Let the defence rest
After seven games this season, Toronto was tied for first in East Division (4-3) and lead the league in time of possession (31:14). The Argos have lost four of their last seven games and are now fifth in time of possession (26:16). Toronto had 213 yards of net offence last Monday against Saskatchewan, while the defence stayed on the field for more than 34 minutes. It looked especially exhausted when the Roughriders scored 14 points at the end of the third quarter.

Jamel Richardson is angry
Montreal slotback Jamel Richardson will not reach the 1,777 receiving yards he had last season. And he’s pretty annoyed about his 45 catches for 679 receiving yards in 2012. “I can’t throw to myself. I can’t call plays to myself, either,” he told The Gazette this week. Milanovich, Montreal’s offensive co-ordinator last season, nonetheless knows Richardson is still the Alouettes’ best weapon.“[Montreal] have a ton of good receivers, but he is certainly one that [Montreal head coach] Marc Trestman and Anthony [Calvillo] are going to try and get the ball to.”

• Email: mscianitti@nationalpost.com | Twitter: mscianitti

At a news conference on Thursday at noon ET, the team introduced former Montreal Alouettes offensive co-ordinator Scott Milanovich as Toronto’s new head coach, a move scripted by rumours several days before.

Mike Cassese/Reuters

Jim Barker wants to focus solely on his general manager duties.

“This is a realization of a dream for me,” Milanovich said at the announcement.

During his five seasons in Montreal, Milanovich helped consistently make the Alouettes’ offence one of the CFL’s most potent, which helped the Alouettes’ win back-to-back Grey Cups in 2009 and 2010 and quarterback Anthony Calvillo win two outstanding player awards in 2008 and 2009. In 2011, Montreal was on top of nearly every offensive category and boasted the league’s best passer (Calvillo), receiver (slotback Jamel Richardson) and running back (Brandon Whitaker).

Jaime Elizondo was the Argos’ offensive co-ordinator this season and Toronto was last in first downs (322), last in average yards of offence per game (319.1) and seventh in points scored (397).

In the days leading up to Sunday’s Grey Cup, reports emerged Milanovich was on the verge of becoming the Argos’ offensive co-ordinator. The rumour escalated minutes after the Grey Cup when supposedly a member of the organization revealed Milanovich had agreed to take over as head coach so Jim Barker could focus solely on his general manager duties.

Milanovich is a former quarterback from the University of Maryland who went undrafted in 1996 but was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Butler, PA-native would play in south Florida until 1999, and over a seven-year playing career, made stops in NFL Europe, XFL, AFL and finally the CFL with Calgary in 2003, where he played under Barker. A few games into his CFL playing career, Milanovich became the Stampeders’ quarterbacks coach.

MORE TO COMEn

The Canadian Football League’s players’ association announced its all-star team Thursday night during Grey Cup festivities at Vancouver.

Six Montreal players have been named, including quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who failed to win the league’s most outstanding player award. Nor was Calvillo voted a CFL all-star by members of the Football Reporters of Canada. He lost both to British Columbia’s Travis Lulay.

Joining Calvillo on the P.A. squad are: offensive-tackle Josh Bourke, running-back Brandon Whitaker, slotback Jamel Richardson, defensive-end John Bowman and linebacker Chip Cox.

Both Calvillo and Bowman were named to the P.A. team but weren’t selected CFL all stars. Bourke, of course, was named the CFL’s outstanding offensive lineman on Thursday night.

The P.A. team is considered the more-prestigious of the two teams, since it’s voted on by other players. Over 470 ballots were cast by players on all eight teams as well as all positional coaches.

Incidentally, the head coach of the P.A. team is the Lions’ Wally Buono. The CFL will announce its coach-of-the-year, voted on by members of the FRC, in February, 2012.

The CFL announced its 2011 all-star team on Wednesday. The Alouettes, inconsistent all season with a 10-8 record, had only four members.

Conspicuous by his absence is quarterback Anthony Calvillo, the East Division nominee as most outstanding player. He lost to B.C. QB Travis Lulay – coincidentally his competition in the outstanding player award.

