Alouettes’ offence looks to rebound at home against struggling Lions

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Sports Montreal Alouettes Football CFL

The game marks the season debut of import receiver Greg Ellingson, one of the Als’ most-significant free-agent signings this past winter.

Published Sep 02, 2023  •  Last updated 3 hours ago  •  3 minute read

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Earlier this week, Cody Fajardo promised both he and the Alouettes’ offence would be better in their next game. And the veteran starting quarterback said he doesn’t break his promises.

Of course, after the Als were held to one first down and only 21 yards of net offence over the final 30 minutes in their humbling 47-17 loss against Winnipeg, how can they not improve Saturday night, when they host the B.C. Lions at Molson Stadium (7 p.m., TSN1, TSN5, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM)?

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“There are a lot of things that are out of my control,” Fajardo said Friday, while laughing. “But I know my promise stays true. Having a full week of prep makes me feel more confident going into a game. I know I’ll play better. I believe in my routine and what I’ve done as a starter since 2019.

“My promise is that. We’ll play much better than 21 yards in the second half. Hopefully that stands true.”

Fajardo returned against the Bombers after missing two games with an injury to his non-throwing left shoulder. With the Als playing on only five days of rest — although Fajardo should have been fresh — their offence was held to a field goal, while Fajardo passed for only 137 yards, his lowest output this season. He also threw one interception and fumbled once.

“I think we’re going to come out a much better team from that experience,” Fajardo said. “We know what we have to do for (Saturday’s) game. B.C. is another measuring stick for us to see where we’re at as a team. I think the guys are excited to get out there and play. Labour Day weekend always has a special feel to it.”

The game marks the season debut of import receiver Greg Ellingson, one of the Als’ most-significant free-agent signings this past winter. The 34-year-old veteran is now on his fifth CFL team and produced five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons starting in 2015. But he has battled injuries recently and was limited to eight games with Winnipeg in 2022. Nonetheless, he still produced nearly 600 yards while catching 38 passes for a strong club that appeared in its third successive Grey Cup match.

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Ellingson has battled a lingering knee issue since May’s training camp, yet the organization remained patient while he went through the long recovery process.

“It felt like it took forever,” Ellingson said earlier this week. “I’m glad the training staff and everybody believed in me to get through it. You always want to get back as fast as you can. Sometimes the mental aspect of getting back quicker, thinking you’re superhuman, can fight back from an injury and not take the whole timeline gets to you.”

While Ellingson returns and fellow import receiver Cole Spieker has been activated for only the fifth time this season, diminutive and exciting tailback Walter Fletcher again finds himself on the one-game injured list as the Als stick with William Stanback. Stanback has been held to one 100-yard game.

“He (Ellingson) has a ton of experience in this league,” Als head coach Jason Maas said this week. “He has been a No. 1 receiver on a number of different offences in this league. If you’re looking at pure receiver numbers for active players, I think he’s as high up there as anybody. He brings a lot of comfort and experience to any offence. I think we need that right now. I think he gives us something.”

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While the Lions (7-4) are second in the West Division, the team’s on a two-game losing streak and has only one win in their last four. B.C. defeated Montreal 35-19 on July 9 in Vancouver. The game marks the return of former Als starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who has passed for 2,651 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s also been intercepted 11 times.

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