“This team needs to improve everywhere. There’s no complacency on our team,” Montreal head coach Jason Maas said.
When a CFL team loses its final game, changes and improvements must be made. Not only on, but off the field as well.
“It starts with the coaches. Evaluate our schemes and look at new things to do. How we coach it, and coach it better so the players we have … we need to be better to support them.”
While the Als don’t require an overhaul and have a solid foundation, they’re not in B.C. defending their Grey Cup title, despite the belief expressed by many players this week they’re the league’s best and most-talented team.
“If we can get luckier on the injury front, have a bit more stability and continuity, I think we’re going to be OK. I think we have some pretty good players here. If we can keep our core and foundation in place … we should be in the thick of it again next year.”
“Our quarterback (Fajardo) did not lose the game last week,” Maciocia said. “We could have won the Grey Cup and we’d be having this conversation next week about the same two players. In my warped mind I saw us winning the Grey Cup, Cody being named MVP again and here we are. Same problem, same issues, same conversation.”
Maciocia denied he already has requested Fajardo to take a pay cut. He also denied Alexander said he would re-sign only if he’s guaranteed to return as the starter.
“I’m not asking anyone to do anything until I figure out what I want to do,” Maciocia said. “If I’m asking (Fajardo) to restructure, my thought process is potentially to keep both. If I’m there, potentially I’ll do it. Davis and I discussed his situation and how he felt about it. He did say he felt he could be a starter in the CFL, yes, but he made no demands.
“This is a nine-team league. Take a look at how many jobs are available and how many quarterbacks are going to be on the market. There’s going to be a couple starting quarterbacks, potentially, that are not going to have a job as a starter.”
Not only is Vernon Adams Jr. likely on his way out of B.C., there are close to a dozen quarterbacks who could become free agents, including Saskatchewan’s Trevor Harris, Ottawa’s Jeremiah Masoli, Edmonton’s McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Calgary’s Jake Maier.