Player of the Game

By general consensus, the folks in Section W will choose one Alouette player as the PLAYER OF THE GAME based on his performance, impact and effort on that game day.

Archived Players of the Game: 2001 2002 2003

November 17, 2002 vs. Toronto, Eastern Division Final

"Burning Down the House" - Talking Heads "When the House is a Rocking, Don't Bother Knocking" - Steve Ray Vaughn. You can open with a number of great songs that give you same boost, but rarely do you get to experience the boost when over 57,000 manic emotional fans cheer so loud as to pin the VU meter. The Montreal Alouettes opened the doors to a full house at the Big Owe on Sunday to take on the Toronto Argonauts for the Eastern Divisional final with a tremendous amount of expectation. An expectation brought on by management, media, coaches, fans and most importantly themselves. The expectation was to win and bring this team to the second Grey Cup Final in three years. The buzz slogan this year is .. " This one is ours ", referring to the Grey Cup. We have all experienced the heartache of previous years, and it wasn't as if there weren't pangs of trepidation as Reggie Slack and the Argos opened up with a strong drive downfield to open the scoring. But our defense came to play today. The defense seemed so overwhelmingly intense that the blitz looked like a kennel releasing a mob of mad dogs. They stormed the walls, knocking out Slack and chasing the other two backups for the duration of the game. The Alouette offense sputtered and rarely showed any sign of consistency. This has become almost standard for Cavillo and his corps. We have been streamlined the usual party line of "We are capable of a better performance", "We have to play four quarters to win", yet these words continue to ring hollow when we alternate between the sporadic run game and the 'overthrows' of the long aerial game. Thank-You Defense for taking us to the championship. So the Section W " toot toot" salute goes to both Reggie Durden and Stephane Fortin on the defense for their hard hitting and ball hawking. These guys were absolutely electrifying and their play was symbolic of the entire defensive squad. Go Als Go … This one has to be Ours…. Last Stop … Edmonton, Alberta P.S. Big thanks go out to Mr. Wettenhall, Mr. Prince and the entire Alouette management who put together a great pre-game brunch and rally for the season ticket holders.. Its gestures like this that gives the fans the feeling that we count. Continue to make us feel part of the team and we will rally behind the flag.

November 3, 2002 vs. Ottawa

Our last home game in Section W for the year. We have heard for weeks since clinching the Eastern home game final that is was important to keep winning and establish some momentum for the playoffs. The final drive for the finish line tape has ended with gasps and wheezes. This final game loss to Ottawa tells us something all too familiar to fans that have witnessed the unthinkable. It seems that no matter how much firepower we may flaunt, how apparently prepared we are, this team seems to enter every game with a very vulnerable Achilles heel. So vulnerable that it can be taken advantage of and defeated. The game though a supposed walk in the park against the expansion Ottawa Renegades, proved to be enough of a tangle as to lose on a big play turnover. It is these kind of games that we should be able to give a big city back alley beating to anyone who comes to our park. No matter what line-up we field. We must be able to deliver the message that we can beat you senseless every time you climb up this mountain to challenge us on our field. I do not understand how game like this can slip by with careless execution and intensity. We are driving to the playoffs now with no momentum, only on the laurels of past headlines which proclaim us to be the best team in the league. We have seen this .. we have done that. Nothing seemed too impressive on either side of the ball for the Alouettes. An offense that sputtered and farted. A defense that performed and functioned. A special teams deal that gave us big plays but also gave up big plays. It was especially relieving to see Baker hit his field goals. This was something that was closely watched by all. Our Section W 'toot toot' goes to wide receiver Jermaine Copeland who used his athletic skills to capture tosses from third string quarterback Lyttle and gather over 100 yards. Way to go Jermaine .. and we hope that everyone now rests up, takes their vitamins and begin to focus on the next dramatic sixty minutes that must be played.

