Alouettes look for better effort in Sunday's rematch with Blue Bombers

MONTREAL - It's easy for a team with a comfortable lead in the standings to coast through the final games of the regular season, and perhaps that is what has come over the Montreal Alouettes.

Rush end Anwar Stewart wants that to end now.

The vaunted Alouettes defence has surrendered 79 points in its last two games - a 41-38 win over Hamilton and last week's 41-24 loss in Winnipeg - and Stewart wants to see the old hunger back when they face the Blue Bombers in a rematch at Percival Moson Stadium on Sunday (TSN, 1 p.m. ET).

"Some of the guys, the younger guys with less experience, can get more relaxed," the nine-year veteran said Friday. "Maybe they want to take it a little easier because it's the end of the season and they're getting a little beat up.

"But you've got to be a professional and go out and play."

The 13-3 Alouettes lost their chance to match the Edmonton Eskimos record of 16 wins in a season, but they can still beat the team record of 14-4 set in 2004 under coach Don Matthews if they win their final two games of the regular season. They end the season Nov. 7 in Toronto.

"We can leave a really good legacy here and break some records," Stewart added. "As an older guy, you look that those things because 10 or 20 years from now, you're having a beer and you're all nice and fat, and you want to remember those things.

"That's what it's about. It's a matter of encouraging guys to go out and play."

The Alouettes have been a sloppy group, especially on defence, the last two weeks. Receivers have been left open repeatedly for big gains or touchdowns. Their kick coverage has been porous as well.

But help is on the way.

Quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who went down with a calf injury early in the second half of the win over Hamilton two weeks ago, is healthy and ready to take the ball back from young pivot Adrian McPherson.

Defensive back Davis Sanchez and linebackers Diamond Ferri and Shea Emry will also be back from injury, although defensive tackle Eric Wilson and defensive back Jerald Brown will sit out. Centre Bryan Chiu is also iffy with a virus.

Sanchez said having some starters back will help shake the defence out of its lethargy.

"We're not worried about it at all," he said. "It seems everyone has something to say about it and maybe other teams see weakness in us, but I assure you there's no weakness.

"When we have everyone back and clicking, we'll be firing on all cylinders once the playoffs start and we'll show we're the best defence in the league."

With Sanchez back, De'Audra Dix can return to his regular position in the defensive backfield and little-used veteran Stanford Samuels will also be dressed. Darrell Campbell is likely to fill in for Wilson.

After missing a game and a half, Calvillo has dropped to second in CFL passing yards, two behind Edmonton's Ricky Ray. Calvillo needs 666 yards over the final two games to reach 5,000 for the sixth time in his career.

"I'm good to go," he said. "I had two good practices, I was out there for every rep and the body feels great."

He said the team needs to play well for the rest of the season to go into the playoffs with confidence. They have a bye to the eastern final, which they will play host to Nov. 22 at Olympic Stadium.

"We clinched about three weeks ago and the challenge is to be playing at our top level," Calvillo said. "Last week we struggled and we have two weeks to get back on track.

"These next two weeks we're going to find out what kind of team we really are. We know we clinched, but we still have to play with that same passion and urgency we had. The mental battle for us is to make sure that we don't let Winnipeg believe they can come into our yard and beat us."

The Alouettes are 8-0 at home this season.

The 7-9 Bombers go into the weekend tied with Hamilton for second in the east. Whichever team finishes third risks being bumped from the playoffs by a crossover team from the west, so wins are vital.

The positive sides of Calvillo's injury were that it was nothing serious and that McPherson finally got some real game experience. Previously, the 26-year-old had only played in short yardage situations.

The Alouettes offence didn't miss a beat under McPherson against the Tiger-cats, but he found it tougher playing in Winnipeg. It showed that if Calvillo is unable to play again some time, McPherson can be a decent replacement.

"It was a tremendous opportunity for him," coach Marc Trestman said. "He didn't turn the ball over other than on downs.

"And for a quarterback to play 60 minutes in that environment and protect the ball and make plays the way he did… I don't think the team did enough to support him, to pick up the slack for a young player. But we didn't hold anything back from the playbook and he had minimal reps. We got a look at what the future may be and we're all a little excited about that."