Sherbrooke – Although Tuesday was the final practice of the 2017 training camp for the Montreal Alouettes at Bishop’s University’s Coulter Field, the players and coaches did not hold back, taking part in a high-intensity session. The team will hold a walkthrough on Wednesday, before packing up and heading into town for their second and final pre-season game.
Attention to detail
It has been hard to miss since the beginning of the Alouettes training camp; the coaching staff brought in by Jacques Chapdelaine has an incredible attention to detail in all aspects of the game. Chapdelaine is taking charge of his first professional football camp as a head coach. His plan and philosophy are thorough and have been evident from the get go.
Since the opening of the 2017 camp, the Sherbrooke native has been very vocal during training sessions and will even jump in and participate in the drills himself, insuring the message gets through to his players. The right mentality and a near-perfect understanding of the playbook are qualities that Coach Chapdelaine and his staff are looking for in their players.
Rookies to watch for
A number of rookies will get the chance to play their first game at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium. Playing their first game in front of home fans is an unforgettable moment in any player’s career, and a number of Alouettes’ young guns will experience this on Thursday. Anthony Sarao, Matthew Shiltz, Malcolm Carter, George Johnson, T.J. Graham and Daniel Awoleke will all be making their Percival Molson Memorial Stadium debuts against the REDBLACKS.
“I’m really excited to get there and play in front of the home crowd,” says Shiltz. “All the fans have been really supportive so far; at camp, during the intra-squad game and even on the road in Toronto, so I can only imagine how great of a crowd it’s going to be back home.”
“When I first got here, me and a former teammate drove around and went to the Stadium,” said receiver T.J. Graham. “Just driving by it, I was getting chills. I went online and read all about it and how there’s so much energy. I’m really excited to be a part of it and witness what it’s like.”
Rapid Fire
Linebacker Branden Dozier dashed around the offensive line and emphatically batted down a pass… Tyrell Sutton had yet another good day running the ball. Over the past week, Sutton and Brandon Rutley are proving that they are a duo to be feared out of the backfield… Another player running the ball effectively is quarterback Matthew Shiltz. The rookie had everyone fooled on a play action passing play, when he saw an opening and dashed in for a touchdown… Chris Ackie seems to be fitting in well in the Alouettes’ defence. The former 1st round draft pick (4th overall in 2015) was wreaking havoc on the offence all practice long…Tyran Finley showed some good aggression at practice, jumping in front of a receiver to break up a pass.
Upcoming schedule
Below is the schedule for the upcoming days.
Wednesday, June 14
10:30 a.m. – Walkthrough on Bishop’s University’s Coulter Field
Thursday, June 15
7:30 p.m. – The Montreal Alouettes host the Ottawa REDBLACKS at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (TSN, RDS, TSN690 and 98,5fm)
Friday, June 16
Day off
