Als trying to get better, Calvillo says
'If I'm hurt, you need another guy to step in'

HERB ZURKOWSKY
The Gazette
Saturday, April 22, 2006

How the landscape has changed in a few short months.

The Alouettes have gone from Anthony Calvillo and a Murderers Row of backups - any time Ted White entered a game, fans wanted to commit a crime - to Calvillo and a potential trio of legitimate supporting actors. Nealon Greene has spent eight seasons in the CFL, most recently with Saskatchewan. Quincy Carter started in the NFL, with Dallas and the New York Jets, while Marcus Brady has experience with Toronto and Hamilton.

With training camp only a month away, Calvillo yesterday fervently supported the moves made by the organization.

"I'm not upset or hurt. This is helping our team out," he said. "Down the road, they're going to have to find somebody to replace me. I feel I've established myself and have the confidence of the organization. It doesn't matter who they've signed, I'm going in expecting to play.

"I just look at it as we're trying to get better. You need two established quarterbacks with experience. If I'm hurt, you need another guy to step in."

It would be mind-boggling at this stage were the Als even remotely considering a change at quarterback.

Although he'll turn 34 in August and has played 12 seasons, Calvillo shows no signs of age or deterioration. He'll never have great mobility, but he passed for more than 6,000 yards two seasons ago and led the CFL again last season in yards and touchdowns.

Calvillo also is a former league outstanding player. He has led the Als to four Grey Cup appearances since 2000, but Montreal has had difficulties winning a championship, losing three of those games.

"A.C. has led us to four Grey Cups," general manager Jim Popp said. "How many quarterbacks have done that? Very few."

Whoever backs Calvillo up, the Als are certain to have their strongest tandem since Calvillo signed with Montreal in 1998 to back up Tracy Ham.

But will it matter?

In four seasons as head coach, Don Matthews has displayed extreme reluctance to play his backup, thereby denying him development time. Indeed, Calvillo yesterday said there have been times when he asked to be relieved, only to be spurned by Matthews, who probably believed the Als' scoreboard margin wasn't large enough.

When Montreal's upper management - owner Robert Wetenhall, president Larry Smith, Popp and Matthews - convened after last season, the importance of having an adequate backup quarterback was addressed.

"There was a sense of some form of the future," Smith said. "And we never felt the future person (White or Ell Roberson) was in the slot. Jim responded well, putting people in a competitive situation. Training camp will be very interesting."

Yes it will. But will the philosophy change once the games count in the standings, especially with the acquisition this week of Greene in a trade with the Roughriders? Greene came into the CFL with Toronto in 1998 - a team coached by Matthews. A year later, with Matthews now in Edmonton, the Eskimos traded for Greene.

"Don is going to try to come up with something to get his boy playing time," said a CFL head coach.

"How will Calvillo handle it? There could be times during the course of a game when Nealon will go in with a package of plays. If I was a betting man, I'd say A.C. won't be happy with that. And I think Nealon will have a great opportunity to be the backup because of the head guy."

Calvillo, you should know, hasn't been blindsided by any of this. He was notified of Greene's acquisition Thursday by Popp. Similarly, the GM informed Calvillo of Carter's signing. The Als have always been stacked at most positions. It's about time the same could be said about the team's depth at quarterback.

"I'm confident and I'm established," Calvillo said. "I feel confident in what I do, but I'm not going to play forever. You're always one play away from getting hurt."

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© The Gazette (Montreal) 2006