SPIEKER, COLE #80 of the Montreal Alouettes
Patience.
It isn’t always easy to come by, especially when you see others around you getting the opportunity that you’ve dreamed of. But patience, hard work, and the right attitude is often rewarded. For Alouettes receiver Cole Spieker, all of that is about to become true.
Spieker, who has been waiting for his opportunity, will dress for his first professional game on Friday night in Ottawa. The 26-year-old has been on the team’s practice roster for most of the season, but the injury to Reggie White Jr. on Monday opened the door for him to suit up.
This has been a long time coming for the rookie. Not only has he waited for his turn to arrive this season, but he’s also had his mind on pro football since his college days at Wisconsin-La Crosse, which runs a division three football program in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He was named the conference’s player of the year in his senior season in 2019.
“After the 2019 season, I just went straight to pro day training. I did my pro day, and that’s when Covid-19 hit. All the NFL tryouts and workouts were cancelled, so I spent the whole year training to be ready. In 2021, I went to eight different combines and showcases to get my name out there. I played six games in the Spring League in Indianapolis, too.”
All the training was a great way for him to stay in shape, but Spieker still had to pay the bills. He took a job loading trucks with United Parcel Service (UPS) in Madison, Wisconsin, and he’d go work out as soon as his early-morning shift was over.
“I was working at UPS. We’d start at 3:00 a.m. and we’d go until about 9:30 or 10:00 am,” said Spieker, who switched from number 71 to 80 after training camp. “We’d load trucks, and then I’d go straight into my training. I’d do some speed training, run some routes, I’d do some lifting. I’d get home at around 2:00 or 3:00 pm. I’d have to wake up pretty early, so I’d hang out with my girlfriend.”
Spieker would fall asleep at around 7:00 or 8:00 pm every night in order to be ready for his wakeup call the next morning. He kept that job for most of 2020.
He first got on the Alouettes radar when he met team scout Russ Lande at one of the combines he was attending. Lande suggested he attend an Als open tryout in the spring of 2022, so he signed up for the one in Dallas, Texas in early May.
CFL teams schedule a handful of these open tryouts in different American cities every spring. The Als held tryouts in Dallas, Indianapolis, and Florida in 2022 (they had to cancel one in Atlanta because of a delayed flight). There are anywhere between 80 to 100 players that show up for each workout. This year, the Alouettes signed two players from those tryouts. Spieker and defensive back Robert Hayes, who has cut after training camp, were the only ones to earn contracts from the tryouts.
In Dallas, he found a way to dominate in front of general manager Danny Maciocia, special teams coordinator and director of player personnel Byron Archambault, and director of pro personnel Jean-Marc Edme.
“He’s a bigger body and he has deceptive speed,” Maciocia said. “He’s got very good hands. He’s also a kid that has production. He didn’t play at the biggest of schools, but he had production.
“He was very aware. All the assignments we gave him (at the tryout), he was able to execute. From a mental perspective, you could tell the kid was dialed in and sharp. We never had to repeat the same thing twice. He won – if not all – most of his one-on-ones.”
According to Spieker, the Alouettes’ brass told him they’d be in touch with him, but he had heard other teams say that before, and it never amounted to anything. This time, it all worked out, as Maciocia called him the next day to iron out a contract.
Even though he managed to earn the right to attend training camp in Trois-Rivieres just days after his successful tryout, he wasn’t a lock to make the team. The Als only dress three American receivers on their active roster, and Eugene Lewis, Jake Wieneke and Reggie White Jr. were locks to stick. There were also other talented international receivers like Krishawn Hogan and Fabian Guerra, who made their case throughout the preseason.
Spieker stood out several times throughout training camp by making catch after catch and rarely dropping any passes that were sent his way. He managed to accumulate four receptions for 66 yards in two preseason contests.
Some of the other receivers were more productive in the games, but the Als believed that Spieker was the player they needed to keep.
“After the second game of the preseason, I felt like I had a good game, and I felt like I was able to back up a good camp,” the native of Brainerd, Minnesota said. “I made a decent amount of plays and I tried to pick everything up as fast as I could. I was feeling good after that.
“It was tough to stay relaxed (the day after camp ended). I was definitely nervous and excited. I felt a lot of different emotions (laughs), but I stayed thankful, and I knew that whatever happened, I gave it my all.”
In the end, Maciocia had a face-to-face meeting with Spieker to offer him a spot on the practice roster. He accepted, and even though he hasn’t suited up in a regular season game until this point, he has continued to work hard in practice.
Practice squad players don’t get many reps running the Alouettes’ offensive plays. They’re relied upon to run “scout team”, which means he runs plays against the Als starting defence and special teams as if he were the opponent.
“He is extremely reliable and talented. He’s a great human-being, too,” receivers coach Mike Lionello said after Wednesday’s practice. “He’s been supportive for everybody. The cool thing about Cole, is that he knows every position. He’s a consummate professional, and for a young player to be that way is really impressive.
“His physicality (is impressive) too. He’s not going to mess around with anybody. When he got his opportunity in the preseason, like a lot of these young receivers, you have to make the most of it, and he did. He won on multiple routes against veteran players and he blocked his butt off. We were all extremely impressed when he got out there in the preseason.”
Even though he won’t be in the starting lineup on Friday night, Spieker will play a valuable role. He’s worked hard all season to be able to back up each of the five receiver positions on the field and he’s going to contribute on special teams, too.
“All the work has paid off,” a smiling Spieker said. “To even get just one game as a pro, it’s always been a dream of mine. It makes it all worth it. The early mornings, the long nights.
“I’m going to be excited and a little nervous (on Friday night). I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, so I’m glad it’s coming.”
