As consolation prizes go, being named the East Division’s most outstanding defensive player isn’t so bad, Tyrice Beverette admitted.
But the disappointment in the Alouettes linebacker’s voice was palpable knowing that, even after the best season of his career, he wasn’t the division finalist as the CFL’s most outstanding player. That distinction went to Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who passed for a league-leading 5,451 yards and 32 touchdowns, but also was intercepted a league-high 18 times while playing for a last-place team that finished with a 7-11 record.
“I’m trying not to think about it too much,” Beverette told The Gazette this week after practice at St-Léonard’s Stade Hébert. “My whole life since college I’ve felt like, especially being on the defensive side, you’re not going to get the credit you deserve, especially when you’re up against an offensive player.
“In football, in any sport, they like to see points, like to see excitement. Any time it’s an offensive guy you’re competing against, you have to do a lot more than he did. I knew that.”
Beverette, 29, did plenty this season. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound boundary linebacker had 102 tackles, five sacks, four forced fumbles, one recovery and intercepted two passes. He also made nine special teams tackles and was involved in a CFL-leading 137 defensive plays.
On Thursday, he and safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy were the only two Montreal players named league all stars.
No defensive player has been named the league’s MOP since B.C. linebacker Solomon Elimimian in 2014. Quarterbacks have captured the award 17 times since 2000, including each of the last three seasons. Beverette goes against Saskatchewan defensive-back Rolan Milligan Jr., who had 71 tackles and intercepted a league-high eight passes.
Voting was conducted by select members of the Football Reporters of Canada in each CFL city, a national panel and the league’s head coaches. Montreal defensive-end Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund (outstanding Canadian) and head coach Jason Maas also are division finalists. Winners will be announced Nov. 14 during Grey Cup week in Vancouver.
Beverette said he was hoping to be a double award finalist.
“It definitely was in the back of my mind to accomplish this thing,” he said. “But that’s not everything. We’ve still got a championship in front of us. I’m still up for defensive player of the year. Hopefully there’s no surprise there.”
The Als are preparing to host Toronto in Saturday afternoon’s division final (3 p.m.) at Molson Stadium. And while the final outstanding player award ballots have been cast, Beverette has another opportunity to show his value — not only to the media but fans across the league.
“I’ll perform how I perform and leave (the voting) up to them,” he said. “At the end of the day, those types of things don’t define me. While doing all this I’m going to do it within the game plan, within what the team has planned. I’m not going to go out there and just do my own thing so I can look good. Hopefully I’ll make a few game-changing plays like I did in the past.”
Not only will the Als be facing an Argonauts team that scored 58 points against Ottawa in last Saturday’s division semifinal, Toronto defeated Montreal twice in three games this season, scoring 37 points both times. On Sept. 28 at Toronto, the Argos rushed for 234 yards, part of their 517 yards of net offence.
“Everybody knows what you’re going to get out of us,” Beverette said. “We’re a physical team. We’re going to play hard. Most of us have been here before in these types of games. I feel like when we get to these high-stakes games we perform and show up. That’s what we expect. We know what we’re capable of. If we’re ourselves, go out there and play physical, we should be in for a good one.”
The Als clinched first place in the division at the end of September, before taking the field against Toronto, and lost three of their last four despite a CFL-best 12-5-1 record. Instead, it’s the Argos who seemingly have the momentum this week. Last season, Montreal won its final eight games, including the playoffs and Grey Cup.
“It’s a different scenario but the same mindset,” Beverette said. “Last year we were the hunters. This year, what confused a lot of people, we’re still the hunters. Just because they portray us as being No. 1, we don’t settle for that. We know what we want. We still have the hunting mindset.
“If we come out and execute, we shouldn’t have a problem.”
Note: Receiver Austin Mack didn’t practise on Thursday. Maas said he was receiving treatment but is expected to play.