Jim Popp out, Jacques Chapdelaine named Als' interim coach

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Blitz
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There are a lot of eyes on the Montreal Als these days.
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September 29, 2016
Nye: Will Als’ coaching change work this time?
Jamie Nye

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The Alouettes are not only prone to turnovers on the field but there has been considerable turnover off of it as well in the last four seasons.

This week they will have a fourth head coach in four years and their fifth coaching change since Marc Trestman took a job in the NFL after 2012.

Yes, mid-season changes for the coaching staff in Montreal have become all too predictable.
 
A brief history since Marc Trestman’s departure:
2013: Head Coach Dan Hawkins fired after five games, replaced by Jim Popp – they finish with eight wins and lose in the playoffs.

2014: Head Coach Tom Higgins changes most of the offensive staff mid-season, promoting Ryan Dinwiddie to Offensive Coordinator, promote Turk Schonert as receivers coach, Jeff Garcia as QBs coach and Don Matthews as a consultant – they lose in a controversial finish in the East Final.

2015: Higgins is fired mid-season and replaced by Jim Popp and numerous changes are made to offensive staff – team goes 3-7 in the final 10 and miss the playoffs.

2016: The team announces Jim Popp will not finish the season as head coach and Jacques Chapdelaine takes over on an interim basis and takes over offensive play calling from Anthony Calvillo – the result…. Stay tuned.

The Alouettes are consistent at least but constant coaching change over is never a recipe for success but is there any hope it work this time?

What usually happens when a coaching change is made mid-season is the team gets an initial surge. Maybe the players feel their jobs are all of sudden on the line, maybe they really didn’t like the last guy, maybe they really like the new guy, or maybe they just really want to make a good first impression.

We’ve also seen it go the other way and the team flops, the 2012 Winnipeg Blue Bombers come to mind after Paul LaPolice was let go and Tim Burke’s first game saw the Bombers get shut out.

Chapdelaine does not have an easy task, taking over a team that has had more than enough drama to go around.

What he does have is a quality defence, who continue to keep their team in it. Chapdelaine’s job is right up his alley, adjust the offensive system that has led the team to be eighth in the league in points scored, last in yards and last in QB protection.

The problem is Chapdelaine has no time to overhaul an entire offence, an offence that his former quarterback in Saskatchewan Darian Durant described as ‘basketball on grass’ and an offence Durant believed could equal a career year. Of course, we only got to see one half of football.

Chapdelaine’s track record around the league shows more often than not he’s got a top offence. He has three Grey Cup rings to prove it as two of those came as the offensive coordinator with the BC Lions.

Simplifying things for Rakeem Cato and the other young quarterbacks in the Alouettes stable will be vital. There is no question the talent around the quarterbacks in Montreal with Duron Carter, Nik Lewis, Kenny Stafford etc but the QB also needs time to throw.

The Montreal sidelines will have a new man in charge this week (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)

More importantly, the quarterback has to get the ball out his hand quicker.

That is where Chapdelaine’s system may give a boost to the Als, it’s a quick, short passing game that can draw in a defence before going over the top.

With the rest of the East Division stumbling down the stretch, just a small up tick in production could have the Alouettes back in the hunt.

However, history is not on their side. Coaching changes mid-season rarely mean a drastic change in the standings. Sometimes, the team is what it is and eventually revert back to their losing ways if they find some magic immediately following a change.

The biggest questions pertaining to the Alouettes will occur after their final game this season.
1 – Who is going to be their head coach?
2 – Will that coach actually be given time to establish themselves?
3 – Who is their quarterback going forward?

If you think those sound familiar, it’s because those questions have remained unanswered for three, going on four seasons.

