Davis Alexander reminds Jamal Peters of ‘a young Chad Kelly’

Photos: Guang Quan/3DownNation & Paul Yates/B.C. Lions. Photo edit: 3DownNation.

Jamal Peters clearly holds Montreal Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander in high esteem, so much so that he reminds the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive back of the CFL’s leading passer and recent Most Outstanding Player.

“(Alexander) reminds me of a young Chad Kelly,” Peters told the media in Hamilton this week. “Blond hair Chad. He’s very confident, a guy that can make all the throws.

“He’s going to be a good quarterback in this league for a very, very long time if he don’t get an opportunity down south. He’s a guy that you can’t take lightly. You’ve gotta be ready because you think the play is over, and then boom — it’s a 60-yard throw over your head.”

Peters played alongside Kelly with the Toronto Argonauts for two seasons.

The first year, Kelly came off the bench to help the Boatmen upset the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 109th Grey Cup. The next year, Toronto won a franchise-record 16 regular-season games and Kelly was named the league’s M.O.P.

Alexander is the consensus front-runner to win the award this season. He’s completed 71.0 percent of his passes for 4,196 yards, 27 touchdowns, and three interceptions through 13 starts, and has the Alouettes atop of the East Division standings at 10-3.

The 27-year-old’s favourite target has been Tyson Philpot, who remains on track to break the CFL’s single-season receiving record. The native of Delta, B.C. is on pace for 2,037 yards — one more than the record of 2,036 set by Allen Pitts in 1994.

“(Philpot)’s explosive. I remember him in 2022 in the East Final, I think his rookie year. Trevor Harris, the quarterback at the time, threw a deeper ball and I kinda took him lightly,” said Peters.

“Shoot, he caught it over my head, and right then I knew, ‘Oh, he’s gonna be really good in this league,’ and just seeing what he’s doing early in the season, that’s a no-brainer. That’s another guy you’ve just gotta be locked in at all times, try to show him different looks, get him uncomfortable.

“When the ball’s in the air, I’ve gotta make a play, because obviously when the ball’s in the air, he’s making all these acrobatic catches, diving catches, back shoulders, all of them. He’s another guy that can turn a five-yard slant into a 70-yard touchdown. He’s just a great receiver.”

The Tiger-Cats are facing a tight margin of error. If the team loses and the Argonauts win this week, Toronto will clinch the second and final home playoff berth in the East Division.

This would leave Hamilton with only one path to the postseason: preventing a crossover.

In order to accomplish this, the Tiger-Cats would have to match the win total of at least two West Division teams, which would likely require five straight wins to close the regular-season.

Steeltown has already lost to the Alouettes twice this season, including once when Bo Levi Mitchell was still under centre.

“(Montreal’s) a good football team, they’re well-coached — playmakers on offence, quarterback’s mobile, accurate, tough,” said head coach Scott Milanovich.

“Defensively, you guys know the kind of respect I have for Noel Thorpe and his scheme and his multiple looks. They’re just a good football team, that’s why they’ve been in the Grey Cup.”

Harrison Frost will start at quarterback, though Tre Ford is expected to dress in a depth role.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-9) will host the Montreal Alouettes (10-3) at Hamilton Stadium on Friday, September 18 with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT. Last week, the Alouettes lost 48-29 in a gritty game against the B.C. Lions, while the Tiger-Cats were on bye.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal or the Ticats Audio Network.