Calvillo is such a believer in the magic touch Suter possesses he flew him to Winnipeg - at an estimated expense of $1,500 shouldered by the quarterback - last November for the Grey Cup. Although the Als lost the championship game to British Columbia, Calvillo has continued visiting Suter every week or two throughout the winter, willingly paying Suter's hourly rate of $125 so his body operates like the engine of a finely tuned car.

"I come in and tell him what's wrong. And he fixes it," Calvillo explained on a recent visit to Suter's Quanta Performance Evolution clinic in Dollard des Ormeaux for a sore back. Following an hour on the table, during which Suter poked and probed various parts of Calvillo's body, the 34-year-old veteran said he felt like a new man.

With the start of training camp only two months away, and Calvillo now beginning to throw in earnest with another season around the corner, he'll continue his regular excursions to the West Island.

"I wouldn't be here if it didn't work," Calvillo said. "I swear by this. When I get off the table, things feel brand new. It's truly amazing how you feel.

"This will prolong my career, without a doubt."

Suter is a specialist in muscle-activation techniques.

Basically, he identifies bio-mechanical problems in the body that are the root cause of pain.

He then rebalances the body by reactivating dormant muscles.

Suter uses the same techniques on Calvillo as he would anyone else requiring his services, all to ensure his clients perform to the peak of their abilities. He and his partner, Dev Chatterjee, see pro athletes - including other Alouettes players and boxers - junior hockey players and dancers.

Although Suter no longer works with the Als, nobody within the organization has complained to him or Calvillo, who will receive daily treatment from the team once the season begins and who, like his teammates, was put on a club-imposed and monitored running and weight-training program this winter.

"I look at a person's body to find the restrictions that lead to weaknesses," Suter explained. "I try to stimulate weak muscles to work more efficiently, using all the muscles to improve the range and quality of movement. We look for the root cause of a problem.

"And, when you charge $125 per hour, you better have results."

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Calvillo has proven remarkably resilient over his 13-year CFL career, the last nine in Montreal. Indeed, he hasn't missed a game for physical reasons since 2001. Earlier in his career, however, he had a nagging problem with a hamstring, which usually forced him to miss a game or two each season. In 2003, based on the techniques he was starting to learn, Suter "guaranteed" Calvillo he would never again pull his hamstring - and the therapist has been true to his word.

"When you have somebody who can take care of your body at the pro level, and you have confidence come game day, it's a huge benefit for a player," Calvillo said. "I'm always looking to maintain my body. If he can keep me healthy, I'll continue seeing him. As I get older, things don't heal as fast.

"I've been lucky and haven't had too many injuries throughout my career. A lot has to do with what Scott does and my workout program."

Calvillo never will be confused with Michael Vick, the multi-

dimensional Atlanta Falcons quarterback, when it comes to mobility. And anyone who has seen Calvillo without his shirt on probably believes he has never lifted a weight in earnest. But Calvillo doesn't feel there's any need to increase the size of his upper body, although admitting he'd like to improve his strength. Calvillo knows his body better than anyone and understands how to prepare for the season on an annual basis.

Suter, however, told Calvillo this winter to strengthen the muscles around the scapula - the two large, flat, triangular bones forming the back part of the shoulder - believing it was one of the weaknesses of his body. Suter said that would help strengthen Calvillo's rotator cuff. And the rotator cuff is the bread and butter of any quarterback.

"I definitely don't throw as far as I did a few years back," Calvillo admitted. "But for me, as a quarterback, accuracy is the biggest thing. I feel the strength's still there."

Suter learned muscle-activation techniques from Greg Roskopf, a therapist who works with the National Football League's Denver Broncos. The New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders all have therapists trained in the program, and Suter believes the day will come when every NFL club has such specialists.

Calvillo, like virtually every other CFL quarterback, performed below expectations in 2006. For the first time in five seasons, he failed to pass for 5,000 yards. Nonetheless, he still was the league's second-leading pivot, but threw for a modest 4,714 yards along with 20 touchdowns, his lowest total since 2001. There was some thought that Calvillo and others struggled with the design alterations of the league's ball, while the player's critics simply accused him of being past his prime.

Neither factor had anything to do with Calvillo's decreased statistics, according to Suter. Although Calvillo's shoulder generally is off-limits to Suter during the season, he allowed the therapist to work on it during the Alouettes' six-game losing streak that ultimately cost head coach Don Matthews his job.

Suter made a startling discovery - Calvillo's shoulder mechanics were distorted during the slump; his motion and rotation were lacking. Calvillo lacked range in his throwing arm, and was bending the elbow farther back to gain range, compensating for the problem. The entire throwing process, Suter explained, was significantly jammed up. Calvillo couldn't extend his arm and was bending it too severely to throw. That led to his shoulder giving him elbow pain.

Calvillo was put on a strength program to isolate the weaknesses in the muscles, and feels his shoulder is looser now. Suter believes the mechanics in Calvillo's arm are now significantly better.

What will that translate to this season? Suter isn't certain, especially with the belief the Alouettes will run the ball more under new offensive coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille. But when Calvillo does throw, Suter said, the possibilities are endless.

"He'll have a stronger arm and throw better," Suter said. "He'll throw well. This year, I really believe his distance and arm strength will improve."

And the therapist, as Calvillo will attest, has never been wrong before. Guaranteed.