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S.J. Green was virtually ignored last week against British Columbia. There was a fullback sweep by Jean-Christophe Beaulieu at the end of the third quarter that didn’t work. Then, Schonert took tailback Tyrell Sutton out of the game when he was effective. The week before, at Hamilton, the Als attempted a reverse from the Tiger-Cats’ 33, the play losing 10 yards.

Receivers haven’t been utilized properly, taking advantage of their strengths, and the Als have virtually had no vertical passing game for, like, forever.

So give Calvillo a chance. While the Als are trying to get the most out of this season by making the move, it also sends a distinct message. This team has become desperate, reaching a point where they have nothing to lose. The organization will fire anyone or try anything. And the future is now — until such time as management decides it isn’t.

“We’ve been really bad at home protecting (the quarterback) and not being able to throw the ball. And in the two (recent) wins we didn’t really throw the ball anywhere down the field. I’ve watched the digression of the passing game, of being able to push the ball down the field,” Popp said. “There are other problems that aren’t on the field. The root of the problem starts off the field before you see the product on the field.

“People have to be willing to … put themselves out there and not worry about what people say. That’s what I like about Anthony,” Popp continued. “In two weeks I’ve seen him grow in leaps and bounds. I know Anthony pretty well. I think he’s going to be just fine. Even though he’s new in his coaching career, he’s faced a lot of adversity, overcome it and come out doing a good job. I expect that will happen under these circumstances.

“Any positive change would be a plus for us.”

Montreal Gazette