{"id":280112,"date":"2025-11-13T09:40:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T09:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/280112\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T09:40:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T09:40:13","slug":"linebacker-play-might-be-the-secret-to-winning-the-112th-grey-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/280112\/","title":{"rendered":"Linebacker play might be the secret to winning the 112th Grey Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

They won\u2019t take on each other in a head-to-head battle, but if one of \u00a0Montreal\u2019s Tyrice Beverette and Saskatchewan\u2019s A.J. Allen<\/a> outshines the other, the outcome will have a lot to say about who wins the 112th Grey Cup game, this Sunday at Princess Auto Stadium, in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n

As weak side linebackers, Beverette and Allen will each find themselves playing critical roles in stopping the opposition\u2019s offence.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s something each has done all year long. They\u2019ve noticed that in each other, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a hooper,\u201d said Allen of Beverette, invoking a basketball-related term of respect. \u201cHe\u2019s a really good football player. If you ask me, he was the best defensive player in the CFL this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a great player,\u201d offered Beverette of Allen. \u201cWhen the (All-CFL) came out, I for sure thought he was gonna be the one (pick for weak side linebacker) for the West.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"112th112th GREY CUP
\u00bb\u00a03 storylines that could define the 112th Grey Cup<\/a>
\u00bb Riders, Als manifested 112th Grey Cup appearance<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a03 strengths for each team in the 112th Grey Cup<\/a>
\u00bb 3 reasons why\u00a0<\/a>Trevor Harris<\/a>,\u00a0<\/a>Davis Alexander<\/a>\u00a0will lead team to victory<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0KPMG Playoff Probability: Who will win the 112th Grey Cup?<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

LB A.J. Allen spoke to the media in Winnipeg ahead of the 112th Grey Cup (Thomas Skrlj\/CFL.ca)<\/p>\n

Check the 2025 regular season numbers and you see two linebackers who wound up right beside each other, tied for sixth in the CFL in total defensive plays, with 109 each.<\/p>\n

Even in categories where one beat the other, the numbers ended up being close.<\/p>\n

Beverette, named an All-CFL linebacker for the second year in a row, got the better of Allen in interceptions and forced fumbles (4-3 in each category) and in sacks (7-4), while Allen, the Roughriders\u2019 team nominee for Most Outstanding Canadian, finished ahead in knockdowns (5-3), tackles-for-loss (3-1) and in defensive tackles (87-83).<\/p>\n

So. Not much to choose between the two.<\/p>\n

Their teammates love them. In particular, the middle linebackers, working tightly together with them as they do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the main thing is that we see things the same way a lot,\u201d said Saskatchewan\u2019s All-CFL middle linebacker Jameer Thurman<\/a>, explaining the comfort that he has in partnering with Allen, whether it be on the field or in the film room.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis intelligence and smarts of the game is one of his biggest attributes,\u201d Thurman added. \u201cHe\u2019s taking his game to the next level every single week and it shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Montreal, middle linebacker Darnell Sankey<\/a> has been working alongside Beverette for nearly three seasons, now, after Sankey joined the team midway though the 2023 campaign.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve been hand-in-glove since.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s good at everything he does,\u201d gushed Sankey. \u201cHe can drop into the post. He can drop into the deep third. He can rush the passer, he can hit, he can tackle. He\u2019s extremely athletic, so he can play multiple positions on our defence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think that\u2019s kind of what makes him great.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 30-year-old Beverette is confident in his ability no matter how the Als deploy him, just as Sankey said. Beverette did play safety in college, and in the defensive backfield in the pros, before moving up to the linebacker position with Montreal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just bring a different dynamic to the game, whether it\u2019s coming off the edge, whether it\u2019s sitting in the middle of the field or playing in the post,\u201d said Beverette, asked to put himself under a microscope.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I can do more than just one thing, you know? More than just what the traditional linebacker can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

For his part, the 27-year-old Allen reacted to a request for self-analysis with broader strokes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m an opportunist, right? Not only am I taking opportunities that come to me, but I\u2019m also trying to create situations, to create opportunities for me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Allen\u2019s coach, Corey Mace, painted a picture of a player who \u2014 in his first year as a starter \u2014 is bringing an even temperament and game-changing physicality to the position. That\u2019s something any coach can appreciate.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t seem to panic,\u201d said Mace. \u201cEverything\u2019s really patient in the way he plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a physical force, and he\u2019s got a knack for the football, whether it\u2019s in the air or, you know, punching it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

LB Tyrice Beverette was one of the players available at Grey Cup Media Day in Winnipeg (Thomas Skrlj\/CFL.ca)<\/p>\n

Both Beverette and Allen played the full slate of 18 regular season games in 2025, with Beverette completing his fourth straight season without missing a game.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a marvel to Montreal head coach Jason Maas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen him dislocate a finger, come off, get it put back in and go right back in,\u201d said Maas. \u201cThat\u2019s the kind of toughness he has and displays. I know he plays with things (injuries) and it doesn\u2019t even matter to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can do everything for us,\u201d added Maas, \u201cbut more than anything, he\u2019s there for us each and every week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week, in the Eastern Final, Beverette rang up six defensive tackles and another on special teams. In the Western Final, Allen had more modest numbers, with two tackles.<\/p>\n

However, he sacked BC quarterback Nathan Rourke<\/a> on a second-and-three from the Lions\u2019 43-yard line, with just 90 seconds to go, forcing a BC punt.<\/p>\n

The Roughriders drove for the winning touchdown on the heels of that play.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s making impact plays often,\u201d said Allen of Beverette, \u201cand that\u2019s something that we are comparable with. I think I\u2019m also a guy that\u2019s around the football often making impact plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is. They are.<\/p>\n

And on Sunday, both Tyrice Beverette and A.J. Allen<\/a> will try to maybe make one more big play than their counterpart will.<\/p>\n

One of them could very well tip the scales from loss to win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"They won\u2019t take on each other in a head-to-head battle, but if one of \u00a0Montreal\u2019s Tyrice Beverette and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280113,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-280112","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}