Fully healed hamstring ‘a massive relief,’ Alouettes QB Davis Alexander says
When Davis Alexander emerged through the airport doors last Sunday afternoon with three suitcases, it was clear the Alouettes’ starting quarterback was in Montreal to stay for the coming season.
That he arrived one month before the start of training camp at Université Laval was a good sign and displayed his commitment to the Als. That Alexander said his left hamstring is the healthiest it has been in a year is even better.
“I think a lot of people would probably say it’s a little unusual, leaving the Arizona weather,” Alexander told The Gazette. “I miss my teammates, being around the guys that are here. It’s important to be around the office and the guys as much as you can. I’ll get three extra weeks of training with the guys that are here.
“I did what I needed to (get) out of the Arizona off-season. The main focus being the hamstring.”
Yes, the nasty hamstring that limited Alexander to only seven regular-season games and impacted his performance in the Als’ Grey Cup loss to Saskatchewan. It first materialized at training camp, after he worked out too diligently last winter. Alexander said he felt the initial tweak as early as April, meaning he already was damaged when he reported to camp.
“I can truthfully say this is the healthiest I’ve been since the injury,” he stated.
Alexander spent the winter focusing on leg explosions, isolating the hamstring muscle and everything that triggers it. Data points and measurements were used while monitoring the force in both legs. The difference remained large as recently as March. Six weeks later, the numbers and symmetry are close to matching.
“It’s a massive relief on my end,” Alexander said. “I can truly say I’m ready to go for the season and am peaking at the right point.
“I get paid too much money to miss the amount of games I did.”
It was clear from the tight-fitting T-shirt Alexander was wearing that he remains a physical specimen and gym rat. He weighs 212 pounds and might drop to 208 during the season, but won’t ever return to the 215-220 range he played at last season.
Alexander lifts weights once instead of twice a day, focusing instead on mobility and his core while taking Pilates classes. He’ll practise on weekdays with receivers Tyson Philpot and Cole Spieker, tailback Stevie Scott III and others who are in Montreal or will soon be arriving for the next three weeks. Alexander said he spent an hour on Tuesday throwing in the rain and wind.
Even given the amount of time he missed, Alexander still passed for 2,024 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, completing 72.5 per cent of his throws while being intercepted three times. And while Alexander’s mobility will never be denied, he rushed only 12 times for 110 yards, scoring once.
While the Als went 10-8, finishing second in the East Division, they weren’t the same team without Alexander. The team endured a five-game losing skid through August and September while he was sidelined before winning five straight late-season games — three of which Alexander started.
The Als defeated Winnipeg and Hamilton in the playoffs, but Alexander re-injured the hamstring late against the Tiger-Cats and laboured in the championship game, suffering yet another hamstring injury in the final moments of the 25-17 defeat. Alexander passed for 284 yards in the Grey Cup, nearly overcoming an 18-point third-quarter deficit, but he struggled with his mobility and, uncharacteristically, was intercepted three times.
Shea Patterson, whose critical late-game fumble deep in Saskatchewan territory thwarted the Als’ comeback attempt, is no longer with the team. Neither is McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who struggled as Alexander’s backup. Dustin Crum was signed as a free agent from Ottawa to back up Alexander. The third-string QB position is up for grabs.
Given the way the season ended, unfinished business could be the Als’ theme in 2026.
“It’s going to be in the back of our minds,” Alexander said. “As much as this hurt last year, we could have won the game. Eight other teams think the exact same thing going into this year. You can’t hang onto the past.
“We went on a five-game skid, and a lot of people doubted us. We were so worried about what other people were saying about us; other teams. The mentality has to be about us. We have to be ready to attack, move forward every day and quit worrying about last year’s Grey Cup.”
The Als’ first exhibition game is May 22 against Ottawa at Molson Stadium. The regular season begins on June 4 at Hamilton.
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
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