The Montreal Alouettes didn’t secure a victory with their quarterback switch on Friday night, but head coach Jason Maas saw enough to make the benching of McLeod Bethel-Thompson permanent.
The 37-year-old veteran struggled for the second consecutive week before being pulled in favour of Caleb Evans at halftime. Barring a significant change of heart, his time at the helm is now over.
“Obviously, it wasn’t good enough in the first half, and that’s why we made the move with Caleb in the second half. There’s a good notion that Caleb gonna start our next game,” Maas admitted to the Montreal media post-game. “Just based on those two performances, first half to second half, we moved the ball better, scored more points with him in there. We’ll evaluate the film, but I think Bethel knows, and everybody knows, after that performance, it just wasn’t good enough.”
Playing against an Elks team that traded him away in the offseason, Bethel-Thompson completed 10-of-15 passes for just 79 yards and an interception in the opening 30 minutes. His final throw came deep in Edmonton territory with 24 seconds remaining before the intermission, on a play in which he appeared to get his wires crossed with Charleston Rambo. Rather than hit the receiver breaking deep, the quarterback threw the ball as if he anticipated a curl and granted Tyrell Ford an easy 87-yard pick-six.
“I threw the ball to the other team, and they scored a touchdown. That can’t happen. I can’t throw that ball in that time and that space. I felt like I was good with the ball early, but that’s a decision that can’t be made. It cost the team,” Bethel-Thompson told Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette.
“This team is going through stuff right now, and that’s hard. I’ve got to be better. I can’t hurt the team with that pick-six. That’s potentially a 14-, and for sure 10-point, swing. The game’s over at that point if I don’t make that decision. I feel terrible and it hurts.”
Evans, who has made 15 career CFL starts for Ottawa and Montreal, came off the bench to go 14-of-18 for 113 yards and a touchdown. While it was a good enough performance to win the 27-year-old another opportunity, the Alouettes still fell 23-22 at the hands of the former Grey Cup MVP they traded away to acquire MBT, Cody Fajardo.
That move was made in order to elevate Davis Alexander into the starting job, and he’s delivered when healthy, throwing for 1,106 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions across four victories. However, the budding young pivot is currently on the six-game injured list with a hamstring issue that has plagued him since training camp — his second stint out of the lineup.
The Alouettes have posted a combined 1-4 record without Alexander, with Bethel-Thompson throwing for 957 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions. Maas acknowledged the team’s difficulties without their franchise signal-caller on Friday, but declined to provide a timeline for his return.
“I honestly would hate to even speculate at this point, because once he does come back this time, it’s going to be for good. That’s what our hope is,” Maas said. “Even if it’s close, it’s going to be one of those things where he could maybe play, but we’re going to give it one more week to make sure. We don’t want to lose him again.”
“We’ll always be more than one guy, but obviously that one guy has been very special for us. We still have a lot of games to play without him, and we ought to find ways, and that’s what we’ll do.”
The Montreal Alouettes (5-4) will return to action on Saturday, August 16, when they visit the B.C. Lions (4-5) at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
