Davis Alexander knew this day was coming.
And as he’s about to cede his starting position back to veteran Cody Fajardo, the Alouettes quarterback insists there isn’t a quarterback controversy on the team.
“This is Cody’s team. We all know that,” Alexander told The Gazette by telephone this week. “I hope nothing happens to him. That would be the only way I see myself going into the game.
“He has been fantastic to the organization and is one of my best friends on the team. I don’t think that happens too often, especially in this league, quarterbacks getting along. This is his team. He knows I’m going to ride with him and I respect the hell out of him. I think he respects me. He was having a Most Outstanding Player season before he got hurt.”
Fajardo suffered a hamstring injury July 11 against Toronto — the only game Montreal has lost this season — and hasn’t played since. But he dressed as Alexander’s backup last Friday at Saskatchewan and is expected to be the starter Sunday night, when the Als host the resurgent Edmonton Elks, who are on a three-game winning streak.
Both Fajardo and receiver Austin Mack, who returned this week following his release by the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, were practising with the starters Wednesday at Stade Hébert in St-Léonard.
Alexander, 25, is in his third season with the Als and went 3-0 as the starter — 4-0 overall. He clearly established himself as the team’s second quarterback option, if not a legitimate CFL starter.
Alexander has moxie, and his teammates can’t help but gravitate toward him. That became immediately apparent when he replaced a struggling Caleb Evans to begin the second half against the Roughriders, July 25, rallying the Als from a 13-point deficit. Alexander and Montreal haven’t looked back since.
In what might have been his final act for a while, Alexander passed for 285 yards and one touchdown last Friday at Saskatchewan, scoring the winning 15-yard touchdown with 30 seconds remaining in Montreal’s 27-24 victory. Alexander has completed 73 of 102 attempts for 972 yards along with six touchdowns, while being intercepted only once.
“It’s exciting to see 2 1/2 years of really hard work show up,” Alexander said. “People can respect me or choose not to; I don’t really care. All I care about is winning. I’ll get back to being the team player I am, helping any way I can. I’ll always be there for Cody, there with (head coach Jason) Maas on the iPad during the game. Things in this league can happen and change so fast. You have to be ready. I’ll be ready. Hopefully I won’t have to go in. If something were to happen, I’ll be ready to go. I think the guys believe in me and trust me. I think they know they can win with me at quarterback.
“I do believe I’m a starting quarterback in this league. I hope other people do, too.”
Not only has Alexander excelled on the field, he has done this despite the distraction and anxiety associated with his ailing father, Matt, who’s battling Stage 4 lung cancer. Alexander returned to his father’s bedside in Arizona last week, practising with the Als only once before Friday’s game.
Alexander said he spoke to his brother and stepmother before the pre-game warm-up and was told his father was stable.
“I felt OK and ready to go,” he said. “There weren’t too many distractions and it definitely felt good knowing they were watching. I definitely thought it was an impressive performance. Mosaic Stadium. An electric atmosphere. A spot where people wouldn’t have expected it, a young quarterback. A lot of people don’t expect you to play like that.
“I’m proud of our guys. We never gave up and never really wavered. Sure there was frustration and it’s OK to be frustrated. We never threw in the towel.”
Alexander’s winning touchdown capped a nine-play, 91-yard drive that had some controversy. Two plays had to be reviewed by the league’s command centre — a pass to Charleston Rambo that was deemed incomplete and Alexander’s score, during which he straddled the sideline. The latter wasn’t a designed run play, Alexander said, but the Riders’ defence dictated the quarterback should attempt to score himself.
“I definitely didn’t think there was enough to overturn the call,” he said. “I’m happy with how I performed and played, dealt with this adversity. I just want to win another Grey Cup and try not to worry about the future — especially due to the circumstances.”