The Montreal Alouettes may pride themselves on competition across the roster but don’t expect their starting quarterback job to be in jeopardy anytime soon.
Head coach Jason Maas promised that youngster Davis Alexander will be given every opportunity to find his footing in his first season as the starter.
“He’s earned respect from our football team, and we know it’s not always easy every game. It’s a team game, first of all. He’s our starting quarterback and if you guys want to think about his leash, he’ll be given quite a big leash to play,” Maas said. “The name of the game for quarterbacks is always your wins and losses matter, but it’s also decision-making. It’s a lot of other things that come down to it and it takes all of us to do that.”
Alexander was anointed as the Alouettes’ franchise pivot this offseason, prompting the team to move on from 2023 Grey Cup MVP Cody Fajardo. The 26-year-old showed flashes of elite potential in limited action last season, completing 69.5 percent of his passes for 1,347 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions while running for 166 yards and three scores on 24 carries. However, he has just four career starts under his belt, making him the most inexperienced number-one QB in the CFL.
Thus far, Alexander has risen to the occasion in his first training camp since taking over. The head coach praised his young gunslinger’s preparedness for the opportunity, citing both his physical fitness and mental sharpness.
“Obviously, you can tell he’s lifted a lot of weight and he’s run a lot — he’s in great shape. I’ve always felt that quarterbacks, even though they don’t get to prove it every day, they should be in about as good a shape as anybody on the team and he definitely is,” Maas remarked.
“I know he’s a competitor, so I knew he would be prepared and you could just see it. But he’s more prepared mentally than anything, and that’s what I love about him. He knows the playbook. He knows every single read, everything everyone’s doing. He’s able to look and diagnose things and make good decisions out there. That’s what he’s been doing all camp so far, and that’s what we just want to see continue.”
After making the bold change under centre, Montreal acquired 36-year-old veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson to serve as insurance. The former Grey Cup winner was forced to split time with Tre Ford in Edmonton last season but had some impressive stretches at the helm of the offence, throwing for 3,748 yards and 24 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions. That has led to speculation about how much leeway Alexander will be given if he stumbles out of the gate.
Maas’ comments suggest the team is committed to giving him the time he needs to get comfortable in the job. However, competition will not be entirely forsaken at the position, even if it won’t be positioned as a threat.
“It’s competition that we’ve created here and our guys understand that — they’re competing every single day,” he insisted. “Obviously, if you’re not doing your job, there’s a guy next to you that is doing his job and he’s competing with you, but it’s not about instilling fear. It’s about instilling competition and understanding we’re doing what’s best for the organization, and they need to think about it that way.”
Every new starter experiences a learning curve once handed the mantle of leadership, but Maas believes that Alexander is improving constantly. His performance over the first few days of practice in Saint-Jerome bodes well for his ability to keep the reins and fend off any pressure from Bethel-Thompson.
“Doing your job, being prepared and ready to go every single day, and taking the ups and downs as they come — I think I see that every single day with him. Every single rep, I see growth,” Maas said. “One thing I do see from him is communication consistency. It happens over and over again. He’s extremely good at that and you can see him getting more comfortable with every rep he takes. He’s put a lot of work and effort into this season, and you can see it paying off daily.”
The real test will come when the Alouettes open the regular season on Friday, June 6 against the Toronto Argonauts.
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