Followers of the Alouettes are hoping to finally see some change, as in, not so much of it.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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DanoT
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I have always been a fan of Chaps intricate playbook but rarely a fan of his play calling--not enough running or screen passes. Still his play calling for the Als should be an upgrade.
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DanoT wrote:I have always been a fan of Chaps intricate playbook but rarely a fan of his play calling--not enough running or screen passes. Still his play calling for the Als should be an upgrade.
I watched Chaps offence from 2005-2006 and 2009-2013 and there really are two different versions of his offence. The first version, from 2005-2006 and 2009-2010 was nicknamed ChapBall. It was the spread offence he learned from George Cortez, while an assistant in Calgary. Chap mainly used five and six receiver sets.

The second version was really not the spread offence at all but a two formation offence. The first formation was a power formation, with either a single or double tight end and a fullback. The second formation was the five receiver spread formation. What was very different, was that, in both formations, Chap used a lot of misdirection plays, a lot of play action, and moved the pocket. He also used a lot of motion and moved his receivers around. The volume of plays used was greatly expanded. JaquesBall was a complex offence.

With Chap Ball, we never tried to fool anyone. With Jaques Ball, there was a lot of deception at times. One play that Chap used in 2011 and 2012, is a good example of the difference. Lulay would fake the inside zone read play to Harris, then fake a reverse to a receiver running to our left of the formation. Lulay would then roll out, with the option of throwing to three different receivers - to Paris Jackson or Iannuzzi running a deep go pattern, to Arland Bruce running a short corner pattern, or to Andrew Harris, who after his fake, would look for space. Lulay would usually throw it to Harris or keep it himself. The play was usually very successful.

Lulay did not suddenly become a great quarterback, after we had lost our first 5 games of 2011 and were 1-6. Arland Bruce did not suddenly change our fortunes so dramatically either. One receiver can't do that. The key to our success in 2011 and 2012, more than any reason, was that we changed our offensive scheme, because Wally was so desperate to win, that he let Chap make the changes he wanted to make and not be in the old Calgary offensive spread formation exclusively.

Chap was a pass first offensive coordinator until 2011. But our running game improved with the offensive changes that Chap made part way through 2011. We had never finished above 4th in rushing with Chap as our OC before that season, and our rushing results were usually lower than that, with as our offensive coordinator from 2005 but with a full season of JaquesBall (his new offence) we finished 1st in rushing in 2012 and 3rd in rushing in 2013.

We won a Grey Cup with Chap's offence in 2011, had the CFL's best offence in 2012, and overall, considering the quarterback injuries and situation in 2013, Chap did a good job. Our offence also played well with a very rusty Lulay in the playoff game in 2013 but our defense fell down in the 4th quarter.

Chap was not responsible for our running attack from 2005-2010. Dorazio was the one who designed the running plays and the run blocking until part way through 2011, when Chap himself, given more leeway from Buono to make changes he wanted to make, after our 0-5 start, added some running plays ( the quick toss, the shovel pass, the fly sweep, the reverse, etc. plus a lot of sprint out pass plays for Lulay. With Harris now our starting tailback, Chap also began to use him a lot as part of our passing attack.

But Buono wanted our offence simplified in 2013. Dorazio was back in charge of the running attack and we were back to one running play, the inside zone read, with zone blocking. We also cut down on the number of pass plays we utilized and even more so, when Lulay got hurt and we had to use rookie DeMarco and also insert Buck Pierce, who we had acquired late in the season in September.

We were struggling to run the football successfully in 2013. The zone blocking wasn't working and the one zone read play was being defensed. Buono sigend Stephan Logan. Dorazio changed our run blocking from a zone blocking to a man blocking scheme 2/3 of the way through that season....unheard of to do that within a season. Chap began to use a lot of receivers in motion as lead blockers, sometimes lined up Harris and Logan in the "I' formation, sometimes lined up Harris, Logan, and two receivers in an "I" formation before sending the receivers in motion, used a ton of motion, and reintroduced a number of the running plays he had introduced in 2011.

The result was spectacular. We rushed for over 200 yards a game for four games in a row and the playoff game.

