Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo grew up admiring Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. On 525 occasions during his NFL career, Favre was tackled behind his scrimmage. That’s why Fajardo wasn’t overly worried after Saturday’s game, having suffered six sacks in the 19-12 win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“Brett Favre was my favorite quarterback when I was young, he’s Iron Man,” he replied confidently when shared with the stats of the day.
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For Fajardo, who is not afraid of the physical game, the most important thing was that the Montreal club found a way to win that first game of the season on Saturday at the Percival Molson Stadium.
“I trust my team, we made the moves at the right time,” decided the 31-year-old quarterback with a smile. When things weren’t going too well, there wasn’t a bit of pitchside negativity. When you find this in a team, you win games in the fourth quarter, and it’s common in the Canadian Football League for a game to be decided in the last quarter. Winning such a game with a young team will pay off.
a liberation
This time, the Alouettes’ defensive brigade and special teams were outstanding. So much better. In the case of Fajardo, he is not fooled: he knows very well that his first official career game in the Alouettes shirt was not perfect. After a brilliant start, in which he scored a touchdown himself, the attack weakened.
In addition to the six sacks, he fumbled the ball once. It must be said that the quarter then had some bad luck when a scrum broke out in a scrum where a team-mate’s foot hit the oval object. Anyway, the Alouettes managed to win. It’s all that matters!
“We were able to maintain a high level of optimism and find a way to win,” emphasized Fajardo. I’m so excited, it’s been so long since I won a football game. This win means a lot to me.”
In fact, Fajardo had lost his last five games as quarterback with the Saskatchewan Roughriders between September 4 and October 7, 2022. He had suffered seven sacks in his last start, in an 18-14 loss to the Tiger-Cats of Hamilton.
Better than an interception
When Fajardo says he admires Favre and his record of 297 consecutive starts as a quarterback in the NFL, it also means he won’t hesitate to absorb a sack if the situation allows his team to add points. to the blackboard. He did it on Saturday night. Instead of getting rid of the ball and risking an interception, he mostly conceded the Douglas Coleman III strike in the first quarter. Kicker David Côté followed with a field goal to make it 10-0.
Incidentally, Fajardo ended the evening without being caught once. He was far from perfect, but he managed to handle the situation by staying calm and upbeat on the sidelines.
autographs
Of the 525 career sacks Favre has suffered in the NFL, several were also conceded to limit the damage. Fajardo knows that better than anyone. He learned by watching the Packers play so many times with his father Tim, another big fan of the Green Bay team. Originally from California near Anaheim, Fajardo also keeps a few items signed by Favre at home, be they jerseys or a helmet.
The Alouettes therefore won on Saturday, as the Packers have done so many times with Favre as quarterback. After the game, Montreal fans lined up on the field in front of Fajardo to get his autograph. The quarterback took a long time to please his new fans because he knows full well what that can mean.
New Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo (@CodyFajardo17) enjoyed great popularity among young fans after the first game of the season at the Percival Molson Stadium. Fajardo has been giving autographs for a long time. – @MTLAlouettes pic.twitter.com/C6O36CKwGs
— Benoît Rioux – Montreal Journal (@benrioux) June 11, 2023
- After this win against Rouge et Noir, the Alouettes already have a week’s rest on the schedule. The Montreal team’s next game is on Friday June 23 against the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton.