Painzable » The guys who have been here

Its not fair to ask Troy Smith to become the next Anthony Calvillo. Cheap Rangers Jerseys China . Its barely fair to ask a Ricky Ray or Travis Lulay - veteran pivots with Grey Cups and Most Outstanding Player awards to their name - to assume the role of face of the league and greatest active player. So its really not fair for a quarterback with four career starts in the CFL under his belt - albeit promising ones - to be put under that spotlight. But, as the de facto replacement for Calvillo in Montreal, fairly or not that could be the measuring stick for Smith. A more realistic expectation, and one Smith has a shot at living up to, is a solid quarterback that gives the team a chance to win week in and week out. After relieving Josh Neiswander (no longer with the team) midway through a late season game, Smith never looked back in guiding the Alouettes into the playoffs and briefly flirting with second place in the division and a home playoff date. His numbers in his short stint as starter were encouraging. While his completion percentage was just a shade over 50 percent, he threw nine touchdowns to just five interceptions and averaged nearly 300 passing yards per contest. And while his stat line from Montreals lone playoff game (14-26, 142 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) was far from impressive, the poise and leadership he displayed - factoring in nerves, inexperience, and all the rhetoric attached to a rookie making his first postseason appearance - was heartening for Alouettes fans. But that composure really isnt all that surprising for a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback with tangible NFL experience. Following a strong four-year career at Ohio State, two years as a starter, Smith was awarded the 2007 Heisman Trophy and then embarked on a four-year NFL career, finishing with 1,734 passing yards and 11 combined touchdowns. If youre apt to use the term pedigree to predict future success, a quarterback like Smith would surely fit the bill. And now for the best news of all in relations to Smiths chances of succeeding as a CFL quarterback: Montreals stacked receiving corps. Injuries to Jamel Richardson, proven long ago to be a bona fide stud receiver, opened the door for S.J. Green to elevate his status from very good to great last season; while Duron Carter demonstrated hes very much Pro Football Hall of Famer Chris Carters son in his CFL debut season. Health permitting, Smith will be throwing to receivers with a combined eight 1,000 yard receiving seasons, and four double-digit touchdowns seasons. And Carter almost added to that total in just 12 games last year (enjoy him while you can; the 23-year-old will be making plays in the NFL next season). With those three thoroughbreds in tow, former NFL star and notorious headline stealer Chad Johnson should be battling for fourth on the import receiving depth chart at best. Its of course hard to predict how Smith will do this season and in future years, other than to say hell be hard-pressed to make Als fans forget Calvillo anytime soon. There have been several quarterbacks of the future the past number of seasons in the CFL, few of them (less than nine!) have panned out. But Smith has everything youd seem to want to at least take your shot with him. And thats likely what the Alouettes will do. Notes Calvillo Retires 2013 marked the end of an era as Anthony Calvillo, perhaps the greatest CFL quarterback of all time, retired after 20 seasons. The majority of Calvillos career was spent in Montreal, as were the majority of his 79,816 career passing yards (a professional record) and his 455 career touchdown passes (a CFL record). Calvillo also won three Grey Cups and three Most Outstanding Player awards with the Alouettes. Expansion Draft The Alouettes lost three young players to the Ottawa Redblacks in Decembers expansion draft, none more valuable than versatile FB Patrick Lavoie, who was making a name for himself in the two years he spent with Montreal. The Als also lost DT Moton Hopkins and LB Jordan Verdone. Free Agency Montreal was once again quiet on the free agent market, deciding against bidding on any of the top names available. Free agency will be known more for when the team lost some talent, highlighted by LB Shea Emrys departure to Toronto, but GM Jim Popp did make sure to lock up some important pieces, highlighted by the re-signing of LT Josh Bourke. Return man Larry Taylor was also traded for during this period. Higgins Hired Up until Tom Higgins was hired to coach the team, it was unknown if Montreal would hire a coach or just let Popp continue on in the interim role. The Higgins hiring was strange also because GM Popp appeared to not be a part of the interviewing process for Higgins. Quatre-Vingt Cinq Despite an already solid receiving corps, the Alouettes added some more sizzle by signing former NFLer/headline-maker Chad Johnson to a contract in April. The transaction may be as much a publicity stunt as it is a solid football move but Johnson showed up to Montreal in good shape, in high spirits, and looking like he still has some football left to play. Offensive Line Losses Montreal lost two mainstays of their offensive line in the off-season when Andrew Woodruff and Scott Flory announced their retirements. CFL Draft The team helped to replenish their offensive line in the first round of the draft by selecting David Foucault from Montreal. The rest of the draft saw Montreal select Queens DB Andrew Lue 10th overall, Guelph DL Jeffrey Finley 22nd overall, York DL James Tuck 31st overall, Manitoba WR Andrew Smith 35th overall, Manitoba K/P Nick Boyd 43rd overall, Sherbrooke FB Jean-Christophe Beaulieu 49th overall, and Calgary WR Mackenzie Sarro 58th overall. Cheap Rangers Jerseys . THE THUNDER & PACERS BENCHES: In a nutshell, not impressive at all. Cheap New York Rangers Jerseys . -- Oakland Athletics third baseman Scott Sizemore has undergone surgery on his left knee to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. http://www.cheapnewyorkrangersjerseys.com/ .com) - Al Horford collected 19 points and 16 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks held off a furious rally to beat the Detroit Pistons 106-103 on Friday night in a game between two of the NBAs hottest teams.When it comes to the most important position on the field, the Toronto Argonauts are in a very good place. Future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray is in his prime and back for a third season in double blue. The 34-year old was magnificent in 2013, throwing for just under 2,900 yards despite missing eight games, tossing an impressive 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 66 per cent of his passes in the process. He will be the starter, but the backup job is open. Zach Collaros won that battle with Trevor Harris a year ago, getting the call when Ray was injured on two separate occasions. Among the highlights for Collaros was leading the team to four consecutive road wins in as many weeks, something that had never been done before in CFL history. Collaros signed a free-agent deal in Hamilton, so the chance to claim the shotgun seat next to Ray is there for the taking. There are four pivots looking to claim that spot, although Harris may have the best chance of claiming the role. During training camp a year ago, the Argo brain trust could not decide on who should be the number two man to Ray. Collaros and Harris both showed promise, knew the playbook inside and out and had the respect of their teammates. Collaros won the job in 2013, this year head coach Scott Milanovich says its Harris job; at least for now. "Right now Trevor is going to get that first shot," said the coach. "But hes by no means number two. Hes been here for two years and hes earned the right, hes played well when hes played, so hes going to get the first shot there, but hes going to still have to earn it."Harris didnt see much game action last year, but did show potential when he got on the field. What does he have to do to guarantee hell be first off the bench if Ray cant play?"Just the same things hes been doing really," continued Milanovich. "I went back and watched him just a few weeks ago, all his plays, and what Trevor does is hes efficient with the ball, he knows the offence, he takes whats there, he moves better in the pocket than you think he does, and hes a little bit in the mould of Ricky." Excuse me? "Im not going to anoint him Ricky Ray," the coach clarified, "but hes in that mould, thats how he kinda plays the game. Im anxious to see him get a bunch of reps and see if he can take himself to the next level."Harris is also ready to show what he can do. The soon to be 28-year old is a product of Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, where he set every school passing record. He worked hard on getting stronger in the off season. He put on about a dozen pounds and now tips the scale at 220. Mentally, hes same uber-pprepared pivot. Cheap Adidas Rangers Jerseys. "My mindset hasnt changed since the day I walked in," said Harris. "You prepare to be the starter, they put you where they feel you are (on the depth chart) and if youre told youre not good enough to make it, then so be it." So how did he try to improve himself in the off season? "Just sharpening as a whole," Harris continued. "You watch Ricky and every day hes working on his strengths and hes working harder on his weaknesses. Thats just what you have to do, you just have to continue to get better in all facets. I was trying my butt off all off season to improve my strength. I want to be able to take more hits if I need to do so, I want to work on my touch, my accuracy and my route throwing." Also in the mix to be the backup are returning players Mitchell Gale and Josh Portis, along with newcomer Casey Pachall out of TCU, a player many thought would be selected in the NFL draft. Pachall - pronounced pa-HALL - is up against stiff competition, a game with new rules, a new field, new terminology, and oh yeah, a potential work stoppage. Thats something he doesnt think will be a problem, despite any missed practices or exhibition games giving him less time to impress his potential new bosses. "I dont think its going to affect anybody around here," said the strong-armed Texan. "Of course if it did happen, we would miss a few days of learning, but thats on us to learn ourselves and each of us has to stay in their playbook and do what were asked in order to learn this offence and help this team in any way possible. How many QBs will break camp? Last year the Argos carried five, fearing that they would lose Collaros and Harris to free agency and/or the Ottawa Redblacks expansion draft. Theres no expansion draft next year, so General Manager Jim Barker doesnt have to keep as many bodies around. How many will the Argos keep? "Probably four," Barker told TSN.ca "The plan we have with Ricky is to have a battle to be two and three (on the depth chart) and the fourth guy wed like to develop. Theres four of them here who have been here, so one of those guys wont be unless the new guy (cant get the job done)." "If its close you obviously look at the guy who hasnt been here as long," continued the GM. "The guys who have been here before should be ahead." To surmise; Ray is the obvious starting quarterback. Harris is the man to beat as the backup, while Gale and Portis will each have to outperform Pachall, or one of them will be the odd man out. That leads to a lot of competition for a team without a controversy at the position. 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