All one has to do is look at our running attack with Dorazio here and Chap gone and in 2014 and this 2016 season, with Dorazio designing the running game and the blocking for it and we are back to one running play - the inside zone read, with zone blocking again. Our running game has had some very good games this season but its also inconsistent, mainly because we only use one running play. Just imagine how good it could be, if we lined up Allen and Rainey in an I formation, on occasion, as Chap did with Harris and Logan on occasion or how good it could be if we used a more of a variety of running plays to keep the defense guessing.

One can also look at Saskatchewan last year, with Chap in total control of the offence, rather than having Dorazio designing the running game and it was the best in the CFL, until both Durrant and Glenn got hurt.

There is also a tendency to castigate our offensive coordinator (or defensive coordinator for that matter) when things don't go well and to give Wally credit when they do go well.

When we didn't run the football well, no one ever looked at Wally standing on the sidelines and put most of the responsibility on him nor was it laid on Dorazio. It was always Chap who took the heat.

Chap is one of the most innovative offensive coordinators in the CFL now. He wasn't always but was since 2011. I was a tough critic of Chap until he changed his offence in 2011 but he took way too much heat for our running attack in B.C. when it was not his fault. He can be blamed for some play calling decisions and not using screens enough but he was a much better offensive coordinator in his last three seasons here than ever given credit for.

Chap doesn't have much time to change a lot of things in Montreal this season. But their offence will be better.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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As Chap takes over as interim HC in Montreal and will have a lot to do with their offensive scheme going forward, I asked myself this question.

If I had a team with a young promising quarterback at the helm, which coach would I want to have coaching my offence, whether that would be a Head Coach who would call the plays and have a lot of influence on the offensive scheme or an existing offensive coordinator.

I considered all the potential candidates from Khari Jones, Dave Dickenson, Jason Maas, Paul LaPolice, Stephen McAdoo, Jarious Jackson in the West and Kent Austin, Stefan Ptaszek, Anthony Cavillo, Jaques Chapdelaine, Scott Milanovich, Marcus Brady, and Jaime Elizondo.

My order of prefence would be:

Dave Dickenson
Jaques Chapdelaine
Jason Maas
Paul LaPolice
Kent Austin
Scott Milanovich
Stephen MaAdoo
Jarious Jackson
Marcus Brady
Jamie Elizondo
Khari Jones
Stefan Ptaszek
Anthony Cavillo
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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Well, the decision to promote Chap to interim HC has led to the first capacity crowd in Montreal since 2010 for their Sunday game against Toronto (and its largest crowd since 2011.

Very interesting is that "Popp, who remains general manager but hasn’t been heard from since the conference call announcing the switch" to Chapdelaine as HC".
Sold-out Molson Stadium crowd to see if Jacques Chapdelaine can turn Alouettes around

Herb Zurkowsky, Montreal Gazette

The love affair with Jacques Chapdelaine, it seems, will last at least one game.

The Alouettes announced Friday afternoon that Sunday’s home game against the Toronto Argonauts (1 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN Radio 690) is sold out at 23,420-seat Molson Stadium. This marks the team’s first capacity crowd since the end of the 2010 season, when the capacity was 25,000, and its largest attendance since 2011. The McGill University venue was reconfigured, and seats were removed, for the start of 2014.

While it’s true Sunday afternoon games in the fall are more popular than weeknight summer contests in Montreal, it’s unlikely fans are coming out in droves to see a 3-9 last-place team. Instead, it’s the curiosity over Chapdelaine, the Als’ interim head coach and its first francophone bench boss in team history.

“We have fantastic fans … that want to see what change brings,” Als president Mark Weightman said. “I’ll be very transparent with you: the latest news and, obviously, a lot of positive media coverage with Jacques Chapdelaine. There’s a lot of excitement being generated with that.”

Chapdelaine, who started the season as the Als’ receivers coach and advisor to offensive co-ordinator Anthony Calvillo, was promoted almost two weeks ago, replacing Jim Popp, who remains general manager but hasn’t been heard from since the conference call announcing the switch. Chapdelaine is a long-time Canadian Football League OC himself, having served in that capacity with four organizations. He’ll call the plays starting with this week’s game.

