MontrealAlouettes.com
MONTREAL – The return of Brandon Whitaker at practice hardly went unnoticed on Monday. With a key showdown against the division rival Tiger-Cats coming up on Thursday night, the sight of the Alouettes’ star running back taking reps was a welcome one.
“I feel a lot better,” revealed a smiling Whitaker, now two weeks removed from a rib injury suffered in Winnipeg. “Practice was good as I was able to extend and catch passes out of the backfield. I’m ready to play.”
The 26-year-old tailback looked good enough to also temporarily get the nod from his normally stoic head coach.
“Brandon should be ready to go,” hinted Marc Trestman, who suddenly has an embarrassment of riches in his backfield following rookie running back Victor Anderson’s huge performance in Whitaker’s absence last week in Edmonton. “Brandon will continue to occupy his previous role and Anderson will also be part of this football team on Thursday night.”
Thankfully, Anderson was part of the team on Friday night, with the first-year rusher having piled up 102 yards on the ground in Montreal’s big 38-25 win over the Eskimos.
Another important piece of the team’s puzzle was back in pads in Monday, as defensive tackle J.P. Bekasiak joined his teammates on the field for the first time since sustaining a knee injury against Toronto on July 27.
In the bad news department meanwhile, Trestman revealed that slotback Jamel Richardson will be lost to the Alouettes for at least one more game.
“Unfortunately he will be out of the lineup again this week. He will not be ready in time”, confirmed Trestman.
Last season’s league leading receiver was subsequently limited to strength and conditioning workouts during practice on Monday.
“I’m really disappointed about this little injury,” admitted Richardson about his nagging left hamstring. “I need to make sure I’m feeling 100 percent before coming back. Right now all I can do is keep cheering on my teammates and take care of my body in order to heal up quickly.”
Notes: CB Seth Williams was at practice in running shoes taking mental reps during the team’s walkthroughs as he continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained at practice last week. He is expected to miss Thursday’s game … Non-import defensive end Luc Mullinder did not practice and isn’t expected to play against the Ti-Cats … Offensive lineman Michael Ola traded his white practice jersey for a red one today, as the 6-foot-3, 278-pounder took reps with the defensive line for the first time this season.
