Defensive co-ordinator Thorpe key figure in Alouettes’ quest for ninth CFL title

Detailed summary

CALGARY - All eyes will be on Davis Alexander and Tyson Philpot on Sunday when the Montreal Alouettes face the Edmonton Elks in the Grey Cup.

CALGARY - All eyes will be on Davis Alexander and Tyson Philpot on Sunday when the Montreal Alouettes face the Edmonton Elks in the Grey Cup.

But defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe will be a key figure in Montreal’s quest for a second CFL title since 2023 and ninth in franchise history.

Thorpe often thinks outside the box when it comes to applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks and trying to confuse them. Rather than use a traditional four-man front to rush the passer, Thorpe will go with an unconventional look or alignment to either force an offence to punt or commit a turnover.

Thorpe often disguises a 3-4 front _ three down linemen, four linebackers _ and couples that with various zone blitzes. His defence sometimes shows one look, which gives the offence the impression something is coming, then either moves into something entirely different once the ball is snapped or simply doesn’t come with what was originally being shown.

Thorpe isn’t against dropping defensive linemen into pass coverage and sending defensive backs on a blitz from somewhere else on the field. And Montreal is very good at disguising its coverages with safeties and halfbacks often rotating into new alignments once the ball is snapped to give the opposition a completely different look.

On Sunday, Edmonton will present Thorpe and the Alouettes defence with a stiff challenge.

Edmonton led the CFL in rushing during the regular season, averaging a CFL-best 127.6 yards per game. The Elks were also tops in rushing attempts (406) and tied with Calgary for second in average gain per rush (5.7 yards).

Justin Rankin was a big part of Edmonton’s ground game, finishing second overall with 1,170 yards (5.7-yard average) and nine touchdowns and a CFL-best 11 runs of 20-plus yards. But the five-foot-10, 210-pound dynamo added 62 catches for 640 yards (solid 10.3-yard average) and a touchdown, giving him 1,810 combined yards.

Edmonton’s second-leading rusher was quarterback Cody Fajardo, who ran for 517 yards…

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