“We’ve had a tough patch. We haven’t won a lot of games. Any time you have a change with something new, people are excited about and are going to hang their hat on that. They get excited about it,” Weightman said. “I think the change has brought a renewed excitement and a renewed interest in our 2016 season.”

Despite the Als’ futility and poor record, the team hasn’t been eliminated from playoff contention in the weak East Division, where no club has more than six victories. But only six games remain for Montreal.

The Als can’t afford to look at the big picture, of course, for now, and realize any winning streak can only begin with one victory. The Argos (5-8) are themselves reeling without starting quarterback Ricky Ray, having lost six of their last seven games. And Toronto is hosting this year’s Grey Cup.

“We understand this game is a must-win,” said receiver Samuel Giguère, who has worked closely with Chapdelaine since the beginning of training camp.

The new coach has worked tirelessly this week on the players’ psyche, trying to alter their mindset so they become more engaged while paying attention to details. The Als certainly have appeared more structured and disciplined at practice, the visible disagreements involving quarterback Rakeem Cato now becoming ancient history.

But this team’s problems, obviously, don’t end there. Montreal has struggled offensively most of the last two seasons, at least, while going through numerous coaches and co-ordinators. No one has discovered the elixir to ending this malaise — the end zone remains foreign territory for this club.

And none of the players, with any degree of certainty, can speculate on what might now transpire. Even Chapdelaine is reluctant to predict the future.

“Right now the guys are embracing what we’re doing. There’s an element of positivity. We’d like to take it into the game and move forward,” Chapdelaine said. “I’m not going to change things. Our role, as coaches, is to control the rudder to a certain extent. The ship and engine, those are the players. There’s been a bit of a change this week in the right direction. They’re going to tell us where they want to go. It’s our job, as coaches, to make sure we keep navigating in the right direction so they go along with that. I’m feeling a lot of excitement and a positive mindset.

“I don’t know for a fact what will be different. I’d hope the fans see our guys playing with a level of energy that maybe we haven’t had all the time, (although) we’ve had it often. I want to see them overcoming adversity. When we’ve had bumps in the road, we’ve had a tendency to maybe withdraw from that energy level. We still have to run and throw the ball, tackle people and put pressure. That’s not going to change. How we get to it as the game unfolds? We’ll see.”

There’s no doubt the Als still are playing hard. They displayed that in their last game, again, at Hamilton. Instead, when the outcome of a match is on the line, this team repeatedly has succumbed to the pressure and has been unable to win. The Als’ record easily could be 6-6 with some luck and breaks. But there’s also no sense contemplating what could have been.

“We haven’t been a very successful organization for the last three or four years on the field,” Weightman said. “That means all of our players, coaches, the general manager … everybody needs to do better. We’re 3-9. I’d include all of us (the president also) in that. We win and lose as a team. We need to address this collectively and we all need to do better.”

The future’s now for the Als. And it seems, unless the results improve over the remaining six weeks, nobody’s impervious.

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
twitter.com/HerbZurkowsky1
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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Make a francophone the Als HC and they sell out. Who knew? Apparently the NHL's Canadiens have known about the need for such a thing for decades.

Wouldn't it be interesting if the Als sell out or come close for the rest of the season regardless of on field results? It would sort of be like the fans voting with their wallets as to who they want as the Als HC for next year. Given how it almost always seems that in federal elections the Quebec voters seem to all vote as a group for the same party, with rarely ever a split vote in the Provence, might they then vote again by showing up for Als games to get what they want? :popcorn:
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Having a francophone coach doesn't guarantee them a winner. Ask the Montreal Canadiens.
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TheLionKing wrote:Having a francophone coach doesn't guarantee them a winner. Ask the Montreal Canadiens.
What a curmudgeon! :wink:

Chap inherited a mess. In two weeks, he has established standards, introduced discipline and structure, ran fast paced practices, spoke directly to the fans, and has the biggest gate since 2010 for tomorrow's game against Toronto.

