This is going to be a good team. Air Max Clearance . I realize I tend to say that about almost every team in my CFL previews this year, but with Montreal it is easy to express analytical optimism for many reasons. First is quarterback Troy Smith. There is nothing really physically outstanding about Smith; he is 60, 224 pounds with a good arm and good mobility. I sum him up as thick and quick. But there is something about him, a genuine confidence expressed through experience in football at a high level. An articulation and intelligence that you "pick up on" when he is in front of a camera talking about himself and the league. And a unique level of humility that says in order to perform, I have to learn; not the other way around. I have always looked at humility as a strength and maturity; arrogance as a weakness and insecurity. When you consider the short amount of preparation time Smith experienced last year, his solid on field performance in yes, limited games, was very impressive. You have to feel good that as the teams starter from the outset, improvement is inevitable. I know of the other Alouettes QBs, but I would be immensely surprised if, outside of injury, Smith is not the No. 1 quarterback wearing No. 1. And with Anthony Calvillo retired, I am sure Smith looks at this training camp as a career opportunity, not a wait-and-see situation. On the defensive side of the ball, the Alouettes have an exceptional unit with just one unknown: who will play middle linebacker now that Shea Emry is an Argonaut? This issue is more a ratio adjustment problem than a personnel problem. It would be great if you could replace a Canadian with another good Canadian but if not, you will have a market of linebackers ready throughout the United States. The two positions of numeric wealth in NCAA football are running back and linebacker; simply said there are a lot of them. Last year Montreal was first in some significant defensive categories: fewest yards allowed at 314 per game, fewest rushing yards allowed at 88 per game; fewest 2nd down conversions allowed, most two and outs forced, most quarterback sacks with 59, and a key one, most takeaways with 56. All they need is to find or develop a new middle linebacker. Thats a manageable situation. On offence, Brandon Whitaker will be back and with Jamel Richardson and SJ Green it is hard to argue that the two best slot receivers are anywhere but Montreal. The Chad Johnson experiment will be an interesting one. Hes closer to 40 than 30 but the bottom line is can he still move like he is 20? Answers will be given early but if he is competing for a roster spot with someone younger and equal in talent, the younger guy will get it. The single biggest mediating factor in athletic performance is age. You know it is coming but you cant stop it, you can only slow it down. Special teams will improve with Larry Taylor and Duron Carter as returners, but also a rededication to blocking effectively for the returners as a priority. And finally there is Tom Higgins, the new Alouettes head coach. More than a few years removed from coaching, Higgins is about as much a polar opposite from the previous full-time head coach as you can get. And that is a good thing. Higgins is pragmatic and calculated; hes an administrator and no one knows the rules better. Hes been named CFL coach of the year and is a Grey Cup-winning coach. He is not the next youthful flash of success, quite the opposite. This decision comes from the experience of decades being the front man of the organization. This one is logical and safe compared to last years decision, which was risky and a novelty. It does not happen very often but every now and then games are determined by experience or inexperience with CFL rules. This year, thats an advantage with Higgins in Montreal. In the East, Toronto has to keep Ricky Ray healthy for 18 games because assuming the next Zack Collaros is on the roster is unrealistic. Hamilton has to continue to improve and may be the team to beat early. Ottawa is brand new, if they make the playoffs it will be a successful season. So where does that leave Montreal? With a new coach, new quarterback, new receivers, and maybe more adversity than any CFL team last year, they still finished 8-10, only three games out from first place. Another 8-10 finish this year is very unlikely; expect Montreal to surprise come November in BC. Cheap Air Max Australia .I shared with him how much I appreciated all he had done for us, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said of that Thursday night farewell. Cheap Air Max . The injury will keep the Finnish forward out of the Olympics. The 29-year-old has 20 goals and 41 points in 56 games this season, his first with Tampa Bay. http://www.australiacheapairmax.com/ . - Quarterback Brady Quinn says he has been released by the Miami Dolphins.CALGARY -- The Canadian womens hockey team will see palm trees and beaches and feel tropical temperatures when they arrive in Sochi, Russia, next week. This isnt a vacation, however, as they intend to skate hard in