Alouettes QB Bethel-Thompson embraces ‘daunting challenge' that lies ahead
The veteran quarterback arrived in Montreal specifically to back up starter Davis Alexander. He might play a game or two, but Bethel-Thompson was with the Als as an insurance policy.
One-third into the CFL regular season, those plans have gone awry.
Bethel-Thompson has already played two games, at Hamilton and against B.C., while Alexander recovered from a hamstring injury. But Alexander reinjured his left leg late against Toronto last Thursday while scoring the winning touchdown and has been placed on the six-game injured list.
While a player can be removed from that list at any time — his salary doesn't count against the cap in the meantime — the Als will be Bethel-Thompson's team for the foreseeable future. And they're heading into the most difficult stretch of their schedule beginning Thursday, when Montreal meets Calgary at McMahon Stadium (9 p.m., TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM).
The Stampeders (5-1) have the league's best record and are coming off road wins at Saskatchewan and Winnipeg. Calgary has defeated Winnipeg twice this season and is averaging 30.2 points scored, while allowing a league-low 18.5. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., a former Alouette, has passed for 1,720 yards and eight touchdowns, although he has been intercepted six times. The Stamps have continued winning despite the absence of injured receiver Reggie Begelton, who caught 92 passes for 1,150 yards last season while scoring four touchdowns. He had three 100-yard games.
While the Als are 4-2, their next four games after Calgary are against the Roughriders, Edmonton, at B.C. and against Winnipeg before a bye week in the schedule.
'Sports always is a little bit more than you think you're ready for (but) I love it,' Bethel-Thompson said Tuesday after a practice at Stade Hébert. 'I love the challenge, the opportunity. I couldn't ask for a better week, going into a really good team's house and to get back in the saddle. I'm excited for the opportunity. I'm excited to do it for this team.
'Every lesson you learn, you're better prepared each week,' added the 37-year-old, who spent five seasons with Toronto and led the Argonauts to the 2022 Grey Cup.
While Bethel-Thompson passed for an impressive 3,748 yards and 24 touchdowns with the Elks last season, the team was 3-10 during his starts, and he was eventually replaced by Canadian Tre Ford.
Bethel-Thompson is 0-2 with Montreal. He completed 24 of 41 passes for 203 yards against Hamilton with one touchdown. But he was intercepted twice and fumbled once into the Als' end zone that was recovered for a touchdown. He likely played well enough against the Lions to win. Bethel-Thompson was good on 15 of 23 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. A potential third score was dropped by receiver Charleston Rambo.
'It's an awesome offence,' Bethel-Thompson said. 'It's very dynamic and very multiple. It's varied and full of motions, alignments and changes. It's full of every type of read you could possibly have. Full of every type of high-low, inside-out. It's everything that is an offence — and especially a CFL offence that has motion and 12 people. It's really a fun challenge. Every week is mental gymnastics and I really enjoy it.
'That's what's so great about it. It feels new,' he added. 'It's a new team, a new opportunity, a new experience and a new way to feel how urgent this game is for this team at this time. It lost one of its good players, one of its emotional leaders. How can I step up to that opportunity and be the right guy for this team in this moment? It's a daunting challenge and one I look forward to. It's very urgent (for himself). I want this one probably more than anybody else on this team. I haven't had a win as the starting quarterback with this team yet.'
For the second consecutive week, the Als will be missing Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot (hamstring). Return-specialist James Letcher Jr. (hand) will be replaced by Lincoln Victor, who attended training camp with Ottawa and will be making his CFL debut. Cornerback Lorenzo Burns (shoulder) returns, but linebacker Najee Murray (hamstring) is listed as a game-time decision.
Head coach Jason Maas, a former CFL quarterback, knows it's paramount that Bethel-Thompson displays improvement.
'Quarterbacking is very simple. It comes down to decision-making,' he said. 'When he's in there, no matter how many reps he has had, he has to make great decisions each and every play, throw the ball accordingly, make the reads accordingly and lead the offence. That's all he has to do. He doesn't have to do anything special.
