Als’ Lewis believes sky is the limit
Young receiver has lofty goals and high expectations heading into CFL debut
It’s a bold statement to be made before he has played his first professional game, but perhaps Eugene Lewis’ attitude will be infectious for a team struggling on offence.
“My ultimate goal is to get to the highest level. This is just another stepping stone to get there. This is another chapter in my book,” the 24-year-old receiver said Tuesday, after the Alouettes concluded this week’s practices at Olympic Stadium.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Lewis, who joined the Als after the start of training camp, will make his CFL debut Thursday night (8:30 p.m., TSN1,3,4, RDS, TSN Radio 690) against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Investors Group Field.
Lewis replaces Tiquan Underwood, who came out of last week’s loss at Ottawa with an ankle injury after catching five passes for 95 yards including a 51-yard touchdown. The Als lose an inch of height and three years’ CFL experience with Underwood’s absence.
But Lewis hopes his confidence and youthful exuberance will compensate.
“Definitely I’m a guy that goes out there and works hard. I’m hungry. I’m going to definitely catch everything that comes my way. I have high expectations for myself,” said Lewis, a native of Norristown, Penn. “I’m going to go out there and produce, just like anybody else on this team.
“I always go out there and try to make sure I make the best play for myself and my teammates,” he continued. “I know my ability and I’m confident in myself.”
The Als, who have lost three of five games and are winless in two road matches, could use any possible boost before they begin the first of two bye weeks in their schedule.
While quarterback Darian Durant passed for 452 yards against the Redblacks, registering 27 first downs, Montreal was held below 20 points for the fourth time this season. That simply isn’t going to cut it in the high-scoring CFL.
Lewis certainly comes to the Als with some impressive credentials and an athletic pedigree.
His father, Eugene Lewis Sr., was a standout basketball guard at the University of South Alabama and was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round of the 1989 NBA draft.
His son was heavily recruited before deciding to remain close to home and attend Penn State after playing quarterback and defensive back in high school. In his final year, Lewis rushed for 1,534 yards and 28 touchdowns while passing for 1,012 yards and 10 scores.
After redshirting as a freshman, Lewis caught 18 passes for 234 yards along with three touchdowns his first season with the Nittany Lions. His breakout year came as a sophomore, when he caught 55 passes for 751 yards.
But his playing time and productivity slipped significantly in 2015 and Lewis elected to transfer to Oklahoma for his final year of eligibility.
His impact with the Sooners was marginal — 33 receptions for 388 yards.
Undrafted, Lewis attended a rookie mini-camp this season with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. With no contract offer, he was invited to Seattle’s rookie camp.
The Bengals told his agent he was reliable, smart, had a strong work ethic and was very attentive before adding they wished he was slightly faster.
But Lewis’s highlight reel on YouTube is impressive.
It shows a receiver who can catch the ball in a crowd and win one-onone battles. And Alouettes general manager Kavis Reed doesn’t hide his enthusiasm.
“He’s a very intelligent player that makes a lot of catches in traffic. He has terrific ball skills and is a downfield threat,” Reed said.
“I’m very bullish on this kid. You have to crawl before you can walk, but he has the tools and disposition to be good.”
Lewis has had three full practice days with the starting offence. He said he’s prepared and ready to perform against a Bombers team that has split its opening four games. Lewis said he’ll probably be nervous before the opening kickoff, but those feelings of anxiety should quickly dissipate.
“Nobody cares that you’re nervous. You just have to get yourself together, go out there and play the game,” said Lewis, who graduated early after majoring in human development and family studies. He hopes to pursue a career as a counsellor.
“I’m really excited,” he added. “I’m grateful and humble to have this opportunity. I’m ready to start my professional career.
“Everything happens for a reason. Everything will work itself out. I worked hard since I was here. Hard work pays off.”
Lewis said he was weary of waiting for another potential NFL opportunity, and jumped at the Als’ offer. And although he has lofty goals, he maintained he’s not disappointed to be pursuing his career in Canada.
“There’s a lot of guys who wish they were in my position and had this opportunity,” he said.
“I’m grateful to be here. They took a chance on me. I respect them so much for that.”
Now it’s time to repay the favour. Meanwhile, a knee injury to defensive-back Dominique Termansen has created an opening on the roster for non-import Mikaël Charland, who played for the Concordia Stingers.
Charland will be utilized mostly on special teams.