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MONTREAL -- Troy Smith is ready to hear Anthony Calvillos name mentioned every time he lines up at quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes. The Heisman Trophy-winning pivot, who joined the Alouettes midway through last season, will be the clubs first opening-game starter other than Calvillo in 15 years when Montreal plays its first game of the 2014 CFL regular season at Calgary on Saturday. They are massive shoes to fill, with Calvillo having retired in the off-season as the leagues all-time passing leader. "Ill never stop hearing those references," Smith said this week. "I think its great to be mentioned with a great name like that. "I havent done nearly the things he has, and just holding onto his coattails a bit has been fun so far. But as a man, I definitely want to make my own path. Thats why Im here." Smith takes over the key position on a team that was a powerhouse for most of Calvillos time behind centre, but which has been sliding in recent seasons. And even though they remain well-stocked with top talent at many positions, the Alouettes are perceived as a team in decline. Last season was a disaster, with the inexperienced Dan Hawkins fired as head coach only five games into the season, followed shortly by a season-ending, and career-ending, injury to Calvillo. They finished 8-10, tying their worst record since they returned to Montreal after a 10-year gap in 1996, and lost to Hamilton in the East Division semifinal. This season hasnt started well either, with team architect Jim Popps bid to keep the head coaching as well as general managing job turned down. Tom Higgins, who was out of coaching since 2007, was named the new head coach, but the offensive co-ordinator he hired, Rick Worman, was fired midway through training camp. Then the club lost both its pre-season games, including a 26-10 setback at home against expansion Ottawa in which they failed to score a touchdown with new OC Ryan Dinwiddie calling the plays. Smith was not sharp while playing just over half of that game, but neither were backups Tanner Marsh and Alex Brink. All three got starts last season, with Smith emerging as the most promising to take over the top job. Now he has to play well enough to keep it. "I dont look at it as a transition year," said Popp. "That was last year. "Theres going to be a transition, but we were faced with this starting in Game 6, and we played two thirds of the year without Anthony Calvillo, knowing he probably wasnt coming back. "We had four different quarterbacks that won games and the team realized they could win without Anthony. That was a big hurdle. Its a little nerve-wracking, but like with all great players you lose, you just have to march on. Its not so much to replace that guy, but to find someone you can win with. How great theyll be, well find out." There were two main positives to come out of the off-season. One was the return of Larry Taylor, who gives them a kick return threat they havent had in recent seasons. Another was the signing of former NFL star receiver Chad (Ochocinco) Johnson, who so far looks to have a positive influence on and off the field. The 36-year-old Johnson has been out of football for two years, but Popp said he showed up in shape and has been a "great fit." "I think he can do great things for us," Popp said. "Every time we play somebody, their attention is on him, and not on S.J. Green and Duran Carter. So if hes an attention grabber and everyones talking about him, great. Chads used to that. And Chad, with each game and experience he has in this league, is only going to get better as the season goes along." Smith will have an impressive set of receivers with Green, Carter, Johnson, Taylor, Brandon London, Eric Deslauriers and the repatriated Dave Stala. Gone are Jamel Richardson, who had a knee injury and was cut, and veteran Arland Bruce. "Weve got the best receiving corps in the league," said Popp, who is particularly high on Carter, the son of former NFL great Cris Carter, who gained 909 yards in only 12 games after making his CFL debut in August. "All I say is CFL, enjoy what youre watching because youll be watching him in the NFL next season, Hell have the majority of NFL teams after him, and were not talking about as a third or fourth receiver. He can go in and have an impact like Cam Wake. Hes at that level." There is a first-rate running back in Brandon Whitaker and a solid offensive line anchored by left tackle Josh Bourke, despite the retirements of Scott Flory and Andrew Woodruff and the departure of Michael Ola to the NFL. The defence lost starting middle linebacker Shea Emry to Toronto, but should remain among the leagues best under defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe with veterans like rush end John Bowman and linebacker Chip Cox leading the unit. The Alouettes kick teams have been weak for the last three seasons, including when Marc Trestman was head coach and didnt name a full-time special teams co-ordinator. But they looked good both on returns and kick coverage in the pre-season and they may be a key area of improvement. Taylors ability to avoid the first wave to pick up extra yardage should be a bonus. It will likely take some time for the offence to jell. And if it turns out that Smith doesnt have what it takes to be a regular CFL starter, it could be a long season indeed. Starting the campaign against Calgary, followed by a home game against B.C., should give Higgins and idea of what it will take to re-establish Montreals reputation as a Grey Cup contender. "Every indication is that Troy Smiths going to be our guy, but sometimes there are growing pains," said Higgins. "If you look at Anthonys career, at the start it wasnt as stellar as it was at the end. "All that being said, (Smith) comes with good intangibles. Hes from a good program. Hes got the system down. Practices are going good. So lets see him get measured up against the best." Greg Maddux Jersey .Y. - Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs didnt flinch in the face of adversity. David Justice Jersey . And rest hardly led to rust for the two-time defending NBA champions. http://www.baseballbravesproshop.com/chi...