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12 Audibles: On Rakeem Cato's practice meltdown and the Alouettes' issues

andrew bucholtz
12 Audibles: On Rakeem Cato's practice meltdown and the Alouettes' issues

Welcome to another week of 12 Audibles, our regular look at storylines from around the CFL. This time around, we start with a look at a confrontation that happened at the Alouettes' practice Tuesday...

1. We talking about practice? Yes, Allen Iverson, we are, as for at least the second time this year, there's been an absolute disaster at a Montreal Alouettes' practice. Back in early August, a gas leak that relocated and partially cancelled their practice felt like a good metaphor for the Alouettes (2-4 at that point), and it hasn't gotten better.

The Alouettes are now 3-8 on the season, and what happened at Tuesday's practice turned out to be even more explosive; starting quarterback Rakeem Cato got into a verbal and eventually physical confrontation with receivers Kenny Stafford and Duron Carter before being escorted out to the parking lot by teammate John Bowman, special teams coach Kavis Reed and scout Eric Deslauriers. Here's a video of part of the initial confrontation between Cato and Stafford from 98.5 FM's Jeremy Filosa:

And one of Cato being escorted out:

Yes, tempers sometimes flare at practice, which is how Alouettes' DB Jovon Johnson later tried to downplay this, and at least no one here pulled out a shovel.Still, the level this rose to is remarkable, as are the personalities involved. Cato is Montreal's starting quarterback (and even more so following the team's trade of Kevin Glenn to Winnipeg Sunday), while Carter's their top receiver and Stafford is another talented receiver (who's only recently returned from the six-game injured list). The language used here suggests there's more to this than just a short argument, too:

It's clear that there are plenty of tensions between Cato and these two receivers. (Keep in mind that Stafford and Carter are cousins.)  It's also clear that this isn't a particularly good situation. Cato appears to have been the one escalating this confrontation, but Carter has taken plenty of flak for his own behaviour, being dubbed the "Worst. Teammate. Ever." by one former Alouette and arguing with head coach and general manager Jim Popp on the sidelines during Montreal's 38-27 loss to B.C. Friday. It may be notable that...

2. This isn't the first blowup Carter's been involved with. Cato and Carter got into another forceful argument at practice last Monday that caused Glenn and offensive coordinator Anthony Calvillo to step in and intervene, and Justin Dunk's 3 Down Nation piece on Carter last Friday had some illuminating comments about previous dust-ups in Montreal practices, including this passage from former Alouettes' head coach Tom Higgins (who coached Carter in 2014):

Midway through the 2014, during a stretch where Montreal started the season 1-7, Carter ignited an eruption with players and coaches during a meeting with the receivers and quarterbacks. The shouting was so loud, an offensive lineman left his own meeting to try and put a stop to it.

“It could have come to fisticuffs. It was a blow up of disrespect. You don’t talk to coaches or players that way. You don’t be disrespectful. That’s where I ended up stepping in,” then-Alouettes head coach, Tom Higgins says. “You’re dealing with professional athletes and then you’re critiquing professional athletes, and sometimes they take it too harshly. Be a man about it because somebody has to have a final say.”

After the situation was diffused, the offence went out for a walk-through practice and Higgins addressed the Carter argument with the team. He challenged the players to find a way the team could move forward.

“This was a player situation. You can’t be disrespectful to teammates and expect them to be able to play and function together as a team or unit,” Higgins says.

Sources say there was a team vote held on whether or not players wanted Carter on the team.

“Could we trust him? Could we move ahead? Can we go forward? Could we believe in one another? You can only do that so many times,” Higgins says. “And this was one of those times that everybody was able to put it behind them. We’re going to be respectful to teammates and coaches. We’re going to know that in order for us to have success you have to work together as a team.”

Higgins goes on to say Carter "matured a little bit" during his first stint in Montreal, but this is far from the first negative opinion about him, with his former community college quarterback calling him a "cancer" and "the most lazy, whiny and non-work ethic player the NFL has ever seen," with his college stints at Ohio State, Alabama and Florida Atlantic all not ending well, and with the Indianapolis Colts' coaches losing interest in him last year, eventually cutting him despite an incredible start in camp and then opting not to bring him back from the practice roster because they thought others could contribute more on special teams. That doesn't necessarily mean Carter was totally or partially at fault this time around, but his history certainly doesn't help his case. Regardless of who's to blame, though, the situation in Montreal is an utter mess, and there's uncertainty going forward as well thanks to...

