Tyrice Beverette had demonstrated in 2023 how formidable a defender he was.
This season, he has risen to the elite of the Canadian Football League and his nomination as the Alouettes’ MVP and defensive player of the Montreal team came as no surprise.
The 29-year-old linebacker ranks fourth in the CFL with 98 tackles, including eight for losses, and has added seven on special teams. He also has four sacks, two interceptions and four forced fumbles. He has 132 defensive plays, which gives him the lead in the Ambrosie league heading into the final week of play.
“I don’t think anyone is surprised by this nomination. I’ve been here for a year and a half and he could have been our player of the game after each one of them,” praised head coach Jason Maas after Wednesday’s practice at Hébert Stadium in Saint-Léonard.
“He’s a remarkable player. He flies around the field. He’s a threat on every play, whether it’s getting to the quarterback behind his line of scrimmage, hitting opposing players on the field, or on special teams. He does a little bit of everything for us and is everywhere on the field. His skills and toughness show on every play. He’s exactly what we want an Alouette to be.”
Beverette was a unanimous choice for the Alouettes’ MVP award, a title that historically goes to an attacking player.
“It says a lot [about my season] I think, because I did my research and it’s only gone to a defensive player once,” Beverette said of Solomon Elimimian’s 2014 honor.
“But I don’t dwell too much on these kinds of honours, because as I told my teammates earlier, this title means nothing if we don’t go for the championship.”
Beverette did, however, agree to take some credit for the exceptional season he has just had.
“I don’t know if I had a better season than last year, because I tend to forget my games as soon as they are over,” he admitted. “I would say, however, that mentally, I have improved, that I now understand this defense better.”
Cantin-Arku among the candidates
Beverette is part of a group of five players who were recognized for their work. Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund (Most Outstanding Canadian Player), Pier-Olivier Lestage (Offensive Lineman) and James Letcher Jr. (Most Outstanding Special Teams Player) were also selected, as was Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, the Alouettes’ Most Outstanding Rookie this season.
“You’re talking about a guy who took advantage of his opportunity and got better week by week,” Maas said of Cantin-Arku, the Alouettes’ first-overall pick in the last draft.
“He’s been absorbing the playbook since Day 1 and has continued to get better. He’s got a bright future ahead of him and he’s a great guy to be around. He’s just fit right into our group. You can tell he loves the game of football and we really enjoy having him around.”
Much like Lou Gehrig took advantage of Wally Pipp’s injury to establish himself as the first sack player for the New York Yankees in the 1920s, Cantin-Arku took advantage of linebacker Tyrrell Richards’ injury to establish himself in Montreal.
“It’s certain that Tyrrell’s injury at the beginning of the season helped me see a lot of ground quickly at the beginning of the season. I was able to progress quickly, I’m happy about that,” said Cantin-Arku. […] What I’m most proud of is my involvement as a quarterback chaser.”
The players were selected by CFL head coaches and members of the Football Writers Association of Canada (FWAC). The Eastern finalists will be announced next week. The winners will be honoured at the CFL’s annual gala on November 14, in conjunction with the Grey Cup.
Vancouver: a match to forget
Despite these celebrations, it was impossible to ignore the Alouettes’ poor performance last Saturday, when they lost 27-3 to the BC Lions.
Maas, however, believes that the score does not clearly indicate the pace of the match.
“The score was the most disappointing aspect of this game,” he said. “We never want to lose, no matter what conditions we play our games in. People were talking about our short four-day week, but the expectations were the same on our side.
“When we looked at the game, there were only four plays that made a difference,” continued the head coach. “We’re 0 for 3 inside the Lions’ 2-yard line. On those three plays, we’re only going to get three points, which is very disappointing. If you score three touchdowns on those plays, which is what you would expect, it’s now 27-21.
“Then on the first drive of the second half, Cole [Spieker] misses a touchdown with his fingertips. So it’s 28-27 with four plays we should have made. That’s the most disappointing part. Otherwise, I liked everything about this game from all three of our phases of play.”
The Alouettes (12-4-1) will end their season by hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-7), who are trying to finish first in the West, Saturday at Percival-Molson Stadium.
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