It’s Grey Cup rematch week as the Saskatchewan Roughriders prepare to face the Montreal Alouettes for the first time since last November’s championship game.

It’s Grey Cup rematch week as the Saskatchewan Roughriders prepare to face the Montreal Alouettes for the first time since last November’s championship game.

For Roughriders defensive back Paul Waldu, the matchup brings back memories of his time with both organizations. The Grey Cup champion spent his first four CFL seasons in Montreal, where he faced some of the league’s top receivers every day in practice.

Speaking on the 620 CKRM Countdown to Kickoff, Woldu was asked about the toughest receivers he has had to cover in his career. His answer went back to his early days with the Alouettes during the Mark Trestman era.

“I’ll tell you this, and no bias, but my first four years in Montreal, that was the Marc Trestman era, and we had some receivers I was going up against in practice every day,” Woldu said.

Among those receivers were Jamel Richardson, S.J. Green, Kerry Watkins and Ben Cahoon, all of whom presented different challenges for the young defensive back.

“I played quite a bit on defence in my rookie year, and in my first two years, almost every game day was easy because I was up against Jamel Richardson, S.J. Green, Kerry Watkins, who was a phenomenal route runner, Benny Cahoon, who caught everything,” Woldu said.

Woldu also pointed to Andrew Hawkins, who went on to spend several seasons in the NFL before becoming an ESPN announcer, as one of the most difficult receivers he faced.

“He was probably the most challenging,” Woldu said.

Montreal also had Chad Owens on its practice roster, adding to a deep group of pass-catchers Woldu faced during his time with the Alouettes.

With so much talent in the Montreal receiving corps, Woldu said the toughest receivers he faced may have been his own teammates.

“We had a lot of really, really good receivers, so I’d probably say our own, to be honest with you.”

Now back and living in his hometown of Regina, Woldu will be on the other side of the Grey Cup rematch as Saskatchewan looks to carry its championship success into another meeting with Montreal.

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