One of the consequences of the changes made by the management of the Alouettes to the coaching staff of the Montreal football club is that linebacker Tyrell Richards will now see his responsibilities increased.
The player selected in the first round of the last Canadian Football League draft has been used mainly on special teams since the start of the season. All that will now change.
The ex-Syracuse University Orangemen starred through plenty of reps as an inside linebacker with the first defensive unit in Tuesday’s practice.
Richards is now ready to take the leap. Both his teammates in defense and Maciocia praised his game. “It’s not up to me to decide that, but to the coaches, humbly indicated the noh 42. I just have to make sure I’m ready. If I’m asked to play [en défense], I have to shine and show what I can do. »
“We are working very hard, the coaches and I, so that I am ready. I think I am as ready as I can be,” he added.
“When you’re a rookie, you have to prove yourself as quickly as possible: it’s his game to do it,” said safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy. Since the start of camp, we have built our trust with Tyrell. He’s been told to play fast, and if he’s going to make a mistake, then he’s got to do it by giving 100%. »
If he’s not used as a starter against the Edmonton Elks on Thursday, he will still be used on many occasions, promised general manager and new head coach Danny Maciocia.
“I don’t know if he’s going to start the game, but he’s going to play,” he said. He is our first choice, he is a very good young player, who wants to learn. He is a player with whom we want to invest time. He will have his say, whether it’s Thursday or for the rest of the Alouettes’ 2022 season. […] I think he was a youngster who was ready to come out of training camp. »
The six-foot-four, 218-pound colossus has three special teams tackles and two more on defense so far this season. These numbers are expected to increase significantly over the coming weeks.
The 23-year-old Ontarian had a stellar college career, including being named the special teams MVP in his last campaign south of the border. Convinced from the evaluation camp that Richards would be the best athlete available at the draft, Maciocia had to work for six weeks to convince the Elks to give him their first choice.
Energy shift
It was the third day of practice since Maciocia made the Alouettes coaching changes. Already, he feels the effect he wanted to cause.
” I think so. The team belongs to them, he noted. It’s not my team, that of a “coach” in particular, but of the players who occupy the locker room. We sat down, we wondered what kind of end of the season we want to know for the 14 games that are coming. What kind of identity we want, whether it’s on offense, defense or in special teams. We said to ourselves that we are going to play quickly, physically, but with a certain intelligence. »
“When we talk about intelligence, it covers a lot of ground: we talk about discipline, game management, continued Maciocia. Not all first downs and 10 yards are the same. You have to have some understanding of the situation, some intelligence, so that you can slow down the game while you’re playing really fast. »
It now remains to be determined if Maciocia’s lessons will be assimilated quickly by his flock, otherwise the Elks could sign a second win in six games and put the Alouettes at 1-4.