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Former CFL and NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia is the new quarterback coach in Montreal

The Montreal Alouettes have fired Erik Campbell as receivers coach, naming Turk Schonert to the post a week less than two weeks after he joined the team as a consultant.

Campbell was in his second year with the team. With Troy Smith struggling as the starting quarterback, the 1-5 Alouettes do not have a player in the top 20 in the CFL in receiving yards. Kenny Stafford is 22nd with 16 catches for 202 yards.

"This decision has been made in the best interest of the football team," Alouettes head coach Tom Higgins said in a prepared statement. "Turk has done a great job since he joined our staff and we look forward to having him work closely with our talented receiving corps."

The Alouettes also announced that former NFL and CFL all-star quarterback Jeff Garcia has been named the team's quarterback coach while former CFL quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie is the new offensive co-ordinator afte taking the role on an interim basis after Rick Worman was fired during training camp.

The trio will debut in their new roles when the Alouettes travel to Saskatchewan to face the Roughriders on Saturday.

Despite a spirited comeback, Montreal saw their losing streak extended to four games in a 33-23 loss to Edmonton over the weekend. The Alouettes trailed by 22-points at halftime.

The Alouettes rank dead last in Total Offence and Passing Yards this season, having scored a league-low 98 points in six games.

Smith is last in quarterback stats among the CFL's primary starting pivots, having completed just 47-per-cent of his passes for a league low 989 yards. Following the Edmonton game, Smith acknowledged that it might be time to turn the offence over to another starter.

"We need to win games, and if it's somebody else that can help us out, then that's the way to go," said Smith, who has started all six games for Montreal this season. "I've prepared for the worse, and hope for the best. The whole time I'm here, I'll continue to do that. There are multiple guys on your team for a reason."

Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report

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