Als’ Whittaker ready to rumble against Bombers in Montreal tomorrow

Posted: 3:20 PM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 3, 2013

MONTREAL -- Montreal Alouettes tailback Brandon Whittaker will make his long-awaited return to the Als lineup when Montreal hosts the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Stade Percival Molson here Thursday night.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/07/2013 (4511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL — Montreal Alouettes tailback Brandon Whittaker will make his long-awaited return to the Als lineup when Montreal hosts the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Stade Percival Molson here Thursday night.

Whittaker has not played since he tore his ACL last September, but will return just in time to face a Bombers team against whom he had 235 combined yards in a single game here last July.

“I’m ready to go,” Whittaker told reporters Wednesday afternoon following his club’s light practice at Olympic Stadium, where the Als always hold their day-before walk-throughs.

John Mahoney / MONTREAL GAZETTE archives
Montreal Alouettes running back Brandon Whittaker (right), seen here in June 2011, 'could be the best running back in the league,' says Bombers coach Tim Burke. — John Mahoney / MONTREAL GAZETTE archives Montreal Alouettes running back Brandon Whittaker (right), seen here in June 2011, 'could be the best running back in the league,' says Bombers coach Tim Burke.

“Everything feels good. The body feels good, the knee’s been reacting well. So yeah, I’m ready to go.”

The return of Whittaker and fullback Patrick Lavoie to the Montreal lineup this week pose additional headaches for a Bombers team that was already on the losing end of the scoreboard when the two clubs faced each other in Winnipeg last week.

“I think they’re both key elements of that offence,” Bombers head coach Tim Burke said Wednesday afternoon shortly after his team’s arrival at a downtown hotel. “Certainly if Brandon is back like he was before, he could be the best running back in the league.”

Burke interrupted a reporter who harkened back to Whittaker’s dominating performance against the Bombers on July 6, 2012, when he ran for 98 yards and caught 11 passes for another 137 yards more and two TDs.

“I seem to remember that,” laughed Burke, who was the Bombers defensive coordinator at the time. “Definitely we’re aware of what they did a year ago…You always have to know where Whittaker is.”

The Bombers also released their depth chart for tomorrow’s game earlier today. There were no surprises: Going on the 46-man roster is DL Zach Anderson, LB James Green, WR Doug Pierce and DL Jake Thomas and coming off are OL Andre Douglas, DL JT Gilmore, DB Jeremy McGee and LB Rene Stephan.