Sherbrooke – The sound of smashing shoulder pads echoed around the Bishop’s University campus on Tuesday, as the Montreal Alouettes had an intense third day of training camp at Coulter Field. Head coach Jacques Chapdelaine and his coaching staff put their troops through their paces during a spirited practice.
Special Teams : the pieces are falling into place
Tuesday’s practice put extra emphasis on special teams, as it is becoming clear that new coordinator Bruce Read is putting his stamp on the team. Third-year kicker Boris Bede is being joined at camp this spring by Carl Ojala, a 29-year-old graduate of the North Carolina State football program. Both men were able to show off their leg strength in field goal, punting and kickoff situations. Long snapper Martin Bédard also looked in fine form, firing off perfectly-placed snaps all practice long.
During the punt coverage drills, the two kickers consistently sent the ball 55 yards down the field, with Bede uncorking a 60-yard boot at one point. Returners Stefan Logan, T.J. Graham and Deandre Reaves didn’t have any trouble fielding the high, arching punts, despite the swirling wind at Coulter Field.
“We’ve got two kickers and two snappers in camp – there’s been good competition. Boris is a phenomenal talent. He’s strong and powerful, which are his greatest assets. He’s multi-talented in the sense that he can kick-off, kick field goals and punt really well. I think the field goal percentage is something that everyone wants to see higher. We’ve had some good talks about it and hopefully we can achieve that,” said Read.
Encouraging diagnosis
Quarterback Darian Durant suffered an injury at the end of practice. The first diagnosis is encouraging however and his status is now day-to-day.
Rapid Fire
Laval University Rouge et Or quarterback Hugo Richard will be joining the team on Wednesday. he will stick with the team until June 8, as he will be able to learn from Alouettes coaches and quarterbacks, while practising with the team… Wanting to improve their team’s performance in key moments of the game, the coaching staff worked on red zone situations both on offence and defence. Quarterbacks Darian Durant and Vernon Adams Jr. took full advantage of this opportunity, proving once again that they brought their A-game game early in training camp. Durant connected with T.J. Graham and Tyrell Sutton for back-to-back scores in the end zone… Adams Jr. was able to find pay dirt with the help of Nik Lewis and Danny Anthrop minutes later… Far from being outshined, the defence held their own during the red zone drills. Jovon Johnson led the way, knocking down a pass on the goal line.
Tomorrow
The 2017 Alouettes training camp continues on Monday, May 31, as the team will partake in two practices on Bishop’s University’s Coulter Field at 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
