Fast fall from grace

Alouettes go from model franchise to the CFL basement

These are indeed troubled times for the Montreal Alouettes.

They’ve lost six straight games and appear destined to miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season. It’s been a quick fall from grace for a club that long ruled the East Division and was one of the CFL’s model franchises.

From 2000-12, the Alouettes finished atop the East nine times. They appeared in eight Grey Cup games, winning three.

“(Owner) Bob Wetenhall did a great job of helping to save the CFL and the Alouettes and I was just so proud to play a role in it,” said Larry Smith, the former Als player and CFL commissioner who later served as Montreal’s president. “It troubles all of us who had anything to do with the CFL, no matter what position, to see the Alouettes and the plight they’re in today.”

Much of that success came with Anthony Calvillo as the starting quarterback. Signed as a free agent in 1998 after being released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Calvillo first served as Tracy Ham’s backup before taking over the reins two years later.

Calvillo went on to become the most prolific quarterback in CFL history, leading Montreal to a Grey Cup win in 2002, its first in 25 seasons. Two more championships followed (2009-10) and three times Calvillo was named the league’s most outstanding player.

Calvillo suffered a career-ending concussion in a 24-21 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Aug. 17, 2013. When he retired in January 2014, Calvillo left as pro football’s all-time passing leader (79,816 yards) and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame three years later.

Following his retirement, Calvillo became an assistant coach with Montreal, serving as a receivers coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive co-ordinator from 2015-17. He’s currently a quarterbacks coach in Toronto on former Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman’s staff.

Since its 21-18 Grey Cup win over Saskatchewan in 2010, Montreal has compiled a 55-80 regular-season record. The Alouettes haven’t been to the playoffs since losing 40-24 to Hamilton in the ‘14 East final.

What’s more, Montreal is 17-46 since that playoff loss and finished last in the East in 2015 and ‘17.