to try to find a way to build off that, and try to t

Where do you begin with the Montreal Alouettes? Im not going to mention the coach that was fired five weeks into the 2013 campaign. With clear minds and open hearts, whatever... Im wont recant them losing pro footballs all-time leading passer Anthony Calvillo for the season on August 17th. Or how they lost All-Star receiver Jamel Richardson to a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee a couple weeks earlier. Wont do it. Im not going to talk about losing their explosive running back Brandon (2-Way) Whitaker to injury either. Or their injuries on the offensive line - losing Scott Flory, the All-Star guard for the Als the past 15 years or his teammate/fellow hog Andrew Woodruff, who anchored the other guard position for five seasons. Not going to do it... I also wont rehash how Doug Berry became the acting offensive coordinator midway through the year. Or how ridiculously short (three pass attempts) the leash was on young quarterback Josh Neiswander earlier in the season. Im not going to write about the Marsh Madness and Tanners contagious play. And Im not going to write about how the Als changed their offensive terminology two-thirds of the way into the season. Let me write about Jim Popp actively going out and doing something about the ups and downs that are intrinsic to our game. Its called managing! He stepped up to the plate once again in 2013 and delivered Big Papi (make that Poppy) Style... This has been the finest of his 18 years at the helm of the Alouettes. A single here, a bunt there, a liner in the gap for a stand-up double, and oh yes, there have been home runs too! Duron Carter, Mike Edem, Arland Bruce, Tyrell Sutton, and yes, a kid who has been on the teams negotiation list since 2005, Troy Smith! More on him in a minute... The old saying goes, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Well Popp is as tough as they come folks. He rolled up his sleeves when he was dealt a bad hand, and I mean to tell you it was a real bad hand, and he got busy. Its just like taking the play of Calvillo for granted; soon you just expect great things to happen because Anthony made the routine plays routinely and made the tough plays look routine. Popp does that when he manages. You expect there to be a Ryan Bomben there to replace a Scott Flory or a Michael Ola to replace an Andrew Woodruff. How about a Duron Carter for a Jamel Richardson? You lose two Canadian free safeties to retirement in Etienne Boulay and Matthieu Proulx and BANG, say hello to Mike Edem! Popp makes it happen almost effortlessly. But make no mistake about it, managing the way he does takes a ton of foresight, knowledge, effort, experience and sacrificing of time. It was during Weeks 6 and 7 when Popp went out and added another young gun to the promising stable of Marsh and Neiswander; Canada, say hello to Troy Smith, the Heisman Trophy recipient and three-time Bowl winner from Ohio State! Popp brought him in as the No. 4 quarterback as AC was still factoring into the equation back then. You know the guy who has been sitting on my left hand side for the past 14 years at TSN, Chris Schultz, he likes to say "prior preparation prevents poor performance." Well doesnt that just fit perfectly here? Back in August when Popp was asked what Troy brings to the table at a press conference, the coach and GM responded, “You look at his skill set, and we have been wanting a fourth QB and we have been waiting for this one to work out and it did.” “Getting him in, introducing him to the game - he has not been in a training camp since last year with the Steelers - get him back involved, let him learn the rules. Its not an easy transition at quarterback. Get him up to speed so he can compete for one of those three jobs. What the future holds we will find out.” Crazy how that prior preparation thing works out! Fast forward 12 weeks and that kid is going to lead the Als when they play the Ticats in Guelph on Sunday in the Eastern Semi-Final. He will need some help from the Als vaunted defence, he will need to protect the football, he will need his o-line to establish the line of scrimmage and get Sutton and Jerome Messam going. He will have to play smart and yet play to his strengths and realize hes not out there alone. Spread the responsibility and manage the game. Its asking a lot from an inexperienced yet extremely gifted quarterback whos learning the CFL game on the fly... Another great find for Big Poppy! Timothe Luwawu Jersey . Completely. Two days after releasing Peyton Manning, the longtime face of the franchise, the Colts announced they were cutting four fan favourites: running back Joseph Addai, linebacker Gary Brackett, safety Melvin Bullitt and tight end Dallas Clark. Dario Saric Jersey . A lawmaker is hoping the buzz from California Chromes run for the Triple Crown might build support for a bill that would place the U. http://www.cheap76ersjerseys.com/?tag=ch...uscala-jersey.Y. -- That hangover from the Big East tournament is gone for Villanova. Wilson Chandler Jersey . “The fact that he was willing to do the deal the way we wanted it to be done showed that he wanted me to be a part of something great," Lowry said, noting that Ujiri willingness to sign off on the proposal that both Lowry and his agent presented to the GM was the final straw that convinced him to return. Dana Barros Jersey . -- Wichita State is all alone in the record book.DENVER -- Broncos fans may want to move on from Denvers Super Bowl debacle. Not Peyton Manning. Hes holding on to the heartache to stoke his competitive fire. In his first public comments since the highest-scoring team in NFL history was destroyed by Seattle from the opening snap two months ago, Manning said the Broncos 43-8 loss will serve as motivation in 2014. "I dont really have a word for it. Obviously it was disappointing and well use that to fuel us this off-season and hopefully itll make us better," Manning said Wednesday prior to giving the keynote address at the Boy Scouts of America Sports Breakfast in Denver. "I know the front office has addressed some off-season needs in free agency and of course the drafts coming up and now its up to the players to put in the hard work in the weight room, the film room and on the practice field to try to be a better team this year and that all starts Monday." The Broncos gather next week for the official start of off-season workouts with a roster that looks a lot different from the one that lost by five TDs to the Seahawks. Gone are Champ Bailey, Eric Decker, Wesley Woodyard, Zane Beadles, Knowshon Moreno and Chris Kuper, whose departures cleared cap space for the additions of DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib and Emmanuel Sanders. "Eli told me he was excited about DeMarcus leaving his division; he can no longer hit him. And Im glad hes on my team," Manning said of the former Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher who headlined John Elways off-season makeover. Manning gave his blessing to the promotion of second-year running back Montee Ball to primary ball carrier. "Theres no question with the loss of Knowshon, who was just nothing short of awesome thiis past year, and was a great teammate .dddddddddddd.. Montees going to have more responsibilities and I think hes going to answer that challenge," Manning said. Although Sanders joined Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Bubba Caldwell and Wes Welker at Mannings annual passing camp at Duke last week, which the five-time MVP QB called a "good kick-start to the off-season," the official start of off-season workouts is Monday. Although Manning and the Broncos will view their loss to Seattle as a scar, much like they did their defeat to Baltimore in the playoffs a year earlier, Manning agreed the gathering will allow the Broncos to begin looking ahead. "Yeah, you have to move forward. You have to kind of re-establish your identity of the 2014 team," Manning said. "The 2013 team was a good season in a lot of ways. Theres no question it did not end the way we wanted it to. But we have to try to find a way to build off that, and try to take it a step further, try to finish." The Broncos are heavily favoured by oddsmakers to become the first team since the Buffalo Bills in 1993 to return to the Super Bowl the year after losing the big game, but the 38-year-old QB who set NFL records by throwing for 55 TDs and 5,447 yards last year knows the challenge facing Denver. Only two teams have lost a Super Bowl and bounced back to win the next one: the 1971 Dallas Cowboys and the 1972 Miami Dolphins. "Absolutely I am," Manning said when asked if hes hungrier than ever. "Thats what I want to do (win the title). Thats what the Denver Broncos want to do. I am glad to be part of a team that wants that. I need to do my part. Thats what I think about every day I go to work, doing my job to help the Denver Broncos get better." ' ' '