By Noah Sidel,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – When the Alouettes face the Toronto Argonauts this Saturday in both teams’ final pre-season game of the year (click here for tickets or listen live on CJAD 800 AM), the Als will be going in with far fewer questions than their rivals from down Highway 401.
The defending Grey Cup champion Alouettes will have their share of shakeups with the inevitable unexpected cuts or surprise decisions – think Shea Emry earning a starting spot at linebacker last year at the expense of Reggie Hunt last year as exhibit A. That said, Montreal proved last year with moves like that one that its coaches are well aware of their players’ abilities and while some decisions might make you wonder, experience tells us to trust their judgment.
On the other side, Toronto is seeking to come up on the other side of a huge downswing – just three years ago the Argos won the East Division with an 11-7-0 record. Since then, however, the Double Blue have won just seven games and are on their fourth different coach since Michael Clemons stepped down from the top job at the end of 2007.
No one should take the Argos lightly, however. For one, their new coach, Jim Barker, is no CFL lightweight. Don’t forget, it was Barker who served as the Alouettes’ offensive coordinator when Anthony Calvillo blew up defences across the CFL in 2002 en route to a Grey Cup. And it was Barker who took over a moribund Calgary Stampeders team in 2005 as general manager, building them into a contender. It was essentially his personnel, in fact, that new Stamps GM/Head Coach John Hufnagel led to a Grey Cup title in 2008.
This Saturday’s matchup will be a great test for Barker’s crew – and the last best opportunity for him and his staff to decide who to keep and who to set loose as the Argos try to get things straight for the 2010 campaign and beyond.
On the Montreal side of the equation, head coach Marc Trestman and his crew are looking to put the finishing touches on a veteran-laden crew of All-Stars. The likes of Calvillo, Ben Cahoon and Anwar Stewart, to name a few, will likely start the game, but this game will be more about giving a chance to rookies like Patrick Cobourne, Marc-Olivier Brouillette and Tim Maypray to lock in their spot with the team.
A brand new stadium
Perhaps just as exciting as the game itself, this Saturday will also mark the first chance fans will get to see the brand new McGill Stadium following some major renovations and upgrades over the winter. The Als added roughly 5,000 more seats to the facility to bring it to a new total capacity of 25,012.
Among the new amenities, the stadium features a brand new upper deck on the south side and the north side has been extended further into the east end zone area; a new concourse has been added between the south-side decks with full concessions, Équipeur outlets, and bathrooms; and a new main entrance was installed at the eastern side of the building with a new ticket office.
The Alouettes will face the Toronto Argonauts this Saturday, June 19 at 1 p.m. at the brand new McGill Stadium (CJAD 800 AM). Tickets are still available, click here or call 514-790-1245 to purchase now!
