Not only did the Alouettes defeat Hamilton last Sunday night, there was an announced crowd of 21,014 at Molson Stadium.
That was the Als’ second-highest attendance this season, and in stark contrast to their previous Sunday night home game, when a .
For the sake of owner , we hope the majority of fans last Sunday actually paid for their tickets. This franchise has been known for giving ducats away in the past, generating barter arrangements and devising numerous promotions to attract spectators.
None of this hides the fact the team’s venue isn’t considered fan-friendly, has limited parking options, stands with dilapidated staircases, and is difficult to reach. Once there, the majority of fans must spend three hours sitting on benches.
“Once arriving at Molson Stadium, it’s a death-defying feat to navigate the concourse, composed of steep inclines, declines and side hills,” wrote Don Thompson, a New Jersey resident who, despite using a wheelchair, purchased a three-game ticket package this season. “I’ve had nothing but frustration dealing with this team. I have significant disposable income, which I enthusiastically spend on sports entertainment. Even as a wheelchair user, I’m very comfortable buying tickets, getting to and from venues. I’ve never encountered anything like the Alouettes. They have an antiquated ticket system. Their customer service people are of absolutely no use in facilitating the purchase of tickets.”
He’s not alone.
“I was at the home opener,” wrote Kevin Tucker, 66. “The benches killed my butt by the third quarter. And walking from your seat to the aisle or vice versa was difficult to navigate as the cement between the rows is slanted forward and narrow. One can’t complain about location or atmosphere, but I won’t be back. And I love the CFL.”
Of the Als’ nine regular-season home games this season, three were scheduled for Saturday, with two each on Friday and Sunday. They play their traditional Thanksgiving Monday afternoon home game and have one match on a Thursday. Weekend games aren’t conducive, wrote Brian Gilbert.
“Molson Stadium isn’t customer-friendly, especially for seniors and disabled people,” Gilbert stated. “There’s very little parking available. It doesn’t have enough washrooms. It doesn’t have handrails in certain sections — which is illegal. And the downtown location is hard to get to with all the construction and roadwork taking place indefinitely.”
They finally listened: For years we have been imploring the Als to run the ball more. Guess what? An effective ground game actually works in the CFL and has been known to come in handy come November and the playoffs, when the weather turns nasty.
, a 5-foot-9, 215-pound battering-ram, had 19 carries for 156 yards against the Tiger-Cats, while also scoring a touchdown. His longest run was 26 yards. He had five carries of at least 10 yards, and three of at least 20. He compensated for quarterback Davis Alexander’s underwhelming performance of 187 yards passing.
Alexander’s streak of consecutive pass attempts without an interception during the regular season also ended at 356 when his second quarter throw to Kaseem Ferdinand was pilfered by Devodric Bynum.
Offensive co-ordinator . And it’s probably no coincidence that at one time during his legendary quarterback career, Calvillo had the incomparable Mike Pringle in his backfield.
Calvillo passed for a CFL-record 79,816 yards. But we also remember Pringle, 5-foot-9 and 202 pounds, getting stronger as games went on and he was used more. Defenders simply couldn’t tackle him.
Now teams seemingly have no answer for Theis, who gained 123 yards on 19 carries at Calgary on July 18. Through seven games, Theis has gained 538 yards while scoring five touchdowns and has supplanted the frequently-injured Stevie Scott III.
“One thing (Theis) has been consistent with is playing physical,” Calvillo told The Gazette after practice this week. “After contact. How he breaks all these tackles. It’s pretty special and remarkable. The challenge is doing it consistently. That’s what he’s doing right now. People are seeing it and have to respect it.”
And Calvillo is doing a remarkable job of calling the Als’ plays.
“We have a lot of plays in our call sheet,” he said. “The only way we’ll be able to call most of them is by staying on the field. We’re producing a lot of first downs and picking up stuff on second down. Do that and you can run a lot of different plays.”
Revenge is a dish best served cold: Fullback Marco Dubois spent seven full seasons in Ottawa — only to be released by the Redblacks one week before the start of training camp this season. The Als subsequently signed the 6-foot-4, 230-pound LaSalle native as a free agent.
Dubois has been waiting for Friday night’s game at TD Place Stadium (7:30 p.m., TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 99.5 FM) and didn’t hide his feelings over the way he was handled — pointing his finger at new general manager and head coach Ryan Dinwiddie. Former GM Shawn Burke is now the vice-president of football operations.
“The people that came in didn’t really believe in me,” said Dubois, 32. “For sure there’s a bit of extra motivation. The goal here is to win every game and go until the end. We have great coaches that really believe in me. This is the first time in my career I can say, offensively, I’ve been taken seriously. You can see the results. From a personal point it has special meaning for me to go back to Ottawa.”
Dubois knows his primary role is to block and protect Alexander. Nonetheless, he already has caught a career-high seven passes this season. He has gained 67 yards and should easily surpass the 95 yards he produced in 2023.
“Marco is a totally different guy than he was in Ottawa,” said return-specialist DeVonte Dedmon, who spent six seasons with the Redblacks before signing with Montreal as a free agent. “He has more confidence.”
Dedmon made his Als debut following injury against Hamilton. He returned four punts for 45 yards and three kickoffs for 100 yards. Dedmon said he was nervous heading into the game.
“You could tell that by my first return,” he said. “I left a few yards out there. There were certain things where I’ve got to trust myself more. My vision wasn’t as wide as it usually is.”
As for returning to Ottawa, Dedmon said there are no hard feelings.
“I’m at peace with myself,” he said. “They decided to go a different route. That was their decision. It’s a business. I have a better opportunity here.”
Short yardage: The Als’ third-quarter problems continue. While being outscored 10-7 in the period by Hamilton, Montreal’s time of possession was only 4:40. … The Als have allowed a league-low seven sacks through seven games. … Als linebacker Tyrice Beverette played his 100th regular-season game against the Ticats — his former team. … Not only did Winnipeg allow an incomprehensible 377 yards rushing against B.C. Thursday night, the Blue Bombers are now 1-4 at home. This team went 54-14 at home from 2017-25.
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