MONTREAL 鈥� The Montreal Alouettes are facing the team with the best record in the CFL on Saturday 鈥� but it won't quite be the Winnipeg Blue Bombers that have dominated all year.
Montreal needs to win to keep its hopes of hosting a playoff game alive in the tight CFL East. A 6-6 record puts the Alouettes behind the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the standings with three games left in the season.聽
But because Winnipeg (11-1) has already clinched home field advantage in the CFL West's final, the Blue Bombers will be resting some of their players Saturday in Montreal.
鈥淥ur spot in the standings isn鈥檛 confirmed yet,鈥� said Alouettes defensive lineman David Menard. 鈥�(Winnipeg) already knows where they will finish so they do what they need to do for their team and we need to get that win no matter what.鈥�
Blue Bombers head coach Mike O鈥橲hea made eight changes ahead of Saturday鈥檚 game but his biggest swap is undoubtedly at quarterback. CFL passing leader Zach Collaros will sit out in favour of backup Sean McGuire, who will be making his first start in professional football.
McGuire completed four passes from 10 attempts totalling 72 yards with the Bombers over the 2019 and 2021 CFL seasons. His last start dates back to Nov. 17, 2018 with the Western Illinois University Fighting Leathernecks.
鈥淚 think that what I haven鈥檛 been able to do is to get reps in games,鈥� McGuire said. 鈥淗owever that looks, we鈥檙e just going to go out there and execute one play at a time and the goal is to win.鈥�
O'Shea said that he respects how McGuire has worked hard while being Winnipeg's backup.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure he鈥檚 very excited,鈥� said O鈥橲hea. 鈥淏ut I know for a fact that he鈥檚 also going about his business in a very workman-line fashion, conducting his huddle with confidence and with the understanding that he can get the job done.鈥�
Winnipeg offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Buck Pierce is aware that McGuire will be learning on the fly during the game but thinks that he is ready for the opportunity.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important for guys to go out there and execute the things that we've had in our game plan this week,鈥� Pierce said. 鈥淪ean鈥檚 ability to run our system, we believe that he can do that.鈥�
Alouettes head coach Khari Jones said Winnipeg's quarterback change didn鈥檛 affect Montreal's (6-6) practice week.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter at all. They鈥檙e still professionals, they still play the game,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淭his team has the record they have for a reason. They have good players over there and we expect the players that are replacing them to be good so we鈥檙e pretty much focused on us just like we normally are.鈥�
Among Winnipeg鈥檚 squad rotation, O鈥橲hea made three changes to his secondary and two changes to the defensive line.聽
Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris was steadfast in thinking that Winnipeg will offer a tough challenge regardless of a rotated defensive corps.
鈥淭here are not a lot of teams that you respect more than Mike O鈥橲hea-run teams,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淵ou know they鈥檙e going to play hard and that they鈥檙e going to bring it regardless of who鈥檚 out there. They have great players, there鈥檚 no doubt about that.鈥�
鈥� (Saturday) is going to be a violent game and we鈥檙e excited about going out there and teeing it up against them.鈥�
With a league leading 45 sacks, the Alouettes鈥� defensive line never shied away from getting to the quarterback this season. Montreal will keep the same game plan of trying to rattle McGuire on his first ever start.
鈥淲e hope so, that鈥檚 the plan if we can. I think our line, that鈥檚 their goal every game,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 up to us to get to him a little bit and see how he responds, I鈥檓 looking forward to it.鈥�
Menard admitted that there wasn鈥檛 much for Montreal鈥檚 defensive line to study from McGuire鈥檚 few CFL appearances. Despite that, he thinks that the Als will be prepared to take on the Bombers offence.
鈥淲e prepared on the type of offence that they have and not which players would be on the field,鈥� Menard said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that they鈥檒l change their entire playbook just because Collaros won鈥檛 be behind the centre so we prepared for the types of plays that they will be giving us and after that we can鈥檛 control who they bring out at quarterback.鈥�
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (11-1) AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES (6-6)
Saturday, Percival Molson Stadium
LAWLER, LEWIS CHASING 1000: Alouettes receiver Eugene Lewis and his Bombers counterpart Kenny Lawler are both approaching the 1,000-yard mark on receptions. Lawler leads the CFL with 915 receiving yards while Lewis is a close second with 913.
OFFENSIVE LINE CHANGES: The Alouettes will make yet another change to their offensive line. Landon Rice will move from right tackle to right guard. Rookie Nick Callender will be filling in for Rice.
HARDRICK RETURNS: After missing action due to a hip injury, veteran offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick will start at right tackle. Hardrick, who didn鈥檛 play since Oct. 8, will fill in for fellow veteran Pat Neufeld.聽
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2021.
Tristan D鈥橝mours, The Canadian Press
