SUTTON, WESLEY #37 of the Montreal Alouettes
The 2022 season has been interesting to say the least for Alouettes defensive back Wesley Sutton. The year has been filled with highs, lows and even a coaching and defensive coordinator change. Although there have been some difficult moments, Sutton has found a way to elevate his game when his team needed him most.
The 26-year-old has elevated his game over the last two weeks and played a key role during last Thursday’s 20-17 OT win over the Blue Bombers. With the Als trailing by seven and the Bombers driving to make it a two-score game, Sutton blitzed Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros and caused a fumble. The Als recovered and Dominique Davis eventually scored the game-tying touchdown to force overtime.
In the extra frame, Sutton knocked down a Collaros pass before it got to its intended target. The Bombers were forced to kick a field goal, and that’s when Marc Liegghio missed his attempt. And, by the way, the Als defensive back also registered two quarterback sacks in the game.
His performance resulted in him being named one of the Top Performers of the Week in the CFL on Tuesday.
“It means a lot,” Sutton, who also intercepted Collaros in the first meeting against Winnipeg, said of being named Top Performer. “But more importantly, for the team, we won the game. It was a big game that we got to win. The guys, my coaches continued to believe in me and believe in us. We were able to do that, and that’s more important to me. Personal accolades are cool, but every day, every week you have to come back to work and continue to get better. I appreciate the honours, but we have Hamilton coming up, so we’re focused on that.”
“Coach (Noel) Thorpe and coach Danny (Maciocia) believed in me. They put me in the right positions, and I was able to make the plays, and I’m grateful for that. It was far bigger than me. I’m just able to make these plays and I’m in position.”
This season hasn’t always been kind to Sutton. Alouettes fans will remember that on July 14th at home against Edmonton, he had three pass interference calls go against him. That resulted in the Elks getting more than 100 yards.
Even though it was only his first game with Thorpe as defensive coordinator, his confidence was shaken at that pointThe 2022 season has been interesting to say the least for Alouettes defensive back Wesley Sutton. The year has been filled with highs, lows and even a coaching and defensive coordinator change. Although there have been some difficult moments, Sutton has found a way to elevate his game when his team needed him most.
The 26-year-old has elevated his game over the last two weeks and played a key role during last Thursday’s 20-17 OT win over the Blue Bombers. With the Als trailing by seven and the Bombers driving to make it a two-score game, Sutton blitzed Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros and caused a fumble. The Als recovered and Dominique Davis eventually scored the game-tying touchdown to force overtime.
In the extra frame, Sutton knocked down a Collaros pass before it got to its intended target. The Bombers were forced to kick a field goal, and that’s when Marc Liegghio missed his attempt. And, by the way, the Als defensive back also registered two quarterback sacks in the game.
His performance resulted in him being named one of the Top Performers of the Week in the CFL on Tuesday.
“It means a lot,” Sutton, who also intercepted Collaros in the first meeting against Winnipeg, said of being named Top Performer. “But more importantly, for the team, we won the game. It was a big game that we got to win. The guys, my coaches continued to believe in me and believe in us. We were able to do that, and that’s more important to me. Personal accolades are cool, but every day, every week you have to come back to work and continue to get better. I appreciate the honours, but we have Hamilton coming up, so we’re focused on that.”
“Coach (Noel) Thorpe and coach Danny (Maciocia) believed in me. They put me in the right positions, and I was able to make the plays, and I’m grateful for that. It was far bigger than me. I’m just able to make these plays and I’m in position.”
This season hasn’t always been kind to Sutton. Alouettes fans will remember that on July 14th at home against Edmonton, he had three pass interference calls go against him. That resulted in the Elks getting more than 100 yards.
Even though it was only his first game with Thorpe as defensive coordinator, his confidence was shaken at that point.
“To be honest, it was the worst thing I ever felt,” he said of his performance against Edmonton. “I would say that was probably the worst game I’ve ever played. It wasn’t even how I played; it was just calls that were made against me. It was unfortunate. I felt terrible. I talked to my parents. I did a lot of praying, sitting down just revisiting who I am, and continue to trust me. Regardless of who what everybody says on the outside, I know my coaches believe in me, but everybody else is just like everybody else. They’re going to say what they’re going to say. Now, they’re probably saying ‘Wes is this, Wes is that’ (laughs). I’m just trying to stay focused. My confidence was rattled a little bit, but I’m here now and I’m as confident as ever.
“This is what I’ve envisioned. I believe myself to be a great player. That’s just what I know. You go through peaks and valleys. I was in a valley, and I just continued to believe and trust. It was really good. The atmosphere was great, we came out with the win, it was amazing. But it’s not exceeding my expectations per say. I believe myself to be that type of guy, and I was able to showcase that.”
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“To be honest, it was the worst thing I ever felt,” he said of his performance against Edmonton. “I would say that was probably the worst game I’ve ever played. It wasn’t even how I played; it was just calls that were made against me. It was unfortunate. I felt terrible. I talked to my parents. I did a lot of praying, sitting down just revisiting who I am, and continue to trust me. Regardless of who what everybody says on the outside, I know my coaches believe in me, but everybody else is just like everybody else. They’re going to say what they’re going to say. Now, they’re probably saying ‘Wes is this, Wes is that’ (laughs). I’m just trying to stay focused. My confidence was rattled a little bit, but I’m here now and I’m as confident as ever.
“This is what I’ve envisioned. I believe myself to be a great player. That’s just what I know. You go through peaks and valleys. I was in a valley, and I just continued to believe and trust. It was really good. The atmosphere was great, we came out with the win, it was amazing. But it’s not exceeding my expectations per say. I believe myself to be that type of guy, and I was able to showcase that.”
