CALVILLO RE-JOINS ALOUETTES

MONTREAL – Anthony Calvillo wants to hit the pavement running as an assistant coach with the Montreal Alouettes.

Pro football’s all-time passing leader ended his one-year hiatus from football Monday when he was named an offensive assistant with the Alouettes. The 42-year-old Los Angeles native’s official position won’t be determined until Montreal hires a new offensive co-ordinator, which head coach Tom Higgins figures will happen in early January.

“The biggest thing for me right now is to start hunkering down,” Calvillo said during a conference call. “Once I get off this call I’m going to get on the phone with (GM Jim Popp) and start getting access to a computer and start watching film from last year.

“I want to look at the entire season on the offence and see what was going on and absorb everything and learn from it. Being away from the game for a year has been great but it’s time for me to get back to work.”

Calvillo retired in January after a concussion limited him to just seven games in 2013. During his retirement announcement Calvillo said he was taking 2014 off to spend time with his wife and two young daughters but often stated his goal was to start coaching in 2015.

Montreal’s defensive coaching staff returns intact with Noel Thorpe (defensive co-ordinator/assistant head coach), Keith Willis (defensive line), Greg Quick (linebackers) and Anwar Stewart (quality control). Offensively, Kris Sweet (offensive line) and Andre Bolduc (quality control) retained their jobs but offensive co-ordinator Ryan Dinwiddie will return as an offensive assistant, just like Calvillo.

Dinwiddie, 34, who began his CFL coaching career as an assistant in ’13 with Montreal, assumed the offensive co-ordinator’s job after Rick Worman was fired during training camp. To help Dinwiddie, the Alouettes hired former NFL assistant Turk Schonert and former CFL/NFL star Jeff Garcia as consultants before naming them receivers and quarterbacks coach, respectively.

“He (Dinwiddie) was put in a situation that there was no one else and so we surrounded him with whatever we possibly could,” Higgins said. “You have to look at it he also understood he was in a situation that was overwhelming to him.

“For him to have had that experience so very young in his coaching is going to serve him very well … I think he’s a lot more comfortable now knowing he can continue to work and grow and learn. I don’t look at it as a demotion, it’s just being back where he was and needs to be in his development.”

Higgins said Garcia, who joined Montreal in August as an offensive consultant before being promoted to quarterbacks coach, won’t return. Garcia has a young family living in Southern California and wants to be closer to home.

Running backs coach Mark Speckman and defensive assistant Jean-Vincent Posy-Audette both won’t return. Speckman has interviewed for a head coaching position at Lewis & Clark, a Division III school in Portland, Ore., while Higgins said Posy-Audette opted against coming back.

Montreal is also looking for a special-teams co-ordinator.

(The Canadian Press)