3. Jim Popp and Robert Wetenhall: Popp has been the general manager of this franchise since their days as the Baltimore Stallions and has led them to 10 Grey Cup appearances and four victories, but his four stints as head coach in that time have been much less successful. His overall head coaching record with Montreal is 22-35, including a 3-7 mark after taking over for Higgins midseason in 2015 and a 3-8 mark so far this year. That's certainly not all on Popp's coaching, but there are big questions about just how effective he has been on the sidelines, and the apparent growing dysfunction between Cato and Carter certainly doesn't say good things about his management of this team. Popp's moves as GM have come into question, too; in particular, the team has been unable to replace legendary quarterback Anthony Calvillo (now their offensive coordinator) since his injury departure in 2013 and eventual retirement in January 2014, and the variety of guys they've tried (Troy Smith, Jonathan Crompton, Tanner Marsh, Cato and others) have mostly flamed out.

Finding a good CFL quarterback isn't easy, and it's notable that we have seen some promise from Cato despite these blowups.  Popp also has another intriguing prospect riding the bench in Vernon Adams Jr., who he traded a first-round pick for this offseason. However, Popp's coaching and managing both come into question when you consider how long the Alouettes started Kevin Glenn for this season; Glenn may be a decent CFL quarterback at the moment, but he definitely isn't an elite one and definitely wasn't the answer going forward, and while Popp finally traded him to Winnipeg this week, that was after a lot of reps that could have been more profitably been given to a younger quarterback, especially once it became clear Montreal wasn't winning anything this year. Add that one to the uncertainty about Popp's future: Jack Todd called for the Alouettes to part ways with him in The Montreal Gazette this week, and while that might have been heresy during the heights of Montreal's dynasty, there's at the least a case for it now. Popp said last week he doesn't expect to coach the Alouettes in 2017, but he may not be involved as general manager either unless things improve.

There's a whole lot of uncertainty there, though, and part of that is about the organization's own future. Alouettes' owner Wetenhall has insisted that the team's not for sale despite rumours to the contrary, but their declining attendance and off-field struggles have kept those rumours flying. Moreover, while Wetenhall has been very loyal to Popp, the two haven't always seen eye-to-eye; Wetenhall reportedly hired Higgins as head coach instead of going with Popp's wish to coach himself in 2014, which led to a year and a half of tension and uncertainty. Wetenhall's sons Andrew and Bob Jr. have also taken more active roles in the franchise in recent years, and it's unclear how they feel about Popp. In any case, the current state of the Alouettes is problematic on almost every level, and while not all of that can be blamed on Popp, the head coach and general manager has had a lot of influence on how things have gotten the way they are. It would seem likely that at least some significant progress would be needed for Popp to keep the GM role after this year. Another GM under fire is...

4. Jim Barker. The Toronto Argonauts' general manager made a bold move Sunday, trading for Winnipeg backup quarterback Drew Willy and arguably spending more than he did to get the much-more-proven Ricky Ray back in December 2011. That's interesting given Willy's struggles this year (he played quite poorly and led the Bombers to a 1-4 start before losing his job to Matt Nichols), and also given that Ray is only supposed to be out for a few weeks. Barker has said this is to help solidify the Argos' quarterback position going forward, but it's curious that he still made this move after Dan LeFevour played so well Sunday. It's also particularly notable that head coach Scott Milanovich said Monday...

5. LeFevour will still start. LeFevour is going to be starting for the Argonauts when they take on Willy's old team Saturday, and according to Milanovich, that may not be his last start:

"I see Drew as a bona fide starter, an upper-tier starter," Milanovich said. "Now, when or if that will be for us, I don't know."

"Dan played outstanding. I don't think people realize what he did and how difficult that is to do having zero reps going into the week. He keeps playing well and he'll keep getting the ball."

...LeFevour's mobility allowed Toronto to include naked bootlegs, a moving pocket and even the option in its offensive repetoire. Those are all plays the Argos couldn't do with Ray, who's a drop-back passer.