October 26, 2002 @ Ottawa

The Alouettes and over 600 of their fans converged on the nation's capital for a game of wild and weird Canadian football. This match was as frustrating as it was exciting. In as much as we cheered the Alouettes on, you had an inner feeling inside that wanted the Renegades to do well. But that whispered wish became rather nagging as the Alouettes squandered numerous opportunities to hammer down the final decision. I don't recall ever seeing so many blocked punts let alone blocks that end up for touchdowns. Bruno Heppell scooped up a Barron Miles block and 'Gades Donovan Carter blocked two punts and carried one into the end zone himself. Cavillo started a little rusty in the first quarter but then settled down and started to throw heavy strikes to Jermaine Copeland who was just great this afternoon grabbing four catches and scoring on one of them. A Cavillo to Cavil touchdown pass welcomed this newcomer to the Alouette team with a nice catch and Sylvain Girard snared a couple big play passes. But on the other side of the field, Renegade QB Dan Crowley was picking up shotgun snaps from off the ground then running and hurling them downfield for some big plays. Crowley's play was gritty and risky and seemed to exemplify today's Renegade game plan. Just Go for It. Throw caution to the wind and lets see what works and what doesn't. The Alouettes to their credit didn't panic and methodically moved the ball downfield into field goal range. Except on this day, Terry Baker was nowhere to be found. Theresa's on-field implosion is the dirty little worry that management, coaches, players and fans alike suffer from. What kind of Baker will take the field? Will he nail the winner or screw-up the chip-shot field goal that could win the game, .. the division .. or the championship? As noted on this website's front page, Baker couldn't kick himself in his ass if he tried. Fortunately he didn't cost us the game. We had versatile Thomas Haskins in the backfield running and catching the ball all day long. He played dodge'n'run with the Renegade defense and showed us some moves that may have even brought bright smiles to the face of Keith Stokes. Thomas has done more for this team in recent games than has been expected. He has stepped and replaced three running backs as well as becoming a lethal open field receiver. Our Section W root'n'toot salute goes to good ol' number 4.

October 20, 2002 vs. Hamilton

There has been a spell cast upon us. A hex. A voodoo chant. Because other than that, I cannot explain why we lose to the Hamilton Tiger Cats. One week we pistol-whip the best from the west, the next we're struggling to keep up with one of the sisters of the east. Inexcusable. When will it suddenly dawn on this team that every game is important and that no opponent can be taken lightly. Especially Hamilton, which has a history of pulling up the upset victory. These Cats need to be buried with a stake in their heart. I have an eerie feeling that they may even re-surface for the big dance in the Big Owe. Then what? The spell has already been cast. Give the Tigers credit. They made some tremendous special teams play, and their coaching staff kept their team focused on the win. The Alouettes played with the sense of wanting to win, but perhaps with a degree of hesitation. Don't get injured, don't reveal too much playbook, compete to win yes, wage war and die for the points … perhaps no. Cavillo played a steady game passing for over 300 yards and surpassing Sonny Wade on the all-time Alouette pass completion charts. A great play by Alouette special teams in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter made this game as close as the score indicated. A tremendous blocked punt by Sylvain Girard and subsequently scooped up by the speedy special teams tackle leader Stephane Fortin and run into the end zone for the major score. But not enough time remained on the clock to allow Terry Baker onto the field for a last gasp tying field goal attempt. The Section W 'toot toot' salute goes to defensive tackle Adriano Belli. He played a swarming defense gobbling up RB Davis everywhere he could find him. His biggest play of courage in this game must have been when he was relieved for a play and came back to the bench and laid a big, wet kiss on the cheek of Coach Matthews. Holy Hanna - Talk about guts!

October 14, 2002 @ Edmonton

This was the most enjoyable game to watch this season. And it was the in the comfort of fellow Section W'ers on the couch. The showdown was set for the big boys of each division to face off for what many determine as a possible Grey Cup encounter. All year long we have heard both coach Matthews and QB Anthony Cavillo talk about how they think the team still has more to show, how it still has not met its full potential. Today the Alouettes showed just how dominant they could be on both sides of the scrimmage line. This game saw Cavillo as the on field leader that we knew he could be. Waiting in the wings learning from Tracy Ham has done wonders in his game maturity. Cavillo threw everything and everybody at the Eskimos. Everyone from a sparsely used Lawrence Phillips to stalwart Ben Cahoon, to shuttle player Sylvain Girard seemed to find themselves in the playbook. The Eskimos to their credit countered Alouette scoring seemingly at will until the Alouette defense soldiered up in the second half and allowed only nine points. Led by Kevin Johnson, the Als defense was superb in rushing Maas and keeping running back Avery bottled up. It was the incredible offensive dynamic that Cavillo and the coaching staff threw at Edmonton. Everything to faked field goals to a beautiful option pass by Copeland for a touchdown. The playbook was opened and the dust blown off. Their execution literally executed the Eskimos. The Section W player of the game tribute goes to QB Anthony Cavillo for his tremendous effort on this day. Bravo Tony! ! !

