Talk cheap in East semifinal

MONTREAL — Davis Alexander has a message for Willie Jefferson and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“Bring Willie over. Bring Winnipeg over. What does he say? Come on down over to Winnipeg? Come on over to Montreal. Let’s see what happens,” said the Montreal Alouettes quarterback in Friday’s media availability at Olympic Stadium.

Everyone will see exactly what happens Saturday when the Als host the Bombers in the East Division semifinal (1 p.m. CT kickoff) at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.

Winnipeg hasn’t been shy in voicing its confidence leading up to the game — even though history hasn’t been kind to crossover teams.

“They’ve come out in the media and said a few things about coming to Montreal and kicking our door down,” said Als receiver Tyson Philpot.

“Just Jefferson, you know, just a couple quotes that were out there, but at the end of the day, the game has to be played on the field, and we’re prepared for that.”

The star defensive end spoke to reporters in Winnipeg on Wednesday and it perked ears in the La Belle Province.

“We gotta go over there and win this game. We’re not worrying about next week or anything like that: we’re worried about this game, going to Montreal and giving Davis his first L in his first playoff game, his first L as a starting quarterback” said Jefferson earlier this week, alluding to Alexander’s perfect 11-0 record as a starter.

“You gotta love being the underdog. Especially when you know the abilities that your team has. We’re on the road, back up against on the wall, win or go home, and we’re going over there to handle business.”

There was no disrespect from Jefferson, but it got Alexander’s juices flowing.

“Yeah, I love it. Keep saying all that stuff, we don’t care. It’s only going to make us more fired up,” said Alexander.

“We see everything that they say. We don’t really try and pay much (attention) to it. I know when I go back home, I go and look for that stuff. For whatever reason, it’s just what I like to do.”

An hour later, it was Jefferson’s turn to sit behind the mic at Olympic Stadium, and he was asked to respond to Alexander’s comments.

“We’re ready to come in and handle business. It’s a business trip. We’re not here to play no games,” said Jefferson.

“We’re not here to shake hands and do the ‘hoo-rah’ thing. We’re here to play football and I hope he’s ready to come out there and play four quarters of football because I’m ready to go out there and play four quarters of football.”

Talk is cheap. Both teams need to walk the walk, especially Alexander who has never started a game at this time of year. To find his last playoff start you’d have to go back to 2015 when he was at Gig Harbor High School in Washington. They were ranked No. 1 in the state, and Davis tore his MCL in a blowout win in the opening round. He played through the injury the following week, only for his school to lose on a missed 21-yard field goal.

“Guys who have gotten to this point have done pretty well with pressure. That’s the way I look at it,” said Als head coach Jason Maas.

“He’s been a quarterback his whole life, and he’s dealt with the pressure that’s come with that position. Now, it’s just another game. Do your emotions run higher in a playoff game? Yeah… But when you stay true to your preparation and stay true to who you are, that’s what Davis does extremely well. And you got to believe and we believe in him.”

Even though the offence has stumbled down the stretch, the Bombers fully believe in their starting pivot, Zach Collaros. Unlike Davis, Collaros rolls into Saturday with a ton of experience that includes a 7-1 record in playoff games (not including Grey Cups).

“I’d always obviously take us against anybody else, but it remains to be seen on the field (Saturday),” said Collaros. “Who executes the best? Who plays the most physical brand of football? Who protects the football? All those things that add up to win the game.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca