Montreal Alouettes: Season Preview 2011

Training camps are finished and the cut down day has passed, as we head towards the kick off to the 2011 CFL Season, we take a look at the previews for each team.

The defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes kick off our season preview, with a few key departures heading into training camp in the names of Ben Cahoon (retired) and Avon Cobourne (moved on to Hamilton), it will be a bit  of a new look to the Alouette offence this season.

That being said, the most important cog into what makes the Alouettes work is back for another season, Anthony Calvillo, who announced at  the conclusion of the Grey Cup game that he would undertake thyroid cancer surgery in the off season, has a clean bill of health and a laser like focus on what is ahead this year.

Beyond the quest for a return to the Grey Cup, Calvillo is in pursuit of the record book with Damon Allen's passing yardage numbers among some of his targets.

For the most part the Alouettes have had almost a free ride in the last few years in the east, however, this year may be a slightly different dynamic, both Hamilton and Toronto have made upgrades and should be much stronger in the east, while Winnipeg may be yet another year or so from putting a scare into the defending Grey Cup champs, they too could make things interesting, especially if Buck Pierce remains healthy in Winnipeg.

Should Montreal advance to the Grey Cup and a defence of its title, it's certain that the path will have been a little bit harder than past years.

However, a little hard work has never been something that head coach Marc Trestman has been afraid of, his teams traditionally have been among the best prepared squads in the league, something that the fans who regularly fill Molson Stadium to the top have come to expect.

This year won't bring any disappointment on work ethic, but whether the talent can measure up to that work ethic will be discovered as the season moves forward.

Some of the previews from across the media that cover the CFL season can be found below:

TSN Montreal Alouettes preview
Rogers Sportsnet Montreal Alouettes preview
The Score Montreal Alouettes preview
CBC Sports  Montreal Alouettes preview 
Canadian Press Montreal Alouettes preview
National Post Montreal Alouettes preview