Brodeur-Jourdain older, wiser and not about to give up
At 34, lineman has seen a lot of football, and he likes were the Alouettes are going
They’re all gone now, slowly but surely, one by one. First it was Bryan Chiu, then Scott Flory to retirement. Josh Bourke left as a free agent and Jeff Perrett was released.
Veteran Alouettes centre Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, at age 34, is the last man standing from the team’s offensive-line glory years. And it undoubtedly will be a different feeling this weekend when the St-Hyacinthe native reports to Bishop’s University for his ninth Canadian Football League training camp.
“Once you reach that 30-yearold cap, once you pass 30 in this league, you’re an old dude,” Brodeur-Jourdain said Thursday. “I knew I was one major injury from retirement, and I’ve had that major injury. Just to be at training camp, I’m still an Alouette and part of this club. I’m grateful and happy.
“Obviously I want to be on the field and show everybody I’m still a player that can be dominant and be part of the elite in this league.”
The last two seasons have been trying for Brodeur-Jourdain, who made his debut in 2009 and was immediately part of two successive Grey Cup championship clubs. But the Als have fallen on hard times, last making the playoffs in 2014. Brodeur-Jourdain tore two knee ligaments late in 2015 and,
I want to be on the field and show everybody I’m still a player that can be dominant and be part of the elite in this league.
although dressing for the final 12 games last season, failed to make a start, having lost his job to Kristian Matte.
But Brodeur-Jourdain’s health has returned, and when the players hit the field for the first time Sunday afternoon, he’s expected to be the starting centre on Montreal’s revamped offensive line.
“From a personal level, it was a tough season, not playing, not being what I wanted to be. But I was smart enough not to be a negative member,” he said. “I did my best on a weekly basis. It gave me the opportunity to be a part of the club this year.
“I wanted to show I still had something in the gas tank and I was still a guy that could perform at an elite level. I didn’t get the chance last year to prove it on a regular basis on game day, but I tried to do it in practice.”
If Brodeur-Jourdain, who played at Université de Laval and was the last player selected in the 2008 Canadian college draft, came to the Als at the best of times, he has lived through the turbulence as well. Montreal has failed to overcome the loss of head coach Marc Trestman in 2013 combined with the retirement, a year later, of quarterback Anthony Calvillo.
Unlike the captain of Titanic, Brodeur-Jourdain said he saw the iceberg in the distance.
“When you have a veteran quarterback who retires, who goes from one Hall of Fame quarterback to another? It’s quite rare,” he said. “Seventeen of 32 NFL teams probably are seeking a quarterback who can carry the franchise for 10 to 15 years. It’s not easy: Just look at the Cleveland Browns.”
But there’s a sense of optimism surrounding the organization this season because everything is new and fresh. Patrick Boivin replaced Mark Weightman as president. Kavis Reed took over as general manager for Jim Popp, and Jacques Chapdelaine replaced Popp as head coach last September. Reed has made significant changes on both sides of the ball.
“Structurally, there’s been great changes. There’s no misunderstanding on the levels of power. That brings clarity to the structure,” Brodeur-Jourdain said. “There’s a strong effort to create a connection of transparency between the organization and the public, the organization and the players. It brings a positive environment.
“You didn’t know who was the chief of operations, the relationship between members and who was in charge of what. It brings uncertainty to the players. Who do you ask first? Now there’s structure. The scenery is so much clearer.”
That structure was significantly improved when Chapdelaine was promoted and made the players more accountable. And now that he continues in that role, Chapdelaine will be able — from Day 1 — to mould the team in his image, Brodeur-Jourdain said.
Changes in management were long overdue, but the success or failure of this team hinges on the play — and long-term health — of new veteran quarterback Darian Durant, acquired in a trade from Saskatchewan. Durant might be an upgrade over Kevin Glenn, the last veteran pivot who was expected to alter the Als’ fortunes, but he also has a history of Achilles tendon and elbow injuries.
“He knows how it is to carry a club, an organization on his shoulders,” Brodeur-Jourdain said. “The way he performed as a starter … they went to three Grey Cups, I believe. He has experience that maybe Kevin Glenn didn’t have.
“You’ve been the guy. You understand what it takes, what you have to do. You understand what it is to be a pro. He has that knowledge from his years in Saskatchewan.”