Healthy again, Alouettes’ Mario Alford vows explosive return to the field

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“I feel like I’m the best in the league,” 30-year-old return specialist says. “I’d take my best over anybody.”

“I will be the best returner (this season),” Alouettes specialist Mario Alford says. “I’m holding myself accountable to that. My standards are very high for myself and my teammates.” Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

TROIS-RIVIÈRES — Mario Alford suffered the break, but it was the Alouettes’ special teams that experienced the pain after the explosive returner incurred a season-ending fractured ankle after only five games in 2021.

“Honestly, (the injury) was a blur,” Alford told the Montreal Gazette on Tuesday after training camp practice at Stade Diablos. “I remember catching the ball and was getting ready to make a move. I took two or three steps and the guy was at my ankle. I felt something pop and I knew then. Everything went numb in my leg. I never felt that before. I knew something was bad, but didn’t know how serious it was.”

The injury occurred in mid-September against B.C. Alford was in a walking boot for four weeks, but surgery wasn’t required. Despite his limited activity, he averaged a CFL-high 15.8-yard average on punt returns, including an 86-yarder in Montreal’s season-opening victory at Edmonton.

But the Als were never the same threat on special teams without the 5-foot-8, 177-pounder. The team went through seven other punt returners — nine on kickoffs — none capable of filling Alford’s role. One in particular, Adarius Pickett, had a team-high five fumbles, of which three were lost.

The struggles led to the firing of special teams co-ordinator Mickey Donovan in December. He was temporarily replaced by the imaginative Jeff Reinebold and then, because of personal reasons, by Byron Archambault only days before the start of camp.

“It’s a big part of the game and you need to have a quality person back there,” head coach Khari Jones said. “We did it by committee a bit last year and I thought it hurt us. We just didn’t have a stable person back there — to even catch the ball on a consistent basis sometimes. You need that one person that can make someone miss.”

The Als have signed players to challenge Alford at camp, but he’s unlikely to lose his starting job. He has been that special since joining Montreal in September 2019 following his release by Toronto. He has scored three times on punt returns and once on a kickoff return in only nine games. He scored twice in his first two games and also returned a kickoff 99 yards against Edmonton in the 2019 East Division semifinal. It was the third-longest in CFL playoff history.

“I feel like I’m the best in the league,” said Alford, 30, a native of Greenville, Ga. “I’d take my best over anybody. Am I replaceable? I don’t know, but I feel I’m not. There are some things I know I’m great at. I just feel like I’m the best as it.

“I bring a big part to the game. I think I bring that skill set to the team. I think that’s important. As long as I’m healthy and active, we’ve got a chance to do something great. I will be the best returner (this season). I’m holding myself accountable to that. My standards are very high for myself and my teammates.”

What remains unknown is how the special team units will function with the inexperienced Archambault in control. While the former Hamilton Tiger-Cat was the co-ordinator at Université de Montréal, this is the first time he’s handled the responsibility at the pro level. And, given the timing of Reinebold’s personal dilemma, Archambault had little time to prepare.

Archambault’s message to the players in general has been to create as much space as possible for Alford, allowing him to weave his magic. Alford has long maintained he has the capability to score each time he touches the ball.

“It means the world to us to have him healthy,” Archambault said. “He’s explosive every time he touches the ball. He can take it to the house every single time. It’s extremely important we all know, as a group on the field, we need to make sure he has as much space as possible to run with and use. It’s big for us. He’s very dynamic.

“As an ex-player, I’ve never been that explosive returner. I’ve been the guy blocking for that guy. I’m obviously learning to see how he thinks and sees the blocks. I must learn to adjust what I tailor to make sure he’s at ease and can do what he does best. We have a good rapport. It’s been enlightening.”

Alford, for his part, admits Archambault is inexperienced and might suffer some growing pains along the way.

“We’re all going to work together as one, and I think he’ll be a great coach,” he said.

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