Can Don Matthews and Turk Schoenert help to turn around the “rock-bottom” Alouettes?

The Montreal Alouettes are hoping some extra brainpower can help to turn their season around. The 1-3 team announced Wednesday that they've added Don Matthews and Turk Schoenert as consultants, and that could be very interesting. Matthews, the legendary Canadian Football Hall of Fame coach, served as an Alouettes' consultant for the last half of last season as well, while former NFL quarterback and quarterbacks coach Schoenert may prove a valuable resource for struggling Montreal starter Troy Smith. Will these additions help the Alouettes save their season?

Matthews needs little introduction to CFL fans, as he spent 22 years in the league as a head coach (most recently as the interim coach in Toronto in 2008) and won 231 games, then the league record (he's since been passed by Wally Buono). In addition to his remarkable success as a head coach, he's worked as both an offensive coordinator (with Idaho in the NCAA) and a defensive coordinator (primarily with the famed Edmonton Eskimos teams that won five straight Grey Cups from 1978-82). Moreover, his stint as a consultant with Montreal last year saw him fit in well, offering useful advice in different aspects of the game without taking over. We'll see how much of an impact he has, but having him onside certainly seems positive for the Alouettes.

Schoenert doesn't have the CFL experience of Matthews (or any CFL experience at all, for that matter), but he also could be a valuable addition. He had a great playing career at Stanford and then spent nine seasons in the NFL, playing for the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons between 1981 and 1989. Since then, he's had a wealth of prominent coaching jobs, including serving as a quarterbacks coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills, plus working as an offensive coordinator in Buffalo. Most recently, he spent time with several UFL teams and was the head coach in Sacramento before the league folded in 2012. His experience with quarterbacks could prove incredibly beneficial for Smith, who seems to have regressed this year after a promising rookie campaign.

However, it's worth noting that offensive guys with long professional experience but no CFL experience haven't always adapted well to the Canadian game. Long-time NFL assistant Mike Miller didn't work out as Montreal's OC last year, and long-time NCAA OC Gary Crowton failed in Winnipeg. Of course, Schoenert doesn't have as much responsibility as those two did, as he'll be assisting Smith and OC (and former CFL quarterback) Ryan Dinwiddie rather than calling plays himself. Still, south-of-the-border success doesn't always translate in Canada. Just ask Smith, who won the Heisman Trophy at Ohio State and went on to the NFL, but has been struggling in the CFL this year, completing just 48.7 per cent of his passes for 695 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

There's a steep challenge in front of the Alouettes' coaches old and new. The team had a bye last week, but before that, suffered a particularly embarrassing 41-5 loss to the B.C. Lions (and didn't even complain about running up the score afterwards). After that loss, which saw Smith only complete 5 of 17 passes for 45 yards (but keep his starting spot for the time being), Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette commented (with good cause) that "it feels like the Als have hit rock bottom now." Yet, there's still hope; the wretchedness of the East Division means that Montreal's actually in a three-way tie for first despite a 1-3 record, and the Alouettes get to host the also-struggling Toronto Argonauts (1-4) Friday night. We'll see if the coaching additions can help Montreal turn this season around, or if the slide's going to continue for a while yet.