September 29, 2002 vs. Toronto

An absolutely amazing evening at Percival Molson Stadium. Hands clapped heartily as the crowd of 20,002 were able to embrace their heroes of the past with their heores of today. A pre-game celebration took place that honored the 1977 Montreal Alouette team. They were the last team to win a Grey Cup for Montreal. Taking to the field was Carl Crenell, Peter Dalla Riva, Gordon Judges and coach Marv Levy just to mention a few. What a great team they were. And what a great team that team got to watch. Because taking the field minutes later was Anthony Cavillo and friends. Poised and steadied, Cavillo decimated the visiting Toronto Argonauts. The hapless Argos could only watch with bewilderment as the Als offense threw two unexpected weapons at them. An eager Jermaine Copeland returned from his spell in the NFL as wide receiver and a totally motivated Thomas Haskins took over the position of running back from his usual post as slotback. The Als offense steamrolled the opposition to a final score of 38 - 3. The Als defense smothered Argo QB Ballard and limited them to a mere 10 first downs for the whole game. Overall, this was the kind of alley beating we had to inflict on someone, to not only regain our own sense of confidence but to send a message to the rest of the league that yes indeed we can deliver the weaponry. Our Section W root 'n' toot salute goes to Thomas Haskins. He blossomed with the added responsibility of replacing an injured Phillips and registered 146 all-purpose yards. We can only hope that maybe twenty-five years from now we will be able to see this team saluted as a Grey Cup champion as well.

September 20, 2002 @ Winnipeg

It was to be their second straight loss. And suddenly something is beginning to smell very familiar. Lets take a note. The game in BC was a kick in the teeth. We were lucky that we went up against and ailing and uninspired Green Rider team. We get caught sleepwalking against the Tiger Cats in Montreal only to suddenly realize that our feet are poised over a multi-level ledge. We get robbed and hexed on the return Tiger Cat match in Hamilton and now we have to face our bitter rivals, the Blue Bombers. We lose because of over-coaching. Cavillo is steady, but is still suffering through a hamstring problem. He continues to overthrow open receivers while his counterpart Khari Jones plays a game of pitch and catch with his favorite receiver Milt Stegall. The defense is still the core reason for our success and they keep pressure on the Blue Bomber offense. We actually manage to get ourselves downfield and into scoring position for a second down attempt to get into the end zone. Matthews decides to remove Cavillo and sends in Bolden to attempt a tricky option toss to fourth-string running back Ryan Terry. The pitch is off, the ball is dropped and everyone is left second-guessing this crucial screw-up. It is these kinds of plays which has derailed our drive for the Cup in the past and almost immediately things begin to take on the odor of 2001. This would be the cruelest of all jokes. The Section W player of the game nod goes to William Loftus whose hard hitting and interception helped strengthen the defense. Thumbs Up William!

September 15, 2002 @ Hamilton

Wake Up! Wake Up! This one was ugly. Again the Als explode in the first half. Cavillo shows tremendous poise in moving the ball along the ground and in the air. The Als look strong. Woodcock and Haskins have caught a TD pass each. Baker missed two field goals but that's okay. We still have a second half and Terry always comes through. Yuck Despite an absolutely heroic effort by the defense to try and keep the boat afloat the Alouette offense stumbles and staggers. Baker can't hit the side of a barn with a beach ball. The Als plug on through the fourth quarter and with a fumble recovery, they put Terry well within range to pull off a last second game-winning field goal. Almost reminiscent of the one Ozzy used to do to us year after year. Yet the voodoo ghosts of Alouette-TigerCat games in the past plague us even today. There is a spell in Ivor Wynne stadium. What would normally be a chip shot kick for Baker instead is a flailing duck sailing wide of the uprights. We gotta go into overtime. Hamilton scores a major on their first series and Lawrence Phillips drops a sure fire third down touchdown pass in reply. Game over and again we have managed to lose the game. The Section W 'toot-toot' goes Ben Cahoon for providing some of the most electrifying catches we've seen in a long time. Atta-boy Ben!

