MONTREAL - Former coach Marc Trestman always had a slogan for the season, but the one for new coach Tom Higgins for the 2014 campaign ought to be Better Late Than Never. Nine days after the Alouettes announced the veteran Higgins as their new head coach, he finally met with the media in the teams Olympic Stadium locker-room and introduced his coaching staff on Thursday. The Alouettes are a couple of months behind the rest of the Canadian Football League in getting their staff settled, but at last it is in place. Higgins named former CFL quarterback Rick Worman as offensive co-ordinator, former Edmonton and Calgary coach Kris Sweet as offensive line coach and ex-Toronto Argonauts coach Greg Quick as linebackers coach. He also brought in two former Alouettes, Andre Bolduc and Anwar Stewart, as quality control coaches for the offence and defence respectively. Jean-Vincent Posy-Audette, who worked with Bolduc at the University of Sherbrooke, was named a defensive and special teams assistant. The rest of the staff, including defensive co-ordinator and assistant head coach Noel Thorpe, had already been retained by general manager Jim Popp, who stepped in as head coach when Dan Hawkins was fired five games into the 2013 campaign. They will have less than three months to prepare for the start of training camp. Its a challenge for Worman, a former offensive co-ordinator with the Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, to set up an offensive system and work out who will be the starting the quarterback. With Anthony Calvillo retired, the club will need a new starter for the first time since 2000, with 2006 Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and the inexperienced Tanner Marsh as the leading candidates. "To be honest, I havent spent a lot of time evaluating them yet," said Worman, who has worked with CFL veterans pivots Ricky Ray and Khari Jones, among others. "I saw them a minor amount of time on (U.S. television). "The biggest thing they have to be is consistent — get rid of their mindset of following Anthony and just focus on what they do. Theres no magic formula. My job will be to match up what they do well for them to be successful." Popp has said Smith is the frontrunner, but Worman said the decision on the opening game starter will be made after camp and the teams two pre-season games. They also have former Winnipeg quarterback Alex Brink in the mix. "Everyones going to get lots of reps, so its not important at this time to say who is and who isnt (the starter)," said Worman. "If thats what Jim wanted to say, thats fine, but it doesnt matter to me. "Neither is an established, proven quarterback in the CFL." Higgins also named himself as special teams co-ordinator, a job he did for nine years with Calgary. He will be aided by Posy-Audette and Bolduc. "When youre special teams, you get to coach the whole team," said Higgins. "So theres some merit to that. "Its so much a part of the fabric of the CFL because of the three downs. You need a solid foundation for your kicking, and youre not giving lip service when the head coach is the guy thats responsible." Alouettes owner Bob Wetenhall and his management team took their time after last season, when they went 8-10 and were beaten in the East Division semifinal, to decide whether to keep Popp in the dual role of GM and coach or to find a new coach. Wetenhall finally decided to have Popp concentrate on what hes best at _ finding talent. Now the new staff has to get to know their players in a hurry. "To me its not about the time issue, its what they do from now to training camp," said centre Luc Brodeur-Jourdain. "The good thing is weve been able to re-sign all our veterans and (the coaches) can get feedback from them. "Its on them now to settle everything about training camps, playbooks and the first part of the season. And we have a challenge in Montreal that most teams dont have. We have to move every day to get to practice facilities. That takes half an hour off of our 4.5 hours (daily working time limit). So we have to be sharper and more accurate in everything we do than any other team in the league." The Alouettes veteran offensive line will also have to get to know Sweet, who reportedly was unpopular with his players on previous CFL stops, although his line helped Calgary win a Grey Cup in 2008 and led Joffrey Reynolds to a rushing title. "I heard he was pretty intense as an O-line coach, but the Montreal Alouettes O-line group has a lot of veterans," said Brodeur-Jourdain. "We always took a lot of pride in being intense and very accurate in everything we do. "I think hell come to realize were passionate about what we do, and even if stuff happens in a game, even if it gets intense, were all adults and we can deal with it." Returning from last season are quarterbacks coach Ryan Dinwiddie, receivers coach Erik Campbell, running backs coach Mark Speckman and defensive line coach Keith Willis. wholesale jerseys online .com) - Bradley Beal deposited a season-high 33 points and John Wall posted another double-double as the Washington Wizards went on the road and beat the Houston Rockets, 104-103. wholesale nfl jerseys .C. -- The RBC Cups semifinal participants were decided by a pair of overtime games. http://www.wholesalejerseyschinagate.com/ . -- The Windsor Spitfires were left with just one goaltender Tuesday after having their starter walk out on them midway through Game 3 of their Ontario Hockey League playoff matchup with the London Knights. wholesale jerseys .C. United on Saturday night and boost the Unions playoff hopes. Nick DeLeon scored in the 36th minute for United (3-23-6), which had ample opportunities to build on its lead but went its 10th straight match without a victory. wholesale jerseys outlet .Y. - Lou Williams scored 21 points and the Toronto Raptors beat New York 81-76 on Monday night in the Knicks preseason home opener.St. Paul, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Ray Emery made 22 saves and five different players recorded a goal, as Philadelphia claimed a 5-2 victory over Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center. Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Vincent Lecavalier and Michael Raffl all lit the lamp for the Flyers, who won three straight for the first time since early November to start an eight-game road trip. Marco Scandella and Charlie Coyle tallied for the Wild, who have dropped four straight games. Darcy Kuemper, pressed into duty for Niklas Backstrom after he suffered an undisclosed injury, stopped 25 shots in the setback. Down 3-2, the Wild might have been cheated out of a tying goal with 1:28 gone in the third. Zach Parises second try from the left side along the goal line was ruled to have eluded Emery but only after the net was dislodged at the far post by a collision between Philly defenseman Andrew MacDonald and Minnesota forward Jason Pominville. Replay seemed to suggest neither post was noticeably off its moorings. That reprieve galvanized the Flyers, who went up 4-2 at 5:29 after Lecavalier redirected a MacDonald shot from the left side of the crease. Minnesota had another potential score inside of three minutes remaining waved off due to a high stick, when Thomas Vanek was ruled to have clearly touched the puck illegally with his blade well above his head. Raffl hit thhe empty net with 29 seconds to play thanks to Jakub Voracek -- who extended his NHL-leading point total to 46 with the primary assist.dddddddddddd Couturier picked up a failed clear in the right circle, moved wide and then slipped a pass into the crease intended for R.J. Umberger, who didnt even touch it as it deflected off a Wild players skate and slid past Kuemper at 7:16 of the opening period. Giroux pounced on a Luke Schenn rebound and popped it home from the left side to make it 2-0 at 9:33, but 30 seconds later the Wild halved their deficit on a Scandella blast from the left point. Philly committed back-to-back penalties early in the second and Minnesota cashed in at 3:43 when Coyle deflected a Pominville drive while gliding between the circles. The visitors took a 3-2 lead with 4:38 remaining in the period as Simmonds picked the far corner from the right wing. Game Notes The Orange and Black hadnt taken three straight since Nov. 4-8, and hadnt won three in a row on the road since Feb. 1-March 2, 2014 a span interrupted by the Olympic break ... Prior to the game, the Wild recalled goaltender John Curry from Iowa of the American Hockey League under emergency conditions ... Both teams are off until Saturday, when Philadelphia goes back out on the road in Nashville and Minnesota hosts Winnipeg. ' ' '