the Black Sea resort city that will host the Winter Olympics next February. The Canadian women depart Sunday on a trip designed to be a physical and mental orientation to the Games environment. Theyre scheduled to play the Russian womens team Sept. 8 and Sept. 10 at the secondary rink Shayba -- the venue for the preliminary-round games of the Olympic womens tournament -- before returning Sept. 11. The Canadians will practise and dryland train, as well as tour the athletes village and the city where they intend to defend the gold medal. "I look at it as a test event for us," captain Hayley Wickenheiser said. "Were playing two games against Russia. Competition is important, but its secondary to figuring out what the venues are like and where you are in proximity and what kind of food you need to eat. "Weve got a young group that hasnt done a lot of international travel, so its about adjusting to time change and being expected to perform. I tell the girls were doing Rocky in Russia." There wont be snow to pull a sled through as Sylvester Stallone did in "Rocky IV". Sochi is on the same latitude as southern France and in a zone that supports palm trees. The forecasted high next week is 30 degrees. Head coach Dan Church wants to see his 27 Olympic hopefuls persevere and perform through the fog of severe jet lag. Theyve been training full-time in Calgary since Aug. 6 and their bodies are still adjusting to a heavy workload. "We have to be good at playing a little tired," Church said. "We have to train through this period. The result of the games is secondary to what we need to do to prepare for the overall picture. "First and foremost its to be in the environment. Secondly, we want to continue to develop our players and the team, push some of the systems play we want to implement and finish off this five-week training block with some really good games." He has built one "beach day" into their schedule and some time to explore Sochi. "A lot of people dont realize you can train as hard as you want, but if you dont rest hard, the training isnt as effective," Church said. The majority of the players and Church will experience Russia for the first time. Wickenheiser travelled to the country once when she played mens pro hockey in Finland. But the veteran of five Olympic Games is anxious to see what Sochi has in store for her and her teammates. "Im just curious about the venue,"t; Wickenheiser said. Air Max Australia Onine. "The only thing that matters to me is the rink. I could sleep in a cardboard box." The 35-year-old from Shaunavon, Sask., has added her voice to widespread criticism of anti-gay laws Russia passed in June. The legislation bans promotion of "non-traditional" sexual relations, which makes Pride events illegal and muzzles gay organizations. A debate is underway on how gay athletes, or athletes who have gay family members or friends at the Games, will be treated in Sochi. International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge says hes received written assurances from the Russian government that everyone will be welcome in Sochi "regardless of sexual orientation" but it is unclear what would happen to athletes or fans if they engaged in behaviour deemed illegal under Russian law. Wickenheiser says she wont censor herself if shes asked about the controversy while in Russia. "I feel this is the way most athletes and most people in the free world think about it," she said. "I do think what theyre doing is discriminating against human rights. I just think its the 21st century. Its 2014. We have to not let those things happen." The Canadian Olympic Committee has trumpeted its support of Canadian athletes participating in Pride events across the country throughout this summer. Speedskaters Denny Morrison, Anastasia Bucsis and Shannon Rempel, as well as luger Sam Edney will walk in Calgarys Pride Parade on Sunday, the COC said Friday in a release. The Russian womens hockey team won the bronze medal at Aprils world hockey championship in Ottawa. It was the countrys first medal since taking bronze in 2001. After years of neglect, the Russian Hockey Federation is investing in female hockey because the host country wants a medal to add to its total in Sochi. Former NHL player Alexei Yashin is the teams general manager. "They have dramatically improved their game," Wickenheiser said. "In talking to some of the players . . . they really like Alexei Yashin and they really feels hes cares about them and is invested in them as hockey players. "I think for the first time ever, they have a spark of hope. They want to train hard. I know some of the training theyve been doing. Its the old Russian Red Army way." Russias support of womens hockey has come too late to challenge Canada and the U.S. for gold in Sochi, but Wickenheiser feels the country is capable of becoming a legitimate rival for the North Americans. "If they did invest in their program over the next five or six years, of any country they could do it," she said. "They have the talent." 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