Bonjour, Je M'appelle ...

With the departure of Marc Trestman to the Windy City and the chance to take the Chicago Bears on to NFL glory, the Alouettes are considering all of their options when it comes to the next chef de mission de Montreal.

And in this job search, the Als are giving strong consideration to a francophone coach for Quebec's football squad and if ever there was a time for a homegrown coach from Quebec, this could be it.

There are no shortage of possibilities for the position that just opened, with Danny Maciocia, Glen Constantin and Jacques Chapdelaine the most likely candidates. Indicative as it is, of the strength and popularity of football in Quebec these days, that the depth chart is so large when it comes to qualified candidates for the job.

The success of the Laval University Rouge et Or (where Constantine has built a dynasty) is perhaps the best example of just how far football has come in the last two decades.  Where once it was mainly a game between Bishops and McGill, it now regularly offers up highly entertaining contests from the U of M, Laval,  and Sherbrooke, as all three schools have come to dominate the RSEQ in recent years.

That success has more than a few followers of the CFL wondering if perhaps the next expansion phase for the league should not be considering Quebec City, where football has become a rather fierce passion with the Rouge et Or.

In addition to the Laval coach, Danny Maciocia won't be too hard to find, the former Edmonton Eskimos coach now runs the football program at the University of Montreal, moving the Carabins forward and building up that university's presence on the football fields of Quebec.


And then there's Jacques Chapdelaine, the man running the explosive BC Lions offence and always at the top of any list when coaching opportunities seem to pop up.

As the Als weigh their options, the names mentioned all make a fair amount of sense, having rebuilt the game from pretty well the roots up in the province, the next step of a Quebec born member of the coaching staff is perhaps the next logical step for a leading franchise of the CFL.

Montreal Gazette-- No CFL experience required
Montreal Gazette-- Search for Als coach neither simple nor clear-cut
CBC-- Next Alouettes head coach could be bilingual
Winnipeg Free Press-- Francophone coach a possibility as Alouettes owner, GM set to interview candidates