Year 2012, last play was Bratton dropping ball and that was prevalent throughout the year by every receiver. As for this year, just look at Ray and Barnes. If you watched the Eskimos during Ray's final years, both he and Barnes looked finished. Look at them today. Point the finger at Hawkins, Miller, Berry and Popp. Why wasn`t Bellefeuille looked at. He can even speak a little french.
From the normally sky is falling Herb in tomorrow`s Gazette:
"Already speculation has started, mostly from people who are clueless, that this is the beginning of the end of Calvillo’s career. Or that he might be forced to retire."
If it's Calvillo all along then Hawkins should be brought back. Let him earn his salary and go with Josh the rest of the way. I think anybody you put there at QB is going to have timing issues due to slow receivers and the OC's. Bruce is reliable but hardly gets the ball. Devine who can't catch a football in practice, reported by the RDS team lost us two games. After two drops should've been taken out the the Toronto game. Popp doesn't go for it on third down and next possesion, Devine gives Toronto back the ball. Game over. Lost by Popp. Kuale wins us the Edmonton game and is rewarded by getting cut. We were better with him and Hawkins than what we have now. Players that win games stay on in my book. Everything is reversed here.
Forget football, life in general, every negative action returns a negative reaction. Team can't win a game and is decimated by injuries. So let Popp figure it out.
"Calvillo playing poorly". Watch Ricky Ray against the Als and Edmonton on the weekend. Wide open receivers deep in the endzone running fullspeed to make the catch right near the out of bound line. Did Ricky Ray overthrow or did he deliver the ball where it should be like in practice, regardless of the coverage.
I could have “bet the farm”
That the same folks who consistently run “Herb Must Go!!!” threads in this forum…
Would use his drunken, meandering, “Popp appeasing” hack pieces…
at the first convenient moment
To insultingly reinforce their position
It serves NO PURPOSE WHATSOEVER
But Mario saying that he and his chums went to the Bog Owe last year
To watch The East Final
OBSERVING that Calvillo was DONE, DONE, DONE
Can't help but make me think
This little cloisered group
In NO WAY represents the general "alouettes fan" sentiments
On this whole mess.
What WOULD the Alouettes fortunes be NOW
If ONLY AC HAD retired
And McPherson had taken over...
In the natural course of things (cue "cycle of life" music)
Might as well try my hand at translating
For the few folks who can’t understand French…
Villeneuve: "I want to talk to you about Anthony Calvillo."
Tremblay: “Oui”
Villeneuve: “Because it’s my opinion that, at 41 years old, Anthony Cavillo is playing one too many seasons. Mario…I often say that professional athletes…there’s no good time to announce your retirement. But gosh darn it…at some point…when you sense you’re in decline…just might as well stay home.”
Tremblay: “Well I feel the same as you. Calvillo has pulled the elastic a bit too far. His physical condition isn’t the same. We know that at 41 years of age, when you play football…he hasn’t the same arm he had 4-5 years ago. Remember last year at the Olympic Stadium…the Alouettes lost to the Toronto Argonauts…and we were what like around 10 buddies…I think we were unanimous in saying after the game that Calvillo had come…but really…to the end of his career. So, playing another year… There are a lot of things happening with the Alouettes this year. Thinking of the Head Coach that Popp hired. He really made a mistake. Which is a surprise because Popp is a GM with a lot of experience.”
Villeneuve: “Well that’s 2-3 times he’s made a mistake hiring coaches. But he made no mistake with Marc Trestman.”
Tremblay: “No.”
Villeneuve: “But in Calvillo’s case I understand that he came back knowing that with the loss of Trestman everything was going to change. He maybe doesn’t have the energy he had a few years ago. And especially, his body language.”
Tremblay: “Yep.”
