Anthony Calvillo says he could return by Montreal’s final regular-season game

While many figured 41-year-old Montreal Alouettes' quarterback Anthony Calvillo might retire following the concussion he suffered Aug. 17 against Saskatchewan and the persistence of concussion symptoms he experienced for weeks afterwards, the pivot himself had other plans in mind. Calvillo told reporters after the Alouettes' team photo Wednesday that he's recovering well and he intends to be back for the team's final regular-season game against Toronto Nov. 1. With the team all but a lock for a playoff spot and still with a chance to even host a postseason game, that could be very significant; backup Josh Neiswander has been okay, but Calvillo would seem like a much stronger option. Here are Calvillo's comments, via CBC's Douglas Gelevan:

On one level, it's remarkable that Calvillo's bounced back from this concussion. Many veteran quarterbacks might have decided to hang up their cleats here, and this is Calvillo's 20th CFL season, so it's not like his career's been short. On the other hand, though, it isn't exactly surprising that Calvillo is persevering through this. The guy has survived a tough upbringing, made it to the professional ranks despite being constantly overlooked, become the CFL's all-time leading passer and even beat thyroid cancer (after hiding a potentially-cancerous tumour from the media for half a season so he could keep playing and win a second-straight Grey Cup), amongst other things. While many counted him out after that concussion, the lesson by now is that you never write off Anthony Calvillo. He'll still have a tough road back, and we'll see just how rusty he is (and how well this flawed Montreal team can gel around him in a short timeframe), but there may be some chapters left in Calvillo's CFL saga.