By Jack Bedell,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Hammond, LA – The CFL season is definitely a long-distance, cross-country race. And over the course of the race, there are bound to be rough patches and tribulations to cause some consternation.
But nothing on that list of troubles can set fans to fretting quicker than injuries to their team’s starting lineup.
Whenever one of their favourite players goes down, some fans turn to lucky shirts, new pre-game rituals, or venting on forum boards. All in an effort to ensure some kind of rhythm and continuity to get them back to full confidence.
For me, it’s as easy as pulling out the box scores from the pre-season to get my football universe back in line.
Depth is key
More than just breaking the long football drought from the final gun at the Grey Cup until June, pre-season football gives me a chance to gauge the depth and talent available on the second half the Alouettes’ roster.
As much as I hate to see standouts like Matthieu Proulx or Josh Bourke go down to injury, the two pre-season games gave me a sense of the team’s depth, and that gives me more than enough hope the Als will continue moving in the right direction when the next guys step in.
Watching the Als in the pre-season made me appreciate the effort put into building the team year in and year out. The same coaches and front office personnel who put the top 24 players on the field chose the other 40 players who are waiting in the wings as reserves, are on the practice roster, or are recuperating on the injured lists.
The same judgment and standards have built the Als’ roster from top to bottom. That decision-making goes on display every time I watch Adrian McPherson or Chris Leak run the offence at peak efficiency in June, or when S.J. Green produces like an All-Canadian in Jamel Richardson’s absence.
I have the utmost confidence in Skip Seagraves and Étienne Boulay to perform at a high level when they enter the Alouettes’ starting line-up. That’s why they’re on the team.
So, instead of singing some kind of lucky chant for success when the team heads into BC Place this Friday night, I’ll just be saying, “Next man up.”
The Alouettes visit the Lions at Vancouver’s BC Place tonight at 10:30 p.m. Follow the game live on Twitter (@MTLAlouettes) and Facebook. The game will be broadcast on RDSHD, TSNHD, CKAC SPORTS and CJAD 800 AM.
