LENNOXVILLE — They’ve come and gone over the years. If it wasn’t Mike Pringle it was Tracy Ham. If it wasn’t Ben Cahoon it was Elfrid Payton. Or Uzooma Okeke. Or Pierre Vercheval. Or Bryan Chiu.
An athlete’s career lasts only so long and the Alouettes, over the years, have always had an answer, a replacement waiting in the wings. And they’ve continued to flourish, for the most part.
So why does this season seem so different? Quarterback Anthony Calvillo has retired. Guard Scott Flory is now the president of the Canadian Football League’s players’ association. Two mainstays, two halcyon members of this organization have stepped aside following years of yeoman’s service.
Perhaps that’s why, as the Als launched training camp Sunday morning at Bishop’s University, it felt like the end of an era; it seems like a new chapter is about to be written.
New quarterback. New head coach. New offensive coordinator and a general manager who’s heading into the final year of his contract. Perish the thought if the Als should be forced to forge ahead without Jim Popp.
“Anthony’s an easy one to harp on,” Popp said. “We’ve had great players for a lot of years, Hall of Famers at different positions. When you lose them, you don’t expect to just replace them. That doesn’t happen. When you get them, you don’t expect them to be Hall of Famers.
“We’ve been able to recover, go through growing pains and still make the playoffs.”
The Als have never missed the playoffs since returning to the league in 1996. And, with the expansion Ottawa RedBlacks joining the East Division, that streak should remain intact. Montreal might be facing its share of issues this season, but it’s certainly better than a first-year team, it’s imagined.
The Als will enter the season with a new quarterback — likely Troy Smith, who started the final three regular-season games along with Montreal’s overtime playoff semifinal defeat against Hamilton. Tom Higgins has replaced Popp as head coach, after Popp replaced the fired Dan Hawkins following five games. And Rick Worman enters the scene as offensive coordinator.
“When people think they’ve got you down, they try to stick their knee in you,” Popp said. “We reload and go back out.
“I know right now, the team we have on the field is as good as any team in this league. We’re not lacking in any areas. We have good people in place and we should have success.”
Smith, 29, a former Heisman Trophy winner, is expected to replace Calvillo — if only because he completed the season and enjoyed a modicum of success. Of course, with a new offensive coaching staff, all bets potentially are off. Smith will be pushed by Tanner Marsh and, when all is said and done, both probably will play over the course of 18 games.
If Smith is feeling any trepidation over being the guy who drew the short straw — the one who has to replace a legend — he’s keeping it well masked, as well he should. Smith played collegiately for powerhouse Ohio State. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens and also played for San Francisco. Those stages were far bigger.
“There’s a lot of life around here, and I’m very excited to be a part of this,” Smith said. “Nobody can replace A.C. and I don’t think of it as a burden. I’m chomping at the bit, anxious for the opportunity to showcase who I am as a quarterback.
“The things A.C. has done, he blazed the trail for guys like me. There has to be tremendous quarterback play from here on out, and I’m ready for that challenge.
“There was a point in time when nobody knew my name and they weren’t saying anything,” Smith maintained. “If you bring up my name in the same breath as A.C., I feel okay.”
Marsh, the second-year pro, led the Als to a come-from-behind victory against British Columbia last August, leading Montreal to 32 second-half points. His improvisation was brilliant, passing for 329 yards while rushing for 71 more.
But in Montreal’s next game, at Toronto, he was vilified on the bench by assistant coach Doug Berry — a tirade caught on national television. And Marsh was never the same.
“Of course, it affected me,” Marsh can now admit, Berry no longer part of the organization. “Each player has their own way of getting coached. Last year wasn’t the best situation.
“I can deal with a kick in the ass, but you’ve got to massage the ass later.”
This season’s offensive system, under Worman, promises to be dynamic and aggressive. It should allow Marsh — and the mobile Smith, for that matter — to run and attack. There will be options, formations, angles and different personnel, it has been suggested.
And Higgins, the CFL’s former director of officiating who hasn’t coached since 2007, must hold it all together.
“There’s an expiration date on everyone and everything. This coaching position has an expiration date,” Higgins said. “I hope it’s a lot longer than the last coach (Hawkins) who was here.”
Higgins’s message to the players, after reading a litany of rules, came down to three tenets — care, trust and a commitment to excellence.
“Don’t talk to me about (giving) 110 per cent. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard,” he said. “I hope it’s simple enough for them to remember.
“The athletes here are talented, but talent alone doesn’t win.”