September 8, 2002 vs. Hamilton

Typical of a CFL game, when you should remember to never leave the game until it's over. The Als looked strong throughout the first half, rolling over the Ti-Cats with Lawrence Phillips running into the end zone twice. At half-time, with the score 27 - 7 in favor of Montreal, I think that not only the sell-out crowd of 20,002 but the Als coaching staff and players believed this game was over. The third quarter began with Hamilton methodically moving the ball downfield. Osbaldiston kicks a few three pointers, the Tigers scoring majors while the Alouettes slept on the sidelines. McManus connected to Miles, and then Hamilton special teams blocked a Terry Baker punt attempt and romped into the end zone. Coach Matthews had already in panic, reversed his decision of putting Bolden in the game, but the Alouettes had lost all of their prime. The pump was dry. The day was saved by a last second defensive stand. With the Tiger Cats in the end zone, the defense broke through the line and tackled Davis behind the line to close the game. Our Section W toot of the horn goes to Barron Miles for his two interceptions and fortitude to hold down the Tiger Cat attack. Good Job Barron!

August 25, 2002 @ Saskatchewan

On the heels of their only loss to date against the Lions last week, the Alouettes were promising a much better performance and testifying that they will never lose two games in a row. The final result of this match proved this to be true but it was a labor of love watching our Als struggle against the Riders. It appeared at times that neither team was too interested in taking the game to a higher level as we sat back and watched two starting quarterbacks limp around on hamstring pulled legs all day long. It was just awful to see both quarterbacks Cavillo and Greene struggle to be able to balance a proper throw, or engineer a scramble. If it wasn't for the Riders lackluster effort, this might have become another loss for our Als. Our player of the game "toot toot" goes to Alouette running back Lawrence Phillips. Despite being unapologetic or explaining his disappearance, he was able get back with the team in Regina, suit up, take the barbs from the crowd and the extra shots by a taunting Rider defense and still compile a rushing tally of 118 yards on 20 carries. He was put in the position to carry the mail and Phillips delivered, including a nice 51-yard romp through the Green Rider defense into the end zone. Larry , keep the helmet on once you've scored, .. No one wants to really see your scowling face……. And thanks for showing up.

August 21, 2002 @ B.C.

"Remember when you go out to a gunfight," said Bill McCoy, "to take your pistol out of your holster or you might just shoot your damn foot off " And such was the case on this much-anticipated match with the Lions at BC Place. All week long the controversy surrounded the Lawrence Phillips disappearing act. Sports hotlines heated up with fans across the country, stunned in disbelief about another selfish tantrum by the troubled yet talented running back, called for his head on a platter and a one-way ticket back to Palooka Ville. Fact was, there were never any facts. No one could speak for him and he wasn't talking to anyone. The team arrived in BC amidst controversy surrounding more political shenanigans and the Alouette brass quickly established its tactics of media spin management. Minus its lone star running back. Finally when the game got to be played nothing really mattered but to sit back and watch veteran quarterback Damon Allen surgically pick apart the Alouette secondary. It was Alouette screwups time and time again with costly interceptions and fumbles at all the wrong times. Allen teamed up with receiver Alfred Jackson and scorched Wayne Shaw all night long. When the shoot-out was finally over, the Lions handed the Als their first loss of the season. A loss that could have been easily avoided if they hadn't given up the ball so often and missed so many key defensive assignments. The Section W player of the game nod goes to Ryan Terry. Playing under the heat of the Phillips sideshow, Terry stepped in and played an outstanding role as both a running back and kickoff return man. He played with inspiration and energy in trying to set the tone and create confidence for his teammates. Great Job Ryan.

August 15, 2002 vs. Calgary

One word .. Electrifying ! It was an electrifying night. With humid temperatures hitting over 30 Celsius, our Montreal Alouettes extended their undefeated streak by coming from behind in the second half to beat the Calgary Stampeders. It was a fistfight. It was a battle that pitted two teams that were equally prepared to throw the knockout blow. Stamps QB Marcus Crandall kept a balanced attack going in the first half using Kelvin Anderson to run the ball and Johnson to catch the ball. In fact, the Stampeders left the first half leading the Als by a couple of points. But what has become script-like in nature, the Alouettes exploded in the second half with an electrifying TD toss to Pat Woodcock who scampered downfield for the big score. Barron Miles played a great defensive game with a blocked punt and excellent downfield coverage almost picking off a pass. W'ers may have been giving it to Wayne Shaw for missing a few key tackles, but Shaw made up for it with an interception for a touchdown. Stokes made his presence known with a razzle-dazzle run to the end zone that solidified the win. This was a game that was made up of some electrifying big plays both on defense and offense. But our Section W 'Toot Toot' salute goes to Als quarterback Anthony Cavillo. He stood solid ground and made some great passes. He bolted for open field whenever he needed to. He escaped the pocket and scrambled to make play after play. His leadership on the field made all the individual big plays possible. He was an absolute joy to watch on this night. And we hope, many more nights to come. A Cavalier performance Cavillo! Ed. Note: The whole team is on fire, but the names Stokes, Calvillo, Miles and Woodcock are certainly coming up alot, eh? Bravo Boys on surpassing the '77 Grey Cup-winning team's record of 7 straight victories to open a season. Next the CFL record? Stay tuned....

