A little more than four years after leaving the Alouettes, Anthony Calvillo is back in the nest. Press has learned that the organization will announce that it has hired Calvillo as its quarterback coach on Thursday morning.
After his illustrious quarterback career, Calvillo began his coaching career with the Alouettes in 2015. He was then responsible for receivers. Calvillo then served as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach before leaving the organization after the 2017 season.
He joined the Université de Montréal Carabins as an assistant coach in 2019 and was the team’s offensive coordinator until he chose to return with the Alouettes. Danny Maciocia had offered him the job with the Carabins and it was most likely he who decided to bring Calvillo back with the Birds.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Anthony Calvillo and Danny Maciocia, in 2018
By ceding the role of quarterback coach to Calvillo, head coach Khari Jones will have a little less on his plate in 2022, which is surely not a bad thing. Jones is also the team’s offensive coordinator.
Calvillo’s main mission will of course be working with Vernon Adams Jr., who has mentioned on several occasions that he learned many things from studying with veteran Trevor Harris at the end of the season. Harris had been acquired to replace Adams Jr., who had an injured shoulder. Calvillo will certainly be able to help his progress, both on the pitch and away, where Adams Jr. too often lets his emotivity win him over.
Calvillo admitted he wasn’t having fun at all before leaving the Alouettes in 2017, which will likely have been the worst season in club history. It will be remembered that it was the general manager at the time, Kavis Reed, who led the team in the second half of the season after the dismissal of Jacques Chapdelaine.
Canadian citizen
Former Als number 13 obtained his Canadian citizenship in the past year and has been a permanent resident of Montreal since the early 2000s. An adopted Quebecer, adored by the Montreal public, who will have the opportunity to continue improve their French alongside coaches André Bolduc and Luc Brodeur-Jourdain.
Calvillo has always had a very good relationship with Bolduc, running back coach, and Brodeur-Jourdain, offensive line coach. Rather, the question is whether Calvillo and Jones will work well together. Knowing the two men, that shouldn’t be a problem. The two rival former quarterbacks have a similar temperament, and the success of the Alouettes is very close to their hearts.
The Alouettes could take advantage of Thursday’s announcement to introduce one or more new coaches, who thanked receivers coach Robert Gordon and special teams coordinator Mickey Donovan ahead of the holiday season. But it goes without saying that it’s the return to the sidelines of the greatest player in franchise history that will grab attention.