Chap has been as cuddly as rubbing against sandpaper in the past at times but he was what Montreal needed at this moment in time. I think the increased gate is more about Chap appealing to the fans to support the team as well as the attention the coaching change has created. The fact that Chap is Francophone helps but I don't think its the main factor.

Popp is not on the sidelines and that likely is encouraging for the fans too.

Who knows about next year for Head Coach in Montreal. Montreal may not win another game this season..who knows. But they will be improved under Chap. I was a tough critic of Chap in his first number of years as a Leo but he didn't deserve his outcome here in B.C. in 2013. His offence had been excellent in 2011 and 2012 and the 2013 season was a tough season in terms of our quarterbacks. Chap had the CFL's best offence when he had Durrant and Glenn at quarterback last year in Saskatchewan.

Chap's experience and resume made him way more qualified than being a receivers coach in Montreal. Chap probably thought his best hope might be to be an offensive coordinator again. Getting a shot as being a CFL Head Coach is something he probably thought would never happen in the future at this stage of his career.

He has been given an opportunity. He has a big challenge ahead.

I wish him well.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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At the moment, the Alouette's definitely seem to have responded to the coaching change. They are giving it good to the Argos.
That first overall pick might just be floating away....
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CardiacKid wrote:At the moment, the Alouette's definitely seem to have responded to the coaching change. They are giving it good to the Argos.
That first overall pick might just be floating away....
A big win for Chapdelaine in his debut as a HC. What a change in their offensive scheme in less than two weeks of preparation. There was motion and shifts all over the place. Montreal began the game with their first play being their longest of the year. And they got beter as the game went on. Montreal outscored Toronto 24-3. Kato completed 78.3% of his passes and threw four touchdown stikes. He had only thrown two touchdowns in his previous games.

Chap also committed to the running game and used the zone read option to keep Toronto's defense off balance and then, once he had the Toronto defensive ends spread out, he came back with Sutton off-tackle. Montreal had 139 yds. of rushing in the game.

Gone was Cavillo's pass first, short passing game and instead Montreal had much more of a vertical passing game combined with a run threat. They used play action so well, it faked out the cameras a number of times.

Montreal looked very motivated, played with tremendous enthusiasm, and were mostly disciplined, taking only 6 penalties in the game.

Milanovich's offence looked staid, boring, and predictable compared to Montreal's offence.

A great start for the Chap, who proved how important scheme and strategy is to a football team. Its a heck of a lot more than 'execution'.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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Jack Todd of the Montreal Gazette calls the hiring of Chapdelaine in Montreal a 'brilliant choice'". The players seem to have bought in. One game does not a Head Coach make, but Chap has taken at least the first step in turning things around in Montreal.

Wetenhall said This is a really important change in our coaching philosophy … how we’re respecting our players. We’re looking ahead to much better days. We’ve got a shot. We’re on the way. Let’s see what happens. How do you argue with that (performance)? Gee whiz. That’s as good as you can get.”
On Jacques Chapdelaine’s first offensive play as a professional football head coach, Rakeem Cato connected with Kenny Stafford for a 48-yard gain.On Chapdelaine’s second, Cato found Samuel Giguère at the back of the end zone for a touchdown against the Toronto Argonauts. The game was barely four minutes old.
it was what the Als did with what they had. They went vertical, taking their shots downfield. Stafford, largely ignored until now, caught three passes for 60 yards. Tailback Tyrell Sutton, largely ignored until now, gained 83 yards on 10 carries before departing in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury. Even Cato scampered four times for 30 yards while not turning the ball over.

The Als displayed some variety and imagination for once.

“There’s a fine line between what we’re doing now and what we did before,” Lewis said. “At 4-9, I’ll never say one or two people were the problem. I will say Jacques has more experience and he’s able to handle the game a little bit differently.”

