Five Questions On The Montreal Alouettes For 2012 CFL Season

As we inch closer to the Montreal Alouettes training camp, here are five questions that I have as they embark on a new football season.

Is Marc Trestman’s new contract imminent?

As we last left off, Trestman clearly stated at the 2011 season end press conference that he would not discuss this matter. Some media members speculated that a new deal would be consummated entering the 2012 calendar year.

Yesterday, at the first press conference of the season, Trestman continued on with his message that his contract is not for the public to know but him and management to figure out.

However, earlier this month Montreal Gazette beat writer, Herb Zurkowsky tweeted that he was informed by a team member that everything should be cleared by the July 6^th home opener.

It has been an odd affair that Trestman’s overall body of work has not resulted in a sewn up a deal. This could bring more grey clouds if there is no announcement by the beginning of the season.

Will Adrian McPherson get more playing time this year?

In the last media session of the 2011 season, McPherson was diplomatic in saying the right things in assessing his future with the team. He knows very well that it is Anthony Calvillo’s team. But how long could McPherson be a backup quarterback in this league?

He is in the prime of his career, and the clock is  ticking on whether or not he could be a starting quarterback.

So far, McPherson has been patient if he is willing to bite the bullet in 2012, next year it could be his team, his huddle, and be franchise quarterback for years to come.

Right now, he doesn’t have much leverage to demand a trade out of Montreal. His best option is to sit back and see how things unfold this training camp, and into the season. He could be on the field sooner rather than later.

Which Jeff Reinebold will we see?

Last time anyone saw the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers coach, he was riding his Harley out of the Manitoba. Sure, his first go around as a CFL head coach could be summed up as a comical roller coaster experience.

But he went away down south and tagged along with June Jones to learn the nuances of coaching at the University of Hawaii and Southern Methodist University. Now he is back, much toned down, mature, and ready to revitalize this Alouettes defense.

So far, from reading the player’s tweets on Twitter, they’re excited to see what the principals are in this defense. According to reports, it will be much more aggressive than the passive zone schemes that was employed by former defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar.

With his return to the league, Reinebold will have a lot of national media attention on him which could bode well in allowing Trestman to do his own thing.

Right now, from all indications, the schematics will be completely different, so every player needs to be on their game to crack this roster.     

Could there be more changes to the Alouettes roster?

During the winter, a number of familiar players were released from the team. In early May, general manager Jim Popp has not stopped as he parted ways with Kerry Carter, Michael Giffin, and Ramon Guzman.

Clearly, the 2011 season was a reminder to management that in their mind it was unacceptable they were ousted in a home semi-final playoff game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

It seems that Popp has already started the process to move away from the core group of players who were instrumental during their first eight Grey Cup trips.

Now he is looking at the next generation of players to carry the torch.

Could the Alouettes potentially lock up Jamel Richardson to a long-term deal?

There is no denying that “Optimus Prime” is the most popular figure amongst the fans. There is an indication that the torch is slowly being passed from Calvillo to Richardson as the future face of the organization.

Richardson has put up astronomical numbers during his four years in Montreal and is considered to be the best receiver in the CFL. With that territory, it is time to fairly reward a player for his hard work.

Already the floor of this deal will be comparable to Tiger-Cats addition Andy Fantuz. Fantuz will annually be getting at least $180,000 and with bonuses it could escalate even higher.

Popp has already locked up the likes of Brian Bratton, S.J. Green, and Brandon London. Theoretically, could he invest more money into one position group where he might need this “free” cash to sign other players? Could he potentially make an offer to Richardson’s camp that is less than the Fantuz deal?

It is not out of the norm for Popp to allow big name receivers to walk as in past instances the likes of Chris Armstrong, and Jermaine Copeland signed elsewhere for better money.

Already the team office has suffered bad publicity. Richardson is one of the few bright stars this organization has that they need to keep on-board. We’re now seeing fans at home games wearing his jersey than any other current Alouettes player.

If the unthinkable happens that the organization decides to part ways with their superstar, don’t be surprised if Richardson receives a call from the Toronto Argonauts where he has a history with their head coach Scott Milanovich.

But for now, I believe that at some point the organization will come to an agreement with their superstar to finish his career in Montreal.   

Stay tuned.

Follow me on Twitter @MoeKhan19

Listen to me every Sunday/Tuesday nights on Gamepoints, every Friday morning on The Midnight Snack, and various shows on TSN 990.

Photo credit: www.lapresse.ca, www.ifaf.org, www.montrealgazette.com  

Alouettes Make Jeff Reinebold Their Next Defensive Coordinator

The Montreal Alouettes have filled up one of their coaching vacancies by naming Jeff Reinebold as their new defensive coordinator.

Without question, this caught my attention, that the organization would hire Reinebold, whose only defensive experience was coaching the defensive line at the University of Hawaii in 2006 and 2007 under then head coach June Jones. In his second year, he was a part of the Warriors team that went to their first ever Sugar Bowl. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Jones staff at SMU.

For the last two years, the CBS sports channel had done a reality show on the SMU Mustangs. Reinebold was an important figure for the school’s ascending football program.

SMU was best known for receiving the death penalty in the 80’s and going through a dark period from the 90’s into the mid 2000’s. He, along with Jones, was able to go in and revitalize the school’s tarnished image.

