Öffentlich » the new guy or Ive been here five years, I

MONTREAL -- Dan Hawkins likes the idea of starting his Canadian Football League coaching career with a winner. Vans Sk8-Hi Shoes For Sale . But the veteran U.S. university coach has a tough act to follow on the Montreal Alouettes in Marc Trestman, who left after five seasons and two Grey Cup titles to become head coach of the Chicago Bears in the NFL. "We may come wrapped in a different cloth, but deep down inside were very similar when it comes to our feeling of what football is about and what the culture of a successful organization is," Hawkins said Friday on a conference call. "It doesnt matter if Im the new guy or Ive been here five years, I always think the same way, that we can continue to improve and chase greatness." Since the Alouettes returned to Montreal after a 10-year hiatus in 1996, first-year coaches have mostly done well. Dave Ritchie in 1997 went 13-5, Charlie Taaffe in 1999 was 12-6, Don Matthews in 2002 went 13-5 and won a Grey Cup, while Trestman was 11-7 as a CFL rookie. Of course, this was on a team that has had winning records every year in that period except 2007 (8-10), when general manager Jim Popp took over in a transition year, and 2001 (9-9) under Rod Rust and Popp. "The reason that happens is that you win as an organization," said Hawkins. "It takes everyone. "Everyone wants to point at the head coach and understandably so, but there are so many other factors. Jim sets the tone and brings the players in. To me, if you look at the first-year success, thats a real trademark and credit to the organization because thats the culture, the situation, that a new person walks into." Hawkins said he was impressed with the level of talent he saw both at a recent mini-camp in Orlando, Fla., and on the tapes hes watched of an Alouette team that went 11-7 in the regular season in 2012, but then lost at home to Toronto in the East Division final. He starts out with the leagues all-time passing leader at quarterback in Anthony Calvillo, although the 40-year-old is coming off surgery to fix a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. Theres a tall and talented group of receivers led by S.J. Green and Jamel Richardson and bolstered by the acquisition of veteran Arland Bruce. And they have perhaps the leagues best offensive line. The defence has some question marks, particularly on the line, but it is special teams that will likely need the most improvement after an often grim 2012 campaign. But Hawkins was most impressed with his players work habits and attention to detail at the mini-camp, especially among the veterans. "Theres a tremendous level of talent, experience and leadership," he said. "Theyve won at the highest level. "You can have all the talent in the world, but if you dont have the right culture, youre going to struggle." Like Trestman before him, Hawkins came to Canada with no experience of the 12-man game. Trestmans adaptation took less than a season. It remains to be seen how Hawkins adapts to a new game and a new country. "We keep using a saying here: blessed are the flexible because theyll never be bent out of shape," he said. "Everything is new. "Thats part of the beauty of it -- its football here, but its a whole different brand of football." An new staff of assistants join Hawkins for his first season, including assistant head coach and offensive co-ordinator Mike Miller, who has been doing most of the off-season work with Calvillo on shaping the attack for 2013. Meanwhile, Popp brought in an experienced backup in former Hamilton Tiger-Cat Quinton Porter. Other veterans signed included defensive backs Byron Parker and Geoff Tisdale, and running back Jerome Messam. Also in camp will be NFL veteran running back Dominic Rhodes, who won a Super Bowl with Indianapolis in 2007. But Popp denied angling to bring popular and oft-debated former Denver and New York Jets pivot Tim Tebow to Montreal, which holds his CFL rights. "I can report Ive never had a conversation with him or his agent and I really dont expect to unless I hear them say they have interest in coming to our team," said Popp. "So theres nothing new on that front." Calvillo cant last forever, although hes giving it a good try, and the Alouettes know they will need to find his successor one day. The battle in camp will be between Porter, returning third-stringer Josh Nieswander and a Canadian, former McMaster star pivot Kyle Quinlan. "We try to have a plan every year,"said Popp. "When the day comes that the star quarterbacks not the guy any more, whether he retires or injuries force him out, you really dont know what you have until the other guy starts playing. "When they get their chance, thats when you find out whether they can do it." He likes all three candidates. "Porters had some very big games against the Montreal Alouettes," he said. "Nieswander is a smart, intelligent guy. "Quinlan is very intriguing. He throws a (deep pass) like Ricky Ray does. And its abnormal. And he can really do it well. He drops the ball right in. Thats exciting. It will be fun to see them compete in camp and see where it goes. Quinlan will get a lot more reps. Hes coming to camp to compete for a job." The club will start camp with two players still recovering from off-season surgery. Rookie fullback Patrick Lavoie had a ruptured disc fixed while defensive back Seth Williams had ankle surgery. Vans Shoes Outlet . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Vans Old Skool White . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. http://www.vansshoesclearancesale.com/va...skool-sale.html . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Clayton Custer scored 19 points, and Loyola-Chicago held off a second-half Washington State rally for an 88-79 victory Monday in the fifth-place game at the Paradise Jam tournament.Aundre Jackson and Donte Ingram added 17 points each, and Milton Doyle had 14 for the Ramblers (5-1), who led 38-30 at the half and pulled ahead by as many as 15 points midway through the second half.Coach (Porter Moser) puts a big emphasis on finding ways to win, Custer said. No matter how it looks, no matter if its ugly or not, we make sure we find ways to win. But we always felt like we were in a comfortable place.Josh Hawkinson scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half for the Cougars (3-2), who fought back to pull within five, 81-76, with 41.9 seconds remaining.But Loyola-Chicago hit 5 of 6 free throws over a 20-second span to push its lead back to double digits.Ike Iroegbu scored 19 points, Conor Clifford 12, and Charlles Callison and Malachi Flynn 10 each for Washington State. Vans Shoes Clearance Sale. It was the start -- the ball didnt go down offensively, Cougars coach Ernie Kent said. Then we kinda lost our intensity, and they took control of the game on their end.BIG PICTURELoyola-Chicago: Even with only three players of 6-foot-8 or taller, the Ramblers were only outrebounded by Washington State by one board (33-32), which has the 6-10 Hawkinson and 7-foot Clifford as starters.Washington State: The Cougars hurt themselves with turnovers, especially in the first half. Washington State had 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes and 19 for the game, leading to 24 Loyola-Chicago points.UP NEXTLoyola-Chicago: Plays fellow Paradise Jam entrant NC State on Saturday in Raleigh, North Carolina.Washington State: Faces San Jose State at home Sunday. Wholeslae Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap Baseball Jerseys ' ' '