Alouettes' playoff implosion still stings for defence coach Thorpe

"You need to get timely stops and get your offence back on the field," Montreal defensive coordinator says about loss in CFL Eastern final.

Noel Thorpe said it will take him until next season to get over the Alouettes’ defensive implosion against Toronto in last month’s CFL East Division final.

What remains to be determined is what post Thorpe will hold at that time and whether he’ll still be with the organization.

“There are things you always make sure you carry with you,” Thorpe, the Als’ defensive coordinator, recently told the Montreal Gazette from his winter home in Edmonton. “You give it 24-48 hours to flush, but there’s always things you’re going to learn and grow from, look to get better at. You carry wins and losses with you the same, look for ways you can improve and build on the things you did well.”

Defensively, the Alouettes did little well in their 34-27 loss at Toronto on Nov. 13. The Argonauts, who upset Winnipeg in the Grey Cup the following week, scored four touchdowns, had 25 first downs and punted only twice. The Als mounted a valiant offensive effort while trying to overcome a 21-3 deficit, but the Argos always had an offensive answer each time Montreal crept within striking distance.

“They got the ball into the hands of some skilled players, and those guys made plays,” said Thorpe. “Toronto made plays when they had to — some explosive plays. That was one of the things that made a difference. We had opportunities to get off the field.”

Twice during the third quarter, Montreal narrowed the deficit to three points, but the Argos answered with scoring drives of their own — a field goal followed by a touchdown.

“The offence was battling to keep us in it and we were battling on the defensive side of the ball,” Thorpe said. “You need to get timely stops and get your offence back on the field.”

Thorpe, a 52-year-old Vancouver native, has spent 20 years in the CFL — most of them with or under Danny Maciocia, the Als’ general manager and interim head coach, who has said he has no desire to return to the sideline next season. When Maciocia fired head coach Khari Jones and defensive coordinator Barron Miles in July, he immediately reached out to Thorpe, who was unemployed at the time.

The Als’ defence improved somewhat under Thorpe, but the personnel changed as well. The defence was impeccable against Hamilton in the division semifinal, limiting the Tiger-Cats to one touchdown and producing six sacks, but struggled against Toronto.

Maciocia said four serious head coaching candidates are on his radar, and would prefer to promote from within, when he and president Mario Cecchini met the media on Nov. 22.

“After the Hamilton game, you would have made the argument that Noel Thorpe should be our head coach,” Maciocia said at that time. “After the Toronto game, you’d probably discourage him. If you do this long enough, you’re going to have games like that. Some of it falls on the shoulders of the coach. Some on the shoulders of the players and the organization.

“Regardless of who the next coach is, he’s lost some games. You have to look at the body of work over the course of time. That’s how you evaluate coaching.”

After the division final, linebacker Adarius Pickett said there were communication issues during the game and defensive calls were being relayed too late to the players. However, a defensive coordinator needs to see the offensive formation before making adjustments.

“If a player needs a call sooner to execute his job, I’ll get it in sooner,” Thorpe said. “If a player needs something, my job as a coach is to provide it to him.”

It’s believed none of the Als’ assistant coaches is under contract next season.

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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