Troy Smith: A breath of fresh heir in Montreal
SEAN GORDON
MONTREAL — The Globe and Mail
Published Thursday, Nov. 07 2013
Some objects, when propelled at extremely high velocity, make a distinctive sound.
Like an artillery shell. Or a football.
When you find yourself on a gridiron with the rocket-armed guy in the No.3 jersey, you don’t see the pigskin as much as you hear it.
Montreal Alouettes quarterback Troy Smith doesn’t merely throw the ball, he heaves the thing with intent.
“The first week he was here I noticed in practice it just sounded different when he threw, it whistled. And he was doing it without any visible effort,” said Als centre Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, who is well-accustomed to having footballs zip past his ears.
But a big arm does not a successful quarterback make, and since arriving in Montreal this summer as the latest in a long line of presumptive heirs to surefire Hall of Fame pivot Anthony Calvillo, Smith has demonstrated other assets.
Poise, for one, as well as quick thinking and confidence.
“He’s shown an ability to adapt very, very quickly,” said head coach/general manager Jim Popp, who had been monitoring the 29-year-old Smith for several years before ultimately approaching him this spring.
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