Montreal Alouettes’ receiver Tyler Snead is probably in the best position to know what his franchise quarterback, Davis Alexander, was going through with a nagging hamstring injury as he’s not only the quarterback’s top target but also his roommate and close friend.
Both players addressed the media on Tuesday morning in Montreal, their last appearance before the offseason. The breakout receiver was impressed with the pain tolerance and determination of Alexander.
“Less than one percent would have played that Grey Cup with that injury,” Snead told the media. “For him to go out there and perform the way he did and put it all up there on the line for us, that’s the type of guy he is, the type of competitor he is, and the type of leader he is for us. That’s why everybody follows him and why it’s different when he’s out there.”
The 27-year-old passer battled through a hamstring injury from April right to the end of the season. With the Alouettes now done for the year, he revealed the extent of what he endured: a Grade 3C tear and a Grade 2A partial tear last week in Hamilton.
A Grade 3C tear is the second-worst hamstring injury an athlete can sustain, just one stage shy of an off-the-bone tear that requires surgery and four to six weeks of recovery. Alexander never fully healed but played the entire Grey Cup regardless.
When asked if his workout plan last offseason contributed to his injury, Alexander admitted he may have pushed too hard.
“I think that’s been talked about a little bit,” he said. “Maybe I trained too hard. I didn’t believe it was a thing until now, so it’ll be something I’ll monitor.”
Alexander might have also played through training camp injured to prove his place in the CFL as a starter.
“Selfishly, yes, (that might be true),” he said. “But I don’t think we knew how bad the injury was at that time. I was able to do the training camp and I felt well.”
The native of Gig Harbor, Wash., who turned the ball over three times against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Grey Cup, didn’t use any excuse for his performance and under-thrown passes. He doesn’t think his injury or the management of it had anything to do with his showing.
“You play the worst game of your career on the most important of your career, it will eat you up for a little bit,” he said. “As you saw at the end of the game, I threw one of the best balls of my whole life: that deep ball to Snead. I can’t use (the injury) as an excuse at all.”
Snead concluded his media availability with a statement on the belief he has in his quarterback and his team moving forward. He believes that, with a healthy quarterback, the sky is the limit for 2026.
“I know this team and this group will be back in the same position and we’ll find ourselves in the same position. Next time, we will finish and we will win.”
The Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg by a score of 25-17.
Trevor Harris was named Most Valuable Player after he completed 23-of-27 pass attempts for 302 yards, winning his first Grey Cup as a starter. Samuel Emilus was named Most Valuable Canadian after he made 10 catches for 108 yards, finishing only two receptions shy of tying the Grey Cup record.