Three Als were selected on offence – running-back Brandon Whitaker, receiver Jamel Richardson and tackle Josh Bourke. Whitaker and Richardson were the league’s leaders at their respective positions, while Bourke is a division finalist in the offensive lineman category.

The only Als defensive all star is linebacker Chip Cox, who has been a league all-star the last three seasons.

Voting was conducted by fans, members of the Football Reporters of Canada and CFL head coaches. The voting panel consisted of 62 voters plus hundreds of thousands of fans from across the country.

MONTREAL — No professional athlete, not even legendary Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo, can halt the inevitable passage of time.

Calvillo knows his skills eventually will erode, leaving him no longer capable of playing the game, mostly at a high level, that he has for close to two decades.

Calvillo believes he’ll know when that best-before date occurs, and stressed it’s not now, in the twilight of the 2011 season, despite three successive defeats and a 63-yard performance his last time on the field.

“Three bad games in 18 years and, all of a sudden, people are saying, ‘Whoa!,” the East Division finalist as the Canadian Football League’s most outstanding player said. “If I listened to all the critiques I’ve received after bad games, I would have been retired 10 times over. All that matters is the trust factor from the guys in this locker.”

Calvillo knows much of his team’s hopes rest on his shoulders before Sunday afternoon’s East Division semifinal against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Olympic Stadium. It’s been that way forever for quarterbacks and the formula isn’t about to change.

And, as much as Calvillo realizes he was the league’s passing leader this season and tied for the lead in touchdowns, that all must now become a distant memory. None of that matters in the playoffs, a one-game season each weekend, just as the Als’ three-game losing streak must be brushed under the rug and forgotten.

“As athletes, we have to. We have no choice. Whether we had a great game or a bad game,” Calvillo said. “That the mental battle as an athlete, to perform and forget. People don’t understand. We’ve got to overcome so much, good or bad.

“There are a lot of players in this room that have won championships. They’ve learned how to respond after good and bad games. But I understand people’s concern from the outside.”

The Als completed the season with a 10-8 record — their fewest victories in four seasons under head coach Marc Trestman. This also marks the first time they’ve finished lower than first with him at the helm, the first time since 2007 they’ve been forced to play in a semifinal.

What’s more disturbing and potentially alarming — especially should the home team lose — is that all this could have been avoided had Montreal won any of its final three games, taking advantage of Winnipeg’s late-season swoon in the process.

What remains to be determined was whether these were the first cracks in the foundation, or a veteran team that simply became sloppy and figured it would have a flair for the dramatic. Als players have talked a good game all week, but their leader isn’t certain what to expect.

“What I’ve tried to do, with the help of the players, is paint a picture on how we got ourselves into this mess, so to speak,” Trestman said. “As long as we have a perspective on why we’re in this position … a reasoning why and answers, we can move forward.”

While Trestman believes the players have put last weekend’s 43-1 humiliating defeat in B.C. behind them, he hopes the experience they’ve gained by capturing the last two Grey Cups will work to their advantage.

“The obvious answer is that experience should be tremendous,” he said. “We’ve got a number of players that have been in this situation. I hope experience will help us.”

The Ticats, of course, also are battling their own demons, their 8-10 record including a two-game losing streak to end the season — a time when head coach Marcel Bellefeuille was rotating his quarterbacks and experimenting with personnel, realizing his team was destined to finish third.

Hamilton has lost 13 consecutive games at Montreal, dating back to 2002. As well, no third-place East Division team has made it to the Cup, let alone won, since the 1970 Als.

“It doesn’t matter who we play. We’re going to win, regardless,” said Avon Cobourne, the Ticats’ tailback who signed with Hamilton as a free agent following five seasons with Montreal. “I’m here to send those boys home. I expect to have a big day.”

The outspoken Cobourne stopped short of suggesting the Als are vulnerable, but nonetheless fired a salvo at his former team. “I know we can beat them. I don’t think they’re anything special, to be honest. We beat them before, and we’re going to do it again.”

The last time Cobourne played at Olympic Stadium, in the 2010 division final against Toronto, he was magnificent, rushing for 163 yards on 17 carries, while catching four passes for 53 yards. He scored once.

And it will be surprising should he not be equally as busy this year.

But the Als have plenty of their own offensive weapons, including Jamel Richardson, the CFL’s leading receiver, and Brandon Whitaker, who replaced Cobourne and led the league in rushing. Whitaker fell short of 100 yards in each of the four regular-season games between the two teams, but Richardson surpassed 100 yards three times against Hamilton. Indeed, in a Labour Day loss at Hamilton, he caught 10 passes for 199 yards.

“I feel like some times the team feeds off my energy. I’ll let my action speak for itself,” Richardson said. “I want to come out with great intensity and lead by example.”

The Als also possess dangerous receiver S.J. Green, who gained 150 yards against the Ticats during a July game, although generally performing in Richardson’s shadow this season.

“I’d like to be the missing link,” he said. “I’d like to contribute. I know I can be a difference maker.”

The growing concern remains the Als’ defence, depleted through injuries. Montreal had the CFL’s second-worst pass defence in 2011, allowing an average of 282.2 yards per game. The Als intercepted just 13 passes, ahead of only Hamilton’s 10.

“We have to play smart, physical and fast. And play for each other,” defensive back Billy Parker said. “It’s a new season. Stats don’t matter.”

Montreal Gazette

“We have to be aggressive,” the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ Bo Smith said. “Every series.”

“I just want to beat the best,” teammate Marcell Young said. “I think Anthony Calvillo is the best.”

“You have to swagger out there,” Carlos Thomas said.

Hamilton’s coaches like their defensive backs to strut, to  a point. They will need poise from Smith, Thomas and Young to foil Montreal’s revered quarterback and give the Ticats their first playoff win in a decade. During film sessions this week, the defensive backs have been admiring all of Calvillo’s talents, measuring the man and the task ahead of them.

“When I try to watch film on him, he is a hard guy to figure out,” Thomas said Thursday.

The three agreed the crowning of Calvillo as professional football’s all-team leading passer is the zenith of an 18-year career polished by accuracy, adaptability and a quick release.

“The way [Calvillo] picks up on things, you cannot show him anything,” said Young, a 24-year-old rookie. “We have to disguise the best we can because he picks up on everything. And he can sense where he is going with the ball. So we have to disguise. And when he releases the ball, his accuracy is the best.”

Even if Hamilton befuddles Calvillo in one series with fluid coverage schemes and clever pressure, Thomas expects the 39-year-old to come back the next series wiser. It is hard not to compare the three-time Grey Cup-winner to a famously canny NFL quarterback.

“When you’re watching Peyton Manning, he might have a bad series, maybe one or two. But I guarantee you he will erase it if you do not keep him constantly on the run everywhere. He can adjust from a bad situation,” said Thomas, another 24-year-old finishing his first CFL season.

That sharpness, Smith said, extends to Calvillo’s offensive weapons, who are calibrated to their quarterback’s every move. Receiver Jamel Richardson was the league’s best pass catcher (1,777 yards) and slotback S.J. Green was not far behind (1,147 yards). Both can flabbergast defensive backs with their physical play.

“I’ve played them for a couple years and they are very, very physical,” said Smith, 28 and a fourth-year import. “They have very physical routes … you’re going to have to keep your feet because they are going to push off regardless.”

The difficultly of the challenge is also the thing Hamilton’s defence build its self-belief from. Smith, Thomas and Young stood a little taller when they talked about Richardson and Green, because they believe they are ready. Thomas and Young are entering their first CFL playoff game but dismiss anxiety. Young had five tackles and Thomas had an interception by when Hamilton ended B.C.’s eight-game unbeaten streak three weeks ago. This is just another big game  to them.

“It does not have much to do with [Calvillo], it is on us,” Thomas said. “If we just play our technique and be focused out there and communicate, that is what will keep him off.

“We respect a lot of people, but we don’t fear anyone.”

• Email: mscianitti@nationalpost.com | Twitter: mscianitti

***

IN PRAISE OF CALVILLO

After Thursday’s practice at Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton defensive co-ordinator and defensive backs coach Corey Chamblin broke down the three things he thinks make Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo so good.

