Jason Maas can thank quarterback partner Marcus Brady for bailing him out of a bad start. Problem is, Brady’s performance could spell the end of Maas’s starting days in Montreal this season.

Brady relieved a struggling Maas in the second quarter Saturday night in Calgary and passed for 260 yards and one touchdown as the Alouettes withstood a late charge by the Stampeders to eke out a 33-32 Canadian Football League win.

Alouettes quarterback Marcus Brady crashes over Calgary’s Trey Young after running the ball in the second quarter.
(Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Brady also rushed for 54 yards to help the Alouettes end a two-game slide and give them a chance to avoid a losing season for the first time since they returned to Montreal over 10 years ago.

Maas and Brady were pressed into action after starter Anthony Calvillo took a leave of absence from the team after his wife was diagnosed with cancer.

“We did this for Anthony and his wife [Alexia], they are in our prayers,” said Brady, who completed 16 of 23 pass attempts and tossed one interception.

Alouettes coach Jim Popp went into the game with the intention of playing both Maas and Brady.

“Marcus had the hot hand and we stayed with him,” he said.

After the Alouettes saw their lead cut to 10-9 after giving up a safety, Brady replaced Maas and immediately led Montreal on a seven-play, 98-yard drive.

Avon Cobourne capped off the drive with a six-yard touchdown run to make it 17-9 Alouettes.

Maas, who arrived in a trade from Hamilton seven weeks ago, viewed Saturday’s start as a chance to prove he still belongs as a starter in the CFL.

“This is a good opportunity to erase the last year and a half from my memory,” Maas told reporters before the game. “This is a new start for me and I would like it to be a positive one.”

It wasn’t, as Maas completed just two of eight passes for 22 yards.

After Calgary quarterback Henry Burris hooked up with receiver Ken-Yon Rambo for a 24-yard touchdown strike, Brady and company answered with a four-play, 68-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 32-yard pass and run play with Kerry Carter, his second major of the game.

Damon Duval kicked four field goals for the Alouettes (8-9-0), who halted a two-game losing streak and will travel to Toronto or Winnipeg for the East semifinal on Nov. 11.

“Every win is important and this is good to get momentum for the playoffs,” Carter said. “Calgary does not lose here often. We played hard against a very good team. This is good win for us.”

Added Duval: “It is very important to play well on the road. We will be on the road the rest of the year.”

Ryan Thelwell and Nik Lewis also caught touchdown passes for Calgary (7-9-1), while Sandro DeAngelis kicked three goals.

The Stampeders closed to within 24-19 when DeAngelis connected from 36 yards after the teams traded touchdowns.

The third quarter was dominated by the kickers, with Duval hitting from 40 and 41 yards to give his team a 30-22 advantage heading to the fourth quarter.

Trailing 33-25, Calgary made it a one-point game when Burris threw a 36-yard touchdown strike to Lewis, but that was a close as they would get.

“Offensively we were up and down tonight,” said Burris, who went 25-for-45 for 381 yards along with three pickoffs to go with his three touchdown passes. “We had too many turnovers.

“I had the three picks and [there were] a couple fumbles there. Those are things that we have to get out of our system.”

The Stampeders will finish third in the West and visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the division semifinal in two weeks.

With files from the Canadian PressContinue Article

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Tags: Brady, stands, Alouettes, relief, effort

Posted on October 28th, 2007 by Klaus Roe
Filed under: Football