Indeed. For one week at least, Chapdelaine’s a hero.
Now we’re on the right path. We’re taking a step forward,” Stafford said. “Now we’re in the hands of Jacques Chapdelaine. He’s a proven offensive co-ordinator and he knows what he’s doing. We have someone at the helm that we trust, that we’re moving forward with. There’s no me players right now. It’s a bunch of team players.”
Wetenhall on Chapdelaine: 'How do you argue with that (performance)?'
Herb Zurkowsky, Montreal Gazette

Robert Wetenhall doesn’t do things accidentally and without thought. For the most part, there’s a purpose to his every move and action.

So it’s likely no coincidence the Alouettes’ owner, accompanied by his son — lead governor Andrew — and team president Mark Weightman, dropped by to hear Jacques Chapdelaine’s first post-game news conference on Sunday following the team’s 38-11 win over the Toronto Argonauts in his debut as the team’s interim head coach.

“That was a great win for you and the team. It was really good. God bless you,” said Wetenhall, who has owned the Als since 1997 and will eventually determine — along with his son’s assistance — whether the interim is dropped from Chapdelaine’s title.

It was the Wetenhall family, supposedly with some input from general manager Jim Popp, who decided two weeks ago to finally make the change — removing Popp as the bench boss — many had been clamouring for. Chapdelaine might have been considered a dark horse in the derby, but he becomes the first francophone to hold the title in team history.

“This is a really important change in our coaching philosophy … how we’re respecting our players. We’re looking ahead to much better days,” said Wetenhall, who undoubtedly noticed the team drew its first capacity crowd at Molson Stadium since 201o, although the McGill University venue has been reconfigured down since then.

“We’ve got a shot. We’re on the way. Let’s see what happens,” he added. “How do you argue with that (performance)? Gee whiz. That’s as good as you can get.”

Chapdelaine, a 55-year-old native of Sherbrooke, has an extensive coaching resumé, having served as an offensive co-ordinator for four Canadian Football League franchises. He also has been a head coach at the university level, both at Laval and Simon Fraser. Indeed, he led the Rouge et Or to their first of numerous Vanier Cup championships.

But he has never been the man in charge at the pro level. And he hadn’t called a game for the Als and quarterback Rakeem Cato, that chore formerly held by Anthony Calvillo, who remains the OC and quarterback coach.

“It’s a great, great feeling. Don’t get me wrong,” Chapdelaine said. “Like I told the players, you can’t get to the top of the ladder unless you take the first step.”

A lack of sleep throughout the first week of practices meant Chapdelaine had little difficulty slipping into peaceful bliss come Saturday night. He went to the team’s Olympic Stadium headquarters Sunday morning before venturing over to the home field.

“There was a certain level of anxiety; I’m not sure if it was nerves,” Chapdelaine said. “I haven’t called a game all year. And I haven’t called one for Rakeem. I wasn’t entirely sure how that was going to go. It was a little bit of a feeling-out process with the adrenaline running.”

The Als were effective, if slightly unspectacular, on offence. While they produced five touchdowns, Cato passed for only 210 yards, although he completed more than 78 per cent of his throws. Montreal generated 22 first downs, 270 yards’ net offence and controlled the ball slightly less than 29 minutes. The Als’ offensive line continued to struggle, relinquishing six quarterback sacks, although Cato said he was responsible for two and should have released the ball quicker.

“We felt good about some of the things we did,” Chapdelaine said. “Rakeem did well, let’s understand that. It’s not that great of a number but, for the most part, he managed the game well. I thought he threw the ball with accuracy and didn’t force the ball. His eyes were good, which is great, and I’m getting a better feel for him.”
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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I watched the Montreal-Toronto game and the changes Chap brought to the Montreal offence. So much more motion and misdirection, the use of the read option for Cato, a more diversified running attack (Sutton averaged 8.2 yds. per carry, an a more vertical passing attack. The difference between Cavillo and Chap showed up huge.

