Its not fair to ask Troy Smith to become the next Anthony Calvillo. Its barely fair to ask a Ricky Ray or Travis Lulay - veteran pivots with Grey Cups and Most Outstanding Player awards to their name - to assume the role of face of the league and greatest active player. So its really not fair for a quarterback with four career starts in the CFL under his belt - albeit promising ones - to be put under that spotlight. But, as the de facto replacement for Calvillo in Montreal, fairly or not that could be the measuring stick for Smith. A more realistic expectation, and one Smith has a shot at living up to, is a solid quarterback that gives the team a chance to win week in and week out. After relieving Josh Neiswander (no longer with the team) midway through a late season game, Smith never looked back in guiding the Alouettes into the playoffs and briefly flirting with second place in the division and a home playoff date. His numbers in his short stint as starter were encouraging. While his completion percentage was just a shade over 50 percent, he threw nine touchdowns to just five interceptions and averaged nearly 300 passing yards per contest. And while his stat line from Montreals lone playoff game (14-26, 142 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) was far from impressive, the poise and leadership he displayed - factoring in nerves, inexperience, and all the rhetoric attached to a rookie making his first postseason appearance - was heartening for Alouettes fans. But that composure really isnt all that surprising for a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback with tangible NFL experience. Following a strong four-year career at Ohio State, two years as a starter, Smith was awarded the 2007 Heisman Trophy and then embarked on a four-year NFL career, finishing with 1,734 passing yards and 11 combined touchdowns. If youre apt to use the term pedigree to predict future success, a quarterback like Smith would surely fit the bill. And now for the best news of all in relations to Smiths chances of succeeding as a CFL quarterback: Montreals stacked receiving corps. Injuries to Jamel Richardson, proven long ago to be a bona fide stud receiver, opened the door for S.J. Green to elevate his status from very good to great last season; while Duron Carter demonstrated hes very much Pro Football Hall of Famer Chris Carters son in his CFL debut season. Health permitting, Smith will be throwing to receivers with a combined eight 1,000 yard receiving seasons, and four double-digit touchdowns seasons. And Carter almost added to that total in just 12 games last year (enjoy him while you can; the 23-year-old will be making plays in the NFL next season). With those three thoroughbreds in tow, former NFL star and notorious headline stealer Chad Johnson should be battling for fourth on the import receiving depth chart at best. Its of course hard to predict how Smith will do this season and in future years, other than to say hell be hard-pressed to make Als fans forget Calvillo anytime soon. There have been several quarterbacks of the future the past number of seasons in the CFL, few of them (less than nine!) have panned out. But Smith has everything youd seem to want to at least take your shot with him. And thats likely what the Alouettes will do. Notes Calvillo Retires 2013 marked the end of an era as Anthony Calvillo, perhaps the greatest CFL quarterback of all time, retired after 20 seasons. The majority of Calvillos career was spent in Montreal, as were the majority of his 79,816 career passing yards (a professional record) and his 455 career touchdown passes (a CFL record). Calvillo also won three Grey Cups and three Most Outstanding Player awards with the Alouettes. Expansion Draft The Alouettes lost three young players to the Ottawa Redblacks in Decembers expansion draft, none more valuable than versatile FB Patrick Lavoie, who was making a name for himself in the two years he spent with Montreal. The Als also lost DT Moton Hopkins and LB Jordan Verdone. Free Agency Montreal was once again quiet on the free agent market, deciding against bidding on any of the top names available. Free agency will be known more for when the team lost some talent, highlighted by LB Shea Emrys departure to Toronto, but GM Jim Popp did make sure to lock up some important pieces, highlighted by the re-signing of LT Josh Bourke. Return man Larry Taylor was also traded for during this period. Higgins Hired Up until Tom Higgins was hired to coach the team, it was unknown if Montreal would hire a coach or just let Popp continue on in the interim role. The Higgins hiring was strange also because GM Popp appeared to not be a part of the interviewing process for Higgins. Quatre-Vingt Cinq Despite an already solid receiving corps, the Alouettes added some more sizzle by signing former NFLer/headline-maker Chad Johnson to a contract in April. The transaction may be as much a publicity stunt as it is a solid football move but Johnson showed up to Montreal in good shape, in high spirits, and looking like he still has some football left to play. Offensive Line Losses Montreal lost two mainstays of their offensive line in the off-season when Andrew Woodruff and Scott Flory announced their retirements. CFL Draft The team helped to replenish their offensive line in the first round of the draft by selecting David Foucault from Montreal. The rest of the draft saw Montreal select Queens DB Andrew Lue 10th overall, Guelph DL Jeffrey Finley 22nd overall, York DL James Tuck 31st overall, Manitoba WR Andrew Smith 35th overall, Manitoba K/P Nick Boyd 43rd overall, Sherbrooke FB Jean-Christophe Beaulieu 49th overall, and Calgary WR Mackenzie Sarro 58th overall. Will Harris Womens Jersey . Tristan Jackson returned a missed field goal 129 yards early in the fourth quarter as the Roughriders beat the B.C. Jahlani Tavai Jersey .