Montreal Alouettes kick off a new season

The Montreal Alouettes kick off a new season tonight and, for the first time in a several years, there is a sense ofoptimism around the team.

The team has been in a steady decline since Brian Bratton dropped an Anthony Calvillo pass in the end zone late in the fourthquarter to lose the 2012 Eastern Conference final.

In 2015the Alouettes hit an all-time low, playing to a 6-12 record and missing the playoffs for the first time since relocating to Montreal from Baltimore.

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Three head coaches and more than half dozen starting quarterbacks later the team now looks to have a clear direction heading into the 2016 campaign.

Quarterback Shuffle

Anthony Calvillo was an all-time great, so perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that finding a long-term replacement for him at quarterback has been difficult.

Since Calvillo played his last snap the pivot position has been a rotating door:Josh Neiswander, Tanner Marsh, Troy Smith, Jonathan Crompton, Alex Brink, Rakeem Cato, Brandon Bridge and Kevin Glennhave all started games.

Thatinconsistency and inexperience has handcuffed Montreal's once-potent offence.

This year the Alouettes are opting not to gamble at the position with an inexperienced player. Kevin Glenn, a 12-year veteran, is the starter coming into week one.

At 37 years old Glenn isn't a long-term solution for the team, but he knows the game and that experience should allow Montreal's talented receiving core led by S.J. Green and Duron Carter to shine.

With Glenn at starter the club has also bought itself time to develop younger quarterbacks Vernon Adams, Rakeem Cato and Brandon Bridge.

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Anthony Calvilloisnow coaching the offence for the team and the hope is one of those three will learn from him and emerge as the club's leader moving forward.

Offensive line reboot

The Montreal Alouettes lost a key piece of their offence when all-star left tackle Josh Bourke signed with the Toronto Argos as a free agent this off-season.

To replace Bourke general manager and head coach Jim Popp is turning to his 2014 draft pick Jacob Ruby. Ruby is a big body sixfeet seven inches tall and 315 pounds but he is still untested as a starter.

But Ruby isn't the only change on Montreal's offensive line. The team is also turning to rookie Philippe Gagnon from Laval University to jump in as a starter.

"This guy is pro-ready, that's why we drafted him," saidPopp. "There is not a lot of them who can come right in and start, but he's got the temperament ...he plays like he's a ten-year vet"

Defensive Force

The Alouettes defence, led by coordinator Noel Thorpe, has been the one consistent bright spot for the team in recent years.

On the field veteran players Chip Cox, John Bowman, Bear Woods and Marc-Olivier Brouillette will once again lead the way.

The big addition to the squad is Vaughn Martin at defensive tackle. Martin is a Jamaican-born Canadian who played university football at Western for the Mustangs.

In 2009 he was drafted into the NFL by the San Diego Chargers and has spent the last sevenyears playing south of the border.

"Vaughn grew up playing the Canadian game so there is not much adaptation for him," said Thorpe. "We're excited to have him."

The only point of concern on defence is at the cornerback position. The team decided to part ways with veterans Mitchell White and Dominique Ellis in favour of unprovenrookies Jonathan Mincy and Ethan Davis.