‘It takes a team effort. I can’t win this game on my own,’ Als pivotsays of cfl title game
By Herb Zurkowsky,
Montreal Gazette
Say what you will about
Anthony Calvillo and the perception the Alouettes quarterback always comes up short in big games. Just don’t say it to Jim Zorn.
Zorn is the quarterbacks coach for the National Footbal League’s Seattle Seahawks and played the position for 11 seasons, including a brief stint with Winnipeg late in his career.
It has been more than a decade since Zorn made a career-altering move – one based entirely on the availability of Calvillo. In 1992, Zorn was offered the offensive co-ordinator’s job at Utah State. He had been an offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach at Boise State.
Zorn told Utah State head coach Charlie Weatherby he would come, provided Weatherby recruited Calvillo from Mt. San Antonio junior college in Walnut, Ca., and not another pivot Weatherby was considering. Calvillo’s video had come across Zorn’s desk and the former pro came away impressed after one viewing.
“I thought he was the best junior college quarterback out there,” Zorn told The Gazette. “I knew he could play. The things he did … his quickness, along with his ability to move and throw. He could think on his feet and was good in the pocket. He wasn’t a scrambler upfield, but he was a guy who could move and buy time, make a decision in a split second and throw. Those were the things I was really excited about.”
Three days later, the call was placed to Zorn by Weatherby. Calvillo had decided on Utah State. Zorn knew nothing about Calvillo before watching that tape, but felt ready to become a co-ordinator and knew, were he to succeed, the program would require a competent quarterback. And that was the prerequisite before he would uproot his family.
Calvillo started immediately, passing for 5,624 yards during two seasons, including a school record in 1993, with 3,260 yards of total offence.
“It was his attitude,” Zorn said. “He wasn’t there just for the scholarship. He wanted to play pro and wanted to excel.”
Calvillo got his wish, turning pro the following season with Las Vegas of the Canadian Football League after he attended an open tryout camp in California staged by the Blue Bombers.
Thirteen seasons later, the 6-foot-2,195-pound Calvillo is still at it. He has had his ups and downs – he threw 21 interceptions with Hamilton in 1995, and was part of a 2-16 team with the Tiger-Cats in 1997 – but there can be no denying he’s one of the greatest and most successful CFL quarterbacks of his era.
Tonight at Canad Inns Stadium, he’ll attempt to lead the Alouettes to an upset of the British Columbia Lions in the 94th annual Grey Cup (6 p.m., CBC, RDS, CJAD Radio-800). Mother Nature has done its best to co-operate this week. A high of minus-1C is forecast this afternoon, although with 20 km/h winds, it will feel like minus-6.
This is Montreal’s fifth Cup appearance in seven years. The Als’ futility streak in the championship game has been well documented this week. Montreal has lost three of those four games and, for some reason, it has been suggested by journalists that Calvillo must take the brunt of the responsibility for those defeats.
This is a quarterback who has been named the CFL’s outstanding player, along with the most valuable player in Montreal’s 2002 Cup win over Edmonton. He passed for more than 5,000 yards in four consecutive seasons and, next year, is expected to overtake Ron Lancaster, becoming the third-most prolific passer in league history, with more than 50,000 yards.
“It’s unfortunate that perception is out there,” Calvillo said. “What I’ve learned is that no matter what you accomplish, there will always be a ‘but.’ Like I’ve been to four Grey Cups, but I’ve lost three. I wish people would look at the big picture.”
When the Als won the Cup, Calvillo completed only 11 of 31 passes for 260 yards. But he passed for two touchdowns, made the necessary plays and didn’t turn the ball over. In 2003, when the Als lost, he passed for 371 yards. Last year, when Montreal was edged by Edmonton in double overtime, he threw for 361 yards.
Sometimes, statistics are misleading.
“It takes a team effort,” Calvillo said. “I can’t win this game on my own. It’ll help us if I play well, but we need a balanced attack. Taking a team to five Grey Cup games in seven years is special, but it could be more special. Don’t get me wrong.”
With a win today, Calvillo will recapture that feeling. So will general manager Jim Popp, who leads the team into its first Cup as head coach.
“We all feel good, but until you play the game, you don’t know what you’re getting,” said Popp, who replaced Don Matthews last month. “That’s the entertainment part of the sport.
“Why do I think we’ll win? Because they believe in one another, and they have all season.”
