THE CANADIAN PRESS
If Ben Cahoon’s career peaked in 2002 and 2003 when he was named Outstanding Canadian in the CFL, then maybe it’s peaking again.
The 36-year-old Cahoon takes a league-leading 105 pass receptions for 1,207 yards — both the second highest totals in his career — into the Montreal Alouettes’ game against the Eskimos in Edmonton on Friday night, which ends the regular season for both clubs.
He is the Alouettes’ nominee for the Outstanding Canadian award, while Anthony Calvillo, the quarterback who has thrown nearly all of his catches since both joined the club in 1998, is their candidate for Outstanding Player.
“It’s definitely an honour, although it’s not something I’m comfortable with because my success is so dependent on others,” Cahoon said this week. “They can’t honour everybody.
“Particularly the offensive line deserve credit for my success, Anthony’s success and the team’s success.”
The entire offence has piled up the yards and points this season en route to an 11-6 record, which dominates the feeble East Division. The 9-8 Eskimos will finish fourth in the West but will cross over to face Winnipeg in the East semifinal on Nov. 8, with the winner meeting Montreal a week later at Olympic Stadium.
The Eskimos are looking to avoid ending the season with three straight losses after setbacks of 43-28 at home to the B.C. Lions and a 55-9 stomping last week in Saskatchewan.
Montreal is coming off a meaningless 24-23 loss at home to Winnipeg on Sunday that had the look of a pre-season game.
The Alouettes will have newly signed kicker and punter D.J. Fitzpatrick in the lineup replacing Damon Duval, who has a kidney stone. Fitzpatrick attended the Buffalo Bills’ camp this season.
First-year coach Marc Trestman elected to rest Calvillo for the Edmonton game in favour of Marcus Brady, who has yet to throw a pass this season, but Cahoon will play.
Cahoon was born in the United States to Canadian parents, spent his childhood in a string of Alberta towns and cities, and considers himself a staunch Canadian even though he calls Utah home.
This season, the 11-year veteran passed former Roughriders great Ray Elgaard for most career receptions by a Canadian player, now at 854, and moved past 1970s star Peter Dalla Riva for the team record for career touchdown catches (61).
He has moved into fifth place overall in career catches and into eighth place in receiving yards.
Calvillo, who is one month younger than Cahoon, has also had a brilliant season, leading the CFL with 472 competions for 5,633 yards and 43 TDs.
A year ago, when the Alouettes went 8-10 and Calvillo took time off at the end of the season to be with his ailing wife, many wondered if this may be the last season for the Calvillo-Cahoon connection. Now it looks like both may go on for years, although both say they will decide in the off-season whether to return.
“We’re still getting it done to some extent,” said Cahoon. “It’s fun, we’re enjoying it while we can.
“People want us to get old and age and retire before we’re ready to.”
The run and gun offence brought in by Trestman this season seems to have rejuvenated the entire Alouettes offence. The line that allowed a league-worst 68 sacks last year leads the CFL with only 18 allowed this year.
“What’s helped them is that we have a new offensive system now and they’ve had to go back to school,” said general manager Jim Popp. “It’s rejuvenated them both.
“They’ve had to re-educate themselves and’s created a new energy level. Not just them, but also guys like (centre) Bryan Chiu and other veterans.”
Calvillo agrees.
While Cahoon leads in catches, Jamel Richardson leads the CFL with 16 TD receptions and needs only six catches on Friday to reach 100 for the year.
“I have never been around a team where the receivers have been challenged so much — to be in different positions, to motion to different areas — and it is a whole new offensive playbook, week in and week out,” said Calvillo..
“I’m used to that as a quarterback, but as receivers, they’ve been able to pick it up and continue to be successful. It’s paid off because they’ve been able to move around and get open. It’s really helped our team.”
The Eskimos are not far off Montreal on the offensive side, with Ricky Ray second to Calvillo with 5,361 passing yards, but a game that could have been a festival of offence could be less entertaining with neither team involved in a playoff battle.
Then again, in their previous meeting in Montreal on Sept. 21, the Alouettes crushed the Eskimos 40-4.
Edmonton will be without receiver Fred Stamps and Montreal will be missing Kerry Watkins.
Running back A.J. Harris returns from a leg injury for the Eskimos, but the Als’ Avon Cobourne will sit out another week with a sore ankle.