Calvillo’s rhythm
Montreal attempted (697) and completed (432) more passes than any other team in the CFL, and had the ball on offence two minutes longer (30:50) than Hamilton (28:16) in the regular season. “[Calvillo] is able to read the coverages and know where to go with the ball. And I think a great strength is the scheme [the Alouettes] have set up for him — making sure he is making those quick throws and keeping the rhythm going. As long as he is in a rhythm, he is OK. You have to get him out of rhythm.”

Calvillo’s adjustments
In 2011, Montreal had the most first downs (429) and punted the ball away the second-fewest number of times (115). “The thing you’re not going to do a lot of is confuse Calvillo, because coverage is coverage. If you do something in the first half, don’t come back with it in the second half because he is going to know what it is because he has seen so much. Yes, you do mix things up, but you have to be able to hit him also. He is an excellent quarterback, so it is hard to deal with him.”

Calvillo’s weapons
Receiver Jamel Richardson, who plays “a bumper car style to create separation,” led the league with 1,777 receiving yards . Slotback S.J. Green, who can “stretch the field vertically,” had 1,1147 receiving yards and averaged 13.2 yards a catch. And running back Brandon Whitaker had 1,378 yards on the ground and 638 in the air. “Even though he is getting up in age, Calvillo has so much youth around him and those guys are just making plays. It is hard to penetrate [the offensive line] when the ball is coming out so quick, and those guys are just eating up yards after the catch. So a three- or four-yard catch is turning into a 20-yard gain.”
— Matthew Scianitti, National Post

Unless Marc Trestman and his coaching staff has a last-minute change of heart, look for Tim Maypray to return as the Alouettes’ return-specialist this Sunday, in the East Division semifinal against Hamilton at Olympic Stadium.

That’s what a source told Als Inside/Out on Thursday.

Maypray, who began the season in the job, would be the fourth different player to return kicks in as many games – after Perry Floyd, Rashaud Slaughter and Bo Bowling.

Maypray was replaced by Floyd following an injury. Floyd was subsequently cut and replaced by Slaughter for one game. And Bowling replaced Slaughter last Saturday, against British Columbia.

Trestman refused to make any commitment following Thursday’s practice.

Meanwhile seven Als have been named to the East Division all-star team. Coincidentally, only one came from the team’s defence – linebacker Chip Cox.

Heading the offensive team are quarterback Anthony Calvillo and guard Scott Flory, named for the ninth and 10th time, respectively.

They’re joined by tackle Josh Bourke, the East Division nominee as outstanding lineman, receivers Jamel Richardson and S.J. Green, along with tailback Brandon Whitaker.

“Everybody is zero-zero — and whoever comes out undefeated in the next three weeks is going to win the Grey Cup,” Hamilton quarterback Kevin Glenn said Monday as he and his teammates began their preparations to play Montreal in the East Division semi-final Sunday at Olympic Stadium. The Alouettes are looking to win their third straight Grey Cup.

Glenn, whose thoughts were echoed by head coach Marcel Bellefeuille, said Hamilton fans need not worry about the team’s resolve after defeats to lowly Saskatchewan and Toronto to close the regular season. Even Montreal’s surprising three-game losing streak — made worse by a 43-1 defeat in B.C. Saturday night that denied Montreal a bye to the East final — means nothing.

“Just pay attention to the playoffs,” Glenn said when asked to rate the confidence of both teams.

But defensive end Justin Hickman still worries about Montreal’s body of work over the entire regular season. Hickman, the Ticats’ choice for outstanding player and defensive player, saw the Alouettes’ 2011 offensive statitstics flash on TV over the weekend and realized Montreal led the league in first downs (429), offensive yards per game (403.8) and points (515). Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo was the league’s top passer (5,251 yards), receiver Jamel Richardson was the most productive receiver (1,777 yards), and running back Brandon Whitaker ran further than anyone else (1,378 yards).

“If we’re not on our stuff,” Hickman said, unblinking, “they will blow us out.”

The teams played each other four times in 2011, splitting the season series with victories at home. The focus of Hamilton’s planning this week will be Montreal’s two wins, a 43-13 pounding Sept. 11 and a closer 27-25 game Oct. 16 when the Ticats scored 16 points in the fourth quarter. Hickman, who had 49 tackles and 13 sacks during the regular season, said he is analyzing Montreal’s 30-point victory, in which Calvillo stood untouched and threw for 421 yards, including four touchdown passes.

