LIVESTREAM PPV: CFL – Hamilton Tiger-Cats @Montreal Alouettes, Thurs. July 4, 7:30p EDT (1:30a July 5 CEDT)
MONTREAL – The Montreal Alouettes are seeking redemption on Thursday Night Football at Percival Molson Stadium, as they take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the second time in as many weeks. The Ticats won in one-sided fashion in Hamilton last week by a 41-10 score.
For the Alouettes it’s been a long wait for the team’s 2019 home-opener. Based on their performance through the first two games of the year, some home cooking is much needed.
Back-to-back losses, including the loss of their quarterback in Week 1 in Edmonton, have Montreal looking to jump start their campaign against a division rival in Hamilton.
» Depth Charts: HAM | MTL
Meanwhile, Orlondo Steinauer is a rarity in his first season as head coach. He has got the Ticats off to a perfect 3-0 start. There are four other first-year head coaches in the league this season (including Montreal’s Khari Jones) and those coaches are a combined 1-9 entering Week 4.
“We’re still learning our 2019 football team,” Steinauer told Ticats.ca. “I don’t think there’s any advantage or disadvantage to playing a back-to-back. Both teams are in the same situation, and we’re really not worried about how they’re preparing, we’re just focused on ourselves.”
Hamilton will get a nice boost on offence, as Luke Tasker is slated to return to the receiving core. The seven-year veteran was shaken up in the team’s Week 1 victory over Saskatchewan, but is now back to gunning for his third straight 1,000-yard season. However, breakout receiver Bralon Addison was moved to the 1-game injured list.
Tasker’s absence certainly didn’t slow his team’s offence, which put up 105 points in the last two games. Jeremiah Masoli looked comfortable in both wins, but did have a curious stat line last week; 417 passing yards, an 80 per cent completion percentage, and three interceptions. Outside of the three turnovers, Masoli only had three other incomplete passes the whole game.
Running back Sean Thomas Erlington has had a tremendous start to his time as a Ticats starter. He has surpassed 100 all-purpose yards in each of the first three games of the season and earned his first career receiving touchdown in Week 3. Thursday’s game will be extra special for Thomas Erlington, as the Montreal native and Université de Montréal alum will be playing in his hometown.
“It’s not the fact that we’re playing them again. For me, it’s just trying from game-to-game to up my game as much as I can. Fixing the little mistakes I made in the previous games, and be a better version of myself every game, whoever we play,” said Thomas Erlington.
While Hamilton’s quarterback is looking like his usual self, Montreal’s quarterback situation is murky. The Als lost starter Antonio Pipkin in Week 1, with Vernon Adams Jr. taking over. Adams Jr. looked good in relief of Pipkin, but struggled to move the offence last week. Matthew Shiltz also played for the Als.
Montreal also signed Canadian Brandon Bridge, and all three pivots will in uniform on Thursday. Adams Jr. is penciled in to get the start, but Bridge and Shiltz could well see some action.
It may be the home opener for the Alouettes, but it’s the last game for one of the franchise’s fan favourites. Offensive lineman Luc Brodeur-Jourdain has been with the organization for more than a decade and will be retiring following Thursday night’s contest. The 36-year-old was selected with the very last pick of the 2008 draft and became a staple on and off the field for the Als.
“It’s not an easy decision to make, but my role as a mentor over the past few seasons has made me realize that there is a life after my playing career and it’s time for me to see to it,” Brodeur-Jourdain said in a statement to MontrealAlouettes.com. “Obviously, Thursday’s game will be emotional for me, but I could not ask for a better scenario as I will be able to play my last game in front of our fans.”
Brodeur-Jourdain was the recipient of the 2017 Jake Gaudaur Veterans Award and will be appearing in his 168th game Thursday.
The safety position is worth keeping an eye on for the Alouettes. Marquee off-season acquisition Taylor Loffler will miss his second straight game, and Canadian Ty Cranston is expected to fill in. The University of Ottawa alum, along with the rest of the Als’ secondary, had a tough time containing Brandon Banks last week.
On offence, Quan Bray has moved ahead of Eugene Lewis on the depth chart. Lewis has gotten off to a slow start in 2019, catching three passes for 58 yards. DeVier Posey is a game time decision according to RDS’s Didier Orméjuste.
BY THE NUMBERS
36:21 – Montreal’s time of possession in last week’s losing effort.
1989 – The last time the Tiger-Cats started a season 4-0.
0 – The number of sacks recorded by the Alouettes this season. No CFL team has ever gone through their first three games of a season without making at least one sack.
25 – Number of 300-plus yard games for Jeremiah Masoli, including three 400-plus yard performances.
– With files from MontrealAlouettes.com and Ticats.ca.
AFI, Yare Media and the CFL
American Football International is collaborating with Yare Media and the Canadian Football League to present 2019 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the top flight TSN network television broadcast.
