Perhaps we all simply expected too much from receiver Austin Mack upon his return to the Alouettes from the NFL.
Perhaps it was unrealistic to assume, considering all that Mack accomplished in 2023, that the reinsertion into the Als’ offence at about mid-season would be seamless after he was released from the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
“A team is built at training camp,” Mack said after Tuesday’s practice at Stade Hébert in St-Léonard. “I’m just playing a role right now and trying to help the guys.”
Released by the Falcons on Aug. 12, Mack returned to the Als one week later and made his season debut on Aug. 25 against Edmonton. While targeted eight times, he was largely inconspicuous, catching three passes for 32 yards in a 21-17 victory.
Any momentum Mack was hoping to build was quickly quashed when he suffered an ankle injury in practice, forcing him to miss the next four games. He also was a healthy scratch against B.C. on a short week. In the two subsequent games in which he played, Mack caught a combined seven passes for 113 yards.
While Mack was most effective against the Redblacks on Oct. 14, catching four passes for 92 yards — including a 50-yarder — he has yet to score a touchdown and has been a shadow of the 2023 all-star who caught a team-leading 78 passes for 1,154 yards while scoring four touchdowns. Mack produced five games of more than 100 yards.
Whatever chemistry Mack built last season with quarterback Cody Fajardo hasn’t materialized a year later. At the same time, the 6-foot-2, 213-pounder frequently is lined up to the field side, making for a potentially longer throw, although Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot also would often be positioned there as well and was Montreal’s leading receiver before sustaining a season-ending foot injury on Aug. 10.
Mack, 27, signed a four-year contract extension not long after his return, so remains an integral part of the Als’ offensive plans moving forward. And time remains for him to salvage something this season, starting with Saturday afternoon’s East Division final against Toronto at Molson Stadium.
“We’re in the playoffs,” he said. “It’s all about winning. Your best players have to play in the biggest games. I have to make sure I’m ready to fill a role that this team needs. If the ball comes my way, it’s obviously all about making those plays.
“The injury was pretty significant,” Mack added. “Typically, you don’t play to the field and that’s where I’m at right now. Regardless of that, when opportunities come I have to make them. And if they don’t, I have to be the best team player I can be. It was a whole different role and mindset when I was down south.”
Mack said being in CFL shape is different from NFL shape since more running is involved up north due to the longer and wider field dimensions. In the NFL, following a deep route, rosters are large enough that a player can be replaced for a play or two while regaining his wind. That luxury doesn’t always exist in the CFL.
At this point last season, the Als were riding a six-game winning streak after finishing second. Montreal went to Toronto and upset the Argos in the division final before winning the Grey Cup against Winnipeg. A year later, the Als finished first, had the division clinched early and won only two of their final seven games, along with a tie.
Montreal is on a two-game losing streak and had an opening-round playoff bye. Conversely, the Argos thumped Ottawa 58-38 in last weekend’s division semifinal.
“It was a whole different vibe,” Mack remembered. “Right now we’re the top guys. Everybody’s trying to get to us and surpass us. Regardless, it’s about us innovating and becoming a better team cohesively. If you watched our last game (against Winnipeg), offensively and defensively that’s the Alouettes. We know we can play great ball like that. We know, at our healthiest, we’re going to continue to play great ball.
“We have enough momentum and are prepared enough. I’m excited for this game.”