2023-11-24 03:05:00
A key member of the 2010 edition of the Alouettes and three-time Gray Cup champion as a player, the legendary Anthony Calvillo experienced his fourth conquest differently in recent days, this one as the team’s offensive coordinator. to which he has given so much over the past two decades.
The former star quarterback has just completed his fifth campaign with the Birds as an instructor in the euphoria of victory, after the 28-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last Sunday.
Since making the transition to the sidelines, Calvillo will not have had only glorious moments before tasting success again, but we sense that the 51-year-old American takes immense pride in having participated in this eighth conquest of the Montreal Gray Cup.
On Wednesday, surrounded by members of his family, he paraded through the streets of their adopted city.
The day after the parade, Calvillo recounted the emotions experienced during an interview given in French to our colleague Luc Bellemare, from theAntechamber.
“I wanted to experience [du défilé] with my daughters and my wife, so that they can live the experience. But also for the team, and especially the Quebecers who are part of it… Marc-Antoine Dequoy and Pier-Olivier Lestage. For them to win with the Alouettes is a spectacular accomplishment,” he said.
If the Als did not feature in the experts’ predictions, both at the start of the regular season and at the start of the playoffs, Calvillo persists in believing that the attitude in the locker room was completely different.
“This year the mentality was, ‘We’re going to win’ every week. For us, it was important to block out the noise. (…) We were aware that we were not giving our skin cheaply, but for us, it was the confidence that reigned in our locker room. Whether we were behind or not, we still believed in our chances of winning the match. »
Calvillo’s eyes light up when it comes to quarterback Cody Fajardo’s tremendous performance down the stretch of the season, and of course at the Gray Cup, as the ultimate matchup’s Most Valuable Player.
“Cody, this year, improved in each match he played. With my advice, those of Jason Maas too. He’s grown a lot, and I’m proud of all the growth in his game,” assessed the holder of numerous CFL records at the quarterback position.
Calvillo said that in the sequence of events leading to the Als’ victorious touchdown, it was necessary to be bold, especially after Fajardo had taken a sack which brought his club to a second down and 18 yards to go.
“Jason and I are in constant communication. We told Cody that at this point we were in ‘three down’ mode. He made a run to help us make the third play easier to get, and his pass to Cole (Spieker) was incredible. While he was targeting him with the ball, Austin Mack served as bait (decoy) and successfully completed this mandate. »
Maas and the importance of the French fact
Taking pride himself in giving an interview entirely in French, it is hardly surprising that Calvillo praises Maas for the capital importance he attached to the French language.
Maas wanted his players and coaching staff to make the effort to immerse themselves in French-speaking culture.
“It’s pretty incredible. He is the first head coach for whom it was very important for each man on the team to learn French words, including their jersey number. There was a lot of practice with the DuoLingo tool. There was a lot of competition to be able to say a few sentences, always in the spirit of the game.”
Calvillo smiled when reminded of Dequoy’s comments, mentioning that he had attended the 2010 Gray Cup parade at a young age, in which “AC”, Ben Cahoon and Matthieu Proulx, to name a few, took part. those.
This first conquest in thirteen years represents a certain transfer of power, believes former No. 13.
“For young fans, there are new memories being created. I was able to share my experience with the Quebecers on the team. Now they were able to enjoy it in turn. »
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