MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal, July 2, 2011 – Although rare for a team to find itself occupying the role of the underdogs at the start of a new season following a championship run, that’s exactly what the Montreal Alouettes were pinned as prior to Thursday night’s season-opener versus the B.C. Lions, those same Lions that many pundits are predicting to hoist the Grey Cup come November. Following Montreal’s 30 – 26 win however, it appears as though a number of the doubters have already been reconverted into believers.
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Jamel Richardson |
And while Offensive Coordinator Scott Milanovich may not be overly concerned with who is jumping on or off the Alouettes’ bandwagon, it is always gratifying to start the season with a win, putting points up on the board against a good defence.
“Because we work so hard in practice, our offence gets the chance to face a great defence every day. Plus, now that I am entering my fourth year with the team, there is a lot of continuity with the players. The receivers know the offence inside and out, and that has made it easier for us to get off to a fast start this year,” said Milanovich after his offence scored 30 points in the season opener.
S.J. Green and Jamel Richardson both picked up right from where they left off in 2010 and showed just how scary the duo can be, combining for 3 touchdowns and 250 yards in their first game of the season.
“Both of those guys filled in nicely for Kerry Watkins and Ben Cahoon. They took the reins in the passing game and did a great job,” Milanovich added.
But the receivers also excelled in an area that is often overlooked and which can separate the good players from the great ones. “Our guys showed that they can block. We ask them to do a lot of dirty work in the running game and they showed us that they have become complete players.”
The Alouettes’ stats on receiving were so impressive Thursday night, that the fact that running back Brandon Whitaker rushed for over 100 yards went virtually unnoticed. The Alouettes’ new starting tailback racked up 119 yards on the ground on 17 carries against the Lions’ defence.
Quarterback Anthony Calvillo showed no signs of rust after missing the first pre-season contest in Montreal and only making a brief appearance in the second exhibition match in Hamilton. He appeared on point and in synch with his offensive weapons on Thursday night completing a whopping 73 percent of his passes.
Next game
The Alouettes will travel to Saskatchewan later this week, as they prepare to take on the Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium Saturday afternoon. Kick-off is scheduled at 4:00 p.m. (EST).