Aug 8, 2002 @ Ottawa

2 busloads of ardent Montreal Alouette fans making a team sponsored trek to the nation's capital were not disappointed as their team stormed back in the second half to keep the winning streak alive. As witnessed on the television and in person, CFL football is alive and kicking in Ottawa as Frank Clair Stadium came within hundreds of having a complete sell-out. And judging by the deadlocked score for much of the first half, our Alouettes were going to have a battle on their hands. Until Cavillo was able to lay one into the hands of Ben Cahoon as time ticked off the first half clock, neither team showed anything offensively. Thankfully it was the Alouette defense which played a major role in this game by delivering the jarring hits, scooping up the fumbles and intercepting Dan Crowley passes. Linebacker Stefan Reid and Lineman Robert Brown harassed and hit Renegade ball carriers all night. But it was defensive back Barron Miles whose work onfield played great importance in getting the Alouette team moving the other direction. His blocked field goal attempt in the 2nd quarter led the Alouette march downfield and the big score for Cahoon. He also picked off a Renegade pass deep in Montreal territory in the third quarter and scooped up a loose fumble in the first half. The most incredible play was the 95-yard launch and run combination between Anthony Cavillo and Ottawa-native Pat Woodcock for a crucial touchdown. Like a hare let loose to keep ahead of the dogs, Pat ran and ran until he finally gassed-out over the goaline. Whew! We couldn't have screamed any louder from Section H in the North side stands! Our Section W 'toot toot' salute goes out to one of our favorite Alouette Aerial Gladiators - Barron Miles for his ball-hawking job on the Renegades. Bravo Barron!

Aug 2, 2002 vs. Edmonton

"Oh yes they call him The Streak Yahoo! Look at him, Look at him The fastest thing on two feet " -- Ray Stevens from The Streak Blink, but don't blink more than once. Don't be caught looking the wrong way when a kickoff or punt is sailing downfield to the Alouettes special teams. You just might miss one of the most exciting plays of the game. The Alouettes turned in a great performance Friday evening when they faced up againgst the Best of the West. It was a game that was plagued with flags. There never seemed to be a good flow of series as play after play got whistled down with infractions. A hard-hitting game that took its toll on both teams. Injures pulled out RB's Pringle and Phillips while Eskimos Brady, Davis and Coleman were felled. The Edmonton Eskimos came to town with their new ball-slinger Rickey Ray at the helm, and where both teams seemed to face off equally on offense and defense, it was Montreal special teams, which delivered the knockout blow. "It was a very successful special team's night, said coach Don Matthews, besides the two touchdowns and the long return, we blocked a punt and faked a field goal." It was the zig-zagging; turf burning, gear-shifting Keith Stokes who electrified the stadium and the home team bench with two punt returns into the Eskimo end zone for major scores. This guy gave us an absolutely bug-eyed, jaw-dropping performance tonight escaping certain collisions by following key blocks and accelerating through open seams. Keith has Steel Wheels. He equaled a CFL record by returning two punts for touchdowns in the same game, and established an Alouette team record for yardage on punt returns with 224 on 4 catches. This record put him ahead of the Ordinary Superstar, Johnny Rogers. High Fives also go out to WR Corey Grant for snaring 6 balls for over 100 yards and CB Wayne Shaw for some good defensive work in the deep zone. But the Section W "toot toot" salute goes to The Streak - Keith Stokes. Keep it Up Keith! Thumbs-Up: Section W received a special visit this week. Total-CFLers Eskinator and True 42 from Edmonton Alberta attended the game. They seemed to really enjoy the Section W, Percival Molson Stadium experience. [photos]

