(Hamilton) Anthony Calvillo is the last quarterback to win the Gray Cup in a Montreal Alouettes uniform. That was in 2010. Today, he is ready to pass the torch.
The use and meaning of the torch is attributed more to the Canadian than to the Alouettes. But in this Gray Cup week, it’s entirely apropos.
“We work every morning with AC coach [Anthony Calvillo] and we all know what a legend he is. He knows what it takes to win a Gray Cup as a starting quarterback. He is a reference. Every time I get the chance to spend time with him, I don’t take it for granted. »
This is how Cody Fajardo alluded to the importance of Calvillo in the Montreal locker room after his team’s victory against the Toronto Argonauts last Saturday. And since his arrival in Montreal, he has rarely been so demonstrative about his respect for the former number 13.
Today offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, the former glory of the Alouettes is back for the ultimate game, 13 years after the team’s last conquest. Montreal has never reached the final since.
In the 2010 Finals, Calvillo completed 29 of 42 passes for 336 yards. The previous year, the Alouettes also won top honors thanks to a performance of two touchdown passes and 314 yards from their star quarterback.
PHOTO IVANOH DEMERS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Anthony Calvillo lifting the Gray Cup in 2009
In his current role, Calvillo must ensure that he is no longer the last quarterback to win the Gray Cup for the Alouettes at the end of Sunday’s game. That said, he has full confidence in Fajardo. Like all the players in the locker room, he swears.
“The most important thing for a quarterback is to have the confidence of the players in the locker room. Everyone in the locker room, without exception, believes that Cody gives us the best chance to win. He proved it all year. He is always the first to arrive at training. He is dedicated to this team and the players appreciate that. »
Experience as a gift
Calvillo may be the most prolific passer in the history of Canadian football and have three Gray Cup rings somewhere at home, but the destiny of the team is no longer in his hands as it was during the 2000s.
Still, his experience has value. And the Alouettes players would be crazy to deprive themselves of it. ” Most important […] it’s about sharing our knowledge. How to prepare, in particular. I think the main thing is to keep the same routine. We must not overanalyze. I try to tell the players about my personal experiences,” he explains.
Although he is well aware of his worth and status, Calvillo refuses to rise above the fray. The other coaches within the team also have considerable experience and everyone offers good advice.
And at this point in the season, all the work has already been done anyway. “We have reached the end,” he says. No one needs to stand up or speak anymore.
It’s now up to the players to do the rest of the work. And Calvillo believes he has given them enough tools to enable them to do so brilliantly.
Seen from above
Contrary to popular belief, the 51-year-old doesn’t necessarily envy Fajardo. He is happy, perched in the team offices, analyzing the match from the heights of the different stadiums.
He has served his time, and even if sometimes he is overcome by a certain nostalgia, he says he is happy to be in a position to win in another role.
In Toronto [la semaine dernière]we saw to what extent [les joueurs] were happy. We saw their desire to win and to believe in it. The feeling is the same as in my time. There is still so much magic.
Anthony Calvillo, Alouettes offensive coordinator
Calvillo has navigated the Alouettes environment almost his entire career. He experienced the glory years of the team with Ben Cahoon, Jamal Richardson, Matthieu Proulx and company. Like the amateurs, he felt this wind of renewal this year.
In his opinion, change first happened at the top of the pyramid. “There, it was Mr. Péladeau who took the reins of the team. Danny Maciocia is still there and he’s an important piece. Then Danny hired Jason Maas, and the rest followed. I believe the fans are proud of the product we offer them. »
A few hours away from participating in a first Gray Cup in 13 years, Calvillo refuses to put pressure on himself. As before a premiere at the theater, he knows that everything has been done, calculated and prepared so that the team arrives full of confidence on Sunday evening, when the curtain rises.
“It’s not a normal week, of course, we are aware of the stakes, but we firmly believe that we can win this match. »