Tuesday morning, despite being thousands of miles away visiting family, Davis Alexander ensured he participated via video conference in the daily meeting for Alouettes quarterbacks, knowing he would miss that day’s practice but had a game to prepare for.
It was 5 a.m. in Arizona.
“I think people on the team know how serious I take this,” Alexander said Wednesday, following practice at St-Léonard’s Stade Hébert. “I knew I also had to go see my family. I’m very appreciative of the organization. They told me I didn’t have to return and could miss the game.
“As a family, particularly my dad … he wouldn’t have wanted me to miss anything at all, to be honest. It’s a tough situation.”
Most who follow the Als are now well aware Alexander’s father, Matt, is battling Stage 4 lung cancer. The non-smoker and former professional rugby player is 56.
His son became the Als’ starting quarterback in the second half of a July 25 game against Saskatchewan, rallying Montreal from a 13-point deficit for a comeback victory. Montreal hasn’t lost since, winning twice more with Alexander as the starter, replacing the injured Cody Fajardo.
The Als have activated Fajardo for Friday night’s road game against the Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium (9 p.m., TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM), although he’s listed on the depth chart behind Alexander, who is expected to start. While Fajardo, who spent three seasons with Saskatchewan before joining Montreal in 2023 as a free agent, is available, the Als expect to continue riding Alexander’s hot hand. Fajardo, named the most valuable player in last season’s Grey Cup, practised twice this week.
“If (Fajardo) is on the roster, he could play at any point,” head coach Jason Maas said. “Everybody knows when Cody’s ready to play, he’ll be playing.”
What remains to be determined is Alexander’s mental state heading into the game. While he tried to assuage any fears when meeting the media this week, he flew home Sunday, following the Als’ Saturday night victory against Hamilton, and didn’t return until midnight Tuesday. He took the field Wednesday on four hours’ sleep and wasn’t sharp at practice.
“It’s an unfortunate situation, but I’m back here now and ready for the game,” he said. “I’ll be ready to go. It’s nice to be out here with the guys, of course, cracking jokes. At the same time, you want to be there for the people who supported you.
“We’re a family that’s struggling. You want to be there with them. But they recognize, as a family, that I kind of need to be here, and I want to be here obviously. It’s a tough in-between spot.
“It was nice to be out here today, although I’d say I was a little rusty, a little off,” added Alexander, 25, who is in his third season with Montreal. “I’m not really worried about it. I just need to recover a bit — get back into game mode. By Friday, by (Thursday), I’ll be OK. Ready to go.”
If anyone can empathize with Alexander, it’s Anthony Calvillo, his position coach. The legendary former Als quarterback led Montreal to the Grey Cup in 2010 despite a potential cancer diagnosis looming. Calvillo sustained an injury to his sternum that season. In January 2011, doctors discovered a lesion on his thyroid, which turned out to be cancerous.
“It always comes back to the individual,” Calvillo said of Alexander. “He’s been dealing with this for a while now. It’s powerful when you’re dealing with something, whether it’s you personally or someone you love, and you’re not with them the entire time. I know there has been a lot of communication going back and forth. It’s a life battle, something that’s hard to explain.
“I truly do believe football is a distraction,” Calvillo added. “Your mind’s so focused on getting ready. He seems like he’s been here and not missed a day. That’s him. We just don’t know what’s going on inside mentally. It comes down to the individual and how he’s able to handle it. Based on experience, he’s doing a great job since the (October) diagnosis.”
In 10 quarters of football, Alexander has completed 51 of 69 passes for 687 yards and five touchdowns. He has been intercepted once and fumbled once. He also has rushed seven times for 56 yards. It might help him knowing he had success against the Riders three weeks ago.
“They’re a good team with a good defence,” he said. “But we learned we could move the ball on them. We should have a bit of confidence going into this game. I imagine it’ll be a crazy atmosphere. I’m excited for it. You literally live for games like this. At least I do.”
Former Als quarterback Trevor Harris returns as Saskatchewan’s starter after suffering a knee injury in late June. Tailback AJ Ouellette also returns. The 5-foot-9, 210-pounder could prove a handful for Montreal’s defence.