"The season isn't over yet," says the veteran pass catcher. "This team is no different. The door is wide open."
Jake Wieneke I admit I'm looking at the stats. In that case, Alouettes' veteran his receiver couldn't be happier with what he saw.
With the Als reaching the halfway point of their schedule in Thursday's game in Winnipeg, Wieneke is one of his nine CFL players listed in the weekly statistical roundup. outperforms the receiver of Through seven games, he only had 18 catches for 195 yards. Wieneke is also seeking his first touchdown of the season after he produced 19 majors combined in his first two years at Montreal.
"That's something I've definitely thought about and wondered about," the 27-year-old said after practice on Tuesday. “You have to play when the ball comes. Losing at home to the undefeated Blue Bombers, they caught just three passes for 17 yards, another disappointing result. In another loss at Hamilton the week before, he had his three receptions for his 16 yards. He was nowhere near producing his 100-yard game, and on June 16 in Toronto, he was targeted only twice and failed to catch.
Wieneke injured his hamstring early in training his camp and missed the third game of the season, but has regained his health. said.
At 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 215 pounds, his Wieneke has all the physical abilities to succeed. He caught 41 passes and gained 569 yards in his 18 games as a rookie in 2019. Last season, when the CFL was reduced to his 14-game schedule, he recorded 56 catches for his 898 yards.
"The season is not over," he said. "It's the same with this team. The doors are wide open for us as a team and the same can be said for our individual stats. Whatever the end of the season, I'm going to say we did our best." 47}
After last week's game, general manager and interim head coach Danny Maciocia complained that all of the receiver positions were going through Eugene Lewis. Lewis is his top receiver in the league, with him catching 45 passes for 742 yards, but Als has become too one-sided and relies on him too often.
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One of the many reasons the Ars are struggling with their 2-6 record is the touchdown in the last two games. It's that he's only been downed three times.
"I think [recipients] need to be more involved," Maciosia said Tuesday. “We need to distribute the ball like we did in Ottawa. If we can get all the receivers involved, that makes our offense better … and run the ball with some success.
If Wieneke was disappointed, rookie receiver Tyson Philpot was a breath of fresh air. He's the type of playmaker who can build teams (and offenses) around them. And Maciosia said he would love to see the 22-year-old get involved more aggressively.
Philpott, the ninth overall pick from Montreal this year, returned his 60-yard kickoff against Winnipeg in the third quarter and scored a 15-yard touchdown for his 2017 win. Completed the drive at reception. He has 7 passes for his 108 yards and has scored 2, but has a bigger contribution on special teams. Philpott has returned 109 yards (15.6 yards average) on his seven punts and 251 yards (27.9 yards average) on nine kickoffs.
"Sure, losing is not fun, but it was a good experience," he said Philpot. “My job is growing every week and I have been able to have more impact on the offense.It is good to see the team trust me.
``I've been trying to influence the team as much as I can. It gives you (opportunity) to touch and be immersed in.”
The Als remain tied for second with Hamilton, but the team cannot afford to keep losing.
"We're in big trouble now," said Philpott. "Every game matters because of the hole we put ourselves in."
Meanwhile, quarterback Trevor Harris pitched for the second time in three days on Tuesday. However, Maciosia said he would start against Winnipeg due to a lingering back injury.
"He could throw today," Maciosia said. "He just wanted to limit his throws going into the game."
cornerback Rodney Randle Jr. is expected to miss with a knee injury. Kenneth Durden could be off the practice roster in his place.
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
twitter.com/HerbZurkowsky1
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