'Do I expect him to be better? Absolutely, just because of the practice and the opportunities he has been given. But our whole team has to be better. If just he gets better and nobody else, we're not going to be as good.'
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Montreal Gazette
27 minutes ago
- Montreal Gazette
Zurkowsky: Outmatched Alouettes suffer embarrassing defeat to CFL-leading Roughriders
Montreal Alouettes By The slaughter on Pins Ave. began with a 46-yard kickoff return by Dohnte Meyers — and got progressively worse from there. It would be easy to pile on the Alouettes, and criticize them extensively, following Saturday night's humbling 34-6 defeat to the Saskatchewan Roughriders before 21,654 Molson Stadium spectators, who endured an approximate 25-minute delay at halftime because of lightning in the area, not to mention the ensuing downpour. There are plenty of holes to fill on the Alouettes, and plenty of blame to mete out, following this embarrassing performance. And while Montreal clearly isn't in the same class as the Roughriders, who have a CFL-best 7-1 record as the regular season is about to reach the halfway mark, the Als' roster, which was already decimated by injuries, took a major hit on this night. Cornerback Kabion Ento, who has a team-leading three interceptions, was a last-minute scratch with a calf injury. Early in the first quarter, the Alouettes lost safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy with what appeared to be an injury to his left shoulder. And the team already was missing linebacker Najee Murray. Offensively, it appears the Als will be without centre Justin Lawrence for the conceivable future. He was injured in the second quarter and was seen on crutches post-game. Montreal already is without starting quarterback Davis Alexander (hamstring) and two starting receivers — Tyson Philpot (knee) and Austin Mack (ankle). Alexander is already on the six-game injured list and it appears the frequently injured Mack is headed there as well. He has a walking boot on his left ankle and must manoeuvre on crutches. While pro football teams will never use injuries as an excuse, and head coach Jason Maas always has adopted a next-man-up mentality, it's hard to believe the Alouettes can remain competitive with so many players sidelined. 'Injuries are part of the season, part of the game,' a remarkably calm Maas said. 'Obviously, at times, they're harder to overcome than others. I thought our guys kept fighting and dealing with them. Obviously, you never want to start a game losing a guy, then losing a couple of extra guys. That's hard. No one has that depth. At the end of the day, you've got to keep playing and find a way. We just didn't do that tonight. There's never going to be an excuse. No question it's never easy and makes it more difficult.' As Maas, a former CFL quarterback, went to bed Saturday night, he undoubtedly contemplated a dilemma his team has at that most important position without Alexander. Namely, can this team win with veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson? It might be a moot point for now, since there doesn't appear to be a viable alternative. After finally winning his first start in three games last week at Calgary, the 37-year-old took a huge step backward against Saskatchewan. Bethel-Thompson completed 15 of 26 passes for 126 yards. He was intercepted once, should have been pilfered at least once more, and fumbled after being sacked by defensive-end Shane Ray. Looking for a change in momentum, Bethel-Thompson was temporarily benched in the third quarter following the turnover, replaced by an ineffective Caleb Evans, only to return with less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth period. While the quarterback always will receive too much credit, or blame when necessary, he's now 1-3 with Montreal after going 3-10 with Edmonton last season. 'That was a tough one,' Bethel-Thompson said. 'I can't remember a time that we felt that out of rhythm on offence and I felt that out of rhythm. We just didn't execute and that was a really, really disappointing performance. We definitely kicked ourselves in the shin, over and over again. 