Around the CFL: Three top quarterbacks have Alouettes ties

27/06/2024

After the legendary Anthony Calvillo suffered what turned out to be a career-ending concussion in 2013, the Montreal Alouettes had a revolving door at the front of their quarterback room for years. It was not just your standard revolving door, either — this one whirled at the speed of a Formula 1 racecar.

An astounding 13 different men started at the position from the time Calvillo got hurt to when Vernon Adams Jr. became the full-time starter in 2019 — and it’s no surprise the Alouettes missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons from 2015 to ’18. Of those 13 quarterbacks, only Matthew Shiltz (a solid backup and occasional starter, now with Calgary) and Kevin Glenn (one more season as a starter in Saskatchewan in an amazing career where he was a member of all nine CFL teams) went on to do anything of note in the league after leaving Montreal.

More common were the busts — with Johnny Manziel the poster boy for that category. A fellow Heisman Trophy winner, Troy Smith, also couldn’t find success in Montreal and never played another game after he was released by the Als in 2014.

Look around the league now, however, and it’s a far different story.

An Alouettes franchise that basically couldn’t find a quarterback for a half-decade has won 11 games in a row, including last year’s Grey Cup, with Cody Fajardo at the helm.

Meanwhile, the two previous Als starters — Trevor Harris, now with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Adams Jr., now with the B.C. Lions — are the starting pivots for the top two teams in the West.

A few years ago, the chances of these three guys being at or near the top of the CFL quarterback power rankings would have been slim to none.

Fajardo, 32, signed with the Alouettes, then between owners and lacking the resources to make big pitches in free agency, before last season after he lost his job in 2022 with the downtrodden Roughriders. He was run out of Regina along with former Saskatchewan offensive co-ordinator and current Montreal head coach Jason Maas.

Harris had lost his starting job with the Edmonton Elks in 2021 before he was traded to the Als with then-Montreal starter Adams Jr. injured.

The following year, the Als made a quarterback switch early in the season, promoting Harris ahead of Adams Jr.

Halfway through 2022, Adams Jr., 31, was traded to B.C. with Canadian star quarterback Nathan Rourke (now with the New York Giants) injured.

Today, Adams Jr., Harris and Fajardo are providing their teams with nice boosts on and off the field — though there are some injury concerns. Harris exited last week’s game against Hamilton with an apparent knee injury and Adams Jr. missed a practice this week with an abdominal injury.

New Roughriders head coach Corey Mace, whose 3-0 team has a bye week this week, downplayed the injury to Harris, 38, and suggested it was risk prevention keeping him out of the rest of the Hamilton game. Because Harris missed most of last season with an injury to his other knee, his status will be monitored closely.

Adams Jr., meanwhile, is expected to start Thursday against the Elks.

The Lions and the Als just played in front of their biggest crowds in years at their home openers.

With the Grey Cup in B.C. this year and the Alouettes looking like a strong contender to return to the game, an Adams Jr.-Fajardo battle in front of 50,000-plus would be a wonderful subplot for the CFL.

Safety first?

Another week, another criticism of the league from one of its players.

A little over two weeks after several kickers ripped the league for its new microchipped balls (they were made optional on kicking plays after Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo’s rant following the season opener), Elks QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson took aim at the league’s schedule in an interview with Dave Campbell of 630 CHED Edmonton.

“To me it’s astounding that a league with nine teams can’t figure out how to not play on a five-day week,” Bethel-Thompson said. “If this league cares anything about player safety, it shouldn’t happen. There’s plenty of ways to schedule this where no one plays on a five-day week. It’s kind of ridiculous. Again, a lack of leadership in the CFL. It’s clear there’s a lack of leadership all across this league.”

The Elks do have a bad turnaround this week, playing in Vancouver on Thursday, just five days after losing in Toronto.

It should be noted the NFL does have worse, four-day turnarounds for Thursday night games, which also have been criticized.

Bombers hurtin’

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in danger of having a surprising 0-3 start get even worse.

Star receiver Dalton Schoen (lower-body injury) was placed on the six-game injured list this week. The Bombers already were missing another one of their top receivers in Kenny Lawler (upper body), who is also on the six-game IL.

At least the schedule appears to offer some chances to win. The four-time reigning West champs sandwich two games against the Calgary Stampeders (1-1) with a home game against the Ottawa Redblacks (1-1).

Game of the week

The Toronto Argonauts host the Alouettes in a battle of undefeated teams and a rematch of last year’s East final.

In that game, the Als forced nine turnovers to stun a 16-2 Toronto team.

First-year Toronto starting quarterback Cameron Dukes has looked very good, but he’ll be tested against the league’s top defence.

Here’s the Week 4 schedule:

Thursday, June 27: Edmonton Elks (0-3) at B.C. Lions (2-1), 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

Friday, June 28: Montreal Alouettes (3-0) at Toronto Argonauts (2-0), 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT

Saturday, June 29: Winnipeg Blue Bombers (0-3) at Calgary Stampeders (1-1), 7 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. MT

Sunday, June 30: Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-3) at Ottawa Redblacks (1-1), 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

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