One of the things I really like about B.C. Lions head coach and former Alouette linebacker Wally Buono is his attitude toward winning. Buono refuses to talk about criticisms of his team after a victory, believing that the point total is the only relevant stat and that you can’t learn anything from negativity.
Cruising forum boards and media outlets after last Thursday’s win in Toronto, I ran into a whole lot of neigh-saying, mostly about what the Als’ offence has or hasn’t done the past five weeks, and it made me wish more people followed Buono’s lead.
Lost in all the critiques of what Montreal’s offence accomplished, or didn’t, against one of the best defensive units the league has to offer were the props that should’ve been handed out to Elijah Thurmon for his coming-out performance snagging seven catches for 64 yards and a major; the Als’ running backs for averaging 5.6 yards-per-carry against an improving Argos’ run defence; and the serious return of Montreal’s return game with Brian Bratton taking a punt 79 yards to the house to seal the win.
Most shockingly, there was almost no mention of how well Defensive Coordinator Chris Jones has the Als’ defence playing. Regardless of who lines up, all three levels of the Alouettes’ defence have been playing lights out of late.
Against Toronto, the defensive line brought a ton of pressure all game with Alain Kashama and John Bowman picking up sacks. The linebackers were all over the field with Diamond Ferri picking up a sack of his own and T. J. Hill collecting 11 tackles. The secondary was clutch with Chip Cox snagging a pick and providing tight coverage the entire game and Mark Estelle collecting a fumble at end the tilt. That’s not even counting Etienne Boulay’s pick that was taken away by a questionable interference call.
So let’s give some credit where it’s due. The Als are playing good ball all over the field, and there are more than enough positives coming out of each game to dwell on.
It’s an old sports cliché that winning begets winning. So does a winning attitude. I believe Wally Buono’s record would bear that out, so maybe we should all try a little bit of his advice.