July 27, 2002 vs. Winnipeg

How much wood could a woodcock -- Aw never mind. Alouette wide receiver Pat Woodcock stepped up front and center on this much-anticipated game against our bitter rivals to the glee of another packed house of 20,000 cheering fans at Percival Molson Stadium. Quarterback Anthony Cavillo kept Pat's mitts full -- throwing to him eight times, twice converting catches of 23 yards and 28 yards into touchdowns -- the first touchdowns this year for Woodcock. His play until then was still tentative. We felt that Pat seemed to still be trying to find his groove on the field, completing some passes, yet dropping some obvious throws that had some wondering if he was going to be a re-incarnate of Chris Armstrong. However on this day that spelled W - A - R, Woodcock hung on two great receptions for TD's including a beauty in the second quarter. "Those are the plays you dream for, those highlight-reel catches," Woodcock said. "You've just got to lay out and make the big play, that's what you grow up wanting to do." But the game was not without a gallery of heroes and also-mentions. The Alouette defense as a whole played like vicious dogs throughout the game, with an intensity that bordered on crazed. Bomber QB Khari Jones ran for his life on more occasions than he ran for offensive yardage. Terry Baker was hoofing aerial bombs off his punting toe. Tommy Haskins pulled off a stunning TD catch in the first quarter somehow holding onto a 34-yard pass from Cavillo while wearing a Bomber jacket. And Iron Mike Pringle saw the ball this game replacing injured Lawrence Phillips. Mike focused on running through a few Bomber helmets this night, carrying the ball 14 times for 87 yards. The Section W chorus of "Pringle the Ball Carrier" rang out with tremendous emotion. A great game all around for the Als and our player of the game nod goes to Pat Woodcock for his big effort. Way-to-Go Woody! Note: To Bomber Kicker Troy Westwood. A nice big cotton hankie. "There,There Troy dear, stop your sobbing"

July 18, 2002 @ Calgary

Remember folks as we left off talking about the Alouettes and the effect Anthony Cavillo has had on the offense. On this warm night in Calgary, sitting comfortably on the couch, we had a chance to watch the offense purr along down the field. Everything seemed to execute exactly as the chalkboard predicted. Opening up with a surprise downfield toss to Bruno Heppell, the Alouettes showed no hesitation in moving the ball. Throughout the entire game we got to see the Als showcase their catalogue of offensive options. Phillips pulls out with a banged up elbow after collecting 78 yards on 7 carries. No problem. Put in Iron Mike. Pringle, a former Baltimore Stallion was chomping on his bit to get some game action and carried the ball 12 times for 88 yards. Want to go to the air? Cavillo threw strikes to everyone - Grant, Woodcock, Haskins .. even almost forgotten Sylvain Girard got in some action trapping a throw and taking it to the end zone. Alouette defense just bottled up the line. Anderson went nowhere and Crandall seemed to never get unglued. From the outset, it appeared Stamps coach Wally Bruno was going to be pacing the paint all night long. Our player of the game nod goes to rookie import from East Carolina College, Keith Stokes. We saw it in preseason play. We have seen it sparingly in this new season. But on this night we saw Keith grab a punt in the second quarter, drop the clutch and accelerate at dangerous speeds around hapless Stamps defenders for 88 yards into the end zone. So exciting was this run that it seemed to break the Calgarian's back and fuel the Alouette engine. Not only that but he caught a Cavillo pass for an 8 yard TD in the first quarter. He dismantled the defending Grey Cup Champions and helped pave the road to victory. Stoke the Fire Keith!

July 11, 2002 vs. Saskatchewan

It used to be that when the Green Riders came into town it was going to be an old fashioned whupping, with offensive totals that were going to register "Extra Ball .. Extra Ball" all evening. Those days are over. Coach Danny Barrett has found the quarterback that can play. With the addition of Nealon Green to the Saskatchewan line-up, Green offers a quick thinking spontaneous attack that can erupt in the air or on the ground. Take note. This guy can wheel'n'deal. Alouette defenders were well aware of this and fully aware that the Riders were riding an impressive start to this years' campaign. A lot of attention was given to Green but how about this guy Szorka? He hits the holes hard and gathered yardage on our defensive line. Again the Alouette offense was taken to task. We have been waiting for the big point run, but instead maybe what we are seeing is something better. Steady ball control. This newfound maturity with the ball comes from Anthony Cavillo. He is showing a tremendous amount of on field leadership that the rest of the offense is pumped and ready on his command. When he steps back into the pocket, there is a feeling that he will make the completion - not the interception. When he steps back into the pocket there is now the feeling that he can run. No longer the lead-footed statue of yesterday, Cavillo can scamper and dodge for a first down. Tonight he ran seven times for 58 yards and a beautiful end zone score that capped a field long drive. Tommy Haskins and Lawrence Phillips proved to be the weapons of choice with over 100 yard games respectively, but it begins with Anthony. Atta-Boy Tony!

