(Montreal) This is the lot of all football teams, but the Montreal Alouettes are seeing their injured list grow week by week.
On Monday, it was the turn of linebacker Avery Williams and receiver Keshunn Abram not to practice with their teammates. Left guard Pier-Olivier Lestage left training halfway through the session, held near the Olympic Stadium.
In the case of Williams, it seems to be due to the elbow injury suffered in the game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last Friday. Williams left that encounter before returning to the sidelines wearing an arm brace. We will know more about his status later this week.
As usual, head coach Jason Maas did not elaborate on the injuries suffered by Abram and Lestage.
However, it seems that the Alouettes will be able to count on the return to play of linebacker Bryce Notree. The one who missed the first two games of his team was on the field with his teammates on Tuesday.
His name had not yet been removed from the injured list for a meeting at the time of this writing. It should be done Friday, in preparation for Saturday’s game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Percival-Molson Stadium.
Among receivers, Walter Fletcher, left out due to the ratio of Canadian and American players for the Alouettes’ first two games, trained with the first unit.
The performances of quarterback Cody Fajardo and receiver Keion Julian-Grant in the Alouettes’ 38-12 victory over the Ti-Cats were highlighted by the Canadian League.
Fajardo was named Offensive Player of the Week 3, while Julien-Grant snuck in as an all-star receiver.
With 90.3 points, Fajardo was first in class among CFL quarterbacks, while Julien-Grant received 75.4 points from the Pro Football Focus system, used this season by the Ambrosie League to identify quarterbacks. most deserving players.
Maas also praised the game of Fajardo, who also obtained 95% in the weekly report prepared by the Alouettes’ football operations.
“That’s a tough score to hit, especially for a quarterback, by our standards,” Maas said. That means he was completely on his own. Stats are one thing, but quarterbacks also have a lot of mental preparation to polish.
“He’s getting more and more comfortable with the rest of the group. I expect his stats to be even better because of that comfort level at home. »
Fajardo was very effective against the Tiger-Cats: 19 completions on 25 attempts for 292 yards, two touchdowns and an efficiency coefficient of 140.8.
“I don’t play for those individual honors,” said Fajardo, who always highlights the work of his teammates. One week you’re player of the week, the next you’re benched. That’s the reality in this league: I lived it. »
“I think we didn’t take everything we could take, but I’m very proud of the group. […] We finished series in the paying zone by touchdowns instead of field goals, which makes it even more difficult for the opposing offense. It’s quite a performance [of the attack], especially after a week off. »
Julien-Grant caught six passes for 94 yards. The 26-year-old receiver is establishing himself as a prime target for Maas. In just two games, he has already amassed more than a third of his production from last year.
In 2022, he played in all 18 games for the Birds, catching 36 passes for 517 yards and three touchdowns. In two games this season, he’s caught eight passes for 157 yards and no doubt the way things are going, touchdowns will follow.
