Montreal Alouettes News and Notes: What progress has been made in Marc Trestman's contract negotiations, Stephen Garcia is officially an Alouette

As the CFL season rapidly approaches, the mystery continues on with the Montreal Alouettes and their contract negotiations with Marc Trestman.

As reported by some local media members, that an agreement could be completed by the July 6th home opener versus the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. We're eight days away from this supposed target date, but could a deal be consummated in-time by both parties.

As tradition with Trestman he will continue to decline conversing about contract talks. But at some point, the media will eventually hound him if no deal is announced by this "soft" deadline date.

Stephen Garcia Contract

As announced by the Montreal Alouettes, Stephen Garcia received a three year deal. Could he even last the duration of the contract's life?

Right now, for Garcia it is a matter of getting acclimated to the Canadian game. During his time with the South Carolina Gamecocks, he had great difficulty with his accuracy. There were times he did not read the defense in making the correct read.

If Garcia could become a sponge and learn from future hall of famer Anthony Calvillo, it could make the transition a bit easier in improving on these problems.

But for now, Garcia will have a huge target on his chest if he is not able to grasp the Canadian game quickly.

Finally, considering Garcia's history, could management pay close attention to his off field habits. Could they ponder having one of the respected veterans in the locker room police Garcia, and make sure he is on the straight path than being tempted by the vast social scene of Montreal.

Garcia is a fascinating story, but there is a split amongst passionate Gamecocks fans who have tweeted to me that they hope he is on the right track. Others feel he is destined to never realize his true potential.

We will find out.

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Listen to me every Sunday/Tuesday night on Gamepoints, every Friday morning on the Midnight Snack, and various shows on TSN 990.

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Stephen Garcia Starts His Road Back By Trying Out With The Montreal Alouettes

On a hot, windy Wednesday afternoon former South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia started his road back to football relevance by trying out for the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes.

Gone are the days of Garcia coming through the tunnel at Williams-Brice stadium in-front of 80,000 screaming fans getting ready to play the likes of Alabama, Florida, or Georgia. This isn’t SEC Saturdays, but there he was in a Montreal suburb fighting for a chance to be given that “golden paper invite” for the actual training camp starting this Sunday.

He wasn’t throwing to the likes of Alshon Jeffery, or Marcus Lattimore to prove his worth. This time he was trying to connect with players from Canadian Universities, and small U.S. schools that are 20-percent of what South Carolina’s financial budget is for their football program.   

From my initial sight, Garcia has slimmed down from his days in Columbia, South Carolina. His face wasn’t as pudgy, and looking to be in good shape.

The Alouettes are primarily a shotgun team, so he had no snaps under centre.  Even though there was zero pass rush in Garcia’s face, he threw very well in the intermediate passing drills.  He had a lot of zip on his throws, his spirals were tight, and showed decent touch on his passes.

However, throwing against a strong wind, he did run into problems on his deep passes, where he overthrew a few of his receivers. In some tight coverage drills he did not connect as often.

As for his footwork it was tough to decipher considering these weren’t hard drop back steps, and at times he was throwing from a stationary shotgun position.

Without question, Garcia development was far more advanced than his quarterback counterpart Lee Chapple of North Alabama. Some might snicker at this statement, but the coaching that Garcia received from his old head coach Steve Spurrier might have paid off.

Garcia did spend a good chunk of time conversing with the team’s new offensive coordinator Marcus Brady. This could be a sign that there is intrigue from the coaching staff’s part to know who he is as a person, and player.

After practice was over, Garcia told me how thankful he was of an opportunity to showcase his ability to the Alouettes coaching, and management staff. He realizes he no longer has the cameras of CBS, ESPN, or Fox Sports coming in to ask him how he will be able to counter the ferocious defenses of Auburn, Arkansas, or LSU.

In-fact, he seemed quite surprised as he eyes widen how I told him that I’ve been following his career since his high school days in Tampa, Florida.

Garcia knows this could be his last real shot at an opportunity to play professional football. If Garcia get’s that “golden paper ticket” to come to Sunday’s start of practices. He must realize he’s no longer in South Carolina and doesn’t have the protection of Spurrier if he get’s in trouble. One false mistake off the field might vanquish his professional football career.

