Game Points at 6pm Tuesdays for July!

Just announced today, Game Points with Matthew Ross, normally 9pm-midnight Tuesdays and 6-8pm Sundays on TSN 990 Radio Montreal, will be live on the air at 6pm Tuesdays for the month of July.

The show will be the same mix of great sports analysts, witty banter and overall entertainment. We should cycle through our regular stable of top notch guests, from all disciplines. We hope you find time to tune in 6-10pm every Tuesday for the July period.

Notes: Mathieu Darche isn't coming back to the Canadiens and we need to accept it and move on. A class act and model player, Darche brought marginal skills to the rink, NHL-wise, and the Canadiens are better served bringing in cheaper, bigger, stronger, faster, more physical alternatives. I get that he speaks both languages, but that alone shouldn't keep him in the fold....The Montreal Impact got pasted at home by Toronto FC the other day, effectively losing any momentum they thought they had with their new designated player and improved stadium. Casual-at-best fans like myself probably won't follow much the rest of the way, especially with the Alouettes starting up....Speaking of the Alouettes, I am bullish on them this season. Their offence should be the same and their defence much improved. That tells me that a division crown and semi-final home game are in the cards for the 2012 season...

Montreal Alouettes News and Notes: What progress has been made in Marc Trestman's contract negotiations, Stephen Garcia is officially an Alouette

As the CFL season rapidly approaches, the mystery continues on with the Montreal Alouettes and their contract negotiations with Marc Trestman.

As reported by some local media members, that an agreement could be completed by the July 6th home opener versus the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. We're eight days away from this supposed target date, but could a deal be consummated in-time by both parties.

As tradition with Trestman he will continue to decline conversing about contract talks. But at some point, the media will eventually hound him if no deal is announced by this "soft" deadline date.

Stephen Garcia Contract

As announced by the Montreal Alouettes, Stephen Garcia received a three year deal. Could he even last the duration of the contract's life?

Right now, for Garcia it is a matter of getting acclimated to the Canadian game. During his time with the South Carolina Gamecocks, he had great difficulty with his accuracy. There were times he did not read the defense in making the correct read.

If Garcia could become a sponge and learn from future hall of famer Anthony Calvillo, it could make the transition a bit easier in improving on these problems.

But for now, Garcia will have a huge target on his chest if he is not able to grasp the Canadian game quickly.

Finally, considering Garcia's history, could management pay close attention to his off field habits. Could they ponder having one of the respected veterans in the locker room police Garcia, and make sure he is on the straight path than being tempted by the vast social scene of Montreal.

Garcia is a fascinating story, but there is a split amongst passionate Gamecocks fans who have tweeted to me that they hope he is on the right track. Others feel he is destined to never realize his true potential.

We will find out.

Follow me on Twitter @MoeKhan19

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

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Montreal Alouettes add Stephen Garcia to their roster

The Montreal Alouettes have forged ahead and added former South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia to their roster.


Garcia will start at the bottom of the quarterback totem pole behind the likes of Anthony Calvillo, Adrian McPherson, and Josh Neiswander. 


The chances of him dressing this season could only happen if the aforementioned three quarterbacks go down with an injury.


The biggest question that will be directed at the mercurial player, could he stay on a straight path while playing in Montreal? Given how this city is considered to be the Las Vegas of the north. Garcia was suspended five times during his Gamecocks career for various transgressions from keying a professor's car to underage drinking.


This could be considered a huge gamble by the Alouettes to sign Garcia. But if he could stay on right path, and learn from Calvillo, this would be a perfect match for a player trying to rekindle the lost talent that made him the most sought out high school recruit.

For now, Garcia must quickly adapt to playing three down football, a bigger football field, and most importantly adjusting to life in the very vibrant city of Montreal without getting himself into trouble.

Follow me on Twitter @MoeKhan19

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

Photo credit: www.zimbio.com

Chris Schultz of TSN Previews 2012 CFL Season

Five Questions As The Montreal Alouettes Prepare For The Calgary Stampeders

As the Montreal Alouettes prepare for their first regular season game against the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.


