THE CANADIAN PRESS
Montreal, July 15, 2011 – Anthony Calvillo isn’t going to lose any sleep just because he’s on the cusp of making CFL history.
The 18-year veteran needs just one touchdown pass to break Damon Allen’s career record of 394 on Friday night when the Montreal Alouettes (2-0) host the Toronto Argonauts (1-1) at Percival Molson Stadium.
“I got myself ready this season to answer a lot of questions about the potential records and here we are again, but I can be honest, it’s the last thing I’ve been concerned with,” Calvillo said Thursday. “I’ve been good at putting things behind me and focusing on the game and that’s what I’m going to do once we step on the field.”
It could be a special night for the 38-year-old, and not just because he’s poised to make CFL history. Slotback Ben Cahoon, who for years was Calvillo’s favourite target in Montreal, will attend the game, his first since retiring this off-season following the Alouettes’ second straight Grey Cup win.
Cahoon, who left the CFL as its all-time leader in catches, will be honoured at half-time.
Montreal will face a Toronto defence that’s yet to surrender a passing TD this season and will do so without two of its top receivers.
Kerry Watkins has yet to play this season after sinus surgery and only expects to be back in two weeks. Jamel Richardson, who leads the league with 18 catches for 276 yards and two TDs, won’t play due to a leg injury sustained last week in Saskatchewan.
Eric Deslauriers, a native of Gatineau, Que., who had a strong training camp but has been used mainly on special teams so far, will start in Richardson’s spot.
“I’m proud to be playing, but it’s never fun to see the best receiver in the league go down,” said Deslauriers. “That’s disappointing but, at the same time, it’s up to me to step up and perform the best I can.”
The Argos are without injured running back Cory Boyd, who will be replaced by the stocky five-foot-eight rookie Chad Kackert.
If he stays healthy, Calvillo should also eclipse Allen’s records for completions (5,158) and passing yards (72,381) later this season, with the latter probably the most important mark for the Los Angeles native.
But for now, the buzz is about the TDs record. The banter all week has been among Alouettes receivers regarding which one will make the historic catch.
And while Calvillo says it’s not that big a deal, he sprinted half the length of the field to join the mob around receiver Tim Maypray when he tied the record with his fifth TD pass of the game versus the Roughriders last week.
Veteran guard Scott Flory does not expect a huge outburst of emotion from Calvillo should he break the record against the Argos, however.
“We’re going to celebrate like it’s any other touchdown,” said Flory. “I’m not thinking about it and I don’t think he is either, just knowing the kind of guy he is.
“We’ll all celebrate it together in the end zone if it happens and then move on and play the next play. Knowing him, he won’t want any fanfare.”
Surprisingly, when asked who they thought would get the record catch, both Watkins and Richardson said Deslauriers.
Calvillo is confident the six-foot-four Deslauriers can do the job.
“He’s been a backup guy but he got a lot of reps in camp because Jamel was banged up then,” he said. “He’s been around in this system for four years.
“We’ll give him some opportunities, but the biggest thing for our group is that we’re going to grow from this because other guys are going to get more balls thrown to them and that will help out our team in the future.”
Veterans in the group will be slotback S.J. Green and receiver Brian Bratton, who each have two TD catches this season. Newcomers Dallas Baker and Brandon London are also in the mix.
As well, off-season acquisition Prechae Rodriguez will back up Deslauriers.
The Alouettes expect to work for every yard against Toronto’s defence with new tackle Claude Wroten having bolstered an already strong front four that features Kevin Huntley and defensive ends Ricky Foley and Ronald Flemons.
“They’re beasts,” said Calvillo. “They’ve improved so much from last year.
“They always had great defensive backs but the size of their D-line and linebackers really cause problems with the run game.”
Toronto’s secondary, led by safety Willie Pile who has a team-high 11 tackles, has consistently been strong although the Argos’ run defence has sometimes been spotty in recent years.
“They’re physical, they’re great at the point of attack and they make it difficult for you to go the distance because they’re basically a zone defence, a bend but don’t break defence, so you have to be patient,” said Montreal coach Marc Trestman. “You can’t get discouraged when you don’t go the distance.”
Montreal tailback Brandon Whitaker left the Saskatchewan game with a suspected concussion but had no symptoms this week and is slated to start. The speedy back has 139 yards on 23 carries in two games.
The Alouettes defence will come after quarterback Cleo Lemon, who was sacked seven times last week by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
