Match des Alouettes, contre les Tigers Cato d'Hamilton au Stade Percival Molson, à Montreal le 4 Juillet 2019. Photo: Dominick Gravel / Alouettes de Montreal
As we prepare ourselves to welcome a new football season, which will be historic given the context, we’ve decided to give you an overview of our Alouettes’ squad position by position.
This year’s roster is quite special thanks to our selection of local athletes. Even so, like every year, the Alouettes team will be made up of a mix of players from Quebec, Canada, America and even Japanese, Australians, French or Swedes speaking French and English.
So, just as the saying goes ‘’we need to stay ready, so we don’t have to GET ready’’.
With that in mind, let’s jump right back into sports mode and continue last week’s mental prep by breaking down one of the most essential positions in our team; the receivers.
HISTORICAL:
With each possession, the offence will set up a play. Our Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator Khari Jones, along with our quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. are the ones calling the shots on how the offence will unfold. However, when the called play is intended to target one of our receivers, there is no doubt that Vernon will have a lot of choices to pick from, considering our talented receiving squad. Here comes the all-star lineup…
Eugene Lewis (6’1 – 208 pounds) decided to continue his adventure in Montreal. The American receiver completed his first season with us in 2018 with gains of 827 yards and four touchdowns. It takes real leaders in every unit and Lewis confirmed year after year that he can properly guide his teammates. This time around, his athletic qualities will allow him to offer us more spectacular catches of which only he knows the secret a another 1,000-yard-season to come.
Dante Absher (6’3 – 180 pounds) has been a staple since joining the Alouettes in 2018. The receiver from Sterling, Virginia has proven to be a real threat on the field and is back this season with the intention of making his statistics jump through the roof.
Quan Bray (5’10 – 185 pounds) had a pretty impressive rookie season among the team in 2019. Before joining the Als, Bray played for the Auburn University Tigers, where he earned an emerging talent status that he intends to restate this season. His epic saga includes a particularly incredible catch in Moncton during a trick play… three words: We. Want. More!
B.J. Cunningham (6’2 – 211 lbs) just accepted a new one-year contract with the Alouettes. Since 2015, our loyal athlete has excelled in leading our receiving team over the seasons. Freed from all injuries that caused him to miss a good part of the 2019 season, B.J. will bring his reliability and his experience to every game, guaranteed.
Naaman Roosevelt (6’1 – 195 pounds), our new Buffalo (NY) native wide receiver is a speedster. After spending five seasons in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, this outstanding player ended up falling for the Alouettes in 2020. The opposing secondaries will have to watch him like milk on the stove because he’s got zip, zing and speeding is his thing!
Jake Wieneke (6’4 – 215 lbs) is kicking off his second season in the CFL in a Montreal uniform, and it is a huge news for us! Voted CFL Rookie of the Year, he was the receiver with the most touchdowns of the season. He’s especially remembered for his winning touchdown six seconds left on the clock in the comeback against Winnipeg in 2019.
Natey Adjei (5’10 – 193 livres), Canadian receiver in the league since 2014, Natey Adjei is another sure bet. He remained on a final season in Edmonton with which he accumulated more than 500 yards and scored two touchdowns.
THE NEWCOMERS (FROM HERE):
If you’re a true fan, then you already know that our Alouettes have one of the best receiving corps in the league. Right? Well, Robert Gordon, who will be coaching this position again in 2021, will also be able to count on these local talents to support our offensive squad.
Vincent Alessandrini (6’1 – 195 lbs), our fresh receiver from the Concordia Stingers University team, faced a variety of challenges in his past seasons, including a pandemic and physical injuries, before getting drafted by the Alouettes for the 2020 season. The youngster, straight out of Chomedey, is impatiently anticipating his first professional season and the pleasure is ours.
Régis Cibasu (6’3 – 232 pounds), is making a big comeback in the province after carving out a solid spot in the Toronto Argonauts team during the 2019 season. Drafting a versatile player like Cibasu, who is not only able to excel as a fullback but also as a receiver, is very much to our advantage.
Felix Faubert – Lussier (6’1 – 212 lbs); This player needs no introduction! Felix Faubert-Lussier, a Montreal native and a former Université Laval Rouge et Or is always a sure bet in the CFL. He backed up the team on many occasions, both as a receiver and on special teams during his 2019 season. A reliable talent that we can count on again in 2021.
THE START-UPS:
Many young receivers will be there for training camp this year. Eager to see them compete to find out which of them will be able to crack the roster offence.
- Prince Charles Iwora
- Kaion Julien-Grant
- Jordan Lasley
- Chris Osei-Kusi
- Teo Redding
- Nelson Spruce
- Wesley Sutton
- Reggie White Jr
The coach’s opinion. Robert Gordon:
“I believe I have the best group in the CFL that’s works well together on and off the field. Can’t wait to really open up the playbook for them to lead this team to the Grey Cup. We will have exciting plays and the ball will be traveling in the air. We are not forgetting our young players who will help us along the way. We want to have a great start and have a fast pace with no errors in our game. We’re going to hold each other accountable in order to get the job done. Grey Cup 2021!’’
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