Anthony Calvillo is the CFL's player of the week, player of the year and player of the decade.
But while most of the questions this week revolve around why he's only won one of six Grey Cup games, perhaps the better question is what would've happened had Montreal's quarterback chosen to sign in Saskatchewan in 1998 as he almost did?
As he sees it, it may very well have ended his career, which serves as a perfect example of how he's become one of the most dominant players of an era based largely on his ability to read situations and make smart decisions.
Run out of Hamilton in 1997 after a three-year train wreck that saw his club go 18-36, Calvillo had offers from just two teams. And while Roughriders GM Al Ford promised Calvillo he'd get a shot at competing for a starting spot against Reggie Slack, a backup gig in Montreal behind Tracy Ham just seemed like the smarter move.
"I felt if I did start and I didn't play well, my career was going to be over," Calvillo explained yesterday, hours before being named the CFL's most outstanding player for the third time.
"I figured if I had one more bad year, that would be it. I didn't want to take that chance. Saskatchewan wasn't as good as they are now, so something was just telling me to go elsewhere."
Beaten up mentally and physically in Hamilton, where he had no mentors, protection or fans, he needed guidance more than anything.
"It was tough. It took me a few days to figure out which direction I wanted to go, but I just knew I wasn't going to start in Montreal, so I figured I should take a step back and learn from Tracy Ham," he said. "It wasn't about the money or lifestyle. It was just about the best future for me. I needed to regain my confidence."
Little did anyone know it would significantly alter the last decade of CFL history.
Longtime Roughriders offensive lineman Gene Makowsky vividly recalls rumours Calvillo was heading west and shuddered when asked how such an acquisition would have changed the fortunes of a team in the midst of a lengthy tailspin.
"It's one of those turning points in CFL history," said Makowsky, who watched the likes of Slack, Steve Sarkisian and Marvin Graves lead the Riders nowhere.
"It would have been huge to get Anthony. The most important position in the CFL is the quarterback. So if you could get some stability there and build around it, you're going to win an awful lot. That's the formula Montreal has used the last decade."
Had Calvillo gone west, maybe -- just maybe -- the Riders would be playing in their seventh Grey Cup the last decade like Montreal is.
Not necessarily so, insisted Jason Clermont.
"He might not have turned into the player he is, because football is all about opportunity," said the Riders slotback. "The chemistry he developed with Ben Cahoon, there's no saying he could have found that in Saskatchewan."
Cahoon agrees, citing it was Ham who taught Calvillo how to best prepare for games.
"He's a difference-maker, and Saskatchewan likely wouldn't have had as many lean years, but he's been blessed with a consistent offensive line, pretty good receivers and good running backs in Montreal," said Cahoon. "Maybe they would have handed the ball off 70% of the time and he wouldn't have blossomed."
Crediting a new diet for making him feel young enough to try playing into his 40s, the 37-year-old punctuated his second-straight MOP season with a five-touchdown performance in the East final that has the Als nine-point favourites in Sunday's 97th Grey Cup.
Interestingly, the Als and Riders both have one Grey Cup win since 2002. That said, given how far he's come ever since, it's hard to believe Sunday's outcome will factor into anyone's opinion as to whether he made the right call.
After all, it was as an Alouette he's become a legend.
ERIC.FRANCIS@SUNMEDIA.CA