'It was crazy. Unexplainable and unacceptable to come out and have that performance. That was one of the worst performances I've been a part of. Definitely got to be better.' Forget for a moment the Alouettes were held to two long Jose Maltos field goals — from 56 and 54 yards. Their deepest penetration was to the Saskatchewan 46 early in the third quarter. Montreal was held to 12 first downs and 169 yards' net offence. The Als ran only 48 offensive plays and controlled the ball barely more than 23 minutes. Bethel-Thompson was sacked twice. While Tyler Snead was the Montreal's leading receiver, catching seven passes for 88 yards, the team's longest offensive play was an 18-yard pass to him. Charleston Rambo, arguably Montreal's fastest receiver, didn't have a pass thrown his way. Alexander Hollins, replacing Mack, was targeted only once and didn't have a reception. The Alouettes failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time since last Oct. 19, at B.C. Defensively, not even the return of suspended veteran rush-end Shawn Lemon for the first time in a year could galvanize the Als. Trevor Harris passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Meyers caught five passes for 136 yards, while tailbacks A.J. Ouellette and Mario Anderson combined for 122 yards. The Riders had 22 first downs and 418 yards' net offence. With a 5-3 record, Montreal is in no immediate danger and sit second in the East Division, two points behind Hamilton (6-2), who defeated Edmonton earlier Saturday. The Alouettes entertain the Elks on Friday night. The game marks the return of former Montreal starting quarterback Cody Fajardo, who was named the Grey Cup's most valuable player in 2023. Fajardo was traded last winter for Bethel-Thompson.
Montreal Gazette
an hour ago
- Montreal Gazette
Can QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson win two straight for the Alouettes?
Montreal Alouettes A young quarterback might be permitted to lose three straight games because he's experiencing growing pains while continuing to learn the CFL and its intricacies. No such luxury exists for a 37-year-old veteran — especially McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who's with a new team and must build confidence with his Alouettes teammates and management. Bethel-Thompson won a Grey Cup with Toronto in 2022, but when he led Montreal to a comeback victory last Thursday at Calgary, it might have been among the most important triumphs of his CFL career. Now, he must attempt to do it again Saturday night, when the Als host Saskatchewan at Molson Stadium (7 p.m., TSN1, TSN3, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM). The Roughriders (6-1) have the league's best record. Both Saskatchewan and Montreal (5-2) are on two-game winning streaks, while the visitors have yet to lose on the road this season in three games. 'It felt really good to be part of a winning effort and get over that hump,' Bethel-Thompson said. 'Where I'm at in my life, I'm so proud of the work I'm doing, on and off the field. It shows what I'm doing is paying off and I can still do it at a high level. The exciting part is there's more to get better at. It's only going to be up from here. I want to be the best quarterback I can be for this team.' Following losses at Hamilton and against B.C., Bethel-Thompson completed 30 of 40 passes for 280 yards and one touchdown against the Stampeders. In three games, he has thrown for 752 yards and four touchdowns while being intercepted three times. And he'll remain the Alouettes' starter for the immediate future with Davis Alexander remaining on the six-game injured list while recovering from a pulled hamstring. 'Do I expect to go out there and lose two games in a row? Not at all,' said Bethel-Thompson, acquired from Edmonton last December in a trade for Cody Fajardo. 'Do I expect to play at that level? No. I know what my expectations are. I don't worry about what anybody else says. I've been around long enough. There's so much noise. The only noise that matters is the noise you make within your own body.' While the confidence Jason Maas has displayed in Bethel-Thompson never has wavered, the Als' head coach — a former CFL quarterback — realizes that cacophony would have reached a crescendo had Montreal's second-string pivot not defeated Calgary. That's simply the nature of the beast. 'I think it's just confidence and growth,' Maas said. 'You could see it in practice this week. The way he's commanding the huddle. The way the ball is coming out. The communication with everybody. You could just tell it was a breath of fresh air for him ... a monkey off his back, whatever you want to call it. It was. 