You have to wonder after watching Anthony Calvillo play yesterday in Saskatchewan and getting injured after the hit by Rickey Foley of the Riders how much time this guy has left in his career, I mean he has to be on pretty thin ice right now? A.C. is now 41 years of age, great that he's had a stellar career but come on the guy is about ready to be added to the coaching staff or some other position in the team?
The problem in Montreal is that they never gave any other QB the opportunity along the way to perform, it's been all about A.C. and that's it and now with Anthony on the sidelines the Al's really have no one with actual CFL game experience? Boy to be Jarious Jackson or Adrian McPherson now your stock has just gone up in both Montreal and Winnipeg, even Quinton Porter can say they should have kept him and played him at this point butt Popp decided to stay with A.C. at 41 and will have to make that change in a matter of time??
AC's body language this year makes it seem he might be ready to pack it in soon. IMHO. He looks frustrated and just generally tired of picking himself off the carpet once or twice every drive.
The 2013 Als are doing badly as a team. It's far from being just an issue with AC.
Chip Cox is about the only player at the same level as always. The rest are making mental errors left and right.
Look at it like this... every team, in every professional sports league, gets their turn to suck. It's simply the life cycle of pro sports. The best of teams can easily go sour and the worst of teams can easily become champs.
The results of Montreal's games this year so far are clearly showing that it's their turn to suck.
From a Bomber fan to a Ticat fan, thanks for the encouragement, but I don’t know that “easily” is the right word; it’s been too long for both of us. “Suddenly” maybe, like last year’s Argos?
The problem with a theory about the natural regression or a downgrading cycle of a team in sports is that the Montreal situation could have been partially if not entirely preventable if management there could have kept ahead of the curve.
For at least the last few years, there has been talk that Calvillo is approaching his best before date, yet there was not plan in place then to develop any kind of backup. Could have been somewhat achieved as now by playing the newbies in select offensive situations. But, Popp in his infinite wisdom, decided against planning or even thinking about post retirement Calvillo, lost some viable talent in the process (Porter, McPherson, Quinlan) and now has an old, concussed and less mobile and able starter with a bare cupboard to borrow from.
Popp has done an equally inadequate job of replacing aging personnel, stockpiling any kind of talent to fill in for the injured, and of course players capable taking this team into the future.
Wally Buono and John Hufnagel are always looking down the road and thinking toward what's next. That is why they will likely never see the regression of their respective teams. Popp, for all his alleged smarts, could learn a lot from these wise GM's.
This downward cycle is the result of lazy and complacent management, such as in Montreal.
Pretty harsh assessment for a guy whose team has been a contender virtually every year of its existence and gone to the Grey Cup 8 times in the past 13 years. I won’t bother to look it up, but I’m pretty sure his won-lost record as a GM beats anyone else’s in the past few decades.
the als were a contender because they were in the east. they’d always win the division by default and only need to win 1 playoff game to get to the dance. essentially, they had a free pass to the big game every year, where you always have a 50-50 shot at winning it all.
they’d beat up on the weaker eastern teams for an easy 9 wins, then just get a couple wins against the west for a 12 win season.
as soon as Burris and Ray went to the east, the als’ free ride was over.
before last season, i had said the argos and tabbies would need 2012 as an adjustment, then they’d burry the als in 2013.
to my surprise, you saw the argos won right away. this year, you see the tabbies have now past the als.
I really do feel after he won the grey cup the last time, he had one more year. When the three peat didn't happen, that's when he should have stepped down, while they still had Adrian MacPherson who you know wanted to start, desperately but had been waiting too long. Without a doubt, once Trestman left, I would have departed, but in a sense you do have to respect the fact that he didn't take the easy way out and gave Hawkins a shot.
It's hard to tell. The Als made a huge goof in hiring Hawkins. The entire training camp was wasted since they canned the guy and now they have to adjust to Popp in mid-season. I know Popp is trying to get back to a Trestman style offence but he's not Trestman. And the injuries have hurt.
Having said that, AC is as old as a fossil when it comes to athletes. As great as he's been, no one plays forever. Not even AC.
Popp, along with every other GM in professional sports gauges a players worth to a team based on the “what have you done for us lately” scale. This is a business where success is evaluated on current performance.
If it’s applicable to players, why not management???
Popp, along with every other GM in professional sports gauges a players worth to a team based on the “what have you done for us lately” scale. This is a business where success is evaluated on CURRENT performance.
If it’s applicable to players, why not management??? After all, he provided Hawkins with only 5 games. Greg Marshall had only 8 games as a rookie head coach. In just his second year as a head coach in the CFL, Paul LaPolice guided Winnipeg to the 99th Grey Cup after orchestrating one of the biggest turnarounds in CFL history. Half a season later, he was fired. Popp’s teams has been out of the Grey cup and unable to win the East final in HIS OWN BALLPARK for the last two years.
And it’s only gotten worse since then!!! Harsh. Hardly.
Looks like Calvillo isn't the only AL banged up,strangely though the article says nothing about recent acquisition Troy Smith,and states that Nieswander will start against B.C. Looks like the AL's are going through what we went through with injuries at the start of season. :twisted: :cowboy:
Jim Popp says A.C.'s at home resting after revealing he suffered a concussion on the hit from Rickey Foley of the Riders, he will be accessed again next week and will be game by game? Popp says he took a shoulder injury the game before and he's had about three injuries this year alone but the worst one the concussion from the hit. Calvillo turns 41 on Friday, I think the writing's on the wall to hang up his cleats!!
when Mark Trestman was coaching he made QB protection the number one priority on offence.
AC was often left untouched from game to game . If you could get to AC you could beat MTL.
This year he has been thrown to the wolves. His O-line just is not what it used to be . He is taking
a beating out there. This will be his last season.