Alouettes running back Robert Edwards takes a hand off from quarterback Anthony Calvillo for a touchdown against the Saskatchewan Roughriders during CFL action in Regina on Oct. 13, 2006. (Troy Fleece/Canadian Press)
Montreal Alouettes
Last Updated Tues, 31 Oct 2006 15:25:16 EDT
CBC Sports
The Alouettes looked like world beaters after the first eight weeks of the season. Sporting a perfect 7-0 record, the talk in Montreal consisted of the CFL's first-ever undefeated season. But any discussion of a dominant year was quickly dismissed as the team lost its next six games.
The deteriorating season resulted in head coach Don Matthews, the CFL's all-time leader in career wins, resigning due to health problems on Oct. 4.
The Alouettes rebounded five days later, making general manager Jim Popp's coaching debut a successful one with a convincing 35-8 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The honeymoon wouldn't last long as the Alouettes dropped their next two games, including an embarrassing 30-20 loss on Oct. 21 to the Edmonton Eskimos, who were already eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in 34 years.
Still, the Alouettes rebounded in their first-place showdown with the Toronto Argonauts on the final week of the season, clinching the East with a 24-20 comeback win.
What was masked in the Alouettes' first seven wins was a defence compensating for inconsistent and occasional inept play on the offensive side of the ball.
Quarterback Anthony Calvillo failed to reach the 5,000-yard plateau for the first time in five years — throwing only 20 TDs compared to 15 interceptions — and no receiver found the end zone more than five times. This, from a squad that boasted four receivers with over 1,000 yards receiving last season.
The normally explosive Alouette offence also finished the season ranked fourth in points scored (451), fourth in average points per game (23.5) and fifth in average yards per game (343.3).
| Name | Position | Uniform # |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Karikari | S | 1 |
| Davis Sanchez | DB | 2 |
| Sylvain Girard | WR | 3 |
| Patrick Dorvelus | LB | 4 |
| Éric Lapointe | RB | 5 |
| Avon Cobourne | RB | 6 |
| Joel Wright | DB | 7 |
| Ricky Bell | DB | 7 |
| Lamont Brightful | CB | 8 |
| Anwar Stewart | DE | 9 |
| O'Neill Wilson | WR | 10 |
| Chip Cox | DB | 11 |
| Jesse Palmer | QB | 12 |
| Anthony Calvillo | QB | 13 |
| D'wayne Taylor | LB | 14 |
| Damon Duval | K | 15 |
| Ezra Landry | WR | 16 |
| Nealon Greene | QB | 17 |
| D.D. Acholonu | DE | 17 |
| Marcus Brady | QB | 18 |
| Ryan Folk | LB | 20 |
| Matthieu Proulx | DB | 20 |
| Etienne Boulay | LB | 22 |
| Duane Butler | LB | 25 |
| Thomas Whitfield | DB | 29 |
| Dahrran Diedrick | RB | 30 |
| Jeff Piercy | FB | 34 |
| Mike Vilimek | FB | 35 |
| Timothy Strickland | S | 1 |
| Davis Sanchez | LB | 38 |
| Clint Kent | CB | 41 |
| Robert Edwards | RB | 47 |
| Chris Vrantsis | LB | 52 |
| Uzooma Okeke | T | 53 |
| Ian Allen | T | 55 |
| Scott Flory | G | 57 |
| Luke Fritz | T | 61 |
| Paul Lambert | G | 65 |
| Dave Mudge | T | 67 |
| Bryan Chiu | C | 68 |
| Paul Archer | C | 69 |
| Ed Philion | DT | 75 |
| Adriano Belli | DT | 78 |
| Terrence Edwards | WR | 80 |
| Kerry Watkins | WR | 81 |
| Ben Cahoon | SB | 86 |
| Thyron Anderson | WR | 87 |
| Dave Stala | SB | 88 |
| Shaun Diner | SB | 89 |
| Kai Ellis | LB | 93 |
| Dario Romero | DT | 94 |
| R-Kal Truluck | DE | 98 |
| Jerome Haywood | DT | 99 |