“There’s no quit in this team,” GM Danny Maciocia said. “There’s no panic. There are no moments too big for them. It’s not a team that flinches.”
But now the architect of this team has seen the depth he has assembled provide head coach Jason Maas with the necessary options to keep the ball rolling.
And then, during the pre-game warm-up, the team lost placekicker David Côté and long-snapper L-P Bourassa — two Canadians and two special-teams specialists — to injuries. Jose Maltos, a global player, came off the practice roster to replace Côté, making all three of his field-goal attempts, while backup linebacker Alexandre Gagné replaced Bourassa and didn’t miss a snap.
Côté was subsequently placed on the six-game IR. Montreal on Tuesday added kicker Michael Domagala to its practice roster. The three-year veteran has played for Hamilton and Ottawa.
“There was no panic,” Maciocia told The Gazette by telephone. “Everybody understands we’re going to go through stuff. Considering all the stuff we’ve been through, making reference to the ’23 season, there’s nothing that’s too big for these guys right now.”
“There’s no quit in this team,” Maciocia said. “There’s no panic. There are no moments too big for them. It’s not a team that flinches. They’re under control and understand the football situations. They play with awareness. On the sideline there’s no finger-pointing; there never has been. This is as close-knit of a team that I’ve ever been associated with.
“Even at halftime, they walked in (the dressing room) and we were down. We knew they were going to go in, sit down and discuss, make the corrections that needed to be made and were going to come out and play a better second half. That’s what they did.
“Offensively, they didn’t come here to throw the ball downfield,” Maciocia added. “They came here to run the ball, get the ball off quick with perimeter screens and put the ball in the hands of their playmakers. That was a good plan. Moving forward we have to think other teams are going to try to use and take advantage of us.”
Not only are the Als the first CFL team to reach five victories and one of only two undefeated clubs — Saskatchewan, which already has had its first bye week is 4-0 — they’re also riding an incredible 13-game winning streak, including playoffs and the Grey Cup. Montreal hasn’t lost since Sept. 15.
“I’ll never concede a loss in this locker room — ever,” Maas said. “If I ever come in and think we’re going to lose that game, I shouldn’t be here coaching. We take it one week at a time and we expect to win each and every week.
“Did I know 5-0 was going to be difficult? Absolutely. Was this 5-0 extremely hard? Yes. But I believed we were capable of it. And we proved it.”
With their 10th consecutive regular-season win against Calgary, the Als equalled streaks held by Toronto (1977), Calgary (’94-’95) and Hamilton (’72). The Stamps hold the CFL record for the longest overall unbeaten streak, 22 games, dating back to the 1948-49 seasons. That record might never be eclipsed.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Maciocia quipped. “If you were around the building, the players and coaches and in the meetings … we think we can actually do better and be better and maximize our personnel a little bit better. Our competitive juices are always flowing here. That’s how we’re built. It’s a blue-collar mentality.”