Rick Moffat
CFL.ca
Sometime after throwing his first CFL interception, Chris Leak texted his GM Jim Popp. “I was trying to turn Molson Stadium into the Swamp…lol.”
Confession or comedy, the former NCAA National Champ has already set himself apart from most other Alouettes backup quarterbacks in the Calvillo Era. He’s being noticed.
The Florida Gator-for-Life was firing up himself, perhaps his teammates and maybe even the baffled fans. Trying to erase the mortifying moments when Anthony Calvillo could not even take baby-steps to get himself off the field before being rushed to hospital with a chest injury, Leak after a first-down made a mad dash for the Winnipeg endzone, extending his arms forward to make Gator-chomp motions.
Bomber defenders sent a “Reality Bites” message on the very next play, devouring the next pass near the goal-line and mocking the Gator-chomp motion in Leak’s face.
“You can put that one on me because we called a play that he hadn’t even practised,” says Head Coach Marc Trestman.
“That’s what a great coach would say,” says Leak, still intent on flashing his Florida roots but through a more savvy fashion statement. Leak brought heaps of green and orange Gator swag for his O-line bodyguards from his bye-week Florida vacation. “That pick was on me. I trust in Coach Trestman ‘cause he trusted in me to call that play.”
Was the Gator gaffe thrown in his face just a case of crossing the line between what some players call “jacked up” and “geeked up”?
“Favre is one way, Calvillo is another. But both are dynamic quarterbacks,” says Trestman. “To me, that wasn’t Chris Leak being himself. That was him outside himself. After that interception he settled himself down. We didn’t have to talk to him.”
“Vince Lombardi once told Sonny Jurgenson ‘Just be yourself.’ I’m just trying to be myself,” says Leak, who used to watch film of legendary NFL quarterbacks with his older brother C.J., a former college qb-turned-tight end who had a failed tryout with the Alouettes in 2005 and now scouts for the Buffalo Bills.
“He’s a grown man now…he’ll find his own path,” says the Big Brother who sounds more excited for Chris’ first CFL start than Little Brother. “He’ll send me the game film.”
“We never never played together because of the age difference, but our father coached us both in Youth League football in North Carolina. I remember one time we were visiting the University of South Carolina and we were just tossing the football to work on mechanics. Chris was throwing 60 yards with perfect accuracy…and he was only a high school sophomore at the time.”
The sons of Curtis Leak, a former Green Bay Packer draft pick of the 70’s, would often have private throwing competitions. “He used to burn my hands up,” chuckles Chris.
“I can throw as far, but he’s a better quarterback,” concedes CJ. “He throws like he’s 6’3”.”
And therein lies part of the knock. You ever see a long-legged gator?
Some NFL sources say Leak’s official height of 6 feet includes his tippy-toes. Others suggest Rex Grossman’s struggles worked against the Gator who followed him at Florida as well as to Chicago Bears camp. Or that the Steve Spurrier/Urban Meyer systems were built on parts that were somehow less than the sum of their successes.
Trestman: “Somebody made a mistake on A.C. Who is to say Chris couldn’t play 10 years here or there? It’s a journey into the unknown.”
So why isn’t the once-heralded Leak making this journey of self-discovery in the NFL?
CJ Leak: “He’s beaten a lot of guys playing in the NFL right now. But I know George Cortez and Jeff Garcia, guys who’ve taken a different path. I tell Chris he’s in one of the greatest cities in the world with one of the greatest coaches in the game. Hopefully Anthony’s success rubs off on him because he’s (A.C.) the gold standard.”
Popp: “Chris was a superstar in high school and college. He’s a great candidate for the future. How long will he be patient? How long will he stay? I can’t answer that.”
Als’ Allstar guard Scott Flory: “I’m really excited. He’s got great presence in the huddle. I think he could be the next big quarterback star in this league.”
Journey from the swamp? Als fans hope it’s the end of the Backup Quarterback Wilderness.
The dismal array of 2nd and 3rd stringers has haunted Als fans throughout the Calvillo Era. The eminently forgettable list of prospects, suspects and invisible men includes Dan Gonzalez, Jamie Barnette, Matt Lyttle, Eric Kresser, Tavares Bolden, Ted White and even CFL vets like Nealon Greene and Jason Maas found ways to crash and burn in Montreal.
Worst fears backed up by shocking numbers. My breakdown of Als’ relievers reveals a horrid 2-11 won-lost record from 2000-‘07, not to mention 0-2 postseason, and a horrific 32-11 interception-touchdown ratio.
Under Trestman the last 2 seasons, Als backup qb’s have thrown just 2 picks, 10 tds.
“A great coach can have an effect on the life of a man,” says Chris Leak, who says even before his first pro start that he’s “guaranteed” to go into coaching for his next career. “I love teaching the game,” says the CFL student. “I love the camaraderie,” says the forever young boy who was mascot for his older brother’s team before he was ever allowed to play the game he loves. “I learned to play from watching my big brother. Dad just let us go play.”
Now Canada will find out if a Gator can turn Montreal’s landmark Mount Royal into Florida swampland.
