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Als (4-0-0) visit Eskimos (2-2-0)
By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – There are several reasons why the Eskimos (2-2-0) will have a little extra incentive to try and beat the visiting Alouettes (4-0-0) this Thursday night at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.
You can probably bet your life savings that they would relish the opportunity of becoming the first CFL team to beat the Als this season, especially following their Week 2, 50-16 loss at Percival Molson Stadium.
You can also add the fact that former Alouette defensive back T.J. Hill may be playing his first game of the 2009 season – against his former club.
And most importantly for the Eskimos, they will have an opportunity to gain some much-needed breathing room in a crowded West Division – a win puts them in a two-way tie with either Calgary or Saskatchewan following Week 5.
But across Canada, regardless of where you live or who you cheer for, all eyes are on the pursuit of perfection.
It’s still early, but…
Sitting atop the East Division at 4-0-0, the Als have all the momentum in the world in their corner with no signs of slowing down.
Just don’t tell that to Alouette head coach Marc Trestman, who even with all the lopsided scores achieved by his team early on this season, believes they can bring a lot more to the table. “I don’t think we have dominated,” Trestman said prior to last week’s win over the Tiger-Cats. “We’ve not played as sharp as we could. Scores are like fairy tales; they’re not real. We should be excited by where we are. And we should be energized. But the book’s a long way from being closed.”
To some, their Week 4 victory was just as dominating as the rest; to others it revealed weaknesses in the overwhelming and organized Trestman offence. Perhaps what it really showed was that Montreal has the ability to beat teams on both sides of the field. By allowing no touchdowns, intercepting a pass, and sacking Hamilton quarterbacks Quinton Porter and Kevin Glenn a combined four times, Montreal’s defenders showed they deserve just as much respect as their brothers on offence.
All in all, Thursday night’s matchup has all the makings of being a good one. Edmonton is coming off a resounding 22-point comeback win over the Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium, while the Als’ team effort brought them to a 21-8 decision over the Tabbies.
As the great Marv Levy once said, “It takes more that just a great coach or a great quarterback or a great anything. It takes the whole package.” Regardless if perfection is in the works for the Als, according to Levy, they look to be on the right path towards something special, and whatever they do, it’ll be done as a team.
The Alouettes will face the Eskimos at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on Thursday, July 30 at 9 p.m. (RDS HD, TSN HD, CKAC SPORTS, CJAD 800 AM, CHOM 97.7 FM).
