Interview with Reggie Stubblefield, linebacker of the Montreal Alouettes. Discussing the upcoming matchup against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Topics include the game day preparations as well as thoughts on certain Tiger-Cats players and if that impacts how the team prepares to play Hamilton. Conducted on November 2nd.
Reggie Stubblefield was the Montreal Alouettes candidate for Rookie of the Year. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed the lowest completion percentage his way among defensive backs at 31% and also had the highest forced incompletion rate at 34.5%. He had the lowest quarterback rating allowed at 16.6, was fourth in yards per coverage snap at 0.42, and had the second-highest coverage grade from PFF at 87.4 this season.
The East Semi-Final will be played on November 4 at 3 PM EST (12 PM PST) The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and will be available to stream for free outside of Canada through the link below.
The West Semi-Final will be played on November 4 at 6:30 PM EST (3:30 PM PST) The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and will be available to stream for free outside of Canada through the link below.
Did you do anything fun for Halloween? Dress up for a team costume party?
“Oh no. No team costume party. Just went on about my day.”
Your final collegiate game saw you and Kansas State beat LSU in the Texas Bowl 42-20 playing in your home state. I saw a pregame clip of you fired up before the game talking to the other team. How do you mentally prepare for a big game such as this mentally?
“I just pretty much do the same thing. Go about my routine. Focus on the game plan. And I need to make sure I’m mentally and physically ready for the game at hand and handle business when I go out there.”
Has the preparation changed at all since then?
“No nothing at at all. No just follow the game plan, going through the details, and trying to figure out things that we think might have a weakness. But the game plan remains the same. And just focus on the goal at hand.”
And I would consider that Montreal had a very successful season, in my opinion, earned the home-field advantage in the east semifinal. Do you feel in a way that there’s possibly a slight advantage for the visitor given there could be less pressure on them?
“Yeah. I guess so. It’s always good to have him put advantage though to be able to play in front of the fans and give them a playoff game and something to cheer about in the city as well. But we just take the game with the train type of mentality”
I believe one of the the most dangerous things in sports and and life in general is complacency. Montreal comes into the playoffs with a 5 game-win streak, undefeated against every team that’s not BC, Winnipeg, or Toronto. How are you and the rest of the team making sure to stay focused on Hamilton and not get complacent or look too far ahead past Hamilton?
“We’re not a complacent team. We have a mindset of working hard. No matter what weather we’re in or what game it is. Something coach Maas appreciates. So we’re never worried about being complacent. That’s not who we are. That’s not the type of dudes that we have in the organization.”
What do you think would is the strongest quality for the Montreal Alouettes if you were Hamilton’s head coach that you would wanna focus on to shut down in this game?
“I don’t know. We play a really good team ball. So there are a lot of threats and a lot of things to worry about. It’d be tough if I was Hamilton’s coach, honestly. Balanced team. But, I mean, all the teams in the playoffs are all good teams that they deserve to be here. And you gotta give Hamilton a lot of credit too if the roles were reversed.”
Hamilton is playing Both Levi Mitchell and Matthew Schultz, It seems a little bit unclear who’s gonna be getting more playing time. Is that impacting the game day preparations season given the uncertainty of who’s gonna be under center?
“No, because you have to prepare for every quarterback on the roster. They all played this year, so it doesn’t matter who plays. It’s not just 1 person who runs their team. Quarterbacks they command the offense, but they have a lot of say everywhere. So we go back to business handling all the quarterbacks that they have on the roster studying for them, preparing for them. Just going out there, trying to focus on stopping them and then winning the game.”
November weather can get a little dicey, and then in Hamilton where the Grey Cup’s gonna be, Tim Hortons field, that can be an absolute wind tunnel. What do you think of the statement?
The Grey Cup will be won by the team that does the best combination of running the football and stopping the run.
“That’s a good mindset. I feel like I feel like I have to think about the quarterbacks in this league. A lot of them are veterans. I’m pretty sure they know how to play in this weather and throw the ball around well too. So we should gotta be out there and be ready to play football all around.”
What are your thoughts on Hamilton’s running back James Butler? Does that change the way at all that Montreal prepares for the game?
“I know he’s a good back, but gotta give credit to him having a thousand yards on the season. So he’s good as a running back. So we gotta understand who he is, what makes him him. Make sure we’re bringing our A game.”
What do you think of Hamilton’s defensive side of the bar? Are there any players to you that stand out as really good?
“Oh, I don’t look too much at their defense side of the ball. Aside from the guys who are playing on the special teams unit. But, they’re a playoff team, so I know they got some new guys on that side of the ball.”
Do you have any, playoff superstitions or any different ways you prepare for this type of game?
“No. Not at all. Same thing.”
What kind of music are you gonna be listening to before this game?
“For me, I’m a hip-hop and rap guy on game day. So when I hit shuffle on my playlist, whatever comes out is gonna be good.”
Jonathan Clink joined CFL News Hub in early April of 2023. His primary responsibilities are covering the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes.
He self awarded himself the CFL Rookie Journalist of the Year in 2023 following the 2023 CFL season. He also proclaims himself to be a "really cool guy". He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and lived a large portion of his childhood in Northwest Ontario. He currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan and misses being being able to have 4 months of skating every winter.
Clink has written over 240 articles for CFL News Hub. He was the publication's boots on the ground at the 2023 Grey Cup in Hamilton.
Clink has always had an obsession for sport and has a background in other sports as well having played hockey all his life and soccer, basketball, and lacrosse in high school. As a young child he used to log his hockey statistics after every game which is either an indication that he was destined for the role or perhaps and indication that he is rather strange.
