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Montreal Gazette
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
‘We feel we can overcome any adversity,' defiant Als GM Maciocia says
By And this is why they play the game. The Alouettes went into Calgary last Thursday on a wing and a prayer. They were without starting quarterback Davis Alexander, Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot and returner James Letcher Jr. In the pre-game warm-up, linebacker Najee Murray was scratched with a hamstring injury and they already were missing defensive-tackle Dylan Wynn. But McLeod Bethel-Thompson won his first game as Alexander's replacement, and Jose Maltos kicked three field goals in the fourth quarter — including a career-long 58-yarder with 70 seconds remaining — and the Als prevailed, 23-21. 'We went there and never felt we couldn't win the game, although we knew it wasn't going to be easy,' general manager Danny Maciocia told The Gazette. 'I'll talk about it until I'm blue in the face. Unless you're witnessing it and you're living it first-hand internally, it's hard to explain. There's such a strong bond and belief; the culture internally. We never feel like we're playing short-handed. We feel so strong about the people that are here. We feel we can overcome any adversity. We feel we have the elements in place. 'And,' Maciocia added emphatically, 'we don't give a rat's ass what people think.' While it didn't hurt Montreal's cause when Stampeders starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. suffered an apparent head injury at the end of the third quarter, it didn't appear he would single-handedly win this game. While he completed 15 of 25 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, Adams also missed seven consecutive passes to close out the first half. And the Als went into the intermission nursing a 14-13 lead following Maltos's 36-yard field goal on the final play of the half after trailing 13-3 earlier in the second quarter. 'V.A. is an outstanding quarterback,' Maciocia said of the former Alouette. 'Obviously when he went down — it's no different than when a lot of other starting quarterbacks go down. There's a significant drop-off. With some others, there's a little one. Good teams find a way. Good teams rally around those types of situations. That's what we did.' Making his third start with Montreal, Bethel-Thompson managed the game effectively. He completed 30 of 40 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown while being intercepted once. His longest completion was to seldom-used Régis Cibasu. Instead, it was backup Caleb Evans, off a flea-flicker, who completed a 42-yarder to Tyler Snead. Snead was the Als' leading receiver, with seven catches for 103 yards. 'He made some big throws at the end,' Maciocia said of Bethel-Thompson. 'We converted some second downs, kept them off balance with quick throws and flip screens, and had our run game going. We took a couple of shots downfield. We kept them on their heels, and that's what we wanted.' Maltos is now in his third season with the Als after launching his CFL career with Ottawa. While he became Montreal's starting place-kicking specialist this season, following the retirement of David Côté, the latter missed much of last season with an injury, solidifying Maltos's hold on the position. At 5-foot-9 and 212 pounds, Maltos is hardly a physical specimen. But his right leg is strong. And accurate. He kicked five field goals against Calgary. While the global initiative launched by former CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie compels teams to include at least one such player on its active roster — the Als have two, including Australian punter Joseph Zema — both he and Maltos have justified their participation with the value they bring. No matter how the Als accomplished their result, they got the win and improved their road record to 3-1 and 5-2 overall. It was a character-building win as the team heads into potentially their most difficult stretch of the schedule, with five consecutive games against West Division opponents. Montreal entertains league-leading Saskatchewan (6-1) Saturday night at Molson Stadium. 'That was as big of a character win as you're going to come across,' Maciocia said. Following team meetings on Monday, the Als returned to practice Tuesday at Stade Hébert. Alexander (hamstring), who is on the six-game injured list, and Philpot (knee) didn't participate. Rush-end Shawn Lemon, having served his two-game suspension after being reinstated by the CFL, is eligible to return against the Roughriders. Lincoln Victor, who replaced Letcher against Calgary, has been released. Victor fumbled twice and was replaced late in the game by Snead. Meanwhile, receiver Austin Mack appears to be injured again and wasn't at practice.
Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
'We feel we can overcome any adversity,' defiant Als GM Maciocia says
Article content And this is why they play the game. Article content The Alouettes went into Calgary last Thursday on a wing and a prayer. They were without starting quarterback Davis Alexander, Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot and returner James Letcher Jr. In the pre-game warm-up, linebacker Najee Murray was scratched with a hamstring injury and they already were missing defensive-tackle Dylan Wynn. Article content Article content But McLeod Bethel-Thompson won his first game as Alexander's replacement, and Jose Maltos kicked three field goals in the fourth quarter — including a career-long 58-yarder with 70 seconds remaining — and the Als prevailed, 23-21. Article content Article content 'We went there and never felt we couldn't win the game, although we knew it wasn't going to be easy,' general manager Danny Maciocia told The Gazette. 'I'll talk about it until I'm blue in the face. Unless you're witnessing it and you're living it first-hand internally, it's hard to explain. There's such a strong bond and belief; the culture internally. We never feel like we're playing short-handed. We feel so strong about the people that are here. We feel we can overcome any adversity. We feel we have the elements in place. Article content 'And,' Maciocia added emphatically, 'we don't give a rat's ass what people think.' Article content Article content While it didn't hurt Montreal's cause when Stampeders starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. suffered an apparent head injury at the end of the third quarter, it didn't appear he would single-handedly win this game. While he completed 15 of 25 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, Adams also missed seven consecutive passes to close out the first half. Article content And the Als went into the intermission nursing a 14-13 lead following Maltos's 36-yard field goal on the final play of the half after trailing 13-3 earlier in the second quarter. Article content 'V.A. is an outstanding quarterback,' Maciocia said of the former Alouette. 'Obviously when he went down — it's no different than when a lot of other starting quarterbacks go down. There's a significant drop-off. With some others, there's a little one. Good teams find a way. Good teams rally around those types of situations. That's what we did.'
Montreal Gazette
4 days ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Inside the CFL: Bianca Maciocia following in her dad's footsteps with Alouettes
By They live under the same roof, but there will be no ride-share program on this day to the Alouettes' practice at Stade Hébert. Indeed, Als general manager Danny Maciocia and his daughter Bianca, a football operations assistant intern with the team, only travel together when the team has a home game at Molson Stadium. 'When she's at work she's an employee, she's not my daughter,' he explained. An unpaid employee at that, given her intern status. But at least Maciocia and his wife, Sandra Vaz, allow the eldest of their three daughters to continue living rent-free at home. Bianca has been working under the shadow of her father since February, when she first approached him with the idea. She spent three weeks at the Alouettes' 2023 training camp and spent six summers at the Université de Montréal when her father was the Carabins' head coach. Fluent in four languages (English, French, Italian and Portuguese), Bianca hardly required this abrupt change in career paths. She graduated from Concordia University in 2023 with a degree in human relations and organizational development. She had been accepted into the University of Ottawa to pursue a bachelor's degree in sports management, and was in the early stages of working for Air Canada in its flight operation department out of the airline's St-Laurent headquarters. 'I think I've always looked up to my dad,' she said. 'I've always been in awe of what he does, the industry and the type of job. I want to try to work in the industry and do something in the same field. I see it as an industry where there's a lot of opportunity, and there isn't enough representation among women.' It's difficult to determine when the seeds were first planted, although there's a famous 2005 photo of Maciocia holding his daughter on his shoulder, their arms raised and fists clenched, after Edmonton's head coach at the time led the team to a Grey Cup victory against Montreal. Maciocia has spent three decades in football and got his start in the CFL with the Alouettes in 1996 as a volunteer offensive quality-control coach, where he would break down game film and write reports. So, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And while it's possible Bianca wouldn't be with Montreal except for the direct connection, such hirings aren't unusual in professional football. When Wally Buono was B.C.'s head coach and GM, he hired his daughter, Christie, to work in the front office. Tom Gamble, a senior personnel executive with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, once hired his son to work for him. Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson has his brother, Craig, on his staff as special teams co-ordinator. 'At the end of the day, if you can't take care of your own children, who will?' Maciocia asked rhetorically while admitting he spoke with Buono and Gamble before moving forward. 'If I'm not going to help out my own flesh and blood, who will?' The Alouettes have a history of providing women with significant front-office positions. Catherine Hickman (née Raiche) is the Cleveland Browns' assistant GM. But the former lawyer got her start in Montreal as the team's co-ordinator of football administration before becoming assistant GM under Jim Popp. And, this season, Allyson Sobol was promoted to director of football operations. Bianca reports directly to Sobol and said: 'Maybe I'm just here because I'm his daughter, but I want people to see me as my own person. See what I can bring to the table.' She wears many hats for the Alouettes and has numerous responsibilities. Her tenure began with attending last winter's CFL draft combine in Regina. She was tasked with gathering the players' social insurance numbers and made sure each one has health insurance coverage under the provincial RAMQ program. No task is too big or small. And, to broaden her knowledge, she began taking an online pro scouting course last month. 'I love working with Bianca,' Sobol said. 'She pays a lot of attention to detail. Anything I ask is done without fault. She has been an awesome addition. I'm starting to give her more responsibility.' While both of Bianca's parents supported her decision, Danny also understands he's one of nine CFL GMs and works in a cutthroat business where almost everyone, eventually, will be fired. It's the nature of the industry. 'We had a discussion around the kitchen table (concerning) how she's going to be treated, viewed and looked at,' Danny said. 'She has been nothing short of outstanding. She gets it. She has a feel. She can read the room, read people. I don't think there's going to be too many situations where she's going to get caught off guard. 'But I also told her 'you can do better than this.'' Bianca admitted she walks the fine line between team employee and daughter of the GM, careful never to overstep. While their bond remains strong, there are things that are discussed at Olympic Stadium, while other matters are broached around the dinner table. She inherited her drive, passion — and stubbornness — from her father. While it's far too early in this journey to determine where her career path will lead, Bianca's immediate mandate, provided she returns to the organization next season, is to get on the non-player salary cap. 'I don't know if I tell the general manager,' she said. 'I probably tell my dad. That's one of those conversations you have at home, not the office.'
Montreal Gazette
6 days ago
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Zurkowsky: Jose Maltos caps Alouettes' rally with 57-yard field goal
Perhaps it was the fact most everyone believed the Alouettes couldn't win without quarterback Davis Alexander that motivated the visitors. After all, it's amazing what a team can accomplish when it's backed against the wall. Perhaps it was the fact Calgary suffered one too many injuries on this night. After losing receiver Damien Alford, a Montreal native and the first overall draft choice this year, and cornerback Adrian Greene, the biggest blow occurred on the final play of the third quarter, when starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. — a former Alouette — appeared to suffer a head injury as he was sandwiched between linebackers Tyrice Beverette and Darnell Sankey after a seven-yard gain. Adams didn't return for the final quarter and was replaced by P.J. Walker, a 30-year-old veteran who played for five NFL teams and had a 5-4 record over 21 games. But Walker was making his CFL debut against what's considered one of the league's stingiest defences — and the result was predictable. One week after overcoming an 18-point deficit at home against Toronto, the Als erased an eight-point deficit on the road at Calgary, scoring nine unanswered points in the fourth quarter for an improbable 23-21 victory before 19,863 fans at McMahon Stadium Thursday night. Global kicker Jose Maltos provided the margin of victory with three fourth-quarter field goals, including the winner, a career-long 57-yarder with 70 seconds left. The kick was down the middle and probably would have been good from more than 60 yards. His previous longest field goal was 53 yards. Maltos kicked five field goals in the game, including a 10-yard chip shot in the first quarter, when the Als couldn't find the end zone from the Calgary 3. 'It feels good,' Maltos told reporters in Calgary. 'This was an important game. We're happy because we need these kind of wins. Every kick is important to me. If they need me ... I'm going to be there and try to do my best.' The Als are 4-0-1 in their last five games against the Stamps. When the teams played to a 19-19 tie last season in Calgary, Maltos kicked four field goals, including two in overtime. The win moved Montreal (5-2) into first place in the East Division, two points ahead of Hamilton, which plays in B.C. on Sunday night. The Als are heading into the most difficult stretch of their schedule, with five consecutive games against West Division teams, though three are at home. And they will probably be without Alexander for most of that stretch. He was placed on the six-game injured list after re-injuring his left hamstring against the Argonauts. Montreal hadn't won without him this season, but veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson changed that with his first victory in three starts. Bethel-Thompson completed 30 of 40 passes for 280 yards and a second-quarter touchdown to Cole Spieker. While Bethel-Thompson was intercepted by Greene in the opening quarter, he settled down. He released the ball quickly, relied on mostly short passes to various receivers and was sacked only once. While it was far from a perfect performance — especially during the third quarter, when Montreal didn't score and ran only eight offensive plays — his numbers would have been better had several receivers not dropped passes. Bethel-Thompson used seven receivers, but his favourite target was Tyler Snead, who caught seven passes for 103 yards — including a 42-yard flea flicker from backup Caleb Evans. The Als had 22 first downs, 362 yards' net offence, ran 64 plays and controlled the ball for slightly more than 34 minutes. 'It feels great to finally play my role for this team,' Bethel-Thompson said. 'I'm just so grateful to have done my job. That was an unbelievable kick at the end by Jose. 'I'll get better. I'll continue to improve. That's the fun part. I was dialed-in on doing my job and putting the team in position to make the kick. There are things I can get better at. I'm just excited to do my role.' The Als played like a team with a chip on their shoulders after critics said they couldn't win without their franchise quarterback, but Bethel-Thompson, 37, won a Grey Cup with Toronto in 2022. 'You can't buy what we just went through,' Maas told journalists in Calgary. 'It's such an incredible feeling and moment. It's something you'll never forget the rest of your life. 'He (Bethel-Thompson) deserved it. Any time you've been doubted, like he was this week. And the last few weeks, whether we could win with him? That's a hard cross to bear in my opinion when you're a quarterback. You've got to have confidence when everyone's telling you, you can't do it. I thought he played tremendous. I'm very happy for him.' Adams completed 15 of 25 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, while tailback Dedrick Mills gained 78 yards on 14 carries and scored twice. But Walker failed miserably after being inserted, completing only three of seven passes for 20 yards. The Stamps, uncharacteristically, took 11 penalties for 121 yards. This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 8:04 AM.
National Post
7 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Up Close: Meet Roughriders running back A.J. Ouellette
Article content Article content 'I watched a couple games growing up. The (Montreal) Alouettes kind of have that same little 'Ouellette' ending to it. So watched them a little bit. Article content 'My defensive coordinator in college, (Jim) Burrow, played for Montreal. And then I had a couple other coaches that had a couple games up here in the CFL. So I knew of the CFL, I just didn't know who to contact or how to get in. Article content 'And luckily, I got a call mainly because I had a Canadian quarterback (Nathan Rourke) and a Canadian backup running back (Maleek Irons) in college, so they were at most of our games. So, I got some exposure that way.' Article content Did you think you'd be in the CFL this long? Article content 'The first couple (years) you're like, 'Man, I hope I make it back to the NFL.' But I love this league, love the guys here (and) obviously love the fans of Sask. Article content 'I've been very grateful. I had a lot of great things that kind of happened since I've been up here; met some friends I probably would never have met.' Article content 'I just found (a picture) on my phone of me, Andrew (Harris, Saskatchewan's running backs coach) and (Saskatchewan's offensive line coach Edwin Harrison) after we won the Grey Cup with Toronto. Article content 'Coach Ed was the running back coach; Andrew and me were the running backs. And it's us hugging, kissing each other. That's a great memory I have right now. I hope I get a couple more cups.' Article content Article content 'I was better at baseball than football growing up … I don't know how I would be stepping in the batter's box right now, but back in the day (I was OK). Article content 'Started with baseball and T-ball and all of that. And then wrestling. Article content 'Played basketball a little bit, ran track in high school, did some motocross. I raced dirt bikes all the way up until I had to pick between that and football in junior high. So picked football, of course.' Article content Any superstitions? Article content 'They kind of come and go as the years go. The ones in high school were a little different than the ones now. Article content 'In high school, I had to have Subway before every game. Now, home games, it's Booster Juice. Like I don't eat on game day, I have Booster Juice. Article content 'Night before I go to The Keg on home games; get steak and lobster. The night before, I have to have some type of steak, some type of seafood. Article content 'And then my music is kind of set. It's country all day, trying to be chill. And then 30 minutes before is when I switch it over to like a rap/rock/screamo type of thing. Article content 'I put my pads in — left thigh pad, right thigh pad, left knee pad, right knee pad … It's just some weird stuff.' Article content Article content Hidden talent? Article content 'Mario Kart (on Nintendo Switch). I would dominate anyone. I actually went and bought two more controllers because the nephews fly in (this week) and I'm gonna whoop their butt on the projector.' Article content Any other jobs? Article content 'I own a sports performance gym in Ohio. Article content 'When I first started in the CFL in the off-season, I sprayed insulation. So (working on) construction sites when they were redoing barns or houses or whatever.
