Als go for team-record 15th win
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Media notes
By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – What a season it’s been for Marc Trestman and his Montreal Alouettes.
After matching a franchise record for wins last week with 14 against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Als will have a chance at becoming the most successful team in their 63-year history as they visit former league MOP Kerry Joseph and the last place Toronto Argonauts (3-13-0) this Saturday at the Rogers Centre.
Sitting atop the East Division with a CFL-best 28 points, Trestman and his Alouettes will head into their final contest of the 2009 regular season a very confident bunch, but that doesn’t mean they’re looking ahead towards the Eastern Final on Nov. 22 just yet.
It’s well known that Trestman’s philosophy regarding any season is that each game is just as important as the one that preceded it. So with just one game left to play before the “second season” begins, you can be sure that the Als won’t go easy on their rivals from Ontario.
2-0 so far
In their first two meetings of this long season so far, the Als have played well against the Boatmen, going 2-0 and outscoring them 52-8.
Montreal’s defence has been extremely stingy with the Argos this year, having allowed just 417 yards and racking up nine sacks. In fact, with the exception of two games this season, the Anwar Stewart-led defence has been rock-solid posting a league-low 307 points scored against.
Defensive end John Bowman leads the way in sacks with 10 – good enough for third in the league, while defensive backs Jerald Brown and Matthieu Proulx are tied in third with four interceptions apiece.
On the offensive side of the ball, Anthony Calvillo continues to be the team’s pulse. Completing a league-high 72 per-cent of his passes, AC is enjoying yet another MVP-calibre season behind centre for the Alouettes. Calvillo also leads the CFL in passing touchdowns with 26, nine of which have found the hands of Jamel Richardson.
After a slow start due to illness and injury, Richardson has been one of Calvillo’s main targets in the latter-half of the season, garnering over 1,000 yards for the second-straight year. Fellow receivers Ben Cahoon and Kerry Watkins also hit the millennium mark, giving the Als the only receiving corps in the league with a trio of 1,000-yard pass catchers.
In Toronto, the Argos are hungry to end the season on a positive note after losing seven in a row. With Joseph at the helm of the Double Blue, the home team will be looking to make a statement to close out the year.
The Alouettes will wrap up the regular season against the Argonauts at Toronto’s Rogers Centre this Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. (RDS HD, TSN HD, CKAC SPORTS, CJAD 800).
