Als' Lewis on mission to be CFL'S top receiver
Fresh off the first 1,000yard season of his career in 2019, Eugene Lewis will probably duplicate that feat this year. But the Alouettes receiver has bigger goals in mind — leading the CFL.
“As a competitor it's a huge deal,” Lewis admitted. “Trying to be the best at your position should always be a goal for anybody at whatever position. At the same time, you can't make it bigger than the main goal. If I do the things I need to, all that stuff will come.”
Heading into Saturday afternoon's rematch against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Molson Stadium (1 p.m., TSN1, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM), Lewis is the Als' leading receiver. He has caught 56 passes for 913 yards while scoring seven touchdowns. He's second overall in the league, two yards behind Winnipeg's Kenny Lawler, who will play on Saturday, although the Bombers have left many veterans at home with first place clinched in the West Division.
“It's definitely something that's there, something to keep in the back of my head,” Lewis said of potentially becoming the league's leading receiver. “But at the end of the day, I know the main goal for this team. I'm not going to let individual things overcome the main thing (a Grey Cup) we're trying to get to.”
In last Saturday's 31-21 loss at Winnipeg, Lewis was limited to three catches for 44 yards from quarterback Trevor Harris, who was making his first start for Montreal.
But head coach Khari Jones said there were plays the duo left on the field because of their lack of chemistry.
Harris has now practised for three weeks with the Als following his acquisition last month in a trade from Edmonton and will be seeking improvement on his 177 yards passing last weekend. He also threw two fourth-quarter interceptions, although one occurred with the outcome no longer in doubt.
“I beat myself up quite a bit after the game,” Harris told the Montreal Gazette.
“After watching the film ... I think we did a lot of good things. There are small details to iron out. We've done a good job attacking those things (this week in practice and meetings).
“I'm still an infant in this offence, but I'm growing daily. I'm excited about what our offence is going to look like within the next week or two.”
The big news from Winnipeg this week was the decision by head coach Mike O'shea to rest quarterback Zach Collaros, who leads the league in passing, with 3,112 yards and 20 touchdowns. He'll be replaced by Sean Mcguire, the Bombers' short-yardage specialist making his first start.
Mcguire has attempted only seven passes this season and he'll be facing an Als defence that leads the league in sacks, with 45.
Other notable absentees for Winnipeg include safety Brandon Alexander, defensive-end Jackson Jeffcoat, defensive-tackle Steven Richardson, defensive-back Deatrick Nichols and offensive-tackle Pat Neufeld.
“I see (middle-linebacker) Adam Bighill playing,” Harris said.
“I see (rush-end) Willie Jefferson playing. Those are two of the best defensive players this league has to offer. To me it looks like they've got some great players there. I know Winnipeg has a lot of depth. You know they're going to play hard and bring it, regardless of who's out there.”
The Als have their own issues as well, starting with their two-game losing skid and 2-3 record at home. Montreal needs victories against Winnipeg and Ottawa next Friday to finish the season with a winning record.