Alouettes prepare to face Riders, Davis Alexander returns

After a one-day absence, quarterback Davis Alexander was back at practice with his Montreal Alouettes teammates Wednesday morning, despite family concerns that were visibly worrying him, but ready to get back to work in preparation for Friday’s game in Saskatchewan, he said.

Surrounded by a few reporters after a long training session, Alexander explained that he had to return home to Arizona to take care of some business, see family and be with his loved ones.

He left on Sunday and returned around midnight on Tuesday night, before sleeping for four hours, he calculated.

“It is what it is. It’s an unfortunate situation, but I’m back here, ready for the game, ready to move forward,” he said without going into details.

Alexander admitted that it was not easy to train and concentrate in such a context, but that having his teammates by his side was beneficial.

“I would say it’s a little bit of both. It’s nice to be here with the guys, of course, and exchange jokes. But at the same time, you want to be there for the people who supported you, the family that fought. […] “It’s kind of a tough in-between,” said Alexander, who was rusty and inaccurate when he returned to the field Wednesday.

Head coach Jason Maas appeared more conciliatory than Alexander about his quarterback’s work during practice.

“He looked very good. Of course, it’s training, you’re never perfect in training. But he threw the ball well, he moved it well. Obviously, missing yesterday [mardi] wasn’t ideal. But at the end of the day, he did the work and he’s ready to move on.”

Although he was in Arizona, Alexander participated in a virtual team meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, U.S. state time.

“I think the team knows how seriously I take this, but I knew, of course, that I had to go see my family,” Alexander said.

“I probably got 60 or 70 messages from everyone in the organization, from top to bottom. They told me I didn’t need to come back, that I could have easily missed the game. But I know from a family standpoint, especially my dad, he probably wouldn’t have wanted me to miss the game. I’m very grateful to everyone in the organization,” he said. “It’s a tough situation, but I’m OK.”

Good memories

Alexander is expected to start against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-3-1), the same team the Alouettes (8-1) beat 20-16 on July 25 at Percival Molson Stadium after Alexander replaced starting quarterback Caleb Evans early in the second half.

Facing a 16-3 halftime deficit, Alexander orchestrated two offensive drives for touchdowns, and another for a field goal, while the Alouettes’ defensive brigade shut the door on their rivals.

“They’re a good football team, we know that. They’ve got a good defense. We’ve learned that we can move the ball against them. There’s a little bit of confidence coming into this game. Obviously, [les Roughriders] will probably bring some changes from this week. We’ll just have to be ready for it. I imagine it’s going to be a crazy atmosphere in Regina on a Friday night. I’m looking forward to it.”

This excitement does not necessarily inhabit Maas, who often played in Saskatchewan and who also held the position of offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2022 before joining the Alouettes.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” he replied without hesitation when asked what he was thinking with just over two days to go before the game.

“I’ve been there and I’ve been there. I’ve coached there, I’ve played in that stadium. I’ve done everything in Saskatchewan. I think it’s a great place to be. What I’m most looking forward to is playing the game with our players and reconnecting with people that I’ve made friends with over time.”

Maas acknowledges, however, that Mosaic Stadium is a special place to play a football game, much like… Percival Molson Stadium, he compared it to.

“The atmosphere is very similar to ours. It’s a great experience. I think that [les partisans] “They do a great job of supporting their team and making things difficult for the visiting club. And I think we do the same thing here,” he noted.

“They’ve got a beautiful stadium that they’ve built and it’s exciting to be there. For a road game, it’s one of those games where you’re in a very professional looking building with a big crowd. It’s always a pleasure because it’s a hostile environment, too.”

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