November 4, 2011

A real homer

MontrealAlouettes.com

MONTREAL – This weekend when the Alouettes face the Lions, if kicker Sean Whyte looks right at home booting the ball at B.C Place, it’s because he will be.

A native of Surrey, B.C., he not only grew up out west, he also began his CFL career in a Lions uniform.

Whyte spent his first three years in the CFL in a Lions uniform.

“I’m excited to play in front of my family and friends, again,” admitted Whyte who arrived in Montreal via a draft-day trade during the off-season. “I have too many people coming to support me during the game, that I couldn’t even buy tickets for them all. I can’t even count how many are coming to watch this game and cheer me on.”

While there may not be much cheering for Whyte given the potential playoff stakes on the line for both the Als and his former hometown Lions, he is still glad to be back home.

“I think that going back home to B.C will help me come back down and rejuvenate me right before the playoffs,” said Whyte. “I was back home during the bye week and that did me a lot of good too so I’m really looking forward to it.”

A return to his old stomping grounds also means a chance to catch up with former teammates.

“My group of guys was always myself, Jason Araki and Andrew Jones. I look forward to that and seeing those guys back out on the field,” said Whyte. “Even though we’re buddies, I obviously really want us to win, plus that way I can have bragging rights over them, too.”

While Whyte would welcome a chance to needle his buddies following a big Alouettes victory on Saturday, he remains as humble a player as you could find in the CFL. Second in the league in scoring with 196 points and a nominee for both Canadian Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year, Whyte still has his feet firmly planted on the ground.

“I don’t really pay attention to stats during the season. I’m just looking for any opportunity I get to help out the team,” explained Whyte. “I know that I’m having a good season field goal wise; I know that my punting should be better. I just try to stay low key and modest. I don’t want it to get to my head. That’s not who I am. I want to stay humble and be myself.”

Clearly, Whyte will be returning home as the same person he was when he left – himself.