MontrealAlouettes.com
CALGARY – Adjustments will be the name of the game Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. when the Alouettes (1-2) face the Stampeders (2-1) in Calgary (TSN, RDS, CJAD 800, 98,5 fm, Sirius 167, ESPN2) to complete a home-and-away series against their Western rivals.
Montreal is about to undergo its first significant change offensively in years, following injuries to guards Andrew Woodruff and Scott Flory on the offensive line. Both have been placed on the 9-game injured list, and while this probably wasn’t exactly how the Alouettes envisioned starting their season, General Manager Jim Popp about to hit the panic button anytime soon.
“Micheal Ola is and has been one of our best five offensive linemen,” explained Popp of the possibility of the Alouettes’ offensive line facing any type of growing pains. “And Ryan Bomben has some of the best feet in the CFL, so he’s only going to continue improving with each week he gets to play.”
The newly reshuffled unit will see import Ola replace non-import Woodruff, and Bomben, a fourth-year pro, filling in for Flory.
Both players will be joined by a strong supporting cast in veterans Josh Bourke, Jeff Perrett and Luc Brodeur-Jourdain.
Ola, the 6-foot-3, 278-pounder from Riverdale, GA, dressed for eight regular-season games in 2012 and will get his second consecutive start on Montreal’s all-Canadian line. He joined the Alouettes on June 10 of last season as a free agent.
“Working with the first team felt good,” admitted Ola, who is making the most of his chance to shine in his second season with the Alouettes. “We were getting the calls and communicating well in practice while trying to be disciplined. I’m just going in there to continue playing as well as I can.”
Meanwhile, Bomben, who regularly dresses as a sixth offensive-lineman, will get the nod for the first time this season. “We have to keep coming together. I think we made some big strides last week and the protection was a lot better,” said Bomben who also lined up as a tight end last season, making five catches for 33 yards and his first CFL touchdown in 2012.
“We need to get back up to where we were last year, but there’s really no need for concern at this time in the season. Given the talent and the core leadership that we have, we feel very confident this is going to be a very competitive football team,” he added.
Kristian Matte, who replaced Flory last Friday against Calgary, will remain on the roster and may be called upon in certain situations. The Alouettes signed Matte to a contract extension this past off-season.
“Matte and Anthony Barrette are high draft picks that will improve with play time. We draft for exactly these situations that we are faced with today,” said Popp.
SACK THE ATTACK: Since the start of the season, teams have scored touchdowns on 20% of their offensive drives when keeping the quarterback clean. Once sacked however, the probably of scoring a major on the drive drops to 5%.
SACK-MASTER: If halting opposing offenses wasn’t incentive enough, Alouettes defensive end John Bowman, who celebrated his birthday yesterday, is now just three career sacks away from tying the team record 66 set by Anwar Stewart in 2010.
ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the season, away teams have won 8 of the 13 games played so far, dominating the scorecard 327-295. The last time away teams held a winning record over a complete season was in 1983. The Alouettes are currently 1-0 when away from the friendly confines of Percival Molson Stadium.
STALEMATES: The Alouettes have split their last seven home-and-away series, including Weeks 1 (W) and 2 (L) this season opposite Winnipeg.
OVER 8,000: Slotback Jamel Richardson is just 57 career receiving yards away from reaching the 8,000 yards mark.
CALVILLO THE CONSISTANT: Quarterback Anthony Calvillo currently has the fifth longest streak of games with a touchdown pass thrown ongoing with 20. His personal best is 21, a mark which he could equal Saturday in Calgary.
BIRDS OF PREY: After three weeks of play, the Alouettes lead the league with 11 forced turnovers.
BIG CROWD: Saturday’s game will be broadcast south of the border on ESPN2. The all-sports cable television network is currently available in 89 million U.S. households.
NOTES: Calgary’s Kevin Glenn is expected to be at the helm once again on Saturday as starter Drew Tate has still not recovered from a forearm injury … Montreal’s defence held Calgary’s offence to three field goals and one touchdown in four trips to the red zone in Week 3 … In three games Montreal has accumulated four interceptions, seven fumble recoveries and 14 sacks … Chip Cox leads the team with 24 defensive tackles, four more than he did at this time last season … The Alouettes’ special teams have already accounted for two majors in the first three weeks of CFL action.