It will be interesting to watch and see if LeFevour plays well this week, and to see how long the leash on him is. It's promising that the Argos are going to still give him a chance despite the acquisition of Willy, but that leash may be shorter than it would have been before this trade. If LeFevour struggles and Willy steps in and shines, Barker looks good. If LeFevour keeps playing well and keeps starting, though, the move to spend so much on Willy may look like a bad one, especially considering...

6. Kevin Glenn. The fascinating third part of this quarterback situation is Glenn, who Montreal sent to Winnipeg for a fourth-round pick Sunday. This is a return to the Bombers for Glenn, who played pretty well there from 2004-2008. It's also one that makes a lot of sense for both sides. It gives Winnipeg (hopefully playoff-bound at 7-4) a proven backup and a decent option if Matt Nichols starts to struggle or go down, but it also let them send Willy off for a substantial return (a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and star defensive back T.J. Heath). A good question is if it might have been better for Toronto to just trade for Glenn instead of Willy, especially at that price.

As for Glenn, this gives him a situation that makes more sense for him than Montreal, where there wasn't much hope for this season and where the Alouettes were better off developing young quarterbacks. It also lets him come back to a city that's meant a lot to him. There was one really touching comment from him Tuesday:

Maslowsky, the long-time Bombers vice president and Manitoba figure, passed away last Sunday just a week after finding out he had cancer. Close to 500 people attended a celebration of his life Thursday. It's cool to see Glenn reference him here, and that helps to illustrate how much of an impact Maslowsky had on the Bombers. As per those Bombers, let's examine...

7. How Winnipeg looks on the field. The Bombers are 7-4, but there are a few areas of concern for them. They narrowly edged Saskatchewan 17-10 in the Banjo Bowl Saturday, and while they've won six games in a row, they haven't been dominant in many of those. The offence in particular still isn't great, as their 276 points for are only fifth in the league. The defence has been quite solid, though, and the 239 points they've allowed are second-best only to Calgary. Still, this week's game against Toronto will be an interesting test for them. The Bombers have been better than the 5-6 Argonauts in almost all respects this year, but the Argos have pulled off some interesting upsets. If Winnipeg is really a good team, they should be able to get this win, especially at home. This one might well be in question, though. Something else that deserves some questions comes from the Bombers' last opponent, the Roughriders, and...

8. Saskatchewan releasing Khalif Mitchell. The Riders' signing of Mitchell despite his anti-Semitic tweets and retweets and the outrage those provoked drew plenty of comment, including discussion here of how the league should never have allowed that to happen. The team quietly released Mitchell Monday, but they cited his on-field shape rather than any questions about his behaviour. That doesn't add up. Here's what Saskatchewan head coach and general manager Chris Jones said Monday:

The announcement came in a press release Monday, where head coach Chris Jones said the decision was mutual.

"After sitting out for over a year we both agreed it would be difficult for Khalif to get physically ready to play in a professional football game at this point in the season," said Jones.

And what Ian Hamilton of The Regina Leader-Post wrote about Mitchell when the team signed him:

He was working on his organic farm near Vancouver when he got a call from Jones. That work has kept Mitchell in shape, which may allow him to play for Saskatchewan on Sunday against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“I’ve got to go through everything and once everything comes up to the game day, Coach Jones will make the proper assessments,” Mitchell said. “I trust whatever assessment he comes up with and then I’m just going to give him the best Khalif that he knows.”

Jones noted the Roughriders will “do our investigation” to see if Mitchell is in shape. He handled himself well in one-on-one drills Wednesday, so he could be activated for Sunday’s contest.

Granted, that's not Jones saying himself that Mitchell was in shape, but it seems highly curious that Mitchell seemed that way to observers and that he performed well in practice, only to be cut for "being out of shape." Also, if Jones thought it would be physically difficult for Mitchell to get into game shape after a year out of football, why did he sign him in the first place? The Riders were not obligated to sign Mitchell in order to see how he looked; they could have worked him out as a tryout player to see where he was at before signing a deal. (Their efforts along those lines only caused problems when they had incredible numbers of tryout players appearing week after week with reported impermissible housing benefits.)

This seems like Saskatchewan deciding Mitchell's views weren't worth the hassle but not wanting to admit they made a mistake there. The end result is fine; as Rob Vanstone wrote, "Jones never, ever should have brought in Mitchell. The Roughriders didn’t need the backlash and they didn’t need Mitchell." Still, it would be better if the team could admit to that mistake.
One Riders' story this week that is not a mistake is...

