Alouettes receiver Lewis closes on second profession 1,000-yard season

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With a 46 yards Friday towards Hamilton within the Alouettes’ thirteenth recreation this season, Eugene Lewis will produce the second 1,000-yard marketing campaign of his profession.

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Lewis is stunned that complete, which stays the usual towards which receivers and tailbacks are measured, wasn’t surpassed earlier.

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“I’m not going to deceive you … I might have gotten 1,000 in week 9 or 10,” Lewis mentioned Tuesday after a observe at Molson Stadium. “We bought some penalties, which took a few catches again, or I most likely would have already been there.”

As common, the 29-year-old veteran is the Als’ main receiver, with 63 catches for 954 yards (15.1-yard common) together with 5 touchdowns. He’s additionally fourth total within the CFL, behind Ottawa’s Jaelon Acklin, B.C.’s Dominique Rhymes and Winnipeg’s excellent rookie, Dalton Schoen, though the Blue Bombers have performed two further video games.

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Lewis by no means has hidden the very fact he needs to be the league’s main receiver and a candidate for the CFL’s most excellent participant award.

“My aim’s to be an elite receiver,” he mentioned. “One-thousand yards is nice, however I nonetheless need extra. Simply getting there’s a great point.

“It’s nearly going on the market and competing,” Lewis added. “I work very exhausting. The eye to element is essential and there’s a way of urgency with conditions, figuring out what’s happening and the place we’re in. I would like to have the ability to assist my workforce as a lot as I can.”

The Als have gained three of their final 4 video games, enhancing to 5-7 and sit second within the East Division. However the Tiger-Cats (4-9) path by two factors, though they’ve performed one further recreation. Friday’s winner will seize the season collection between the groups.

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Lewis already has another reception than final season, when he performed 13 video games, and fell simply wanting 1,000 yards, ending the yr at 964 with 9 touchdowns. His career-high got here in 2019, when he caught 72 passes for 1,133 yards over 18 video games.

Whereas Lewis has surpassed 100 yards 4 instances this season, he hasn’t reached that complete since Aug. 4, though he fell one yard quick on Aug. 20, the final time Montreal and Hamilton met. Requiring 88 yards to hit 1,000 within the Als’ final recreation, Lewis caught three for 42 towards the Lions. One other potential reception was nullified when Lewis was referred to as for offensive go interference.

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“He’s simply as constant as you’re going to get — yr in, yr out, day in, time out,” normal supervisor and interim head coach Danny Maciocia mentioned. “Even the way in which he practises. He’s only a aggressive particular person. His aggressive juices are all the time flowing.”

Lewis’s manufacturing this season is extra outstanding, contemplating the Als have been with out injured tailback William Stanback — one in every of their different vital offensive weapons — nearly the complete season. And receiver Jake Wieneke’s stats have considerably declined. Certainly, it’s solely attainable Lewis will likely be Montreal’s just one,000-yard participant.

“There’s a specific consideration given to (Lewis),” Maciocia mentioned. “There’s no Stanback, and possibly we didn’t get sure performances we thought we had been going to get. Having mentioned that, (Lewis) comes as marketed.”

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Lewis has by no means been a participant that creates nice separation from defensive backs. As an alternative, the 6-foot-1, 208-pounder has established his popularity by way of making contested catches, gaining belief from his quarterbacks within the course of.

“I’ve been doing that since Little League,” Lewis mentioned. “For me, it’s a pure factor, one thing lots of people anticipate, so that they’re not stunned. I’m most pleased with getting higher every yr, creating my recreation and being constant.”

Lewis historically has guess on himself, signing one-year contracts with the Als since becoming a member of the workforce in 2017. That may make him a possible free agent once more in February, ought to negotiations final that lengthy — though Lewis has remained loyal to the group, regardless of figuring out he’d be a scorching commodity in free company.

In the meantime, left-guard Philippe Gagnon (again) is uncertain towards the Ticats. He’d get replaced by Pier-Olivier Lestage.

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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