Morgan, Alouettes 'fired up' for Week 14 clash with Tiger-Cats

It's shocking how much can change in six weeks, especially in pro football.

Back in Week 8, the Montreal Alouettes were sitting where they usually have in the standings over the past couple of seasons – atop the East Division with a 5-2 record.

Fast forward to where we are now, in Week 14, and the season outlook for Quebec's team is completely different.

As each week passed, the injury report grew longer and longer, especially at the quarterback position. 

First, starter Davis Alexander hit the six-game injured list after battling through a hamstring injury to start the season. Then, backup McLeod Bethel-Thompson joined Alexander on the six-game with an elbow injury, all before third-string Caleb Evans suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the year.
 
If you thought that was bad, Montreal also lost three former East All-CFL nominees in defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson, defensive back Marc-Antoine Dequoy, and wide receiver Austin Mack, as well as former Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian Tyson Philpot. 
 
All of this compounded into a winless August as Montreal enters Saturday's contest against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on a four-game losing streak. The last month of summer wasn’t pretty for the Alouettes, as they were outscored 119-59, tanking their record to below .500 in the process. 

The good news? By the time their Week 14 matchup rolls around, the Als will have had 16 days off in between games, and it's already paying dividends on the injury front. 

All four of those impact players have returned to practice fully and will presumably be able to help support 28-year-old James Morgan, the fourth-string quarterback who has been thrust into the starting role. 

The former fourth-round NFL draft pick is in line to make his second career start north of the border, after making his first back in Week 12 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The break, while allowing Montreal to get healthy, has also given Morgan more time to get more comfortable in Montreal's offence. 
 
"It's definitely different when you get more than one day of practice, in terms of game plan, getting the reps, going over the looks, over and over again," Morgan told reporters following Tuesday's practice. "[I'm] thankful for that, just trying to take advantage of every single day and get ready for this week.
 
"Whatever hand I'm dealt I'll take it, I think [the bye] was nice for our team, just getting everybody a little bit of a rest, get everybody healthy, I think everybody is fired up and ready to go."
 
 All the changes to the roster have presented a challenge for Alouettes head coach Jason Maas. However, with the much-needed time off and Morgan getting more experience, the former head coach of the year is expecting the quarterback to be much improved.

"Better execution more than anything, he's going to be more comfortable being in there,” Maas told reporters following Tuesday's practice. “He played against BC with no reps in practice, goes out and plays more than a half of football, [then] gets one practice to prepare and play [Winnipeg]. Now he's going to get three full days, more practice this week than he's gotten at all in our offence.
 
“So, the expectation is he gets more comfortable, executes at a higher level, and just ultimately settles in and plays good football for us. I think you're going to see a more comfortable person back there for sure." 
 
In Morgan’s first start, he completed 18-of-33 passes (54.5 per cent) for 198 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Despite the stat line and the loss to Winnipeg, Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia saw some positives in the Green Bay, Wisc., native’s performance.
 
"I thought he competed, he knew where to go with the ball. For the most part I thought he was productive, I think there's a couple of throws he would like to have back. Now he'll have an opportunity to work with the ones all week and not just one or two practices,” Maciocia said on Melnick in the Afternoon on Montreal 690.
 
“He's a student of the game, he spends a ton of time, as much as any coach that we have in the building here watching film, so we know that mentally he'll be ready to perform and compete on Saturday afternoon." 
 
The 6-foot-4, 229-pound pivot was able to learn from his lone start, and will try to apply those lessons the next time he steps on the field.
 
"I think the biggest thing for me is just consistency, just trying to be consistent as possible, I think that's the sign of a good quarterback," said Morgan. “You look at a guy like Anthony Calvillo, in his demeanour and his mentality, I'm just trying to replicate that. That's my biggest takeaway that I'm going to try and implement going forward." 
 
Despite all the losing and injuries that came with August, September brings new hope. 
 
The Alouettes have a chance to regain first place in the East Division with a win over the Tiger-Cats, who come in on a three-game skid themselves. 
 
It’s arguably the perfect game for Morgan and the Alouettes offence, as Hamilton’s defence has been far from elite. Over the last three games, the Tiger-Cats are allowing 35 points per game, one point shy for the most allowed over that span (BC Lions).
 
With the time off, the injury report shrinking, and being matched up with a struggling opponent, it’s a prime opportunity for Montreal to get its 2025 season back on track.