Against all odds, Jason Maas’s Alouettes won the Gray Cup by defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 28-24 in the final game last November. On Thursday, the Montreal squad launches its 2024 campaign at the home of the Bombers. Here are five things to watch for with the Alouettes this season:
Cody Fajardo
It’s safe to say that upon his arrival in Montreal, Fajardo was “under reconstruction.” His confidence had been severely undermined in Saskatchewan, where he was practically dragged out of town covered in feathers and tar. Montreal – and Danny Maciocia especially – welcomed him with open arms, offering him a two-season pact, which has since been extended. He did not disappoint.
He dominated the Ambrosie circuit in 2023 with 71.6% of completed passes (317 in 443), being one of only three quarterbacks to surpass the threshold of 300 completed passes. His 3,847 yards gave him fifth place in the CFL, as did his 14 touchdown passes.
Fajardo begins this campaign in a completely opposite state of mind from the one he found himself in last year, to the great pleasure of the Alouettes, and to the great dismay of the rest of the league.
The receivers
No less than 22 receivers showed up at Alouettes camp last year. This group, at first an army of question marks, ultimately proved to be one of the best in the league, led by Austin Mack.
Mack was so good that he found work in the NFL, but the group is in good hands with Tyson Philpot, Tyler Snead, Kaion Julien-Grant and Cole Spieker.
Starting in the first game on Thursday, we will have to see if rookie receiver Charleston Rambo — who was so good that the Alouettes fired Tevin Jones, their big acquisition of the winter — can reproduce his exploits from camp and preparatory games.
Attacking line
She had so many problems at the start of the season that we wondered if Fajardo was going to finish the year on her two legs. The players then spoke to us about communication and acclimatization. They were right: once they found “the right channels”, their game fell into place and Fajardo had a lot more time. So much so, in fact, that he spent most of the final without being bothered.
The right side has been somewhat remodeled with Philippe Gagnon replacing Kristian Matte at right guard, supported by Josh Donovan at the end of the line. It remains to be seen whether or not these two elements will disrupt the cohesion of the line.
Defense
If there is one consistency among the Alouettes, especially since the arrival of coordinator Noel Thorpe, it is the defense. The unit is practically unchanged, especially in the tertiary, where we still find Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Darnell Sankey, Reggie Stubblefield, Tyrice Beverette, Najee Murray and Dionte Ruffin.
Down the line, the only notable change is the departure of Lwal Uguak for the NFL. He was replaced by veteran defensive end Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund. In fact, the only question mark on this defensive line is…
Shawn Lemon
It’s not because of his play that Lemon represents a question mark, but rather because of his status.
Technically, he is under an indefinite suspension from the CFL for betting on Ambrosie Tour games in 2021. Lemon even announced a surprise retirement in April, before making a comeback even more surprising at the Alouettes camp on May 14, bringing this suspension to appeal.
Until the appeal is heard, Lemon can play. What the Alouettes hope is that the league finds its appeal committee so that the hearing takes place and a decision is made quickly. This way, if Lemon has to serve a suspension, he won’t do it at the end of the season or worse, during the playoffs.
How can a professional league take so long to assemble its appeal committee? This is a question for its commissioner, Randy Ambrosie.