Lewis tries to right Alouettes’ ship while rewriting record book
Two down, one more to go for Nik Lewis.
The veteran receiver began the season fourth on the CFL’s all-time reception list behind hall of famers Terry Vaughn (1,006), Ben Cahoon (1,017) and Geroy Simon (1,029). On Saturday, Lewis had six catches for 42 yards in the Montreal Alouettes’ 38-6 loss to the Toronto Argonauts, boosting his career total to 1,020.
Should Lewis register another 1,000-yard season — he has 43 catches for 403 yards and a TD after eightgames — it would be the 11th of his career, tying him with Vaughn for the most in CFL history. And that would be an impressive feat for a player who was a walk-on at Division II Southern Arkansas.
“It’s a great accomplishment to pass Ben,” Lewis said. “All of those things are good when your career is over and in the off-season you can think about it.
“But right now, my biggest things are what can I do to help this team win, how can I be better? Obviously I’m not good enough right now but I’ll be better next week. That’s the fun part about it, 14 years in and I’m still wanting to do better.”
It’s certainly been a challenging year for Montreal (3-5). The Alouettes had a chance Saturday to win the season series with Toronto, but fell to 0-4 on the road and are just one point ahead of third-place Ottawa (2-6-1) in the East Division.
Montreal plays its next two games at home, Thursday versus Winnipeg (6-2) and Aug. 31versus Ottawa. That means five of its final eight games will be on the road, posing a challenge for a team looking to avoid missing the playoffs for the third year in a row.
Winnipeg should present stiff opposition for Montreal. On Thursday, the Bombers beat previously unbeaten Edmonton 33-26.
On Saturday, Montreal mustered just nine first downs and 138 net yards. Quarterback Darian Durant finished14-of-27 passing for 93 yards with an interception.
Montreal avoided being shut out for the first time since 1997 when defensive lineman Domonique Tovell returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown. Boris Bede was busy, punting nine times.
“The culture of winning isn’t an easy thing to maintain,” Lewis said. “Talent doesn’t always win games, it’s being able to play smart football throughout.
“When you do that, you give yourself a chance to win every week. We’re still in second place. We’ve got a chance against Winnipeg and then we’ve got Ottawa, they’re both big games. Hopefully we’ve learned some things and are ready to go.” Montreal head coach Jacques Chapdelaine said his club would be well served to follow Lewis’s lead.
“He’s competitive,” Chapdelaine said. “He’s certainly an example we need to follow.
“If he can rally the guys around his style, his leadership will certainly benefit us.”