The Montreal Alouettes hosted the Ottawa Redblacks in the first of two preseason games between the two teams. The visitors took control early and never let go, as the Als dropped the game 27\u201315.<\/p>\n
Below are my thoughts on the game.<\/p>\n
Big scare<\/p>\n
Davis Alexander came into training camp last year with a hamstring injury that never fully healed. It limited his regular-season appearances as well as his level of play in the playoffs and 112th Grey Cup.<\/p>\n
All those memories came to mind for many Alouettes fans when Alexander started limping to the bench after getting tackled from behind in the first quarter. The 27-year-old ended up in the hospital where X-rays on his right knee came back negative. He is expected to start the season opener in two weeks in Hamilton on Thursday, June 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n After the game, head coach Jason Maas confirmed Alexander won\u2019t play next week in Ottawa in the team\u2019s preseason finale, but that decision had already been made prior to Friday\u2019s game in Montreal.<\/p>\n In the end, it was only a temporary scare, but it could have been much worse for Alexander. We\u2019ll see how his knee progresses during practices in Quebec City, where the Als\u2019 training camp is being held this year.<\/p>\n Desjardins shines in limited opportunity<\/p>\n Canadian quarterback Arnaud Desjardins was promised a \u201clegit shot\u201d<\/a> at the third-string quarterback position when he joined the Alouettes at the beginning of the week. Since then, he had to learn the playbook quickly and get ready for action against the Redblacks.<\/p>\n Not only did he make a good impression, but he was arguably the best quarterback for Montreal in that game despite limited practice reps. His first drive was a two-and-out, but on his second, the 26-year-old led the offence down the field, which resulted in the Alouettes lone touchdown of the game.<\/p>\n \u201cI made the mistakes at practice, but today everything worked out well for me,\u201d Desjardins said. \u201cIt will all restart next week if I get another chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked whether the six-foot-four, 215-pound QB thought he had earned his way toward making the main roster, the Canadian quarterback didn\u2019t want to commit.<\/p>\n \u201cI try to control what I can control. I have the objective of making the main roster, but I\u2019m taking it day-by-day. It starts again tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Maas had positive words for the young quarterback, stating he earned some points in his evaluation.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad he relaxed and played the game he has played his whole life. He went out there and let it loose, that\u2019s what I was expecting to see,\u201d the bench boss said. \u201cWe had a quick talk \u2014 I told him not to be nervous, that it\u2019s just another game. I\u2019m glad he did that.\u201d<\/p>\n D\u00e9j\u00e0 vu feeling<\/p>\n Let\u2019s talk about the game.<\/p>\n The Alouettes decided to dress most of their starters for this home contest, and it didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n The defence allowed a long opening drive by the Redblacks, who were led by current backup quarterback Jake Maier. Noel Thorpe decided to test his defensive backs by putting them in man-to-man coverage while applying heavy blitz pressure, but it didn\u2019t work. Maier drove down the field and connected with Keelan White for the opening touchdown.<\/p>\n Alexander had a chance to respond, but after a quick first-down pass to Tyson Philpot, the Als\u2019 starting offence couldn\u2019t find its rhythm.<\/p>\n The visitors kept their foot on the gas as Maier capped another impressive drive with a touchdown early in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Alexander left the game for precautionary reasons with a knee injury and backup Dustin Crum struggled to move the ball.<\/p>\n A similar scenario happened last year when Alexander and his offence stalled against the Redblacks in the preseason. He responded with an undefeated regular season, so there\u2019s no reason to be concerned about his performance.<\/p>\n Raising concerns, but are they real?<\/p>\n Following Alexander\u2019s injury, many fans took to social media to question how necessary it was to have the starting quarterback play in the preseason before an 18-game regular season.<\/p>\n Unlike them, I believe it\u2019s important for the starting quarterback to play at least a quarter in preseason games. You can\u2019t replicate game conditions in practice, and the beginning of the season is key to gaining an advantage in the division. We\u2019ve seen it in recent years with quarterbacks who looked rusty and struggled to start the year.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re afraid to have your quarterback play a quarter, then he probably isn\u2019t healthy enough to play at all. Injuries are part of the game \u2014 they can happen anytime \u2014 so I don\u2019t see why head coaches would hold back their starters.<\/p>\n New rules pass test<\/p>\n