Good luck to Stephen Garcia.

Side note: In an arranged agreement with the Alouettes PR department, Garcia was schedule to be on with TSN 990's Thursday morning show. But when he was contacted in his hotel room his roommate said he is sleeping.

Follow me on Twitter @MoeKhan19

Listen to me every Sunday/Tuesday nights on Gamepoints, every Friday morning on The Midnight Snack, and various shows on TSN 990.

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What Impact Could Stephen Garcia Have With The Alouettes?

It seems all signs are pointing to former South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback, Stephen Garcia potentially attending next weekend’s Montreal Alouettes mini-camp.

What are the odds of Garcia getting an invitation to the team’s training camp? So far, he wasn’t able to catch the eye of NFL teams to bring him onboard. Most likely this is his last real chance at making a professional roster.

Garcia has the skills to make an impression on the Alouettes coaching staff. During his high school days in Tampa, Florida, he was the most sought out recruit in the nation committing to head coach, Steve Spurrier and his Gamecocks.

From that point onwards when he stepped foot onto the Columbia campus it seemed everything unraveled. In his four years, he was suspended for incidents ranging from keying a professor’s car, to underage drinking, and not abiding to the probation rules set forth by the school.   

A lot of pundits will explain that Garcia has all the tools to succeed but is he fully focused on honing his talent to becoming a better quarterback?

In the SEC, the 2011 Gamecocks team were on the verge of doing serious damage to the competition with of a roster full of NFL talent from; Jadeveon Clowney, Alshon Jeffery, Melvin Ingram, and Marcus Lattimore. All Garcia had to do was make plays. Unfortunately for him he was too ineffective on the field, not focused off of it.

With this potential try-out, could Garcia impress the Alouettes staff into inviting him to the big camp? Could head coach Marc Trestman consider having his star quarterback, Anthony Calvillo mentoring Garcia? This seems a perfect match of a respected veteran and future hall of famer tutoring a player who is looking to revamp his image and parlay it into a professional career.

In reading an article about Garcia cleaning up his image in preparation for the NFL Combine, it seems he has taken the right steps and admitting to his mistakes.

The team has stockpiled the quarterback position that includes two Canadian in Kyle Graves, and Kyle Quinlan. From last count on their team roster, excluding Garcia, there will be seven quarterbacks entering training camp. So repetitions will be limited if he were to make the team camp.

If he were to make the final Alouettes roster could he control his temptations and not get himself into trouble? As many know the city of Montreal is full of events, parties, and is considered to be one of the premier cities to have a good time.

If Garcia has the right people surrounding him, the decision should be easy for him to stay away and focus on his job as a quarterback. But if that support staff isn’t there, could he be tempted into the nightlife scene that this city has to offer?  

Garcia is on strike four, and if he fumbles this opportunity most likely there won’t be another chance at realizing his professional dreams. But from all indications, Garcia has understood that he withered away a great opportunity at South Carolina.

Now, he must first make it out of mini-camp. Then from there work even harder and not ruin this chance at playing professional football.

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Listen to me every Sunday/Tuesday nights on Gaempoints, every Friday morning on The Midnight Snack, and various shows on TSN 990.

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Is Stephen Garcia Headed To The Montreal Alouettes?

According to various reports it seems that former controversial South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback, Stephen Garcia may have found a temporary home in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes.

From what has been mentioned in the report, he would be attending next weekend’s mini-camp, which could parlay into an opportunity to take part in the main training camp.

For those who have followed Garcia’s college career, it is well documented of his off field incidents that led to numerous suspensions during his time with the Gamecocks. However, in 2011, head coach Steve Spurrier was given no choice but to remove Garcia from the roster due to not abiding to the guidelines set by the school’s administration after his last suspension.   

I have sent an e-mail to the Alouettes public relations department to confirm this signing, until they do so it is speculation for the present moment.

Follow me on Twitter @MoeKhan19

Listen to me every Sunday/Tuesday nights on Gamepoints, every Friday morning on The Midnight Snack, and various shows on TSN 990.

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