Montreal Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander was unhappy after being removed from the field by a CFL injury specialist shortly before halftime of his team's victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Thanksgiving Day.
“I was angry that I was taken off the field.” Alexander told the media after the game. “You can't pull me off the field after I just made three plays and then pull me. It doesn't make any sense… Pull me right away, don't pull me after three plays.”
Alexander stayed in the game on second and first with just over a minute left to run a yard in the first half. He picked up a first down from the left side on his initial rush and remained on his feet without the whistle, allowing him to reach the second level of Ottawa's defense.
The 26-year-old continued to shake his legs before being tackled by defender Adrian Fry. Alexander's helmet appeared to come off in the early stages of the tackle when cornerback DeAndre Lamont rushed forward from his safety spot and struck Alexander in the head, causing the helmet to fly off. Although a flag was initially thrown, Lamont was not issued a fine.
“I don't know what it should have been (the penalty). I'll have to watch the game,” head coach Jason Maas said. “You become a running back in those situations, and I'll have to watch. If it's not a spear but just hitting a guy, that's part of football.”
Alexander appeared shaken but remained in the game for two more plays before being taken down by a CFL spotter with a concussion. After the game, the quarterback said he went through concussion protocol before halftime and had a “big gash” on his nose stitched up during the break, allowing him to return for the second half.
Maas, who called it a “bad play,” noted that “not too many injuries” happen to quarterbacks in short-yardage games. Despite the major blow to Alexander, he noted that the team will not change its process moving forward, citing the need to remain efficient even as the clock runs down in the inning.
Alexander finished the game completing 23 of 30 pass attempts for 240 yards and one touchdown, along with one carry for six yards. He told the media that this “probably the worst game” of his careerwhich was quite a remarkable mark considering he didn't commit a single turnover and his team won by 20 points.
Maas didn't think it was an ideal move from his franchise quarterback, although he praised Alexander's competitiveness and desire to improve.
“Is there room for Davis to improve? Absolutely. There's a lot of things I think he could do a little better. I still just love his fight, I love his leadership. I love the fact that he wants to be perfect every game,” Maas said.
“He was far from it in this game, but he still led us and was still able to make throws and good reads, just probably not as consistently as he would have liked.”
The Montreal Alouettes (9-7) will face the Ottawa Redblacks (4-12) at TD Place on Saturday, October 18, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 pm ET. Both teams met on Thanksgiving Day with The Alouettes win 30–10 to keep their hopes of finishing first in the East Division alive..
The Ottawa weather forecast calls for temperatures to reach 14 degrees with a 40 per cent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN, RDS and CTV in Canada and CFL+ worldwide. Radio listeners can tune in to TSN 690 in Montreal and TSN 1200 in Ottawa.
