Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Quarterback Injuries Play Key Factor in Montreal-Calgary Matchup

Next Man Up- The starting quarterback carousel in the CFL continues to spin moving into Week 6

Drew Willy and Jeff Matthews

The Montreal Alouettes (1-3), who are coming off a bye week, have not been able to find their rhythm this season, with double-digit losses and playing from behind early in games. A major factor for that has been the inconsistency of who is playing quarterback.

Drew Willy, who held the starting quarterback position for the Als first two games of the season, was injured in Week 3 against Saskatchewan. After taking a helmet-to-helmet sack from Roughriders’ defensive lineman Charleston Hughes in the third quarter, he left the game and did not return after being evaluated for a concussion.

Next up was Jeff Mathews, the journeyman who is on his third CFL team since signing with the Tiger-Cats in 2015. In a solid showing, he lead the Als to their first win of the season, snapping a 13-game losing streak dating back to early last season.

Mathews looked promising in the quarterback position, however, this was quickly squashed when the injury bug struck again, and Mathews was ruled out for four-to-six weeks with a foot injury.

Willy is expected to make his return to the Alouettes lineup and start in the quarterback position on Saturday.

Bo Levi Mitchell and Nick Arbuckle

On the other side of the field in this Week 6 matchup will be the Calgary Stampeders, who have started their season 4-0 and are the only undefeated team remaining in the league. Calgary has overwhelmed opponents early this season, with three of their four victories coming by 20 points or more.

The Stamps have shown immense strength in the first few weeks of play, and quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell has been an integral part of the red and whites’ stellar offence.

Mitchell exited their Week 5 game against the Ottawa Redblacks at the end of the second quarter with what is being called a “lower-body injury” after a hit from Danny Mason. Mitchell was able to continue and finish the Stamps’ drive, but Nick Arbuckle finished the game as quarterback in Mitchell’s stead.

Arbuckle was able to hold his own in leading the Stampeders to their fourth win, completing 8-of-14 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.

Mitchell was back on the field practicing this past week in a low-intensity setting, but Stamps’ head coach Dave Dickenson rightfully remained cautious with Mitchell’s return.

“He was able to do some non-competitive drills, so that’s a good sign, but it’s going to be day-to-day, if not week-to-week,” Dickenson tells Calgary Herald’s Danny Austin. “There’s certainly some injury, so you’ve got to be smart about it, but I think a lot of pro athletes have played with injuries. It’s just whether or not he can be not only capable but can do a good job and run our offence.”

While he sounded optimistic of an outside chance, he also added, “I’m a believer in you need to practice to play,” Dickenson said. “I’m going to play him if he’s healthy and ready.”

When the Calgary Stampeders depth chart was released on Friday, Bo Levi Mitchell was indeed listed as the starting quarterback for the Stampeders in Saturday’s matchup.

TSN’s Jermain Franklin confirms that Mitchell feels ready to take the field. In an interview with Franklin, Mitchell assures his confidence to lead the Stampeders under centre.

“I’ve never been a guy to want to sit. I love these guys, honestly, it’s mainly because I love this sport. I never know when it’s the last time that I am going to play,” Mitchell explains to Franklin. “So every chance I can play, I am able to step on that field, I am not going to sit out because of my name or anything like that or because of what can happen in the future. I want to play football and if I can play today, I’m playing,” Mitchell said.

Time for others to shine

With the uncertainty that resides for the quarterback position, the result of Saturday’s game will be largely dependent on which teams offensive line will respond better to the change under centre. And of course, which defence can cause the most trouble for the two quarterbacks on the field, whoever ends up playing the position.

For the Stampeders, Don Jackson continues to shred defences as he has accumulated 396 rushing yards on the season, currently standing within top three of the league. The former Green Bay Packer has taken the CFL by storm, emerging as one of the CFL’s top running backs. According to Calgary Herald’s Danny Austin, Jackson was active during Wednesday’s practice, appearing to be ready for the matchup against Montreal.

There is also the possible return of veteran wide receiver Eric Rogers. After a stint in the NFL with Dallas and San Francisco, he re-signed with the Stampeders in June and is fully recovered from the ACL tear he suffered in 49ers training camp in 2016.

Back at practice this week after sitting out a game, he will be active in Week 6 and will look to continue his strong start to the year. In three games played, he has three touchdowns and 200+ yards on just 11 catches.

On the defensive side for Calgary, Micah Johnson received a nod as a Shaw CFL Top Performer of the Week with his outstanding performance in Week 5 against the Redblacks. With three sacks and two forced fumbles, Johnson made a serious impact on the other side of the ball.

For the Als, their defensive line will have to be impeccable in order to hold down the offensive power of the Stampeders. Whether that will be from the veteran defensive ends on the field in Jamaal Westerman and John Bowman or other players like Henoc Muamba, who have shown such dominance defensively early in the year. The Alouettes lead the league in sacks allowed at 14. The defensive line will need to keep this number at a standstill in order to maintain Calgary’s offensive power.

Can the Alouettes start to turn around their season with an upset win over the league’s leading team? One thing is for sure – they can ill afford to suffer another injury and lose more ground in their tough early schedule.

Main image credit:
Embed from Getty Images

Share:

More Posts

Send Us A Message