Head-2-Head
By Jack B. Bedell
Week 3: B.C. Lions
There’s an elephant in the room, and it’ll be way too big to ignore when the Alouettes head into Empire Field Friday night to face the B.C. Lions.
After only two weeks of action, the Als’ defence has given up 821 yards and six majors through the air this season. Whether those yards and points are coming off deep passes or yards-after-catch, that’s too much real estate to concede if a team hopes to win consistently in the CFL.
While there is a long list of reasons why teams surrender yards to the passing game, two of which would have to be quality pivots like Darian Durant and Ricky Ray, my focus will fall squarely on the Alouettes’ secondary this weekend and on how well they can keep the Lions’ receivers under wraps.
Regardless of who lines up under centre for B.C., the Lions’ receiving corps boasts one of the CFL’s premier deep threats in Geroy Simon. And their cast of supporting players sports some serious playmakers in Derick Armstrong, Paris Jackson, and Emmanuel Arceneaux.
So far this year, Simon is averaging nearly 23 yards per reception, and it’s going to be incumbent upon the Als’ secondary to limit the damage he’s capable of causing by keeping him in front of their coverage and by getting him on the ground immediately when he catches the ball.
And considering how dangerous Armstrong, Jackson, and Arceneaux can be after the catch, cornerbacks De’Audra Dix and Mark Estelle, halfbacks Billy Parker and Jerald Brown, and safety Étienne Boulay will have to find a way to play tight coverage without picking up the pass interference and holding penalties that have plagued the Als’ defence.
All four of B.C.’s receivers have good size and excellent hands, so shutting them down won’t be an easy task. Some of the task can be solved by pressure, some by dictating poor down and distance scenarios for B.C. The bulk of the responsibility, however, is going to fall squarely on the Alouettes’ secondary.
As TSN analyst and CFL Hall of Famer Matt Dunigan is fond of saying, the CFL is a big play league, and the Als’ secondary has given up way too many of those plays in the first two weeks of the 2010 season.
Opposing pivots have averaged nearly 16 yards per completion against the Als. That number has to come way down this week against B.C. if Montreal wants to get out of Empire with a W.