Villeneuve: "He’s never been a guy…very demonstrative. You can feel him fading…
Tremblay: “That’s it Michel. When an athlete doesn’t retire at the right moment…he becomes exactly like the words you just used about Calvillo. He becomes less patient. He gets snitty. And so that means that at that point Calvillo has had it up to here with football. And now again were talking about a concussion. So…it’s a bad season for the Alouettes. Let’s hope they’ll rediscover the road to success and that they’ll play better. Otherwise it’ll be a season to forget for the Montreal Alouettes.”
Villeneuve: "Bon. You were an athlete. You were a coach. And a GM…tell me something. There are signs that an athlete is in decline. Who is the “voice of reason”? Especially with a star player. It’s hard for the organization to say “You know, with all the records…I think you should settle for the backup role…or maybe retire.”
Who’s role is it to say, “Listen buddy…maybe…well look at the facts…”
Tremblay: “His entourage. Calvillo’s entourage. We’re always hearing how an athlete discusses with his family if he should come back for another season. But I always say the same thing. If you’re healthy. If you still have the desire to play…then let’s go for another season. But don’t forget last year Calvillo was injured more than his due. And it’s certain that injuries have taken their toll on Calvillo’s body. I think that…like we said at the beginning of the interview…it was one season too many for Anthony Calvillo.”
While I take exception at copping out and putting the blame on AC’s family… There’s no question it’s the combined responsibilty of the ENTIRE organization (from the coaches right up to the owner) to gently nudge an unrecalcitrant player out of his position.
:cowboy:
Ray’s 2nd in the league the league in passing TD’s (Durant 17td, Ray 14td) Ray still has yet to throw an interception. Calvillo has 5!
Calvillo is last among QB’s with 6 or more starts (Calvillo 6td)
Don`t bet the farm, you might lose your supply of verbal manure.
Can you please show me where I ran a “Herb Must Go” thread. I do find him overly negative at times (and have told him so), but I communicate with him by e-mail fairly regularly and he always will respond.
Herb does enjoy his Chivas, but doubt if it clouds his writing. I am tempted to ask you Senior what clouds yours.
And you are speaking out of both sides of your mouth when you say Herb writes “Popp appeasing hack pieces”, when in the “Anthony Is Done” thread you call him an “apologist for a man he so obviously despises.” So which is it?
That’s really the tragedy isn’t it
Having a running battle with Popp for years
Because he shot from the hip
Only to be cosying up to a guy he hates
To keep his job in his declining years
It’s sad
But he still manages to get the occassional broadside in
Like when he suggested Popp and Bellefeuille are “mortal enemies” (in a recent interview on CJAD)
So don’t expect Marcel to come to the Alouettes…any time soon.
(Guess you can’t “brown-nose” check what you say in realtime)
The reason AC is done IMO is that Trestman is gone. He can come back and play the rest of this season if he wants but he won’t be the same because ole Marc’s system is in Chi-town now. He’d be better off taking his paychecks and preparing for life after football with all his marbles intact then receive an even more violent hit down the road.
I had the exact same impression as Hfx when AC sat on the bench in thinking he didn’t want to return but in fairness the injury had to be serious enough for him to sit out.
As for AC being done in the east final just remember who got them there in 2012 by playing every game but the last and helping the als not being in the red with 50,000 in the stands.
I’m not all anti-AC. I guess you can call me senior be mol. :lol:
To me, AC still gets 2 more games to show he's not done. While I do suspect he is, he's earned the right to play his way out of an extended slump. If he's still doing the same after 2 games, it's time to give the backups a chance...
Do you listen to the TSN guys when they do the MTL games? Anthony is throwing to guys in blanket coverage and so is Josh. When they are not, Green stops running his route or they drop balls. In the beginning AC had tons of pressure but Verducci fixed that problem.
Here's the question I'm struggling with now that he appears to be out for at least one game with a concussion - If he's not done right now, does anybody think he'll be coming back next year?
Given how this year is going and with this kind of injury, I'm having a hard time seeing a scenario where he doesn't decide to retire. Head injuries for a guy near the end of his career with nothing to prove and a family to worry about are serious business.