Bellefeuille prefers to look at the October game when his team, despite losing linebacker Jamall Johnson and receiver Chris Williams, showed its doggedness.

“You have to be able to win that turnover battle and then you have to be able to play a good, clean focused football game — be assignment friendly,” Bellefeuille said.

He hopes to have Johnson, running back Avon Cobourne, linebacker Rey Williams and slotback Marcus Thigpen ready for the game after resting the quartet in Hamilton’s 33-16 loss to Toronto last Thursday.

• Email: mscianitti@nationalpost.com | Twitter: mscianitti

REGINA— Chris Getzlaf ended a down season for his team on a personal high note.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ slotback surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his five-year career. Getzlaf had seven receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns in Friday’s 23-20 loss to the host Edmonton Eskimos.

The Regina product finished the season with a team-leading 1,071 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Getzlaf had 60 receptions and finished second in the league in average per catch (17.9 yards, compared to 18.6 by the Edmonton Eskimos’ Adarius Bowman).

Getzlaf’s 10 touchdowns receptions were also second to Jamel Richardson of the Montreal Alouettes, who led the CFL with 11.

“It was a great individual accomplishment,” Getzlaf said Sunday while the Riders cleaned out their Mosaic Stadium lockers. “Anyone who grows up wanting to be a receiver always wants to hit that 1,000-yard plateau at some point. For me to get it for the first time in my career is a good feeling. It would have been a lot nicer to have it happen on a winning note.”

The Roughriders (5-13) missed the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and finished with the league’s worst record. They have been out of playoff contention since losing 29-18 on Oct. 16 to the visiting B.C. Lions.

The milestone completed an uneven season for Getzlaf, who battled through dropped passes en route to surpassing 1,000 receiving yards. He had more opportunities to contribute as a slotback while veteran Andy Fantuz was trying out for the NFL’s Chicago Bears. Fantuz returned to the Riders, but was hindered by ankle injuries and only dressed for four games.

“It allowed me to play in the slot position on a more regular basis,” Getzlaf said. “Had Andy been here, I would have had to play a little more wideout, which would have limited a few more balls. I would have had to take advantage of a few other opportunities.”

Getzlaf enjoyed an impressive touchdown-scoring run during the Riders’ three-game winning streak in September. Getzlaf recorded five touchdowns during the streak, helping the Riders improve to 4-7 after starting the season 1-7. Getzlaf, 28, scored four touchdowns on four receptions during a two-game sweep of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Getzlaf has improved in each of his four seasons with the Riders. The team expected that development when Getzlaf and receiver-returner Corey Holmes were acquired from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for receiver-returner Jason Armstead midway through the 2007 season. He didn’t dress for a game in 2007.

Getzlaf had 15 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns in 2008. In 2009, Getzlaf had 41 receptions for 531 yards and six touchdowns. Last year, Getzlaf recorded 55 receptions for 946 yards and five touchdowns.

“You come out every year with the intention of getting better,” said Getzlaf, who is the Riders’ nominee for most outstanding Canadian and after leading Canadian receivers in yardage, receptions and touchdowns. “I train hard in the off-season in order to get there. The mental part of the game just keeps getting better and better, and it makes it a lot easier.”

Regina Leader-Post

VANCOUVER – The Alouettes were so inept offensively Saturday night against the British Columbia Lions, Jamel Richardson fell short in his quest to establish a team record.

Richardson, the CFL’s leading receiver, entered the game with 110 catches this season. He required three receptions to surpass Ben Cahoon’s team record of 112, established in 2003.

But Richardson could only tie the mark. He made two catches for five yards in the Als’ 43-1 loss.

Quarterback Anthony Calvillo, the team’s nominee as most outstanding player, passed for 63 yards before being replaced by Adrian McPherson late in the third quarter. That was Calvillo’s total at halftime. In the third quarter, he failed to complete any of his three attempts.

The total was Calvillo’s lowest since Oct. 12, 1998, when he passed for 91 yards in a relief appearance against Toronto.