Furthermore, they made great competitive strides by winning their first bowl game in 25 years in defeating Nevada for the 2009 Hawaii Bowl. But, they gained more notoriety in the state of Texas and nationally by going on the road and beating their city rival and 2010 Rose Bowl champion Texas Christian University.

With the school eventually moving to the Big East, his salary would have certainly increased due to bigger television revenue they would have received, and the ability to recruit a bigger area of the country to attract kids to the Mustangs program.

What could he bring to the Alouettes organization? For the diehard CFL fans that followed Reinebold, in the early 90’s, he coached the receivers with the B.C. Lions that had the likes of Ray Alexander, Darren Flutie, and Mike Trevathan.

But in the late 90’s, during his two years as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach, many fans know very well it ranked as low point in franchise history. In fact, it could very well be on the same level as the short-lived Mike Kelly era.

During his stay in the Manitoba capital, in 1997, Reinebold was best known for his near postgame boxing match with then B.C. Lions head coach Adam Rita. Otherwise, he accumulated an abysmal record of 7-29. Moreover, his defense wasn’t anything great, as they gave up an astounding 31.5 points per game.

This will not bode well for psyche of the Alouettes fans, to believe that he will come in and rectify this group that had an anemic pass rush towards the end of the season. However, if there was one good thing he did in Winnipeg, he helped former linebacker Shonte Peoples become one of the premier defensive players who became a league all-star, and finished as a runner up for the defensive player of the year award in 1997.

For now, the jury will be keeping a close eye on the Reinebold hiring and what he brings to the table. For those who followed the reality show, one thing is for certain - just like in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, there will be plenty lakes for him to use his wave board and paddle to clear his mind on a Sunday afternoon.

You can follow me on Twitter @MoeKhan19

You can listen to me every Friday morning from midnight-2am, every Tuesday night on Gamepoints, and various shows on TSN990.

Photo credit: smu.scout.com

Trestman Still The Alouettes Head Coach For Now, Who Will be the Next Defensive Coordinator?

At the present moment, we can put to rest the Marc Trestman rumours leaving for the NFL, or NCAA. With the Indianapolis Colts ending any immediate angst from the Alouettes that they would consider hiring Trestman. Instead they opted for Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, Chuck Pagano.

By the way, did anyone win the pair of Super Bowl tickets from Colts owner, Jim Irsay on correctly guessing Pagano?

What happens now with Trestman and the Alouettes? As reported two weeks ago by Herb Zurkowsky of The Montreal Gazette, that the Alouettes opened contract negotiations with Trestman. Could this process be expedited that an agreement is in the horizon?

Since the end December, Trestman’s name has been mentioned with every available coaching job. Many were left to feel that he would have accepted an offer provided the situation was correct.

Now, if the team and Trestman come to terms on a new deal, would he ask for a window of opportunity to explore other options during the offseason? If you’re the Alouettes, could they even grant Trestman this wish?

For now the Trestman storm has passed without severely affecting the Alouettes organization. But moving ahead, it would be imperative for the team to get him to sign a long term contract and put to rest any future rumblings of him leaving the CFL club. Otherwise, everyone involved will be going through the same cycle at this time next year.

The Next Defensive Coordinator Will Be?

With the Trestman issue in the backburner, the Alouettes will turn the attention on hiring their next defensive coordinator. We have heard names ranging from Greg Marshall, Michael Sinclair, and even Jeff Reinebold.

I still believe Sinclair deserves an opportunity to lead this defense since he knows the entire personnel. He will still employ the same successful defensive concepts used by previous Alouettes coordinators in Tim Tibesar, and Tim Burke.

Furthermore, in the coming years Sinclair’s name will be high on a lot of team’s lists. His ability to teach, and get the best out of his players will make him an appealing choice for any potential suitors.

As for Greg Marshall, he is still bitter on how it ended with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. There is no question that he can coach defense. However, given what he has gone through in the last 12 months, could he opt to stay off the sidelines and continue to collect his pay from the Roughriders?

Eventually, once the CFL comes back to Ottawa, he could apply for that position since he was apart of the Renegades coaching staff in 2005. Marshall will have options but he could sit back and wait for the right opportunity to accept an offer.

Reinebold would be a surprising hire. Right now he has a comfortable job being the right hand man of head coach, June Jones at Southern Methodist University. Last month, had Jones been hired by Arizona State, Reinebold would have joined his Sun Devils staff.

With SMU eventually moving to the Big East, his job with the Mustangs would become even more important recruiting in the U.S. northeast, and down in the sun-belt region. Moreover, the stability at SMU should be appealing to him given he has a bigger range of coaching flexibility than he would have with the Alouettes.

Looking at his coaching history, from 2006-2007 at the University of Hawaii he oversaw the defensive line, aside from that he has coached primarily on the offense. So could he really fit in well as defensive coordinator?

No one can forget his two year stint as the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers where he produced a record of 7-29, and his Bombers defense gave up an average of 31.5 points per game. But his claim to fame was during a 1997 postgame handshake with then B.C. Lions head coach Adam Rita that resulted in near boxing match between the two counterparts.

With CFL free agency less than four weeks away, very soon the Alouettes will be pressing the issue to have a coach in-place so they can sell potential free agents on joining the club. But for now, who could it be?

Follow me on Twitter @MoeKhan19

You can hear me on The Midnight Snack every Friday morning from midnight-2am, on Gamepoints every Tuesday night, and various other shows on TSN 990.

Photo credit: www.canada.com