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MONTREAL -- The Montreal Alouettes have undergone a rebuild in the off-season but only on one side of the ball -- the defence. Patrick Peterson Jersey. Being bounced in the East Division semifinal by Hamilton last fall after winning Grey Cups the previous two seasons prompted general manager Jim Popp to drop some veterans and bring new blood into the defence going into the 2012 campaign. "Weve gone through our 16 seasons (since the club returned to Montreal) making (the team) over a handful of times and what weve been fortunate to do is still win and participate in playoff games," Popp said Wednesday during a conference call. Gone are defensive linemen Anwar Stewart and Eric Wilson and linebacker Ramon Guzman, among others. And free-agent defensive back Mark Estelle has yet to sign. The moves came after the club finished second in the East behind the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with a 10-8 record, which would be considered a decent season by most teams, but not the Alouettes. And the defensive troubles last season were at least partly due to injuries that saw four of the five starters in the backfield as well as middle linebacker Shea Emry all miss a significant part of the season. The offence marched along as ever, with veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo becoming pro footballs career passing leader and Jamel Richardson and Brandon Whitaker leading the league in receiving and rushing yards, respectively. Fullback Kerry Carter was released and receiver Kerry Watkins retired, but Calvillo, who turns 40 in August, has announced hell be back. Most of the offence remains intact. "Football operations has been quite exciting this off-season, and challenging with some tough decisions weve had to make, to say the least," said Popp. "Weve had some coaching departures. "Weve had player changes. Some guys who have been with our club a few years have been let go due to some scheme changes." Coach Marc Trestman has a new offensive co-ordinator in Marcus Brady, replacing Scott Milanovich who is now the head coach in Toronto, and a new defensive co-ordinator in former Winnipeg head coach Jeff Reinebold. Trestman said he has no plans to cut back Calvillos playing time to rest his aging body or give backup Adrian McPherson extra snaps. "Were going to play Anthony as long as he wants to play and itll be up to him if we make any changes," said Trestman, back for a fifth season. "Well monitor his arm as we work through training camp. "Hell have minimal if any playing time in the pre-season and then well see how things go. As far as Anthony goes, hes got to get ready to play a season and this is the only season that matters. Well work together with him to make sure were doing the right things. We dont expect to operate any differently than we have in the past." There are several new defensive players but Trestman said returnees John Bowman, Moton Hopkins, J.P. Bekasiak and Daunte Akra have the starting jobs on the line going into camp. Guzmans work will mostly be handled by Emrys return and Bear Woods, who joined late last season. Jerald Brown, Dwight Anderson, Billy Parker and safety Etienne Boulay return in the secondary. Popp was most optimistic about a new crop of mostly American players he signed. "We have this negotiation list in the league and some years you might get one or two off that list, and other years you might hit the jackpot and get 10 or 15," he said. "We seem to have hit the jackpot this season. It seems to come at the right time with all the movement." They include defensive linemen Ventrell Jenkins and Tremaine Johnson, linebacker Kenny Ingram, running back Noel Devine and receiver Felton Huggins. The team also signed some strong veterans, including defensive lineman Aaron Hunt from British Columbia and linebacker Mark Restelli from Edmonton. They also got six-foot-three defensive back Kyries Hebert, a former CFL player who spent several years in the NFL. "He was a CFL player before he went to the NFL so he knows what its about," Popp said of Hebert. "Kyries contacted us and what attracted us was his versatility. "Hes played halfback, safety, middle linebacker and hes an outstanding special teams player. The first thing I liked is that he wants to be an Alouette." Carters departure may leave an opening for Patrick Lavoie, the Laval University fullback who was Montreals top draft pick, although it is unlikely that a rookie will step into a starting job. "He has the potential to come in and help (mainly) on special teams, in my opinion," said Popp. "Our offensive system is extremely complex. Well see how quick of a learner he is." Popp feels rather than being a former power in decline, the Alouettes were as much of a contender as ever last season despite their injuries on defence. But he felt it was time to make changes anyway. Keeping the club inside the salary cap was likely at least part of the motivation for cutting veterans, although Popp didnt mention that. "Any year we dont win the championship Im not very happy," he said. "We had a team even last year that had a chance to win it, but a lot had to happen. "Hamilton just beat us that day. Thats how I look at it." Brian Urlacher Jersey. Verlander beat out Boston first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and New York Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson for the Players Choice Award, announced Thursday. The only other pitcher to win it was Bostons Pedro Martinez in 1999. Sam Bradford Jersey. The 28-year-old centre signed a $16-million, four-year deal with Calgary on the second day of NHL free agency. Victor Cruz Jersey. The 49-year-old Ainge acquired All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in trades prior to last season. Those deals elevated Boston back into the elite class of the NBA, and helped the Celtics capture their NBA record 17th Championship in franchise history. Victor Cruz Jersey. The Rangers are the top seed in the East for the first time since they won their last Stanley Cup title in 1994, but New York was forced to stave off elimination in Game 6. Tony Gonzalez Jersey.65 million Canadians watched TSN and RDSs exclusive Grey Cup broadcast Sunday night, up five percent over last year. NEWARK, N.J. -- The Indiana Pacers finally found their shooting touch, and all it took was a little extra film work and a game against the skidding New Jersey Nets. Paul George scored 21 points and the Pacers shot a season-high 52.6 per cent in posting a 108-94 victory over the woeful Nets on Monday night. "We had a film session this morning and I pointed out that we needed to move the ball around," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "I knew the guys got the message because all I heard was Yup, yup, yup. I told them that were next to unbeatable when we share the ball, night in and night out. We shot well because we were sharing the ball. When you share the basketball and play for each other instead of yourself, you can be a pretty good team. Thats what we preached today." Indiana had not shot 40 per cent in its first four games. But the Pacers broke out of the slump against New Jersey, putting five players in double figures. They were outstanding from long range, hitting 13 of 21, or roughly 62 per cent. "In the NBA, its funny how the ball can find its way in there," Vogel said. "I think the number is a little misleading because we made shots when the game was out of reach. But there are times when you simply cant buy one, then others when it finds a way to go in." George was 8 of 10 from the field and hit all five of his three-pointers. He scored 17 points in the second half, including nine in the fourth quarter when the game was decided. "We were getting better looks and that led to better shots," George said. "We emphasized sharing the ball and it got easy because of that. We all bought into sharing the ball and looking for the open man. We turned good shots into great shots. We have a lot of good shooters on this team and if we can shoot the ball that way, were going to be a very good team." Danny Granger added 15 points and David West scored 13 as the Pacers won for the fourth time in five games and sent the Nets to their fifth straight loss. "Its a great start and when we get down to playing a lot of back-to-back games, winning like this on the road is huge," George said. "Its going to be a tough season, but we need other wins like this." Deron Williams scored 22 points and rookie MarShon Brooks added 21 for the Brooklyn-bound Nets, who have not led for a second in their two losses at the Prudential Center in their final season in New Jersey. Matt Ryan Jersey Williams gave Nets coach Avery Johnson a scare when he went down in the second quarter after being fouled on a drive to the basket by Tyler Hansbrough. Williams finished the game but it looked like he was having a tough time putting on his shirt after the game. "Im fine," he said an hour after the game. The Nets are already without centre Brook Lopez because of a broken foot. Power forward Kris Humphries missed the game because of a sore left shoulder. As has been the case most of the season, the Nets fell behind early and never recovered against the Pacers. "Were 1-5 and fortunately we have 60 more games," Johnson said. The Nets struggled on offence, hitting 37 per cent from the field and 25 per cent (7 of 28) from long range. "Were just missing good looks, open looks, missing shots they usually hit," Brooks said. "Well go through stretches where well start hitting those shots and then well be fine. Its not time to get down on ourselves. If we hit our shots, well be fine." Darren Collison opened the game with a three-pointer and a fadeaway jumper to stake the Pacers to a 5-0 lead. The Nets closed to 14-12 on a three-pointer by Brooks midway through the quarter but Granger hit a three-pointer, Roy Hibbert hit a hook in the lane and George Hill nailed another three-pointer after Williams hit a layup for New Jersey. Indiana led by eight after the first quarter and by six at the half. The Nets stayed within striking distance for most of the third quarter before the Pacers closed the period with a 12-4 run to take a 77-64 lead. Hibbert started the spurt with a layup, Granger hit a three-pointer and Tyler Hansbrough hit a baseline jumper for a 72-60 lead and the Nets never got close again. NOTES: Humphries is scheduled to have an MRI on his shoulder on Tuesday. He probably will not travel to Boston for a game on Wednesday, Johnson said. ... Georges career high is 23 points. ... Granger was the only Pacer to struggle from the field. He was 4 of 14. This game capped a six-game stretch in eight days for New Jersey. ' ' '