Here are some five questions of what to look for during their opening tilt on Canada Day.


Five things to keep an eye out for

How fast can the team defense adjust to the new principals, schemes, and pace of Jeff Reinebold's defense?

With the shock hiring of the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach to oversee this unit, it would be intriguing to see how well this group plays in the 3-4 formation.


So far during the preseason the defense looks solid as they accumulated nine sacks. But now it is for real, and the Alouettes get a great test against a Stampeders offense considered to be one of the best in the CFL.

Management did sign a plethora of defensive players to bring in a new attitude to this group that towards the end of the 2011 season was ineffective.

The only issue is how fast could they develop team chemistry.

Will Anthony Calvillo be able to go unscathed during the regular season?

In the last few years, Calvillo has suffered injuries that could have ended his season. But he continues to come back.

Without question the team's success is based on Calvillo being healthy. If he is injured for a long stretch of the season, it could be a tough uphill climb considering how the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Toronto Argonauts look prime to make a run for the division title. Furthermore, his long time backup Adrian McPherson did not have a strong preseason.

Calvillo will need his offensive linemen to protect well, and he will need to make the correct read to avoid getting any unnecessary body shots from the opposition.

Could the special teams make a game changing play?

During the Grey Cup runs the Alouettes prided themselves on their special teams making a game changing play.

Last year, it seemed this unit withered away as they could not muster anything in-favour of them.

Fast forward to present time, in-order for Montreal to be successful they will need the special teams to give them better field position, and more points on the board. Now, have they identified the players who could bring a different element onto the field. We will find out this Sunday.

Who will step up into the leadership role?

Already the team's fan base was not too happy when the Alouettes decided to part ways with the popular Anwar Stewart.

Even though it was only three years ago when the they won the Grey Cup, the likes of Bryan Chiu, Ben Cahoon, Avon Cobourne, Matthieu Proulx, and Stewart are no longer apart of the organization.

Who from the next generation of players will step up to the plate, and take on this role to continue the excellence of winning that was established by the previous leadership council.

How focused is Dwight Anderson?

There is no denying how close Anderson is with his former teammates in Calgary.

Once again, could he get too excited playing his former cohorts? Even though his first season did not end too well, it seems that Anderson looks more focused to repay the faith that coaching staff has in him.

If he could display the old form from a few seasons ago, it will go a long way in helping the Alouettes secondary reclaim their confidence that they lost during the 2011 season.

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.

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Montreal Alouettes Steal Ameet Pall From The Calgary Stampeders

In a calculated move that has backfired on the Calgary Stampeders, the Montreal Alouettes have swooped in and signed their 2012 first round selection in Ameet Pall.

Over the weekend, Pall was released by the Stampeders due to a lower body injury. Calgary general manager John Hufnagel must have felt that he could have stashed Pall onto the nine game injured reserved if no other CFL team would pick him up.

It could be considered egg on the Stampeders face, the Alouettes must be given credit for keeping their eyes open on the waiver wire.

Pall brings tremendous amount energy onto the football. He was an All-American at Wofford College where in his junior season he had 12.5 sacks. In his senior year, his numbers took a dip due to him attracting double and even triple teams from the opposition.

Pall has an explosive first step off the line of scrimmage, he has great speed coming off the edge, and never stops until the whistle is blown. Some pundits have made the comparison to Dwight Freeney of the Indianapolis Colts due to how similar their physical statures are.

The curiosity now begins, where does Pall play in the schemes that defensive coordinator Jeff Reinebold has produced? He has limited playing experience at outside linebacker considering he recently has only prepped for this position in hopes of garnering an NFL tryout.

For now the hometown kid will get to realize one of his dreams by playing for the Alouettes. Kudos to Montreal for staying on-top of the waiver wire and signing a talented player.

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.

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Dave Pagnotta on NHL Draft, Trade Rumors