“I always did my stuff ahead of the deadline. The best deal Ive ever done was the Darryl Sydor deal. We did that at the end of January in 04, and Syd was the missing piece. http://www.lionsfanspro.com/Black-Barry-Sanders-Lions-Jersey.html?cat=861 . Billy Hamilton finished off Cincinnatis biggest comeback of the season for a doubleheader sweep. Will Harris Jersey . Brazilian striker Brandao opened the scoring with a header in the 55th minute before winger Franck Tabanou volleyed home from close range to double the lead in the 61st. Matthew Stafford Jersey . - Bryan Price sat down in the cushy chair.TORONTO - James van Riemsdyk is on pace to score more than 30 goals, amass nearly 70 points and tally new career-highs in just about every statistical category. And yet the 25-year-old doesnt sound much satisfied with his season to date, yet to hit his real groove just yet. No, I dont think Ive played to my full potential, van Riemsdyk said after a 40-minute practice on Wednesday morning. Ive done some good things, theres some positives to build on, but I definitely think I can continue to get better, for sure. Hes been productive here and there, but never quite as consistently as he would like or expect. Though still third on the Leafs with 10 goals and 20 points through 24 games, van Riemsdyk has scored in just two of the last eight games, the latter coming on Tuesday night when the puck deflected innocently off his leg, a marker that was initially credited to Tyler Bozak. His last goal before that came nearly two weeks prior. That night, with the Leafs in crisis mode after a 9-2 spanking from Nashville, van Riemsdyk flashed the gifts which made him the second overall pick in 2007, the gifts that underscore the surface hes only started to scratch. With just under eight minutes to go in the middle frame and Tampa in town, van Riemsdyk freed a puck just outside Torontos blue-line, stormed through the neutral zone past a pinching Anton Stralman before firing a quick wrist shot beyond the glove of Ben Bishop. Less than three minutes later with the Leafs on a power-play, he snatched a rebound from Bishop before lifting the puck, as if on a string, into the upper netting of the cage. It was the kind of goal he scored often during the real breakout campaign of his career last season. van Riemsdyk punched career-highs of 30 goals, 31 assists, and 61 points, also showing dominantly alongside Phil Kessel at the Sochi Olympics. And yet there was a sense with van Riemsdyk that there was more ground to cover, that there was still another level he could reach. He conceded as much before the season. You dont want to really limit yourself, van Riemsdyk said in late September. You want to continue to get better so you can read into that for what its worth. You dont want to rest on last season, you want to continue to push the envelope and see if you can continue to get better, wherever that gets me. van Riemsdyk says its about consistency in the early months this season. That consistency, he says, hasnt been there near enough. Hes actually producing at about the same rate at even-strength as last season - 1.93 points per 60 minutes - but his line - which still includes Kessel and Bozak - has been less forceful, save for their continued potency on the power-play. A creature of habit, van Riemsdyk isnt about to change anything though in a routine thats evolved considerably from the early days of his NHL career. Back in Philly, during his first season with the Flyers, van Riemsdyk stuck with what he playfully dubbed the Arron Asham program, a simplistic routine that consisted of showing up, watching TV for 445 minutes and then suiting up for practice.dddddddddddd But after that first season, in which he scored 15 times in 78 games, something changed. van Riemsdyk looked around and saw how Ian Laperriere went about his business. He observed how this seventh round pick from Quebec had carved out a career of more than 1,000 NHL games. He was warming up for like 45 minutes at a time before every practice and game and Im like What the hells wrong with this guy? Like whats he doing? van Riemsdyk recalled. And from there I realized stuff I needed to do if I wanted to have a long career, if I didnt want to just be a flash in the pan, he continued. I want to play this game as long as I possibly can and keep myself as healthy as possible so thats when I started buying in more to things like diet and getting the right treatment consistently, working out the right way and all that good stuff. And thats become kind of my M.O. If you want to have a long career you have to take care of that stuff. Its details to manage and protect. When the Leafs end their daily skate, be it a practice or before a game, van Riemsdyk remains. Long after Kessel and Bozak have left the ice, hes there to stand in front of a gaping cage and tip pucks in the same manner that hes come to score more than a few goals. And thats why, even now when hes not satisfied with the ways things are going personally, does he stick with the routine. Stick with the details and the results will follow, he believes. Thats what I try to do no matter if things are going great [or] if things arent going good you just stick with the same program, van Riemsdyk says. Whether thats at the rink working on things; whether thats doing stuff at the gym; whether thats getting treatment away from the rink; you just stick with your same program, you believe in your program, you believe in your process and go from there. In a bid to keep him fresh (and an obvious benefactor of improved depth), the Leafs are using van Riemsdyk slightly less than last season. He was the sixth most deployed forward in hockey a year ago, garnering more than 21 minutes nightly. That number has been cut by more than a minute and a half this season, van Riemsdyk removed from the penalty kill entirely in October with other capable options emerging. Hes hardly had a bad season, far from it in fact. With increased power-play production van Riemsdyk is actually on pace for 34 goals and 68 points, both of which would establish new career-highs. But that undercurrent of dominance, so prominent at times last year, has been just a tad more sporadic. I dont know if hes found his groove, said head coach Randy Carlyle, noting van Riemsdyks good fortune in attacking the front of the net, likely referring to the unlikely marker against Dallas. For whatever reason I think in spurts Ive played well, but not as consistently as I can, van Riemsdyk added, offering not so much frustration but ambition. By no means do I think Ive played bad, but I think I have more to give for sure. ' ' '