Vernon Adams Jr. will face added pressure this season. That of knowing that he could lose his starting place at any time in favor of Trevor Harris. But “it’s part of the job,” recalls Alouettes quarterbacks coach Anthony Calvillo.
Posted at 6:32 p.m.
Calvillo met The Press as part of the Walk-a-Thon for the power of sport organized by the Montreal Community Heart Foundation, Saturday. He agreed to answer a few football questions, including about the looming fight between Adams Jr. and Harris at quarterback ahead of training camp, which begins May 15.
In theory, Adams Jr. is the Alouettes’ quarterback of the future. He has the talent to lead the Montreal troupe to the top. But he’s had an up and down campaign in 2021. A shoulder injury sidelined him in the final stretch of the season as well as the playoff game at Hamilton.
Acquired from the Edmonton Elks in October, Harris came in relief. In four games, the decade-plus CFL veteran threw eight touchdown passes and two interceptions. During the offseason, the Birds extended Adams Jr.’s contract for two years, before offering Harris a new one-year contract a few months later.
Everyone knows Vernon is our starting quarterback. It’s been established and he understands that, but at the same time any organization needs to make sure all the guys are ready to play. It’s always been like that, since I played myself.
Anthony Calvillo
If anyone knows what it is, it’s Calvillo.
“If we look at my career… The Alouettes had to sign 50 quarterbacks, he summarized. They want to have someone who is ready to perform and replace the starting quarterback, just in case he doesn’t play to his full potential or gets injured. »
Calvillo remembers the signing of Jesse Palmer by the Als, among others. At the time, “the media said that the team had found my replacement and that he was the new man of confidence”, he recalls.
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Vernon Adams
“Me, I said to myself: I know that the organization is going to make sure that they are ready, but nobody is going to steal my job. They will have to earn it. So I made sure I was ready every week, every year, no matter who they brought into the organization. It was my philosophy, my way of thinking. Because that’s how it works. »
The former Als number 13 recalls that the responsibility lies with the players to perform to their full potential.
“We’ll see what happens next,” he said. But right now we have a great group of quarterbacks and I just can’t wait to see them on the field and see them play consistently. »
Contain your emotions
Vernon Adams Jr. is recognized for his leadership qualities. But his emotionality is no longer a secret to anyone. It happened to him, last season, to let his emotions take over. He sometimes reacted badly to adversity. But he is the confidant of the organization.
All quarterbacks are quite emotional. And we live in a different era, especially with social media. People from all over the world can criticize you. It’s difficult sometimes. Me, I tried not to read the newspapers when I played, but sometimes I did it because I was curious. And when I did, sometimes it made me angry. Now everything is accessible all the time.
Anthony Calvillo
In the end, it is how you deal with these criticisms that is important. Calvillo remembers having himself already answered some of them online, to set the record straight.
“It didn’t happen often, but it did happen,” he admits. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, but at the same time, you have to be able to be mature enough to put it aside. There will be times when you lose control, that’s part of the job. »
Return
The Alouettes’ coaching staff has been back in the office since Monday to prepare for the team’s training camp, which will take place from May 15 to June 2 at Diablos Stadium in Trois-Rivières. For Calvillo, this will be his first camp with the Montreal team since 2017.
“I want to help Khari [Jones, l’entraîneur-chef] as much as possible,” he replied when asked about his expectations for the season. “He has a lot on his plate and I want to make sure he feels good enough to ask me to help him with something. But that comes with time. »
“The most important thing will be to make sure our players are ready to play,” he added.
A beneficial program
The Alouettes announced in the last few days that they had invited, as part of the Canadian quarterback internship program, Université de Montréal Carabins starter Jonathan Sénécal to take part in their training camp. “When I was playing, I felt that the only time Canadian quarterbacks had the chance to see competition was when they finished their university sport, explains Anthony Calvillo. Suddenly, they would appear at camp and be like, “Oh, my God, I have to compete with all these players.” It was a little intimidating, in my opinion. Now they’re bringing in those quarterbacks earlier so they can get a taste of what to expect next. And I think that’s huge. »