiens traded All-Star defenseman and fan favorite P.K. Subban on Wednesday. On Thursday night, Montreal Alouettes had their home opener, a 34-14 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks. The news did not get any better for the Alouettes on Saturday. It was announced that two of their key players suffered injuries in the Thursday loss.
The Alouettes have lost receiver S.J. Green for the year after he suffered a torn ACL, MCL, PCL, and meniscus in the second quarter of the match. Montreal will also be without the services of last season’s CFL rushing champion Tyrell Sutton for a long period of time after he suffered a sprained MCL. He was put on the six-game injury list.
The news might sound terrible for the Montreal Alouettes and their fans, but it should not be a time to worry.
Alouettes Will Be Fine Without S.J. Green
The injury to S.J Green is a blow for the Alouettes because Green arguably has been one of top wideouts in the league for the last five years. Last season, Green caught 71 passes for 1036 yards along with three touchdowns. He was named to Eastern Conference All-Star team as well. Green has spent ten seasons in the CFL, all with the Alouettes. Green in his ten seasons has had 444 receptions for 6,626 receiving yards along with 42 touchdowns. The WR already had five catches for 72 yards and one touchdown to start this
In the past two year, Montreal has been stockpiling receivers as insurance for a case like this. The Alouettes still have a strong receiving core with Duron Carter, Kenny Stafford, Nik Lewis, Samuel Giguere and B.J Cunningham.
Carter returns to the Alouettes this season after he spent last season on the Indianapolis Colts practice roster. already has caught 11 catches for 132 yards and one touchdown, this season. Carter last played with the Alouettes in 2014 where he caught 75 passes for 1,030 yards along with seven touchdowns. He was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for his outstanding year.
The Als signed Kenny Stafford in the offseason after he won a Grey Cup with the Edmonton Eskimos last year. Stafford was with the Alouettes in 2014 where he caught 20 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown. He had a career year with Edmonton last season where he caught 47 passes for 732 yards and nine touchdowns. Stafford has eight catches for 85 yards this season for the Alouettes.
Nik Lewis is in his second year with the Alouettes this year. Lewis caught 70 passes for 743 yards and two touchdowns in his first season with the Alouettes. He already has 15 catches for 165 yards this season.
Samuel Giguere is also in his second year with the Alouettes this year. He caught 39 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns last season. Giguere has three catches for 22 yards this season.
B.J Cunningham joined the Alouettes, halfway through last season. He caught 23 passes for 308 yards and also had four touchdowns. Cunningham only has one catch for 27 yards this season, but he is expected to play more often now with the injury to Green.
The Alouettes also have three wideouts on their practice roster, including Chandler Jones, Corbin Louks, and Mikhail Davidson. Davidson played in five games for Montreal last season where he caught three passes for 20 yards.
Duron Carter will be the number one receiver on the team for now and Nik Lewis will be the number two. Both could easily have 1,000 yard seasons. The loss of Green is huge, but the Alouettes should not be too worried about the loss.
Montreal Will Be Solid Without Tyrell Sutton
The Alouettes will survive for six games without the services of their running back, last season’s CFL rushing champion Tyrell Sutton.
Sutton rushed for 1,059 yards on 180 carries and scored five touchdowns last year. This season, Sutton had rushed for 105 yards on 23 carries before he was injured last game.
Sutton’s backup Brandon Rutley is very capable of doing the job. He rushed for 454 yards on 83 carries last year. Rutley only has one carry for three yards this season, but he should thrive with his new workload. The Alouettes also have Stefan Logan, who rushed for 77 yards on 15 carries last season. He is on the roster because of his excellent kick-returning skills.
The Alouettes also have two running-backs on their practice roster, Martese Jackson and Cam McDaniel. Both players were good in the two preseason games this year, so do not be surprised if one them is put on the roster for the Alouettes’ next game against Hamilton Tiger-Cats on July 15.
Conclusion
It is not a time to panic for the Montreal Alouettes and their fans because of the injuries suffered by Sutton and Green. The Alouettes are very capable of being a competitive team on the field with Rutley, Carter and Lewis on offense. The cast of characters behind the injured stars are itching for the opportunity to show their skills.
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