Welcome to "Bedell's Blitz," a new blog covering the Montreal Alouettes here on CTVMontreal.ca. I couldn't be more excited to be a part of the CTV family, offering my take on what's happening with the Als and around the Canadian Football League.

Throughout the regular season, I'll weigh in twice per week with a game preview the day before kick off and a wrap of the action once the dust settles. I'll also beat the bushes for Als news every week during the off-season.

My story

I've been covering the CFL for seven seasons now, and the Alouettes for five years, for venues like CFL.ca, ProPlayers.ca, TheScore.com, and MontrealAlouettes.com. As an English professor in south Louisiana, the one question I get asked more than any other (on both sides of the border!) is, "How in the world did you get involved writing about Canadian football?"

It's certainly a fair question. So here's my best shot at an answer.

Down here in the southern United States, football is like a religion. If the game is being played anywhere, we're queued up to watch. The NFL may be king, especially where I am close to New Orleans, but not by much.

College games at some of our bigger NCAA schools draw better crowds than pro ball. Even high school games in Louisiana and Texas draw in tens of thousands of fans on Friday nights. Heck, my oldest son's 8-9 year old team plays in front of 3,000 people!

In the late 70s and early 80s some of my favorite players made the jump to the CFL instead of playing in the NFL. And that really drew my interest north of the border. When players like Bruce Clark, Billy White Shoes Johnson, Fred Biletnikoff, and Vince Ferragamo went north, so did my heart. Right to the Alouettes, in fact.

As a kid, I loved everything about the Canadian game. The size of the field, all the passing, the field position strategies—it was all great. I feel that same way today watching the game.

When New Orleans got its own Arena League team, the VooDoo, I fell into the job of beat columnist for ArenaFan.com.

Since so many of the players had CFL experience, I mentioned the league often while writing about the VooDoo and the CFL office took notice. They contacted me about writing a column for CFL.ca offering an American's take on the league. From there, my last seven years covering the league have been a wild, wonderful ride.

So there it is, my story.

And now that the intro is out of the way, let's kick this Als blog off!

Week 2 gameday match-up: Saskatchewan Roughriders

One of my all-time favourite football clichés goes a little something like this: "The most important game of the season is the next one up on the schedule."

Considering the next game up on the Alouettes' schedule happens to be a rematch of the last two Grey Cups, that old axiom takes on some extra heat Saturday.

Opening the season's road campaign against a quality team like the Roughriders is more than enough of a challenge to get the juices flowing. When you add the fact that the Riders are coming off a 42-28 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in their home opener, it's a sure bet the stands will be hopping in Mosaic Stadium and the Riders will be geared up to get the sting of that loss out of their system.

Durant's the straw that stirs the drink

After stewing all week over getting outclassed by the Esks on their own turf, the Riders are sure to be gunning for a fast start in front of their home crowd. And if Saskatchewan hopes to score early and often against Montreal's defence, it all starts with pivot Darian Durant.

Durant put up great numbers against the Eskimos in Week 1, completing 27 of 37 passes for 339 yards and a couple of majors, but his four turnovers, including three ugly interceptions and an unforced fumble, went a long way toward making the hole the Riders dug for themselves in the game.

There's just no way to sugar-coat his performance; he didn't handle the pressure brought by the Esks' front seven very well. For the Roughriders to reverse their fortunes, Durant will have to be better in the face of the Alouettes' rush, and he'll have to be much more patient working within the space the Als' secondary provides than he was last week against the Esks.

Make it or break it match-up

The match-up I'll be keeping a sharp eye on from the opening kick off Saturday night is how well defensive ends Jermaine McElveen and John Bowman are able to stymie Durant by rushing his timing and by setting solid edges to keep him from escaping the pocket for cheap rushing yardage.

The Riders boast one of the deepest, most talented receiving corps in the CFL, but its been depleted of late due to injuries to Robbie Bagg, Jordan Sisco, and import Cary Koch. Make no mistake, though, newcomers Efrem Hill and Terrence Nunn are dangerous playmakers. And given time and throwing lanes, Durant can pick apart any defence with the likes of Wes Dressler, Jason Clermont, and Chris Getzlaf.

In his three games against the Als last season, Durant threw for 1141 yards and eight majors, often finding receivers Dressler and Getzlaf open behind Montreal's coverage. He also rushed for 83 yards and a TD on only nine attempts.

This week, it's imperative that McElveen and Bowman get good penetration to quicken Durant's clock, move him around in the pocket, and take away any time he has to complete those long strikes.

The Als' defensive ends also need to maintain their control and discipline to take away Durant's rushing lanes. While not known as a breakaway threat like Casey Printers or Henry Burris, Durant is very adept at moving the chains by picking up chunks of yardage in second-and-long situations.

It's going to be up to McElveen and Bowman to make sure Durant stays in the pocket, and on the ground if possible. Each player picked up sacks in games against the Riders last season, and they were instrumental in Durant's five turnovers by creating good pressure in all three tilts.

For the Als to keep their 2011 roll going with a victory out in Regina, both McElveen and Bowman will have to be on their games. How well they do in their duel with Durant will go a long way toward determining the outcome of the match-up.

Up next

Check back the day after the final whistle blows to get my breakdown of what happened on the field Saturday, including my take on the five plays that swung the game.