But Montreal plays Edmonton next and has two games against Calgary. Its going to get tougher for Chap.

What I did notice in the game is that Cato is a hot head. In the fourth quarter Nic Lewis got on Cato's case on the sideline about something and Cato got really upset and Chap just said "Cato" in a firm voice. Cato walked away to be by himself.

Cato should just have said "OK" to a vet like Lewis and either followed his advice or just ignored it. Cato has to learn to be poised, no matter if vets like Lewis are whining or telling him to do something.

But no question, the Als were pumped, played with a ton of enthusiasm, and played with much more discipline. Chap took the offence away from Cavillo's pass first, short passing attack and went run first and added a lot more variety and imagination to the offence.

I'm looking forward to see how they play against a much tougher opponent in Edmonton.

But the fans are excited in Montreal, the change to the much more structured Chap has been a good move for their franchise, and the bickering seems to have been put on hold, at least.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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Blitz wrote:I watched the Montreal-Toronto game and the changes Chap brought to the Montreal offence. So much more motion and misdirection, the use of the read option for Cato, a more diversified running attack (Sutton averaged 8.2 yds. per carry, an a more vertical passing attack. The difference between Cavillo and Chap showed up huge.

But Montreal plays Edmonton next and has two games against Calgary. Its going to get tougher for Chap.

What I did notice in the game is that Cato is a hot head. In the fourth quarter Nic Lewis got on Cato's case on the sideline about something and Cato got really upset and Chap just said "Cato" in a firm voice. Cato walked away to be by himself.

Cato should just have said "OK" to a vet like Lewis and either followed his advice or just ignored it. Cato has to learn to be poised, no matter if vets like Lewis are whining or telling him to do something.

But no question, the Als were pumped, played with a ton of enthusiasm, and played with much more discipline. Chap took the offence away from Cavillo's pass first, short passing attack and went run first and added a lot more variety and imagination to the offence.

I'm looking forward to see how they play against a much tougher opponent in Edmonton.

But the fans are excited in Montreal, the change to the much more structured Chap has been a good move for their franchise, and the bickering seems to have been put on hold, at least.
Good to hear, Blitz. I did not see the game. This fan is rooting for JC to make good on his very difficult challenge.

I expect JC called the plays.
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Blitz
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WestCoastJoe wrote:
Blitz wrote:I watched the Montreal-Toronto game and the changes Chap brought to the Montreal offence. So much more motion and misdirection, the use of the read option for Cato, a more diversified running attack (Sutton averaged 8.2 yds. per carry, an a more vertical passing attack. The difference between Cavillo and Chap showed up huge.

But Montreal plays Edmonton next and has two games against Calgary. Its going to get tougher for Chap.

What I did notice in the game is that Cato is a hot head. In the fourth quarter Nic Lewis got on Cato's case on the sideline about something and Cato got really upset and Chap just said "Cato" in a firm voice. Cato walked away to be by himself.

Cato should just have said "OK" to a vet like Lewis and either followed his advice or just ignored it. Cato has to learn to be poised, no matter if vets like Lewis are whining or telling him to do something.

But no question, the Als were pumped, played with a ton of enthusiasm, and played with much more discipline. Chap took the offence away from Cavillo's pass first, short passing attack and went run first and added a lot more variety and imagination to the offence.

I'm looking forward to see how they play against a much tougher opponent in Edmonton.

But the fans are excited in Montreal, the change to the much more structured Chap has been a good move for their franchise, and the bickering seems to have been put on hold, at least.
Good to hear, Blitz. I did not see the game. This fan is rooting for JC to make good on his very difficult challenge.

I expect JC called the plays.
He did WCJ!
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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I'm another fan hoping for success in Montreal for JC. He took a ton of heat around here 2010-2013 as our OC. I've wondered whether Wally made a mistake in not promoting Chap to HC in 2012 instead of Mike Benevides. Of course hindsight is 20-20, and perhaps JC's unpopularity (unwarranted?) with many fans at that time may have made that impossible.
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