By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – As the final whistle blew two weeks ago at Rogers Centre, the Als said goodbye to the regular season and began to look towards Nov. 22 at the Big O when they will host the BC Lions in the Eastern Final in hopes of reaching their second straight Grey Cup.
Here’s a look at the Als’ defence in 2009…
Montreal – Defensive coordinator Tim Burke and his defensive troops must have gotten tired of taking the back seat to their teammates on offence.
For over a decade now, the Alouettes have been recognized nation-wide for their offensive prowess, using the passing game to relentlessly overwhelm their opponents’ en route to many lopsided victories.
Last season – the first for head coach Marc Trestman and a large chunk of his coaching staff – the beat remained the same for the Alouettes, as offensive control was again the story for the majority of the campaign.
This year however, while quarterback Anthony Calvillo continued to produce MOP-like numbers, it was fellow veteran Anwar Stewart and a stingy supporting staff on defence that took shotgun and control of the headlines.
With names like TJ Hill and Reggie Hunt moving on, some were quick to jump at the opportunity of criticizing Trestman and his staff for cutting the two linebackers whom seemed destined to play big parts in the team’s future.
In the end, thanks to the speed and toughness of Chip Cox, Shea Emry, Diamond Ferri and Ramon Guzman, Montreal’s linebacking corps finished the season with a combined total of seven sacks, five forced fumbles, three interceptions and two touchdowns.
And that’s without even mentioning their ability to stuff the run.
A league best…
The Als also enjoyed an enormous amount of success, playing to a franchise best 15 wins in a season while boasting a league-best 324 points allowed – the lowest total since the franchise rejoined the CFL in 1996 and the second-lowest of any team since the league went 18 games in the mid-80s.
Defensive end John Bowman played a major role in that figure as the fourth-year Alouette finished 2009 with a career-high 10 sacks, good enough for third in the CFL.
Bowman was followed closely by Stewart, who was one sack short of matching a career-high of 10, which he set in 2005, while Keron Williams was third on the team with eight quarterback takedowns.
Taking it to the barn…
The defence also managed to steal some of the spotlight from the offence when it came to scoring, as three Alouettes managed to find the end zone throughout the season.
Cornerback Paul Woldu and long snapper Cory Huclack each put six points on the board thanks to timely interceptions, while Cox racked up 142 total yards off fumbles, bringing in two for majors. Cox also led the team in forced fumbles with five.
Rookie of the year nominee Jerald Brown made a fine impression with the Alouettes coaching staff this season. Having only previously played professional football in the AFL, Brown quickly adapted to the Canadian game, tying Mathieu Proulx for the team-lead in interceptions with four.