July 3, 2002 @ Toronto

Its not as though we expected to steamroll the Argonauts into a pancake, but there seemed to be a certain feeling about meeting Toronto at Skydome that our highly touted offense would light up the board with scoring. That certainly wasn't the case as the Als won this one 28-12 on the strength of its defense. The Argo defense has beefed up with the addition of Joe Montford and showed a lot of strength on their defensive line. However the majority of the scoring came from opportunities that were given to us by the defense. Toronto had 4 fumbles, losing 2 and those loses were at crucial times and positions on the field. The Argo offense took the field with starting quarterback Stanley Jackson at the helm. Action Jackson. Remember him? Take nothing away from Stanley who has worked hard and is deserving of this opportunity to take the reins of a team, but the poor sod gets hammered by Philion on the first play and seems now to be out for the majority of the season. In comes the rookie Bishop who shows moments of flash but lets face it -- it take experience to excel at the quarterback position in this league and Bishop was in there taking his first series. Cavillo was particularly strong, going to his favorite target Ben Cahoooooon. Ben was leaping and galloping around the field for a 53-yard touchdown and making the plays necessary to keep the offense moving. Good Job Ben! Honorable Mention: As mentioned in our early scouting reports watch this guy Marc Megna. Our rookie defensive rush end from Richmond University was scooping up fumbles all over the field and putting the chase on Bishop all night. Not overly huge but extremely quick, maybe Marc will be providing the Swiftness that Birch never had.

June 25, 2002 vs. BC

It seems as though the only thing on the tips of the tongues of fans that assembled at Percival Molson stadium for the 2002 season home opener was, "Who is this Phillips guy and is Pringle really starting the season on the bench?" I must admit that many people were distracted by the presence of Mike Pringle pacing or sitting solitary on the sidelines while the Alouette offense took the field. However, what was happening on the field was encouraging to see. Kickoff return specialist Keith Stokes has really got the wheels to bring back those balls up field. Marc Megna was our surprise eye catcher at training camp in St. Jean. Extremely quick feet, Marc was in constant pursuit of Lions veteran quarterback Damon Allen. Then of course there is Lawrence Phillips. Despite the controversial stories that the media enjoy re-hashing, Phillips has all-pro talent. He is quick and explosive. His appearance on the field drew occasional braying from fans who wanted to see their favorite running back Iron Mike Pringle take the field, but Phillips surprised onlookers with his deftness and agility. The Alouettes stayed in front of the Lions for the entire first half and then pulled away from them when the offense started to gel. Player of the game honors go to place kicker Terry Baker. Despite getting burnt for a missed field goal that was returned for a touchdown, Baker stuck his neck out twice in key moments in the first half to try and get the offense moving. He once faked and ran for a first down and once threw a beautiful pass for another first down. Two field goals helped give the Als the 27-20 win over the Lions on this day. Bravo Baker!

June 20, 2002 @ Ottawa (Pre-Season)

What an incredible spring training. Never have I seen so many changes in the starting team lineup. Retired are stalwarts Climie and Vercheval. Lost in the draft are Wiltshire and Grace. Veterans being released or exposed in waiver releases. Slight of hand movements. Smoke and Mirrors. What the heck is going on? Matthews has wrestled control from whoever shared it previously and is calling it his own. See ya later Glen Young, Ciao Steve Charbonneau, .. Take the bench Mike Pringle. This opening pre-season game at home had me digging at my program to try and decipher the new names. Some of these names were players that caught my notice in spring training. The game was an exercise in player movement. Lots of positional sampling. It was our first looks at the backup quarterbacks and first sampling of this guy called Phillips. If anything was truly evident it was the fact that the team's offensive scheme responds with Cavillo. He truly ignited the offense when he took to the field in the second quarter to get the Alouettes unglued. A lot of shiny faces but our player of the game salute goes to quarterback Anthony Cavillo.