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Cahoon looks for catch in 100th straight game as Alouettes face Lions |
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Written by Bill Beacon, THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Thursday, 28 August 2008 |
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MONTREAL - Consistency has been a mainstay through Ben Cahoon's career in the Canadian Football League and now he has a nice round number to prove it.
Should the 36-year-old slotback make a catch for the Montreal Alouettes in their game against the B.C. Lions on Friday night (TSN, 7:30 p.m. ET), it will give him at least one pass reception in 100 consecutive games.
"I hope it happens because it means that I at least caught a pass and contributed in some form or fashion," Cahoon said Thursday.
It is far from a CFL record. Donald Narcisse caught a pass in 208 straight games for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1987 to 1999.
But it is another feather in the cap for the gritty receiver who has overcome lower than average size and speed to crack the league's top 10 in career receptions (788) and receiving yards (10,725) and set the Alouettes' all-time mark for touchdown catches this year with 57 and counting.
"It just means I've been around a long time," added Cahoon, an Orem, Utah, native who counts as a non-import because his parents are Canadian and he spent his childhood in a string of Alberta towns.
"It means I've been surrounded by phenomenal teammates who have allowed me to get open and do my job. It's a neat little thing, but if we win the game, then I'll be ecstatic. It's an absolutely critical game and at this stage of my career, I've finally realized that wins are more important than individual statistics."
Both teams are charged up for the match, with 5-3 Montreal looking to solidify its hold on first place in the East Division and gain a first win in four tries against a West Division opponent.
The 4-4 Lions, who will have Buck Pierce at quarterback in place of the ailing Jarious Jackson, are looking to climb out of the West Division basement and show they are not a team in decline by putting up a convincing win against a strong opponent.
Cahoon's last game without a catch was on Aug. 15, 2002 against the Calgary Stampeders. The streak nearly ended on Aug. 8, when he had only one catch for four yards in a 39-11 win in Winnipeg.
For the first time since his first of seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2000, there have been games this year in which he has appeared to have become a secondary receiver.
But his 34 catches for 396 yards still puts him a respectable 16th in the league, third on the team behind Kerry Watkins and Avon Cobourne.
Quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who joined the Alouettes at the same time as Cahoon in 1998, says he remains a go-to guy, especially in tight second-down situations.
"It kind of hurt him that he missed most of camp and the first couple of games of the season (with a leg injury)," said Calvillo. "It's no secret that he's not the fastest receiver on our team and we have guys that get open deep.
"His thing is to get open underneath, but there are times we're going to throw downfield. There are plays designed for him. The coaches know he can get open underneath."
Cahoon showed he still has it when he scored on a 22-yard pass-and-run from Calvillo that capped a 32-14 win in Toronto on Aug. 15, when he had six catches for 78 yards.
That gave Montreal three straight wins going into the bye week for all four eastern clubs.
The Alouettes may have preferred to skip the short holiday because their attack was red hot.
Calvillo leads the league with 2,648 passing yards and 20 TD passes, while the team has piled up a CFL-leading 268 points while allowing only 192, second best to Saskatchewan's 190. They'll be up against a Lions' defence likely missing injured veteran defensive back Dante Marsh.
Meanwhile, the Lions have been burned for an average of nearly 35 points and 350 yards of offence in their last four games, in which they went 2-2.
That run started with a 36-34 win over Montreal at B.C. Place on July 25, when the Alouettes wasted a 24-9 third-quarter lead and then let a four-point bulge slip away in the final minutes on a huge Lions' defensive effort and a pair of Paul McCallum field goals.
The Lions have won seven of their last nine games against the Alouettes, although they were beaten 32-14 in Montreal last September.
B.C. started the season with Pierce as its top quarterback, but he hurt a shoulder in the season opener. Jackson started the next seven games, even though Pierce had returned.
Jackson banged his throwing hand on a helmet, dislocating his middle finger, in the third quarter against Calgary last week. Jackson said his hand has recovered, but coach Wally Buono felt more comfortable giving Pierce the start.
"Jarious has handled the week well and the last two days he's felt a lot better, but I think we would be foolish to expose him unless there was no other choice," said Buono. "Buck played quite a bit in the last two weeks.
"I believe he's ready to go. What has occurred has been good for Buck. He has a lot of confidence and I think his shoulder is as good as it's been."
Pierce is a roll-out quarterback who tends to complete more passes than Jackson, who brings a stronger arm and an ability to run the ball for big yardage.
"I've played against both of them and they're both winners, so it doesn't matter who we're facing, we'll have our hands full," said Montreal middle linebacker Reggie Hunt.
Pierce played a lot in the Lions' Grey Cup run two years ago and isn't likely to feel any jitters.
"There's no pressure on me, I've been in this situation before, said Pierce, adding that he's more concerned about getting the team back over .500.
"You're never satisfied with that kind of record. We're a better team than our record shows. We have a lot of talent on both sides of the football. We're just not playing as one right now. That's disappointing."
Receiver Bret Anderson is expected back after missing three games with a hamstring injury. Montreal will have cornerback Mark Estelle and safety Matthieu Proulx back from injury.
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