MontrealAlouettes.com
MONTREAL – The 2013 Alouettes season officially kicked off on Sunday at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke as players and coaches hit Coulter Field for the opening of training camp.
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The morning workouts marked the first time this year that Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp and Head Coach Dan Hawkins got to see their players in action, veterans and rookies alike.
“Camp gives us an opportunity to see what these guys are capable of,” explained Popp after the morning’s two practices. “It gives us a chance to observe our veterans, our rookies, as well as our draft picks, to see how they perform as well as their ability to pick up our basic fundamentals.”
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To say the Alouettes offseason was busy would be an understatement and training camp will feature a lot of firsts for both coaches and players and fans alike.
With no time to waste before the first pre-season game, Hawkins was quick to make his mark on the Alouettes, spending much of the day focusing on special teams and working almost exclusively with the quarterbacks.
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“We have a lot of ground to cover, but I think we have a group that is very attentive and enthusiastic,” said Hawkins, who takes over a Montreal team that finished atop the East Division with an 11-7 record last year. “Every day in camp is important and the same goes for every rep. The talent in this league demands that.”
WATCH: COACH HAWKINS ON TC13 DAY 1 »
With a brand-new coaching staff in place as Mike Miller and Noel Thorpe take over as the team’s offensive and defensive coordinators respectively, consistency can be found instead within the core of veteran leaders on the team.
The Alouettes’ veteran pivot and pro football’s all-time leading passer, Anthony Calvillo, coming off a season in which he ranked second in the league in both passing yards (5,082) and touchdown passes (31), was visibly eager to pick things up right where he left them last November, only this time with a revamped playbook in hand.
“We’re all looking forward to getting out on the field over the next two weeks and to begin working within this offensive system,” admitted Calvillo, who is entering his 20th CFL season and 16th with Montreal. “We now have to buy into the philosophy of Dan Hawkins and that’s something that I’m going to do this training camp. I’ve trusted Mr. Wetenhall and Jim Popp every time they’ve brought in a new head coach and now it’s our turn as players to buy into what Dan is going to bring to the table and try not to compare too much of what our last coach did. This if football; you can’t stay in the same system forever.”
WATCH: CALVILLO ON TC13 DAY 1 »
A total of 84 players took part in the opening day of camp which included this year’s class of rookies, free agent pickups and draft picks.
“We’re going to have a lot of hard decisions to make in the following days. This is a team with a solid culture and a lot of depth and skill at each position,” added Hawkins. “It’s a good problem to have.”
