WINNIPEG - Tyler Snead smiles when asked if the Montreal Alouettes鈥 receiving corps has a nickname.
鈥淭he Fab Five,鈥 he said of the crew, which also includes Austin Mack, Tyson Philpot, Charleston Rambo and Cole Spieker.
It was starting quarterback Davis Alexander who came up with the nickname when he created a group chat with the five starters earlier this season.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e incredible,鈥 Alexander said. 鈥淭he best part about them is they care about each other鈥檚 success more than they care about their own. You don鈥檛 get that a lot. A lot of receivers, a lot of receiver rooms, it鈥檚 prima donna-led.鈥
Then the man who'll be tossing the ball in Sunday's Grey Cup game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders elaborated with a grin.
鈥淭he receiver is a prima-donna position,鈥 Alexander said. 鈥淣o matter what they say, they know it. It鈥檚 a prima-donna position, but we don鈥檛 do that here in Montreal, and we won鈥檛 put up with that.
鈥淪o you鈥檝e got to find a way to fit in. You鈥檝e got to be able to block on the perimeter. You鈥檝e got to care more about that guy鈥檚 yards than your own yards. So they鈥檙e special.鈥
Snead led the injury-bitten group in receiving yards this season with 84 receptions for 1,129 yards in 17 games (fifth in the CFL). It earned him a spot on the all-CFL team in his third year.
The native of Raleigh, N.C., said it's a collective effort with all the team's receivers.
鈥淓very single one of us, we think we鈥檝e got the best receiving group in the league. We really believe it,鈥 Snead said.
鈥淭his year, we kind of had a roller-coaster of a season, up and down with injuries, but a lot of guys stepped up in a big way.鈥
Philpot was second in team receiving with a career-high 804 yards off 61 catches, plus five TDs. He only played in 12 games because of hamstring and knee injuries.
It wasn't the way the Delta, B.C., product wanted to return after his 2024 season was cut short by an injury and he underwent foot and ankle surgeries.
While he was aiming to play 18 games this season, he's likened this year to 2023 where he missed five games with injuries, then got on a roll that finished with a bang.
Philpot grabbed the Grey Cup-winning touchdown pass from Cody Fajardo in the end zone with 11 seconds remaining, giving Montreal a 28-24 upset victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
He sees film of the catch whenever it's posted on social media, but doesn't seek it out.
鈥淚've kind of put it in the past now,鈥 Philpot said. 鈥淚 use it as experience, something I can lean on when something's not going right in the game. When I need to dig deep and make a play for my team, I can look within that.鈥
The son of former CFL running back Cory Philpot hopes there's another big moment around the corner.
鈥淚 love that play, but I don't want that to be the Tyson Philpot play,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 don't want that to be the last thing I'm remembered for.
"I want to go out there and make a new play every time I step on that field, so I'm just excited to make another memory this year.鈥
Snead was on the field running a route and didn't see Philpot's Grey Cup catch, but he wouldn't mind duplicating it.
鈥淚f it comes down to that this year and a last-second play, then that鈥檚 the moment you dream of, that鈥檚 the moment you want,鈥 Snead said. 鈥淵ou want to go out there and be the guy that wins it and does it for your team.鈥
Mack was third among Montreal's receivers with 48 catches for 674 yards in 12 games because of a leg injury.
He injured his hamstring late in last weekend's East Division final 19-16 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and is practising on a limited basis this week.
Spieker finished with 54 catches for 609 yards and four TDs in 16 games, while Rambo rounded out the Fab Five's output with his own 54 receptions in 17 games for 585 yards and three TDs.
ON TRACK
The Alouettes held a closed practice Thursday.
Alexander, who's getting treatment for a season-long hamstring injury he tweaked in the East final win, said it 鈥渇eels great.鈥
This report by 好色tvwas first published Nov. 13, 2025.
