Is the CFL\u2019s Eastern Division finally up for grabs in 2011 after years of dominance by the Montreal Alouettes? That\u2019s the big question entering this season, one of the most anticipated in recent years. The Als have traditionally owned the East, representing the division in the Grey Cup a whopping eight times from 2000 to 2010. <\/p>\n
2010 record: 12-6<\/strong> So why are so many of the Als\u2019 rivals newly optimistic this season? After all, the Als have won back-to-back Grey Cups and are shooting for a three-peat.<\/p>\n The truth is that I\u2019ve never seen Montreal enter a season with this many question marks during this current era of dominance. First off, there\u2019s quarterback Anthony Calvillo. He\u2019s a guaranteed CFL Hall-of-Famer, second all-time in passing yards, fourth all-time in passing yards for all of professional football, a three-time Grey Cup champ and a three-time MVP. Year in, year out, it seems there\u2019s no better signal caller in the league. He\u2019ll likely pass Damon Allen to become the all-time passing leader this season.<\/p>\n But the man had a major hurdle to overcome this offseason. Calvillo had surgery to remove a cancerous lesion from his thyroid; no one knew if he\u2019d even play football again. By all accounts, the operation was successful and Calvillo looks like he\u2019ll return to start Week 1 after all, but he\u2019s 38 years old. Do we know for sure that the vet will return at full strength?<\/p>\n Even if he does, Calvillo has lost some key members of his supporting staff. Longtime stalwart wideout Ben Cahoon retired and will coach the receivers at BYU now. The Alouettes also let star running back and 2009 Grey Cup MVP Avon Colbourne walk as a free agent this offseason. They figured they\u2019d be fine and replace him with former NFL star Ahman Green. [ad-4437448]<\/p>\n That didn\u2019t work out so well. Green arrived at camp with a hamstring injury and has already been cut from the team. So who will get the rock for the Montreal Alouettes this season? It appears that Brandon Whitaker will battle with free-agent signees Yvenson Bernard and DeAndra\u2019 Cobb for carries.<\/p>\n As for Cahoon\u2019s void, coach Marc Trestman hopes Danny Desriveaux and Eris Deslauriers will step up. Another guy to watch is Prechae Rodriguez, who flashed major skill with 70 catches and 1,099 yards as a rookie but has faded since. Montreal could be the perfect place for his redemption. In the end, it\u2019s up to S.J. Green to really carry the load. He caught 10 touchdown passes last season.<\/p>\n Montreal\u2019s defense also has some question marks. Despite winning it all, this team had the league\u2019s second-worst pass defense and lost Matthieu Proulx to retirement. The Als have, however, added mouthy corner Dwight Anderson to the secondary, so maybe they won\u2019t miss a beat.<\/p>\n The Montreal Alouettes are the New England Patriots of the CFL. Every year, people write them off and assume this is the year the empire finally crumbles. It\u2019s understandable why bettors may expect that to happen, as Montreal really did lose some important personnel over the offseason.<\/p>\n However, I still like the Als to persevere for the same reason the Patriots do: quarterbacking and coaching. Calvillo is long in the tooth but he\u2019s shown no signs of slowing down, having won the last two league MVP awards. Sure, he\u2019ll miss Cahoon, but Cahoon was largely good because he spent his whole career catching passes from arguably the greatest quarterback in CFL history.<\/p>\n Trestman keeps it simple and relies heavily on the passing game, so maybe Colbourne\u2019s departure won\u2019t be disastrous either. The road may be tougher \u2013 10 or 11 wins may be more realistic \u2013 but I still expect Montreal to contend for the Grey Cup.<\/p>\n
\nATS: 8-10<\/strong><\/p>\nAlouettes 2011 Outlook<\/h3>\n