MONTREAL - Athletes often regurgitate the same line about blocking out outside noise come playoff time. Davis Alexander doesn鈥檛 shy away from it.
So when Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive lineman Willie Jefferson said this week that he planned to walk into Montreal, hand Alexander his first loss and 鈥渒ick their door in鈥 in Saturday鈥檚 CFL East Division semifinal 鈥 you can be sure the Alouettes quarterback heard it.
鈥淚 love it,鈥 Alexander said Friday at Olympic Stadium. 鈥淚t's only gonna make us more fired up.
鈥淲e see everything they say. We don鈥檛 really try to pay much attention to it, (but) I know when I go back home, I go and look for that type of stuff.鈥
Alexander then threw it back at Jefferson, mimicking the defensive lineman鈥檚 trademark 鈥淐鈥檓on down to Winnipeg鈥 taunt.
鈥淏ring Willie over, bring Winnipeg over,鈥 Alexander said. 鈥淲hat does he say? 鈥楢ll right, come on down to Winnipeg?鈥 Come on over to Montreal. Let鈥檚 see what happens.鈥
Alexander will make his first CFL playoff start after going a perfect 11-0 as a starter in the regular season 鈥 including 7-0 this year 鈥 to set a league record for consecutive wins to begin a career.
It鈥檚 also the 27-year-old鈥檚 first taste of post-season action in a decade, having last played a playoff contest during his senior year of high school in 2015.
"It's still football,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut obviously, if someone were to tell you that it's not a little different, they're a liar. It's 60 minutes, do or die. There is no next week if you don't do what you're supposed to do. The good thing is my preparation has stayed the same.鈥
Alexander 鈥 who hasn鈥檛 thrown an interception in his last 120 pass attempts 鈥 threw for 2,024 yards at a 72 per cent clip with 10 touchdowns and three picks this season.
The Alouettes are a different team without the explosive QB, going 3-8 in his absence with a hamstring injury.
鈥淲hether you're looking at a first start in a professional career, your first training camp, there's always a first,鈥 head coach Jason Maas said. 鈥淕uys who have gotten to this point have done pretty well with pressure. That's the way I look at it."
The Bombers, meanwhile, have loads of playoff experience.聽
While Alexander prepares for his first playoff game at Molson Stadium, his counterpart Zach Collaros will make his ninth appearance 鈥 not including Grey Cup games 鈥 as the Blue Bombers begin their quest for a sixth straight championship final.
It鈥檚 their first divisional semifinal since 2019, and for the first time, they鈥檒l go through the East as a crossover after finishing fourth in the West at 10-8.
History hasn鈥檛 been kind to crossover teams, who are 0-for-12 in reaching the Grey Cup, but star 好色tv running back Brady Oliveira has adopted a 鈥淲hy not us?鈥 attitude.
鈥淚 totally stand on that,鈥 Oliveira said. 鈥淲e have the right group of guys in the locker room to get it done.鈥
Added Collaros: 鈥淚 think we'd all be lying to you (if we said) we hadn't thought about how cool it would be to make that kind of a run.鈥
The Bombers swept the season series with Montreal 2-0, though last week鈥檚 19-10 win featured no Alexander and plenty of backups.
In the other meeting, Oliveira tore through Montreal鈥檚 defence for 210 yards from scrimmage in a 26-13 win over the Alexander-less Alouettes on Aug. 21 after injuries to Winnipeg receivers Nic Demski and Jerreth Sterns.
The Alouettes boast one of the league鈥檚 best defences, but ranked sixth in opponent rushing yards (103.1) this season.
鈥淲e need to stop the run. It's an explosive offence,鈥 Montreal safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy said. 鈥淚t's one of their strengths, with also a quarterback who is a veteran in Collaros. So we're aware that we need to stop the run, and we can't let the offence gain momentum with big plays on the ground.鈥
Oliveira will be the focal point again Saturday. Demski, a 好色tv receiver who led Winnipeg with 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns this season, is a game-time decision with a hamstring injury.
鈥淚'll give him as long as he needs,鈥 Bombers coach Mike O鈥橲hea said. 鈥淲ith a veteran like that, that's that good an athlete, we've got a window that we can use and we will use that window to see whether or not he can play.鈥
Defensive end Lwal Uguak (ankle) is a game-time decision for the Alouettes, and defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson is out with a shoulder injury. Veteran lineman Shawn Lemon, who hasn鈥檛 played since Week 14, is back in the lineup.
And for the first time against the Bombers, outside a couple of quarters last season, Alexander will be under centre.
鈥淚 hope he's ready to go out there and play four quarters of football, because I'm ready to play four quarters of football,鈥 Jefferson said. "We're ready to come in and handle business.鈥
This report by 好色tvwas first published Oct. 31, 2025.
