At age 29, Vernon Adams Jr. is expected to mature. as a quarterback in the Canadian Football League.
The year of delay due to the pandemic has certainly slowed his progress, but now that he has no choice, he must show that he is the man for the job, because, like him, the Alouettes are coming. at an important crossroads in their history.
Adams is the first quarterback to establish himself as the leader of attack in Montreal, since Calvillo left.
At least 16 quarterbacks have started games since the famous number 13 retired. Vernon Adams Jr. was the only one to have more than 20 starts.
Behind him is Trevor Harris, Adams has had no similar break in previous seasons when the reserves were more inexperienced than him.
Khari Jones is easily tempted to send Harris to the rescue, as Jones arrives too early at a crossroads.
Already, some are arguing that Danny Maciocia wants to return to the sideline. Others say there is no reason for Maciocia to appoint its former academic assistants, Anthony Calvillo and Byron Archambault, to key positions in the organization.
Like Vernon Adams Jr., Khari Jones had to learn his position at high speed and under less than optimal conditions.
He was appointed a week before the start of the season, when someone finally realized that Mike Sherman was no match for Canadian football (or modern football, in other words). Although the team had no ownership and the League managed the team, Jones signed a three-year contract after leading the team to the playoffs for the first time in five years.
The new owners and Danny Maciocia arrived a few months later.
The new management team is keeping Jones, but that three -year contract is about to end. With a record 17 wins and 17 losses, and 2 losses in the playoffs, the former quarterback should feel a bit of pressure in his final year of contract.
The Alouettes want to regain their place
For a while, the Alouettes were the Montrealers ’favorite team. We took advantage of this time to enlarge the old stadium on the mountain. But we were not able to fill it.
The sports market in Montreal is not easy. You can tell other pro teams in town about it. But, there is currently space that the Alouettes can occupy.
The big Canadian hockey team is no longer sold out (sanitary instructions or not) and must rebuild its image after one of the worst seasons in its history.
Famous employees like Chantal Machabée and Marie-Phillip Poulin show that the Habs knew this picture. The arrival of a first choice during the draft session held at home will certainly not contribute to the team’s recovery.
On the soccer side, the team found a way to eliminate the hard core of its supporters before the masses of sports fans could even enter. But, there too, we fixed the situation by getting a new president doing his best to bring back diehard Impact supporters to the CF Montreal group.
If Canadians inevitably return to the hearts of fans and CF is desirable to find its place, it is also necessary for the Alouettes to rekindle their relationship with all sports fans in Quebec.
The training camp in Trois-Rivières showed that football extends far beyond the island of Montreal.
Danny Maciocia promised when he was appointed that, if given equal talent, he would put the locals first.
When the Alouettes go on the field in Calgary, there will be French -speaking players on the field in all aspects of the game: offense, defense and special teams. In total, a dozen Quebec players were added to the five coaches and the general manager.
Now it remains to win battles. The first playoff win since 2014 is definitely welcome.
Because, as Guy Lafleur said in one of his retreats, we must not forget that it is a game, but we must, as much as possible, earn a little …
Source: Radio-Canada
