Newly signed linebacker Hnoc Muamba hopes to spark resurgence for struggling Alouettes

Hnoc Muamba is confident his second-go round playing for the Montreal Alouetteswill be different.

"It feels great, it feels amazing, it feels awesome," says the Alouettes' newly signed prizefree agent linebacker.

The first time Muamba played in Montreal back in 2015, he only played four games but it was enough for him to determine that this was not where he wanted to be.

"I don't want to be too negative," Muamba says."There werea lot of things that were up in the air in the old regime."

The four games were at the tail end of adifficult season. The Alouettes were in the process of limping to a last place finish and missing the playoffs for the first time since relocating from Baltimore in 1996.

It was the waning days of the Jim Popp era in Montreal.

Despite more than a decade of success, the team was losing its way. Popp was fired after the team didn't makethe playoffs for a second year in a row after the 2016 season.

"When I first got the call that Montreal was a possibility, I started to think, 'Do I really want to go back to the same situation and be in the same environment that it was when I was there?'"

Kavis Reed took over as general manager ahead of the 2017 season and has been endeavouring to get things back on track. Muamba says Reed convinced him that things hadchanged.

"I believe in Kavis Reed. I believe in his vision," Muamba says.

New Alouette Hnoc Muamba on his plans for the future

7 years ago

Duration 1:02

Newly signed linebacker Hnoc Muamba is returning to Montreal after a short stint in 2015 after signing a 3-year deal with the Alouettes.

To the NFL and back

Hnoc Muamba comes from a football family.

His older brother, Cauchy, plays for the B.C. Lions and his younger brother, Kelvin, is on the roster for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

But while the talent in the Muamba family is undeniable, Hnoc stands out since he was the only one of the three to make it to the NFL.

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Hnoc was drafted number oneoverall in the 2010 CFL draft by Winnipeg.

He played three seasons for the Blue Bombers before moving to the NFL, where he played for the Indianapolis Colts and attended the Dallas Cowboys training camp.

After being cut by the Cowboys, he came back to the CFL, where he made abrief stopin Montreal before inking a deal with the Roughriders.

Muamba says the fact that the Alouettes hired a new coachfrom the NFL, Mike Sherman,factored into why he chose to play in Montreal.

"As a player who has experienced some time in the professional world, I know how important leadership is. To have a guy like Coach Sherman come in, who hasseen different systems and being in different eras and has a lot of experienceit means a lot."

A familiar place

Muamba ismarried and recently became father to a baby girl. He says he can't think of a better place than Montreal to raise a family.

"We're trying to make Montreal a home that's one of the reasons that I signed a long term deal," Muamba says.

Montreal is also familiar placeto Muamba because it's where his family lived when he was a child after immigrating to Canada from the Congo.

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"I speak French already, my wife always wanted to learn French and of course we want our daughter to speak French as well."

'High expectations'

On the field,Muamba expects the Alouettes to turn things around and be competitive this season.

The team has missed the playoffs three years in a row, but with free agent signings such as Muamba, Jamaal Westerman, Mitchell White, Dominique Ellis and Tommie Campbellthe defence promises to be stronger from the one that had the dubious honour of givingup the most yards in the league in 2017.

"[Fans]should have high expectations," Muamba says.

"The beautiful thing about our leagueis that a turnaround is not something that requires multiple years. I know the last few years have been kind of tough, but Ithink we're looking at new age with the Montreal Alouettes."

Muamba and the Alouettes training camp will get underway onMay 20.

"I'm anticipating a really, really, really good season," says Muamba.