Rick Moffat
CFL.ca
Shark bait, eh Diamond Ferri? With a squeeze of Lemon?
Like sharks that have to keep swimming to breathe, some Alouettes have to keep talking to succeed.
Despite Coach Marc Trestman’s serious avoidance of the R-word all season long, Jamel Richardson goes even further than the Als’ Tasmanian devil of a linebacker hoping to prove his tackling bite is worse than his bark in the Eastern Final against the Argos.
Richardson is drawn to the obvious historic impact like he’s drawn to footballs on all those hook routes over the middle for Anthony Calvillo.
“We trying to make history over here. It’s gonna be a repeat. When they see us hoist that trophy up, they gonna say ‘the Montreal Alouettes repeat.’ That’s what we gonna go out there and do.”
It is fair to say the Als haven’t looked like themselves in recent weeks. Resting regulars, healing up the injured. Truth is the team is not even on the same page for the winning look, and it was all over their faces as they returned to practise even before their opponent was known.
Despite a snarly beard cultivated during the bye week break, Avon Cobourne submitted to the will of the running back vote – it’s Movember moustaches in the backfield for the Eastern Final, even if his personal bodyguards along O-line have fuzzed out like a ZZ Top tribute band.
Ben Cahoon returned from a Utah break with a scruffy beard. “I’m out of the loop… if we’re going to do a team bonding thing, I’d rather we work out in the gym. This is the unshaven and dishevelled look. Pretty much straight from airport to practise field.”
Many Als agree however, that no matter their appearance, they are the face of the enemy all across the country.
“Everybody wants to beat the best and we consistently the best,” reasons Avon Cobourne. “We may not win the Grey Cup every year but we win more than anybody. The country may not like us too much, but maybe we’re like the Dallas Cowboys. We got fans everywhere.”
Not likely, eh Saskatchewan? Or Alberta? Or B.C, or Manitoba, or Ontario.
“Avon talks too much trash. I talk trash with my pads,” jokes CFL All-Star defensive end John Bowman. “Nobody likes us and we live with it.”
But the Als know with home field advantage their fans could blow the roof off if Montreal wins a third straight Grey Cup berth for the first time since the ‘50s. “I’ve heard they’ve had issues with that roof but it’s a tremendous feeling when you get 60,000 people behind you. Sounds like 100,000,” says Bowman.
“Most definitely every game we’ve felt each team gunning for us. We’ve been up and down but we still got to 60 minutes from Grey Cup. We’re rested and we’re ready for a shootout on the 21st.”
But Coach Trestman set the tone by making preparation all about themselves. Even before the Als knew who they would face, the Als pulled on the pads for two straight days after their five day break.
“It’s balls out and pads on!” raved Eric “The Human Humidor” Wilson.
The long wait for payback from the close of regular season to playoff Sunday gave the CFL’s renowned cigar aficionado time to get stoked for victory stogies.
“I just brought some Cubans across and they’re packed away. There will come a time to celebrate,” says Wilson.
“There’s a balance you gotta have,” says M.O.P. nominee Anthony Calvillo, who everyone in Montreal believes was snubbed by the All-Star selection of Henry Burris. “But you have to be able to control your emotions. “
“The coaches have always been dynamic about coming up with new plays to keep defences off-guard. They mix it up, make the plays and then it’s up to us to execute.”
“I don’t intend on going alone to Grey Cup. I’ve had to do that before. It’s no fun,” adds Calvillo.
“All the years of doing this you gain this experience. It’s huge. Now some of our younger guys have big game experience as well. We still have a lot of hard work before we can even think about the biggest game.
“This isn’t the Toronto of some years where once we have them down, they’d stay down. If we go up on them they’re gonna come back. And if they go up on us they believe they have a chance to win.
“It’s about accountability,” says veteran defensive end Anwar Stewart.
Every Als fan has an unspoken fear that defeat’s heartbreak would be compounded by the after-the-fact possibility they had witnessed Ben Cahoon’s final game in the CFL.
GM Jim Popp is reluctant to talk about the “other” r-word. Retirement.
“Ben certainly hasn’t said anything to me and I don’t think he’s even thinking about that right now. Ben will play as long as he wants to. It’s up to his body and his mind.” And the Cahoon family, of course.
“Ben is still a very productive receiver,” says the GM who had no qualms about cutting loose last season’s kick return star Larry Taylor just three days before the Eastern Final. “There’s no doubt in my mind Ben is doing a very good job for us.”
While repeats have proven impossible in the NHL during the salary cap era, the Als have as good a chance as any CFL team to accomplish what Sam Echeverry and Marv Levy or Don Mathews were able to accomplish. Popp considers the impact of the cap on his team building each year. “It may look easy to get to where we are, but it’s not. Will any salary cap era team repeat? I guess we’ll find out?”
So even if it’s an Alouettes’ victory Sunday, don’t expect anyone other than Jamel to hit Edmonton with R-words rolling off their tongues.
