The Montreal Alouettes shocked just about everyone when they claimed their first Grey Cup in 13 years with a 28-24 win over the highly favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers this past weekend.
Many would argue that they couldn’t have done it without Cody Fajardo, who was named playoff MVP after throwing three touchdown passes in the Final. But aside from the American quarterback’s exceptional play on the field, Fajardo also seemed to be an important factor in the Alouettes’ locker room.
The team recently released a video of the California native’s pre-game speech from Saturday, and there’s no doubt why the boys were so fired up the following night in Hamilton.
“I remember the first polls or preseason rankings that came out, where’d they have us?” he asked the Montreal team, referencing the CFL’s power rankings from the beginning of the year.
“Ninth,” his teammates responded in unison.
“I was at home, I was staring at it. I said ‘F*ck you! Just watch!'” the 31-year-old exclaimed.
Maintenant, tout le monde a vu…
Never doubt us again…#Alouettes | #GreyCup https://t.co/EggCjLJlsO pic.twitter.com/pOauZ6NEdJ— Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) November 21, 2023
“When we lost four straight, they said, ‘You guys aren’t gonna have a winning record,'” he continued, pointing to the team’s slow start. “F*ck You! Just watch!”
“When they said, ‘You guys aren’t gonna host a playoff game,’ what’d I say?” Fajardo asked again. “F*ck You! Just watch!”
“And that’s what I’m gonna bring tomorrow. I’m gonna give you everything I got. Win or lose, I love you guys,” he said before bringing his newly coined slogan one final time.
“It is so much better when you win a Cup. The bonds that you build are so much better,” he said. “But all I gotta say to the 1% in this room, ‘f*ck you, just watch’ to everybody else.”
And watch they did, as the quarterback led a game-winning drive with less than three minutes left, with the Als grabbing the final lead of the game with only 12 seconds on the clock.
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