By François Ferland
MontrealAlouettes.com
MONTREAL – Anthony Calvillo has been spoiling Alouettes fans since the beginning of the season and looks to be in position to treat them to yet another historic moment on Thanksgiving Monday.
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Stewart and Calvillo celebrating 2009’s Grey Cup win. |
This time, Calvillo looks poised to become pro-football’s passing yards king, needing just 258 yards to take the throne from incumbent Damon Allen.
Earlier this season the Alouettes’ QB broke two more of Allen’s records, setting new CFL marks for both career touchdown passes and completions.
Calvillo hasn’t ceased to impress and his brilliant career has earned him the esteem of his teammates, including defensive unit standouts Chip Cox and Anwar Stewart.
“Anthony has a precision in his passes that can pick defences apart if you give him enough time to finish his plays,” noted Cox, who has been with the team since 2006.
“I remember first joining the Alouettes and seeing Calvillo throwing the ball at practice… It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was playing alongside someone special. The way he plays, I’d say he ranks among the top 10 quarterbacks in all of pro football.”
More than just his playmaking abilities on the field, Cox has also been impressed by Calvillo’s professionalism.
“He works hard day-in and day-out, treating every facet of his job with the utmost importance. His work ethic is incredible. He’s always eager to improve his knowledge of the game. It’s like having one extra coach on the field. He works intelligently and is able to quickly identify any corrections that need to be made to his game.”
Fortunately for the Als, AC’s hard work has rubbed off on the rest of the team.
“Seeing him every day working the way he does, it’s hard not to want to give it your all,” said Cox.
“Even after all these years, Anthony continues to execute at a high level. It’s one reason why our offence remains one of the most feared in the league. Allen, on the other hand, lost a bit of his bite in his final years.”
Dwight Anderson, a former adversary-turned-teammate and this past off-season’s prized free-agent signing, agrees.
“With the accuracy of his passes and his ability to find openings on the field, establishing a game plan to contain Calvillo was never an easy task to undertake,” revealed Anderson, a former Tiger-Cat and Stampeder.
For longtime teammate Anwar Stewart, Calvillo is just as renown as a good person.
“Despite everything he’s accomplished, Anthony remains humble, and in that sense, he reminds me of Ben Cahoon. He’s always the first to put the team before any individual honours,” explained Calvillo’s teammate of ten years, the second-longest in that regard, behind only veteran guard Scott Flory.
“I often tell the younger guys on the team to watch him work,” continued Stewart. “Anthony feeds off of a desire to always get better. He’s become the example to follow, and not just as an athlete, but also as a person. He’s a wonderful family man and someone I’ve been looking to for advice ahead of my wedding next May.”
“I’ve been an Alouette since 2002 and getting to be a part of the great Alouettes tradition for all of these years has been an honour for me,” said a smiling Stewart. “When the time comes for me to retire, I’ll be able to say that I got to play alongside the likes of Anthony, Ben Cahoon and Bryan Chiu. I’ll have nothing but good memories.”
And like Cox, Stewart feels as though Calvillo’s accomplishments transcend the CFL.
“I think Anthony should be considered as one of the best quarterbacks in pro football history, regardless of the league.”