'Quarterbacks put a lot of stress and undo pressure on themselves to perform. All eyes are on them. Quarterbacks get a lot of credit. They get a lot of blame, too. And it weighs on you. But he's a strong individual — mentally and physically. I'm glad to see him get the win as a starter, but we knew that would happen at some point.' Offensively, the Alouettes will be missing import receiver Austin Mack, who turned his ankle late against Calgary. He'll be replaced by Alexander Hollins, who spent three seasons with B.C. and has 16 touchdowns in 38 career games. Hollins, 6-feet and 165 pounds, gained 1,173 yards in 2023. Canadian rookie Hakeem Harris gets his first career start for the injured Tyson Philpot. With James Letcher Jr. (hand) sidelined, Montreal will try Tyjon Lindsey as its return-specialist this game. That role last week was filled by Lincoln Victor. But he fumbled twice against Calgary and, although neither resulted in a turnover, he was replaced by receiver Tyler Snead. Victor subsequently was released this week. Defensively, the game marks the return of veteran rush-end Shawn Lemon following a year-long CFL-imposed suspension. Lemon has spent the last two weeks practising after being reinstated by the league for wagering on games in 2021, while with Calgary. He then served an additional two-game suspension following a positive test for the banned substance phentermine — an appetite suppressant. 'It means a lot to be back in the stadium,' Lemon said. 'It's not about me. It's about the Alouettes getting a win. It's about whatever I can do to help this team get a win. 'The clip is full. I'm ready to go.' This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 2:37 PM.
National Post
6 hours ago
- National Post
10 Thoughts: Roughriders assert dominance in win over Alouettes
Article content In Week 9 of the CFL season, the Green and White improved to 7-1 with a 34-6 victory over the Montreal Alouettes, in what was Saskatchewan's most convincing win of the year. Article content Article content Here are the top 10 takeaways from the victory: Article content 10 Thoughts Article content 1. Saturday's game was billed as a potential Grey Cup preview by some but it's hard to really consider it that with Alouettes starting quarterback Davis Alexander sidelined with an injury. The Alouettes have a top defence and while McLeod Bethel-Thompson has plenty of experience in the league, Alexander is the more explosive quarterback. Missing top receivers Tyson Philpot and Austin Mack didn't help either. Article content 2. The Roughriders solidified their Grey Cup-contender status with their current lineup led by quarterback Trevor Harris, who continued his strong start to the season. Harris completed 19 of 27 passes for 289 yards with two touchdown passes and was effective on his short, medium and deep passes. Hard to ask for much more especially when he's protecting the football like he has been. Article content 3. Harris completed 70.4 per cent of his passes on Saturday, which marked the 11th game in a row with at least 70 per cent completion rate. That extends his CFL record and maybe that was the reason he stayed in the game when it was out of reach in the fourth quarter as he completed two short passes to get over that 70 per cent mark. Article content 4. Short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens showed his value on the opening drive of the game. Not only did he secure first downs on two third-down gambles, but he plunged into the end zone for the game's first touchdown. On one 'sneak,' Stevens picked up seven yards and you have to wonder if he went wide every time how many yards/touchdowns he could get. Can't get greedy, I guess. Article content 5. Montreal has always been a tough place to play for Saskatchewan. Not this year though. The last time the Roughriders won in Montreal, Harris was the quarterback for the Alouettes. That was in 2021 and Harris replaced an ineffective Matthew Shiltz at quarterback but couldn't lead the Alouettes to a comeback win. Article content Article content 6. While it wasn't necessarily an eight-sack performance like last week against the Edmonton Elks, Saskatchewan's defence made life tough for Alouettes quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who was intercepted and sacked twice. In fact, Bethel-Thompson was so ineffective, the Alouettes tried Caleb Evans at quarterback. That short-lived experiment didn't work so MBT came back and finished the game and should have been intercepted twice more by Riders' safety Nelson Lokombo. Article content 7. Montreal was probably trying to capture some magic they found in 2024. Last year, the Roughriders led 16-3 in Montreal at halftime and an ineffective Evans was replaced by little-known Alexander at half. Alexander went on to lead the Alouettes to a 20-16 comeback win, which was the first step in him becoming the club's franchise quarterback.