9. Jonathan Newsome's generosity: As Riders' radio broadcaster Rod Pedersen wrote Monday (item #9), Saskatchewan defensive end Newsome recently bought some tickets for a family who couldn't otherwise afford them:

It should be noted that on Labour Day Classic weekend, a down-on-their-luck Regina family was in the Rider ticket office hoping to purchase tickets to the big game. To their dismay, the tickets were simply too expensive. They were heartbroken.

Jonathan Newsome happened to be walking through the ticket office at the very same time. Witnessing the situation first hand, Newsome pulled out his wallet and plopped down enough money to buy tickets for the family at $100 each.

The family was in tears with gratitude.

Here's what Newsome tweeted about it:

That's remarkable generosity from Newsome, and he deserves a lot of credit for that. He's far from alone, of course (many CFL players have donated tickets to families or charities, and also donated their time and money; it's a pity that there isn't enough time to cover all of those stories), but that's still a neat story. Unlike Mitchell, Newsome is exactly the sort of player the CFL should be looking to bring in. He might still be a NFL player if not for that league's ridiculous stance on marijuana (he led the Indianapolis Colts in sacks in 2014, but returned to a backup role in 2015, making him expendable after an offseason arrest for pot that led to them cutting him). Fortunately, the CFL is not as puritanical (although certain teams have been so at times), and there's been no issue with having Newsome here. He's posted 17 defensive tackles, six special-teams tackles and a sack so far, and he's received plenty of love from Rider fans. According to what he told Pedersen, the love is mutual:

Canada man, it's awesome. It's freedom to me. The lifestyle up here is way more free. People accept you for who you are. I can just be a football player and people love me for that. I love them for coming out and supporting what I love to do.

The Newsome story's certainly a good one and the Mitchell story is a bad one, but there are good and bad stories about every team. A case in point comes from...

10. The Ottawa Redblacks' fine. It's not just Saskatchewan that has committed roster violations. The Redblacks earned a $5,000 fine Monday and a $6,761 salary-cap hit for practicing with a player on the six-game injured list. That's not a violation anywhere near what the Roughriders did, and the punishment is accordingly much lighter, but it illustrates that it's not just Jones looking for competitive edges (as we've also seen with situations like Ed Hervey and tampering, or with Hervey saying that everyone tampers). This isn't a huge issue with it being just one player, but salary-cap and injured reserve rules are there for a reason. It's good to see the CFL take action to enforce its rules; hopefully it will continue to monitor all teams and punish those who step over the line. As per Ottawa on the field, they're involved in an interesting matchup Saturday...

11. Redblacks versus Stampeders. Playing the 9-1-1 Stampeders justifies a state of emergency, but Ottawa's one team that actually has found some success against them, tying them 26-26 back in July. Of course, that was in Ottawa, and Calgary's only gotten better since then, while the Redblacks have fallen back to the pack. Ottawa's now 5-4-1 on the year, and while that's still good enough for first in the East, they're 1-2 in their last three games. They did beat Montreal in their last game two weeks ago, and have had a full bye week to prepare for the Stampeders, but they'll still be underdogs here. If Trevor Harris can keep up with Bo Levi Mitchell, though, Ottawa might have a shot. Another matchup to watch is...

12. Edmonton-Saskatchewan. On paper, the 5-6 Eskimos facing the 1-10 Roughriders Sunday may not seem all that exciting. This could be an important game for both teams, though. Defending Grey Cup champions Edmonton are fourth in the West and two games back of Winnipeg, and if the season ended today, they'd be out of the playoffs (they'd have to have a better record than the third-place East team to cross over, and right now, Toronto and Hamilton are tied for second in the East with 5-6 marks). A game against lowly Saskatchewan is one they absolutely have to win to keep their hopes of reaching the postseason alive. However, the Riders have also been playing better in recent weeks, coming close in back-to-back games against Winnipeg. The Eskimos haven't been dominant, and playing them at home certainly seems like a game where Saskatchewan could perhaps pull off a win. While Edmonton will likely be favoured, this would seem to have upset potential.

Thanks for reading 12 Audibles! Stay tuned to 55-Yard Line for CFL coverage all week long, and come back here next Tuesday for the next installment of this column. You can also contact me with feedback on Twitter or via e-mail. Enjoy the games this week!