-braves-jersey/. 1. AMIR JOHNSON: Nice to see him back in the lineup Tuesday night in Washington DC. Played with great energy and purpose. Its amazing when a guy gets those few precious days to recover what it does to the bounce in their step and overall game/confidence. Deion Sanders Jersey . His apology came before a pregame ceremony in which the team honoured its 2004 team that won Bostons first World Series championship since 1918. "I realize that I behaved bad in Boston," Ramirez said. Tom Glavine Jersey . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Defensive Depth TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Toronto Maple Leafs have considerable interest in unrestricted free-agent defenceman Dan Boyle.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Tony Romo hasnt taken a snap in a game since he played through a back injury to lead a drive that kept Dallas in playoff contention late last season. The 34-year-old quarterback has eased his way back in since surgery to repair a herniated disk, staying out of competitive situations during the off-season and taking frequent days off at training camp. Romo wont play long in the Cowboys preseason home opener against Baltimore on Saturday night, but he will be the starter after skipping the first exhibition game last week in San Diego. He led the offence in two joint practices with Oakland this week. Dallas broke camp in California on Friday. "I felt like this was a big week for Tony," tight end Jason Witten said. "I felt like this was a really big week for our team and felt hes done a really great job setting the tempo for us." Romo finished a winning drive after the injury to beat Washington last December but had to watch from home when the Cowboys lost to Philadelphia with a playoff berth on the line. He gets his first chance to run the offence with new play-caller Scott Linehan. It will be Joe Flaccos second game with first-year Ravens offensive co-ordinator Gary Kubiak. He brings the West Coast offence to coach John Harbaughs staff after being fired in the middle of last season with the Texans on their way to 14 straight losses after a 2-0 start. Linehan and Kubiak had strong debuts last week. Romo backup Brandon Weeden completed 13 of 17 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers, while Flacco led an 80-yard scoring drive in his only possession against San Francisco. And Linehan should have several more toys to play with after Witten, running back DeMarco Murray and receiver Dez Bryant sat against the Chargers. He also seems to think a lot of Murrays backup, Lance Dunbar. The 2012 undrafted free agent was a healthy scratch in San Diego along with the stars, so the Ravens game will bbe his first under Linehan as well.dddddddddddd. "He has a really good way of finding what his players do well and highlighting them and featuring them and also attacking maybe some matchups," coach Jason Garrett said. "Weve always tried to do that. The transition has been really smooth for us." It will be Kubiaks second game with running back Ray Rice, who had three carries for 17 yards against San Francisco. Rice will miss the first two games of the regular season after being suspended following his arrest for domestic violence. "John and I talked about what he wanted to be on the offensive side of the ball, but we havent spent any time talking about what happened last year," Kubiak said. "Everybody has bought into what were doing. We have to go take another step this week." Linebacker Rolando McClain is expected to make his Dallas debut against the Ravens after Baltimore traded him for a late-round pick before training camp. The Cowboys are trying to replace middle linebacker Sean Lee, who tore a knee ligament in the off-season and is out for the year. McClain never played for the Ravens, twice retiring after they picked him up when Oakland gave up on the former top 10 pick after three seasons. "He just needs to play," coach Jason Garrett said. "He needs to keep coming out here and practicing well and understand what were asking him to do from a defensive standpoint. Gain the trust of his teammates and coaches." Both defences have work to do. While the Cowboys struggled to stop the Chargers, the Ravens let the 49ers march to a field goal on Colin Kaepernicks only drive. Because of injuries, Baltimores focus is on the defensive line and secondary. "We have to start faster now," defensive co-ordinator Dean Pees said. "I think we were a little hyped up because there were a couple times where we ran up field on a running play and the ball gashed us." 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