MontrealAlouettes.com
LENNOXVILLE – Cornerback Dwight Anderson is one of those guys you want on your team for two simple reasons. He’s extremely good at what is does and receivers don’t often catch many passes on his side of the field.
Now in his second campaign with the Alouettes, Anderson is now hard at work trying to master a new defensive philosophy with his teammates.
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Dwight Anderson. |
“It’s a whole different system that we have in place with Jeff Reinebold being our new defensive coordinator,” explained Anderson. “Right now it’s a learning process for us and we just need to put it all together. Once everybody understands their responsibilities and we start clicking, we’re going to be very dangerous.”
So far at training camp, Anderson has shown his tremendous bursts of speed paired with his skills to track down the ball, all of which made him one of the most sought after free agents two seasons ago when Montreal signed him.
As Day 6 of camp approaches, one play stands out for the six-year veteran and there’s a good reason for that.
“My best part of camp up until now was my interception on AC that I returned to the house,” beamed Anderson after showcasing good hands and nice leaping ability on that touchdown play. “I just try to make big plays for this team and make those around me better.”
The 30-year-old has also shown signs of maturity by walking up and down the sidelines in between plays to encourage the defence and to share some knowledge with the younger generation.
“In between reps, I try and help the new guys with defensive techniques and to motivate them. I’m always open to answer questions and pitch in where I can to make a positive difference. I’ve always been that way.”
While Anderson likes what he sees so far, he’s extremely excited about the defensive line’s potential this season. “Personally, I think that our D-Line is going to be ferocious this year. They should be the strength of our defence.”
His contribution to the youngsters has allowed him to provide his own scouting report on the team’s secondary. “Everybody looks good out there so far. I look at Seth Williams who was with us last year and he has really elevated his game from a season ago. That’s what we like to see. Also the new cats like Ed Gainey and Wopamo Osaisai are having strong starts to camp.”
Anderson wasn’t the only one speaking words of encouragement, as former Alouettes’ head coach Don Matthews addressed the team at the end of practice. Matthews has been serving as a guest coach since the beginning of camp and will be leaving Bishop’s University on Thursday to return to his home in Oregon.
