Three-Down Theatre: Alouettes look to reclaim their status as lords of the rings

Following in the steps of last year's Zeroth Down series, we're going to preview each team over the next eight days, with the final preview coming on Opening Day, June 29. We've already relayed team coaches and executives' thoughts on their squads in the Camp Countdown series, so now it's time for a closer examination of how each team is likely to do. Like last year, we're going East to West. This time, however, we're using a movie or a movie series to represent where each team is at. First up, the Montreal Alouettes.

Film: The Lord of the Rings trilogy

As mentioned in my full casting of the CFL version of The Lord of the Rings, Alouettes' general manager Jim Popp is perfectly cast as Sauron, and that comparison may be most apt at this moment. It's not that he's evil, just highly effective, and Sauron's collection of the rings of power seems similar to what Popp's done in his tenure with the Baltimore/Montreal franchise: his teams have claimed four Grey Cups and 10 conference championships, giving him a lot of jewelry he can wear. The current Alouettes' situation seems like where things were at the very start of the Fellowship of the Ring film: they amassed tremendous power, and the free franchises of the CFL fell one by one en route to Montreal's back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, but a last desperate stand in the 2011 playoffs saw the Alouettes taken down by Hamilton. Some thought that would end Montreal's dominance, but much like Sauron, they've slowly been consolidating their power with a series of impressive offseason moves, and they look ready to put the East Division under siege again.

Key to Montreal's success will be Popp's chief battle leader, quarterback Anthony Calvillo. Some may have questioned how long the 39-year-old quarterback can last, but much like the famed Witch-King of Angmar, Calvillo appears impervious to both time and man. He led the league with 5,251 passing yards last season while still putting up a 61.8 per cent completion mark and 32 touchdowns against eight interceptions, and although the Alouettes fell to Hamilton in that East semifinal, that was hardly Calvillo's fault; he completed 30 of 43 passes (69.8 per cent) for 513 yards with three touchdowns and only one interception in that game, and that result was much more about Montreal's defensive shortcomings. As long as no one sends Icebox against him, Calvillo should be just fine.

The Alouettes have looked to address some of those defensive issues this offseason with some additions (notably linebacker Rod Davis) and some changes (parting ways with safety Etienne Boulay and linebacker Diamond Ferri), and they have a new man running the defence, former Winnipeg head coach Jeff Reinebold. The early results are promising, with Montreal's defence looking solid in preseason clashes with Winnipeg and Toronto, allowing 22 and 25 points respectively. (The offence wasn't as great in those contests, scoring just 10 and 20 points respectively, but many of the starters only saw a few minutes, so don't draw too many conclusions from that.) If the Alouettes' defence can return to its heights, this could be an excellent year for them.

It's the offence where Montreal really looks intimidating, though, and much like Sauron's armies in the film series, they have a lot of weapons to throw at you. Calvillo can lead the aerial attack, Jamel Richardson (who put up a league-leading 1,777 receiving yards last season, over 400 ahead of his closest competition) can be as destructive as any siege engine, and Brandon Whitaker (who had a league-leading 1,381 rushing yards in 2011 with an outstanding 6.1 yards per carry average, and also added 638 receiving yards) is the ground-pounding equivalent of the Haradrim and their mumakil. When you have league-wide category leaders in passing, rushing and receiving, you have a pretty amazing offence, and the Alouettes also have some great depth with players like S.J. Green and Brian Bratton. They lost offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich to Toronto this offseason, but head coach Marc Trestman is an offensive mastermind in his own right, so it's hard to see that change alone knocking down Montreal's fortress. It's going to take something special to stop them.

Of course, Sauron doesn't come out on top by the end of the trilogy, and for all his intimidating might, he still has weaknesses. That could be the case with the Alouettes, too; while the offence will undoubtedly put up points, the defence is a larger question mark, and while the team has an excellent kicker/punter in Sean Whyte, their return game is far from proven. Former West Virginia star Noel Devine could be the answer there, but he's a CFL rookie. It's also worth noting that the CFL's East Division looks to be extremely close this year; Hamilton and Toronto have upgraded their offences with new quarterbacks, while Winnipeg's the reigning division champion and can't be written off either. On balance, it looks like the Alouettes are still likely to prevail there, but nothing's sure, and even if they find success on the Eastern battlefield, their weaknesses may undo them in the end. All the offensive firepower in the world can't always stop a couple of halflings.

Prediction: 11-7, first in East in regular season, East Division champions in playoffs, loss in the Grey Cup.