Training Camp Notebook: Two vets shine on Day Two
The Montreal Alouettes just completed their second full day on the field, and a couple of well-known players stood out by their play. Veterans aren’t necessarily the biggest fans of training camp. It’s long, it’s repetitive, you’re away from home, and the practices are grueling.
On Monday, a couple of the vets stood out for all the right reasons. On the offensive side of the ball, second-year receiver Charleston Rambo made two huge grabs down the right sideline. One came on a pass from Davis Alexander and the other from McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
“Coming into year two, things have definitely slowed down, slightly,” Rambo said. “That just comes with studying and being in the film room and being on the field with these guys. I’m staying here with my quarterbacks and making the right reads and running the right routes.”
Rambo’s situation has changed in one year. In 2024, he came in as an unknown CFL rookie who was wearing number 76. This year, he’s become one of the go-to guys and leaders of the team.
Charleston Rambo
During the one-on-one drills between receivers and defensive backs, a lot of the young receivers were coming back to midfield looking for Rambo after they had completed a rep.
“I’m trying to be a leader in that room,” Rambo added. “Being one of the main guys on this team, I have to be that guy. When the young guys come and ask me questions, I answer them the best I can.”
Defensive back Wes Sutton turned in a strong performance in the single practice session on Monday. The 29-year-old picked off a pass in the first ‘team’ period of the day, and he stood out during one-on-one drills against receivers.
“I feel really good,” Sutton said after practice. “Last year, I was hurt and started the season on the six-game injured list. I didn’t really have time to focus in on myself and getting my feet right in camp…This off-season, I did a lot of lifting and conditioning. I can’t allow myself to get complacent. It always tries to creep in and that I’m alright…I’m just trying to be disciplined.”
Wes Sutton
Sutton isn’t taking this training camp for granted after an injury forced him out of last year’s camp and the first six games of the season. The Northern Arizona product was named an East Division All-Star in 2022 and 2023, and he was a critical part of the group that won the Grey Cup two seasons ago.
Chin it!
The coaching staff has put a strong emphasis on protecting the football early in camp. Head coach Jason Maas and assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Byron Archambault kept reminding players to ‘chin’ the ball, which means to tuck it tightly below the chin.
“We’d be silly to ignore how our season ended last year in the East Final when we turned the ball over five times,” starting safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy said. “For those who haven’t been to camp yet this year, the word the coaches use is ‘chin it’. We talked about it. It’s a major talking point for us this year. We practiced it a lot last year, but clearly it wasn’t enough. So, we’ll put more emphasis on it this year.
Two players suspended:
The Alouettes have suspended offensive tackle Jarrett Horst and receiver Kyric McGowan.
