'It feels great,' tailback Sean Thomas-Erlington says of landing starter's role for Alouettes

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Tailback Sean Thomas-Erlington has started games before, just not on a regular basis.

But in his eighth CFL season, Thomas-Erlington is the Alouettes’ starter and he made veteran Walter Fletcher expendable at the end of training camp. And all this is happening in Thomas-Erlington’s career at age 32.

“It feels good to start. It feels great,” Thomas-Erlington told The Gazette. “I was a bit stressed out. It had been a long time since I’d been the starter (2021 with Hamilton). But as soon as I stepped on the field for that very first drive, I just felt like I was in the right spot at the right time.”

The Montreal native got his season off to a good start during last Friday’s victory against the Toronto Argonauts. It wasn’t so much that Thomas-Erlington gained 86 yards on 17 carries (5.1-yard average) as much as he also blocked effectively for quarterback Davis Alexander.

The 5-foot-9, 218-pound Thomas-Erlington ran effectively both early in the game, when the Als were attempting to establish the run, and late, when ball control was paramount during the 28-10 win.

He had three straight runs on Montreal’s first drive, gaining 27 yards. The Als could have scored a touchdown on the possession, but Alexander overthrew an open Tyson Philpot in the end zone. Instead, Montreal settled for one point when there was a bad snap on Jose Maltos’s 38-yard field goal attempt.

Late in the fourth quarter, Thomas-Erlington had five straight carries — including an 18-yarder — putting the Als in position for a 30-yard Maltos field goal.

“He’s a physical running back, both in protection and in running the ball,” head coach Jason Maas said. ”He’s very physical and gives us a lot of energy back there while knowing his assignments. He did a tremendous job at camp. To make the decision we made and to go in that direction was because he was ready to play. He has proven that since he has been here. He’s had a great career, too. There’s a lot of years of experience in that body and we’ve seen a lot of great things over those years. I’m just thankful he’s on our team and we can get him to play for us the way he did last game.”

Thomas-Erlington came to the CFL from Université de Montréal, winning the Vanier Cup in 2014 under head coach Danny Maciocia, now the Als’ general manager. But he was drafted only in the eighth round (66th overall) by the Tiger-Cats in 2017. He spent four weeks as a rookie on the practice roster before dressing on special teams.

“I had high hopes to make it to the CFL,” he said. “In my mind, I was thinking about playing on special teams and eventually maybe getting a shot at running back. Was I thinking about actually getting the job and playing in my hometown? Absolutely not.

“I wasn’t expecting them to release Fletcher. He had a good camp. But it’s not my job to make the cuts. The coaches had a different way they wanted to go. It’s very surprising, but I’m happy to be put in this position.”

Thomas-Erlington’s most productive season came in 2022, when he gained 371 yards rushing. One year earlier, he had 70 carries over 14 games. He has one 100-yard game to his credit, coming against the Argos on June 22, 2019, when he gained 109 yards on 12 carries, including a 52-yarder.

He dressed for the 2021 Grey Cup, when Hamilton lost to Winnipeg, and signed with the Als as a free agent last season — one year after the team won the CFL title.

While there have been some outstanding Canadian tailbacks in the league recently — such as Winnipeg natives Andrew Harris and Brady Oliveira — many coaches have been reluctant to put non-imports in such an important position.

“We often take a look down south for running backs without peeking a little bit at USports and the Canadian game,” Thomas-Erlington said. “You’re trying to get the best, but sometimes you just overlook the Canadians. The talent is there, maybe not on every team at every position. But if you look, you’ll find talent.”

Notes: Maas confirmed left offensive-tackle Nick Callender (foot) will miss Friday’s game at Ottawa. He’ll be replaced by rookie import Des Holmes. The 6-foot-5, 307-pounder spent portions of the last two seasons with Ottawa, but didn’t play. … Receivers Cole Spieker and Charleston Rambo were limited on Wednesday, but are expected to play, according to Maas. … Swift Burch III, a former Als defensive end (1997-2001), has passed away from cancer. He was 55.