In recent seasons, special teams have been one of the Alouettes' weak points. However, the story has been different since the beginning of this campaign.

• Read also: Intense and physical football with Noel Thorpe

The special teams coordinator, Byron Archambault, is doing an excellent job. We must not forget that he inherited the position only a week before the opening of the camp.

“All the players want to contribute,” explained fullback Alexandre Gagné after practice today. There is a great atmosphere in our unit.

“When guys make a big play, they just want to make more. They want to have an impact. There is a growing realization that special teams can play a big part in team success. »

Since the start of the campaign, Archambault's unit has been the one that has offered the most consistent performance. In particular, we see an evolution in the level of coverage during kicks. The Alouettes make life difficult for returners.

“We changed a few aspects in terms of protection. We really want to have a philosophy to take away as much space as possible from opposing players. What helped us to implement the new system was the fact that we already knew each other pretty well. »

A young coach

At 31, Archambault is considered a young coach. Some of his players are older than him.

"It's special because I played four years at the university level against Byron," Gagné said with a smile. As a coach, he looks like the one I knew as a player.

"He's intense and he wants to be successful. He is willing to put in hours. »

In addition to the excellent coverage of his flock, Archambault can count on a returner who is doing an excellent job in Chandler Worthy.

“I remember a game in Toronto where he dominated us as a receiver,” said GM Danny Maciocia. He has good qualities. When he was released by Toronto, we said to ourselves that we had to do everything to convince him to come to Montreal. »