By François Ferland,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – In just his second game in an Alouettes uniform against the BC Lions, Marc-Olivier Brouillette did something he never thought he’d be able to do when playing quarterback for the University of Montreal Carabins just last summer – intercept a pass.
“It was an unbelievable moment,” said Brouillette, who has been converted to a free safety at the pro level. “I was very happy to pick off that pass, especially since it was in the end zone. (Étienne Boulay) and the rest of my teammates immediately came to congratulate me – it was a great feeling.”
Brouillette took time to savour the moment, especially since he had spent a majority of the game on the sidelines watching the flow of the game develop. “We knew (BC quarterback) Casey Printers likes looking towards Geroy Simon or Paris Jackson when he has time to get a pass off,” he said, describing the pass he picked off that was destined for Jackson.
Unfamiliar Territory
Rest assured that one play certainly does not define an entire career. However, as normal a play as it may have been to the casual fan, for Brouillette, his first career interception gave his head coach, Marc Trestman, and his defensive coordinator, Tim Burke, a much more difficult decision when it comes to keeping the rookie around for the remainder of the season. The fact of the matter is, had veteran safety Matthieu Proulx not been injured, Brouillette would not have even been on the field.
“I remember my first ever training camp in my hometown of Dollard-des-Ormeaux (a Montreal suburb); I was chosen to play quarterback because I was able to throw the farthest,” Brouillette said with a twinge of nostalgia.
Following his days in Dollard while playing at the collegiate level with the Vanier College Cheetahs, he twice raised the Bol d’or as a Cegep champion. After his time spent in the Cegep ranks, Brouillette arrived at University of Montreal to play for the Carabins. Two of his teammates from the Carabins are also now playing in the CFL – with the Lions. “Football is a great way to build strong friendships,” Brouillette said.
Conviction
It’s easy to understand the difficulty in Brouillette’s situation seeing as how he is just beginning to learn the defensive aspect of football while playing against professionals.
The Montreal native is fully aware of the challenge that lies ahead of him and he continues to go through it with the same confidence and determination that he arrived with on the first day of training camp in Sherbrooke. “I feel like the coaches gained a lot of confidence in me once they saw what I was able to do against a strong offence like BC’s,” he noted.
Brouillette stands in at 6-foot-2 and 230 lbs, a strong enough build to allow him to play linebacker as well as safety. He’s been blessed with tremendous athletic ability, great speed and a nose for a hard tackle. He also uses his history as a quarterback as a beneficial tool to better himself defensively.
“I remember as a quarterback that I always had to be careful that the defensive back wasn’t picking up on our signals,” he explained. “During my university years, I always tried hard to improve my speed and athletic qualities because that’s what a lot of professionals teams look for in an individual.”
Brouillette’s adventure on the defensive side of the ball is just beginning – and should it not work out as planned, well, he can always turn to his law degree.
