New coach, quarterback hope to re-energize Als
Players, coaches striving to put Calvillo’s lasting legacy behind them
CALGARY — It will be the white elephant in the room throughout the season. Anthony Calvillo may be retired and gone, but won’t soon be forgotten. His legacy and record of success will constantly hang over the Alouettes.
And Troy Smith, who drew the short straw and has the unenviable task of trying to follow a legend as this team’s quarterback. How’s that for a thank you very much?
“It’s a fair assessment to understand that all eyes will be on this position at this time,” Smith said. “I have to keep that legacy going. We have some big shoes to fill.”
The Als’ regular season commences Saturday afternoon (3 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN Radio-690) at McMahon Stadium against the Calgary Stampeders. Montreal has a new quarterback in Smith and a new head coach in Tom Higgins. Ryan Dinwiddie, only two seasons into his coaching career, will be calling the offensive plays after the training camp firing of offensive coordinator Rick Worman.
And, for the first time since 2000, they have an opening-day starter other than Calvillo.
Little wonder the Als, who never have missed the playoffs since returning to the Canadian Football League in 1996 — and a club that has had only two losing records over that span — are now perceived as a team in decline.
It’s up to the players to change that image. Perhaps being viewed as an underdog will work to their advantage.
“It’s understandable. We’ve lost three playoff games in a row. It’s not hard to say. I understand,” said general manager Jim Popp, the architect of the team. “That doesn’t mean it’s not here and can’t be done.
“You’re always going to question it when an Anthony Calvillo’s not there.”
The Als, using four quarterbacks last season — including Calvillo and Smith — went 8-10 and finished third in the East Division. Montreal won games with all their pivots and could have had a better record, but lost to inferior teams.
Winnipeg won only three games all year, but defeated the Als twice at Molson Stadium. Montreal blew a 24-0 lead at Calgary; a 21-14 late cushion at Saskatchewan, and a 238 third-quarter advantage at home against Toronto. Even a 23-10 lead heading into the final quarter at Guelph against the Hamilton TigerCats wasn’t safe, the Als outscored 17-1 over the final 15 minutes.
The Als’ record could have been significantly better.
Learning how to win and finishing teams off has been a prevalent theme this season during training camp discussions.
“We have to develop that killer instinct,” said safety Marc-Olivier
“We’re looking for someone that can manage the game and win it for us. That’s all the quarterback needs to do.”
ALOUETTES GM JIM POPP
Brouillette. “If we go up big, especially on the road, we have to be able to stomp on their throats.”
It won’t be a surprise if the Als’ defence has to carry this team throughout the season, especially early. Smith missed a portion of camp with a knee injury and didn’t play in Montreal’s opening exhibition game. Last week, against Ottawa, he completed only 50 per cent of his passes, timing issues quite apparent between he and his receivers. The Als failed to score a touchdown against an expansion team.
Watch for the Als, at least initially, to run liberally, taking advantage of tailback Brandon Whitaker. And for Smith to utilize a short, higher-percentage passing game. But Smith has a strong arm, so has the capability of going deep. And he seems to be a natural-born leader, which should work to his advantage.
“We all knew the day was coming. I’m happy to be part of a new regime, part of something new,” receiver S.J. Green said. “Without a doubt, we’ll have some bumps in the road. The key is how well you bounce back and handle adversity. We’ll be hit with adversity Saturday and we’ll see how the team responds.
“Troy will do his thing and Anthony will forever hold his legacy here. Troy’s a leader, an efficient quarterback. Once he gets a good grasp of this league, he’ll be an exceptional quarterback in this league.”
Smith started the Als’ final three regular-season games in 2013, along with their playoff loss in overtime against the Ticats. So he’s not totally green. And the Als, it should be remembered, had numerous offensive problems last season, Doug Berry eventually replacing Mike Miller as the offensive play caller. So it can’t get worse, can it? “Last year, our team took a big jump,” Popp said. “They found out they could win with someone else. Do your chances go up with Anthony? Absolutely.
“This team has been through a lot of adversity the last couple of years. We’ve hung in there, battled. They’ve never quit. They kind of have resilience. I think we have a lot of talent here. We just need to find a way to put it all together. We have a lot of experienced people that have experienced a championship. They can corral the youth.”
The Als, understandably, will avoid comparisons between Calvillo and Smith, knowing that would be unfair. Calvillo could single-handedly rally this team to victory later in his career. Smith won’t be expected to. Higgins and his staff simply want him to manage the game.
“We’re not looking for someone to replace A.C.” Popp said. “We’re looking for someone that can manage the game and win it for us. That’s all the quarterback needs to do.
“The reality is none of them need to be A.C. They can’t be.”