Around the CFL: Alouettes on roller coaster

By Fred Williams Nov 18, 2006, 6:15 GMT

Winnipege, MB - The Montreal Alouettes have ridden a roller coaster into the Grey Cup.

Montreal will face the B.C. Lions on Sunday in the CFL's championship game having experienced about all the highs and lows a team can cram into one season.

Montreal began the 2006 campaign by reeling off seven straight victories, then proceeded to lose its next six. After the team seemingly got back on track, it was rocked by the sudden news that head coach Don Matthews, the winningest head coach in CFL history, had stepped down for health-related reasons.

So general manager Jim Popp was forced to step in as the team's interim head coach, and guided the Alouettes to an unlikely first-place finish, and a bye to the division final.

After having a week off to rest and lick their wounds, the Alouettes hosted the Toronto Argonauts in the East Division final at Olympic Stadium. Mark Estelle's second-half interception return for a touchdown proved to be crucial as Montreal stormed out to a 30-10 lead, then held on for a 33-24 victory to qualify for its fifth Grey Cup championship appearance in seven years.

However, the Grey Cup hasn't been kind to the Alouettes, who have won just once, that coming in 2002 against Edmonton.

Quarterback Anthony Calvillo leads a veteran crew on offense. Calvillo has played in all four previous Grey Cup games and will be looking to ensure the Alouettes don't become the CFL's version of the Buffalo Bills, that being a team that's good enough to get to the big game, but not good enough necessarily to win it.

Calvillo had a decent year, finishing second in the CFL in passing with 4,714 yards and missing out on a bid for a record fifth straight 5,000-yard season. However, Calvillo threw almost as many interceptions (15) as touchdown passes (20).

However Calvillo remains the key to Montreal's offense because he calls his own plays.

If there's an offensive catalyst, though, it's running back Robert Edwards. The former Georgia star was a first-round pick of the New England Patriots in 1998 and rushed for 1,115 yards in his rookie season. But his career appeared over when he suffered a serious knee injury at a NFL rookie flag football game in Hawaii, with concerns he might have to get his leg amputated below the knee.

Edwards managed to keep the leg, but didn't return to football until 2002 with Miami before being released. But Edwards has found a home in Montreal, having recorded consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. And this year, Edwards scored a CFL-leading 17 touchdowns.

Montreal's top receiving threat, once again, is Ben Cahoon. The former Brigham Young star had 99 catches for 1,190 yards and four touchdowns.

After years of leading the CFL in its various defensive categories, the Alouettes took a bit of a step back this year. Montreal finished ranked fifth in pass defense, averaging 257 yards against per game, and ended up No. 6 against the run, giving up 109 yards per game.

Defensive end Anwar Stewart led the team with nine sacks while the trio of Chip Cox, Richard Karikari and Davis Sanchez all had three interceptions. If there was a bright spot on special teams, it was kicker Damon Duval. He finished second in the CFL in scoring with 201 points and made 51-of-59 field goals, a league-best 86.4 per cent success ratio. Duval also finished second overall in punting with a 45.4-yard average.

But the Alouettes never had kick-returner Ezra Landry, who missed the entire season due to injury.

Cahoon says it's important the Alouettes soak in the atmosphere and appreciate everything that comes with reaching a championship game. However, he adds the team can't lose its focus or forget why it's in Winnipeg.

'We line up every week to play in this game,' he said. 'We've experienced both winning and losing in the Grey Cup and I can guarantee you, it's not a fun experience when you lose.'

Montreal heads into Sunday's game a seven-point underdog, something that doesn't bother Edwards.

'We've got nothing to lose,' he said. 'If we go out and make mistakes and get blown out, we were supposed to lose. We can go out, let everything go and not worry about anything.'

© 2006 The Sports Network