Another week and another new consultant has been brought to Montreal. One thing is for certain—there are no advisors needed in this corner.
A few big storylines stick out around the league so we won’t waste anytime getting to the goods.
Plenty of consultants, coaches in Montreal
When your owner is making sarcastic remarks—Robert Wetenhall said, “What an offence,” to Montreal Gazette reporter Herb Zurkowsky at halftime of the Alouettes Week 6 game against Toronto—about the on-field product and your head coach, Tom Higgins, says he doesn’t have an answer to fix his teams struggles, it has to be at least slightly worrisome. The Alouettes have scored just five points in each their last two games, dropping both contests by a 72–10 margin. Montreal, especially on offence, seems to be regressing instead of progressing as the season goes along.
In an effort to infuse some fresh thinking Don Matthews and Turk Schonert were brought on as consultants last week. And Jeff Garcia, a retired quarterback with experience in both the CFL and NFL, was added as another consultant this week. All three knowledgeable football men were brought to share their ideas and try to help the Als fly high again.
Schonert, a former pivot and offensive coordinator in the NFL, and Garcia were clearly brought to Montreal to aid a struggling offence led by quarterbacks coach Ryan Dinwiddie. And, in particular, try to figure out a way to get Troy Smith going.
Although, if all three former quarterbacks are sharing different thoughts with Smith it will only be confusing and lead to more issues. There must be one clear, direct message coming from the assembled coaches in Montreal.
A fast, hard-hitting Eskimos defence, allowing a league-low 252 yards per contest, comes to town on Friday. It will be interesting to see if the new offensive minds have helped the Alouettes offence. If the Smith and Co. spit out another performance one has to think further changes are going to be made, if they’re not already in the process.
It’s worth noting Schonert thought he had the Montreal head coaching job back in 2013 when the team was looking for a replacement to NFL-bound Marc Trestman.
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Big Willy Style
Drew Willy welcomes his former team to “Willypeg” as it’s now being dubbed. After the 2013 season Willy was set to become a free agent before the Roughriders dealt him to the Blue Bombers, who immediately signed him to a two-year extension, anointing him the starting quarterback and fresh face of the franchise in the process.
After bouncing around from the Colts, Ravens, Jets and Chargers in the NFL, Willy came north. The 27-year-old learned the CFL game and developed in Saskatchewan for two seasons in 2012 and 2013. He started four games with the Riders, compiling a 2-2 record and completing over 67 percent of his passes while wearing the green and white.
He gained confidence during his time as a Rider—so much so that Saskatchewan head coach Corey Chamblin recalls a time when Willy came into his office and told him not only would he be a starting quarterback in this league, but that he’d be great at it.
So far Willy is living up to his own words in Winnipeg. He is directing the highest-scoring offence in the league through six weeks, averaging 28 points per game. And the Bombers currently have the best record in the CFL at 5-1.
Saskatchewan comes to town looking to slow Willy and the Bombers offence with the best pass rush in the league. Led by John Chick and his CFL-best six sacks, the Riders have a league-high 21 quarterback takedowns so far this season.
In Saskatchewan’s Week 6 win over Ottawa, Chick received a lot of attention. He was double teamed or chipped on a regular basis and it left one-on-one situations for other linemates. David Lee had two sacks and Ricky Foley one against the Redblacks, and Henry Burris saw constant pressure when the game was still close.
Winnipeg’s offensive line has to be able to hold up long enough to let Willy get comfortable in the pocket. If they can’t, Chick and company could make it a rough night for their old teammate in his new backyard.
Multi-talented RB on record-breaking pace
There is no offensive player in the league producing at a higher level than Andrew Harris at the moment. The Lions’ featured back leads the CFL with 722 yards from scrimmage through six weeks, sits atop the rushing chart with 381 yards and also has 341 yards receiving to place second in receiving yardage. It’s still early, but those totals have him on a record-setting pace.
No player in CFL history has ever recorded 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. One must average 56 yards per game in an 18-game season to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. Harris, a third of the way through his campaign, is averaging 63 yards rushing and 56.8 yards receiving per game. So it’s legitimately possible Harris could accomplish the double 1,000-yard feat.
The Winnipeg product has shouldered the load for B.C.’s offence with Travis Lulay still recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. Harris has broken big plays in the run and pass games with his burst, open-field vision and cutback ability. Look for Harris, who has a combined 94 carries or catches, to get plenty of touches against the visiting Ticats on Friday night.