Eyes front
Finally back in the lineup following an ugly knee injury, Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is focusing squarely on what is right ahead of him on Sunday — the Patriots’ pass-rush
KANSAS CITY — Laurent Duvernay-Tardif didn’t need his physician’s degree to realize he had suffered a serious leg injury in an Oct. 7 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I knew something was broken,” the Chiefs right guard said on Wednesday at the team’s training facility, “because I heard it.”
As painful as that sound and injury was for the product of Saint-Hilaire, Que., music to his ears on Tuesday was learning that he was being activated for this weekend’s AFC championship game.
That means “Larry”, as he is known around Arrowhead Stadium, should be hearing some familiar sounds from the crowd when his team takes on the New England Patriots.
First, when asked about the amount of support he’s received from his homeland since he joined the Chiefs as a sixth-round pick in 2014, the 6-foot-5, 321-pounder lit up.
“A lot, a lot,” said DuvernayTardif. “Whether it’s the fans, the French community back in Montreal ... NFL Canada is also really helping me. It feels awesome when the Chiefs post something on their Instagram about you being back and a bunch of comments are in French, in the comment section. You’re like, oh my God, this is awesome.
“I feel like people from home are watching, and for sure it helped me to push myself even more to try to get back as fast as possible,.”
So a people travel down from Canada to see you play?
“Every week,” said LDT. “I think in the past five years, there’s not a single game when I didn’t hear somebody speak French in the stands, yell out my name. Friends or family or people with the (Laurent Duvernay-Tardif ) foundation or different events we’re organizing. I’ve been really lucky to have that support through the good years and through the years we didn’t win as much.
“I think it’s really nice to feel like you get all the support from home. Not only your family and friends, but the whole community, whether it’s French or English.”
His foundation promotes the importance to students of having a balance between studies and sports.
Duvernay-Tardif was actually more focused on the former than the latter when he grew up. He played football as a kid, but not in high school, and when he arrived at McGill University, he was more determined to become a doctor than a football player.
While achieving his degree, he did enough with the Redmen that he was viewed as the top prospect heading into he 2014 CFL draft. But playing in the East-West Shrine game, he also caught the attention of NFL teams.
Duvernay-Tardif was selected in the third round by the Calgary Stampeders just in case things didn’t work out for him in the NFL. But things sure worked out. Since being picked by the Chiefs, he has developed into one of the best guards in the game.
In 2017, he was signed to a five-year, $42.36-million dollar contract that included a $20.2-million guarantee and a $10-million signing bonus.
Duvernay-Tardif, meanwhile, has maintained that balance in his life. He sailed the east coast in a boat crafted by his family. As a third-year medical student, he cared for prematurely worth twins during the NFL draft. He worked as a feature reporter for the CBC during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
He tried to get M.D. at the end of the nameplate on his Chiefs jersey.
“I think that’s old news, I’m past that,” he said. “I didn’t know it was going to make that big of a story.”
In stories written about him, LDT has been called the most interesting man in the NFL.
“I try not to read the newspapers too much because it’s easy to let your ego build up,” he said. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to block the guy in front of you every week. That’s a challenge in itself, so you’ve got to focus on what’s real, and what’s in front of you, literally.
“That’s what I try to do, and then for all the bigger projects and stuff, that’s what the offseason is for.”
For now, he’s just preparing for the biggest game of his career. One win from the Super Bowl.
What role he will have against the Patriots is unclear
— at least to the media which was restricted from seeing the reps at Wednesday’s practice. During Duvernay-Tardif ’s injury, Andrew Wylie filled in and ultimately was named the team’s rookie of the year. But the Chiefs cut safety Ron Parker to make room for Duvernay-Tardif. Parker played, and played a lot. And the status of safety Eric Berry (heel injury) is up in the air.
So Duvernay-Tardif must figure prominently in coach Andy Reid’s plans.
“To be honest right now, I think we’re just going to go out there and practise,” said LDT. “We’re going to leave it up to coach to decide who’s the best five at this moment, in order to go out there and compete against the Patriots.”
Duvernay-Tardif is sure he could handle a full workload for the entire game.
“I feel pretty confident in my ability to play football right now,” said LDT, who is back in the projected 12-14 week time frame from a broken fibula and ligament damage, an injury that was more complicated than originally thought. “I knew it was going to be tight, and I was trusting that the team was going to win many games, so we could make it to the playoffs, and hopefully I could come back.
“From Day 1, you want to get out there and play with your friends, try to win football games ... Now it’s time to compete on the biggest stage.”