Wieneke, a struggling receiver, is a symbol of the Alouettes’ sputtering offense

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Jake Wieneke admitted that he looks at the stats. In that case, the Alouettes’ veteran receiver can’t be happy with what he’s seen.

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As the Als reach the halfway point of the schedule with Thursday’s game in Winnipeg, Wieneke trails just nine CFL wide receivers listed in the weekly statistical roundup. Through seven games, he has had 18 catches for 195 yards. Wieneke is also looking for his first touchdown this season after producing a combined 19 majors during his first two years with Montreal.

“It’s something I’ve definitely thought about and wondered about,” the 27-year-old said after Tuesday’s practice. “I have to make plays when the ball comes to me. Things are not going well, but I keep trying to be exactly the same man that he was when things were going well.”

Wieneke had another disappointing outing last week, during a home loss to the undefeated Blue Bombers, catching just three passes for 17 yards. The week before, during another loss to Hamilton, he had three receptions for 16 yards. He hasn’t come close to producing a 100-yard game and, at Toronto on June 16, he didn’t make a catch and only gave up two throws.

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Wieneke suffered a hamstring injury early in training camp, forcing him to miss the third game of the season, but said his health has returned.

At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Wieneke has all the physical attributes to be successful, and he does. He caught 41 passes for 569 yards as a rookie in 2019, while being named the Eastern Division’s standout freshman in 18 games. Last season, when the CFL was cut to a 14-game schedule, he had 56 catches for 898 yards.

“The season is not over,” he said. “Same for this team. The door is wide open for us as a team and it’s the same for individual stats. Whatever it is at the end of the season, I’m going to say I did my best, regardless.”

After last week’s game, general manager and interim head coach Danny Maciocia complained that everything at wide receiver was going through Eugene Lewis. While Lewis is the league’s leading receiver, having caught 45 passes for 742 yards, the Als have become too one-dimensional and rely on him too often.

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That’s one of the many reasons the Als are struggling with a 2-6 record while being limited to just three touchdowns in the last two games.

“I think we need to get (receivers) more involved,” Maciocia said Tuesday. “We need to distribute the ball like we did in Ottawa. That’s what makes us a better offense, when we’re able to get all of our receivers involved … and still be able to run the ball with some kind of success.”

If Wieneke has disappointed, rookie receiver Tyson Philpot has been a breath of fresh air. He’s the kind of playmaker a team, and the offense, can build. And Maciocia said she would like to see the 22-year-old more involved offensively.

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Philpot, selected ninth overall by Montreal this year, returned a 60-yard kickoff against Winnipeg in the third quarter before completing the drive with a 15-yard touchdown reception. He has seven passes for 108 yards, scoring twice, while making a major contribution on special teams. Philpot has returned seven punts for 109 yards (15.6 yards average) along with nine kickoffs for 251 yards (27.9 average yards).

“Obviously losing is not nice, but it’s been a good experience,” Philpot said. “My work week after week has been growing and I have been able to have more impact on the offense. It’s good to see that the team trusts me. They’re excited to see me make some plays.

“I have been trying to impact the team as much as I can. Obviously, it would be much better if we won. Special teams give me the (opportunity) to touch the ball and go crazy with it.”

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Although the Als remain tied with Hamilton for second place in the division, the team cannot afford to keep losing games.

“It’s fierce now,” Philpot said. “Every game matters because of the hole we’ve gotten ourselves into.”

Meanwhile, even though quarterback Trevor Harris didn’t throw Tuesday for the second time in three days because of a lingering back injury, Maciocia said he will start against Winnipeg.

“He could have pitched today,” Maciocia said. “We just wanted to limit his number of pre-game pitches.”

Cornerback Rodney Randle Jr. is expected to miss the game with a knee injury. Kenneth Durden could come off the practice roster to replace him.

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