3 takeaways from the Als, Elks Grey Cup Saturday walkthroughs

The sun was shining brightly at McMahon Stadium on Saturday as the Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Elks paid their last visit before the 113th Grey Cup.

The biggest game of the 2026 season is just one day away, but you wouldn't know it based on the vibes at the stadium. There was no sign of any stress or nerves and there were plenty of smiles and laughter as the Als and Elks hit the turf for their final on-field session of the season.

The actual final preparations, the official "walking through" of their plays for Sunday's game, took place somewhere other than the stadium, keeping things close to the chest and away from the prying eyes of the media (including this writer) in attendance.

Saturday's sessions were about staying loose and getting some time with family, with the Elks having their loved ones in the stands before friends and family joined Edmonton on the field.

FUN AND GAMES

Montreal, dressed in their game jerseys and casual wear underneath, was having a bit of fun during their on-field session.

Throughout the hour that the Als were on the field, there were groups standing in a circle playing a game. What was the game? At the time, I wasn't sure. I watched from the sideline and it looked a bit like hot potato, which was eventually confirmed by running back Stevie Scott III.

"It's kind of like hot potato, but with a football," explained Scott.

And how exactly do you play hot potato with a football?

"If you throw a bad pass, you're out," explained Alexander, after he had won one of the approximately nine games he had played in. "If the ball hits the ground and you drop it, you're out. If you flinch when the ball's being thrown, you're out. If you try to get someone to flinch and nobody flinches, you're also out. Then once you get to the top five, you can pass to your neighbour, outside of the top five, you can't pass to your neighbour."

Montreal played this same game as last year's Grey Cup day-before walkthrough and decided to bring it back this year, keeping spirits high and light.

Tyler Snead (left) and Davis Alexander (right) play the team's version of hot potato during walkthrough on Saturday (Thomas Skrlj/CFL.ca)

SUNS OUT, ARMS OUT

When the Elks walked onto the field about an hour after Montreal finished their session, there was something noticeably missing.

Every player, coach and even general manager Ed Hervey was without a shirt, only sporting a vest. The players and head coach were in brown New Era Grey Cup-branded vests. Some others went a bit further with the getup, like linebacker Nick Anderson, who also had on a cowboy hat and cowboy boots.

The culprits behind the matching dress code were the offensive linemen, more specifically David Beard, who decided to get the team to show up to their day before the big game, rocking the vest and no shirts.

"More than anything, we're a connected football team and we all care about each other and it doesn't matter where we're at," said receiver Austin Mack, when asked about everyone buying into the outfit protocol. "If we're going to do something, we're going to do it together."

This isn't the first time that the Elks have done something together this season either. Cody Fajardo asked his teammates to sport moustaches, and the coaches, training staff and more cut their beards off and kept just the moustache. Even the women who worked around the team wore fake moustaches to join in on the bonding.

"This is the most connected football team I've ever been around," echoed Kilam of the culture he's built with the Elks.

Elks head coach Mark Kilam joined the rest of the team wearing only a vest on Saturday at his team's walkthrough (Thomas Skrlj/CFL.ca)

BUSINESS AS USUAL

After what Jason Maas called a "flawless" walkthrough on Saturday before the team headed to the stadium, the Als head coach is expecting his team to go about their business as they usually do on a regular game week, even if this is the biggest week of their season.

There are no more meetings or required film sessions for his team with just over 24 hours until kickoff. Instead, his message to his team is this: do what you usually do.

Some players, like Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, are done with reviewing film and studying playbooks, because they have done all of the hard work leading up. The Als linebacker says he'll go for dinner with his mom and then keep things light as he awaits Sunday's big game.

"We're more prepared than ever before," said Cantin-Arku, as he gets set to play in his second straight Grey Cup.

It was much of the same for Edmonton, with Kilam noting that his team was "super dialled in the walkthroughs and the meetings this morning." With the prep finished, his team will do what they usually do on day four, which is a meeting later in the day, and then his team is free to do with the rest of their time as they will.

Mack admitted he'll stay sharp, watching film or reviewing the playbook as he usually does, but otherwise the day before will be spent enjoying the moment ahead of the biggest game of his season on Sunday night.

"I'm going to decompress a bit and then just enjoy where I'm at and be where my feet are," said Mack.