There is no shortage of storylines chasing the Montreal Alouettes heading into 2016. Is Kevin Glenn the QB to make them a contender again? How does Duron Carter change their offence? Does the defence have what it takes to carry this team once again?
SJ Green dished on all of that and much more when CFL.ca sat down with the veteran playmaker before teams headed to training camp. Here are some highlights from the interview.
What does it mean to have Duron Carter back on the team?
“He’s a game-breaker, man. His talent is up there. To bring him back and help take some attention away, and also bringing back Kenny Stafford as well. Those guys are both vertical threats and can run and can move and open things up and kind of soften up the middle some. It’s great to have those guys back and to see Anthony and Jacques make it all work.”
On the challenges the ALs have faced since Marc Trestman left:
“It’s been different, man. You go from five years of Marc and it’s so much consistency. The last four, five years since he’s been gone it’s been a rollercoaster ride with the different coaches. It’s kind of become sort of the norm. You just learn how to deal with it and keep it moving because at the end of the day this is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ business and if you don’t produce they’ll find a way to get you out of here. You either adapt or move on.”
What does Kevin Glenn bring to the Alouettes’ huddle?
“Last year, I couldn’t even tell you who was the starter going into camp. But definitely having a guy come in like Kevin Glenn, someone who has 16 years – to have that knowledge and savvy in the backfield with Tyrell Sutton to add to the weapons outside, I think it gives us a good base to start with.”
“I would assume so. He’s gonna get a bit of a dosage of it in mini-camp and then we’ll hit training camp and we’ll have two weeks of starting to build with his group from ground zero, starting to build something. It’ll be fun to be a part of.”
You take a lot of pride in your physical playing style. Where does that come from:
“It’s kind of always been a part of me. I grew up playing both sides of the ball. In football I was an all-state safety. In college I was a linebacker. It kind of just stayed with me.”
“I do (like that part of the game). It allowed me to unleash some frustration, mixed with some skill-set and have fun with it. [Nik Lewis and I] had a knockdown competition last year, he edged me out by two or three I think. He had like 24, I had 21 I think. I’ve got to get him this year.”
“Duron will get active, Duron will get active. Kenny’s more of a ‘let’s just get to it’. He’s good at that too, so we’ll take it.”
Why is no one talking about the Alouettes this year?
“I think it comes from the lack of consistency that we’ve been able to produce the last four years. That would make sense for people to feel like that, but to be honest we won the Grey Cups on teams that didn’t pick us to win those years either. I think every team comes in with that chip on their shoulder that they want to come in and win a championship and they feel that they are good enough to win that championship, which most teams probably are but the biggest difference in this league, because the competition level is starting to level out and everybody’s so equal now, I think the biggest thing is having the consistency at the quarterback position and the consistency of the offensive and the defensive staff. The methods and techniques.”
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How would you describe Anthony Calvillo, the OC, compared to Anthony Calvillo the quarterback?
“It’s kind of the same but it’s kind of different. As a player he was very passive, but he was still intense at the same time. He was the inspirational leader as a player and he was always a quiet guy, and when he spoke he never really raised his voice, he never really yelled. But when he talked, he commanded the room and everybody listened and everybody honed in. But even as a coach now he has that same respect. When he talks he has the room. But I think the difference now is as a player he was the man. As the coach now he’s still trying to figure out where he fits in. I think those styles may continue to change over time until he finds his groove, but at the end of the day Anthony’s a competitor and he’s going to compete. I expect nothing but great things.”
Why is Montreal one of the favourite places to play for CFL players?
“At first, I had no clue what to expect when I first came up. I come from a small city in Florida, where the smallest major city is Tampa and that’s not even a major, major city. It was somewhat city-like but somewhat country-like at the same time. To come up here and see this, it was a shell-shock to me. Everything was open. When I went downtown Montreal it was kind of, it gave me that New York theme kind of – it was fast-paced, a lot of people downtown, a lot of people walking. It was cool. I had never seen anything like that before in my life. To be able to play football up here and the fan support we got early on in my career up there, it was just fun to be a part of. I fell in love with the city and I really can’t see myself being anywhere else. You know how this business works, but I do love the city.”
As you get past the age of 30, how do you ensure you’re producing at a high level?
“I just know that success comes with hard work, and every off-season I forget about what I did the previous year because at this point it means nothing. I just always put that work in to try to be better for the next season. Even earlier in my career with J-Rich when he was in Montreal and we were together, we just always talked about consistency. Putting those back to back 1,000-yard receivers together, being good at it and doing it for back to back years and being consistent. My goal every year is to be consistent – continue to do what I do and try to be better at what I’m doing. That’s just my mindset, that’s what’s allowed me to perform and be consistent.”
