Adam Gagnon/CFL
Payback time for their falldown finale’ to regular season is hardly the only source of inspiration for the Alouettes.
This eclectic bunch is feeding off Voltaire, Orwell and Johnny “The Ordinary Superstar” Rodgers!?
Jerald Brown swears he didn’t know that the former Heisman Trophy winner and Grey Cup winner in the mid-‘70s loved taking the final steps to the endzone backwards, as the Als’ halfback did to close out his 103-yard fumble recovery burst against the Lions in the Semi-Final blowout victory.
“I know I’m a little older, but I ain’t THAT old — I had no idea about Johnny Rodgers,” admits the five-year CFL veteran. “I guess it’s cool since he was an Alouette, right?”
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Brown insists his “JB Superstar” moment was just spur of the moment. But with these 2014 Alouettes, nothing — or is it everything — seems to be by accident.
“I think he just got tired,” chuckles General Manager Jim Popp.
You know by now “JB” was named CFL Defensive Player of the Week for the Semi-Final round. But did you know he’s at three interceptions and two defensive TDs in only seven career post-season games, including Grey Cups?
That brings us to Voltaire. The man who almost 300 years before Montreal’s 1-7 start wrote: “Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe”, also penned the inscription on the cover of every Als’ defensive playbook.
“Good is the enemy of Great.”
“A lot of times when people do good, they don’t aspire to be great,” reasons Brown, the product of Glenville State, a D-2 school in West Virginia where he should have majored in French philosophy.
“You can stop your momentum from being great because you’re satisfied with just being good,” says the scholar of the secondary, who turns 34 on the Wednesday after Grey Cup — Montreal’s traditional Victory Parade day. “Being good is never enough.”
Down toward the other corner of the Als’ locker room at Olympic Stadium, Bear Woods is rifling through the George Orwell classic “1984” for his inspiration.
After winning back to back Defensive Player of the Month and CFL East Defensive Player of the Year honours, Bear is “seeing all” like “Big Brother”. And in Big Brother Bear’s case — hitting all.
“Yeah, I will be watching Zach Collaros,” chuckles the beast in the middle, who made his CFL debut in the Als’ 2011 playoff loss to the Tiger-Cats, then quarterbacked by one Kevin Glenn.
“With a quarterback who can move like him and make the throws, it stretches the defense out . . . that makes me play in a lot more space,” explains Bear. “He presents challenges, for sure.”
I suggest Bear move on to my high school Orwell fave “Animal Farm.”
“I read that . . . in Grade five,” says the pride of Macclenny, Fla. near the Georgia border.
No wonder he plays so smart.
Offensively, the Alouettes must prove they can win the battles in the trenches. Tyrell Sutton was stuffed for only five yards on five carries when the ‘Cats extended their season-ending home win streak. The Steeltown Curtain held opposing backs to a stingy 4.6 yards per carry this season.
Tanner Marsh led the Alouettes in rushing TDs in 2014 and has his own special motivation for wanting back into the endzone. For the near-perfection that was the Front-five’s blocking, the O-line left the Texas native hanging alone during his Snow Angel TD celebration against the Lions.
“In Texas, we don’t really get snow so it’s more like slush angels,” figures the 24-year old from Carrolton, Texas. “That’s why I was so excited to do it . . . too bad they shovelled it away.”
“But the O-line was supposed to join in,” reveals the second-year backup who has become a short yardage specialist this season. “They chickened out.”
“Hopefully when we get another chance to do it, they’ll join me,” Marsh enthuses. “That’d be nice.”
“They’re a great O-line and when they get going, I’m telling you, they’re by far the best O-line in the league. “And even when they’re struggling, they’re still the best in the league.”
“It’s good to see them blowing people back like they have, especially in playoff season, because running the ball in this game right now is huge.”
Sunday in Hamilton will be the last one outdoors for the winners. Last call for snow angels.
“We’ll make it a party in the endzone,” predicts Tanner.
Thus inspired, the Als may get another chance to dunk Head Coach Tom Higgins. The Gatorade Brigade held its fire last Sunday, awaiting a more fulfilling victory.
There’s no guarantee Coach will feel the icy chill this week, either. This savvy group of football players may believe that another opportunity will come indoors at BC Place on the last Sunday of November.
Or maybe “Dunked is the enemy of Great.”
