OK, the second segment of 6 games is now done, so who are the contenders for the Shaw CFL Awards (Schenley Award was so much cooler sounding back in the day) from the Bombers? One poster's suggestions below, happy to hear other opinions.
Most Outstanding Player - The whole team has been clicking, with no real dominant performances that have carried the team repeatedly a la Milt Stegall, and different players stepping up each game. And since there is an award for defence and special teams, kind of default to offence here. I would say Andrew Harris, who was leading the league in rushing before missing the last game, but could Justin Medlock actually challenge for this award, given how clutch he has been and how many wins would be losses without his accuracy? And Weston Dressler may have something to say about this by year's end.
(Most Valuable Player) - Not an official award, but maybe more appropriate for this team given that we have no dominant stats guys like a Mike Reilly, Bo Levi Mitchell, Adarius Bowman, etc. Again, Medlock has been vital to our success in close games, but can anyone deny that, pedestrian stats or not, Matt Nicholls has clearly turned this season around for us and has this offence (and defence) inspired with his fire and drive? 7-0 as a starter clinches it for me.
Most Outstanding Defensive Player - Ian Wild has been a tackling machine, and Taylor Loffler brings a physical element to the safety position that has been missing. In fact, after I finished this write-up I went back and looked at Khalil Bass' stats and realized what a "quietly" outstanding season he has had (55 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INTs, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery), and he may be the most underrated player on that defence. But I will take Maurice Leggett for his league leading 6 interceptions from the linebacker spot.
Most Outstanding Special Teams Player- With all due respect to Quincy McDuffie and Kevin "are you kidding me, another flag?" Fogg, it is Justin Medlock hands down.
Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman - I have no special insight into this position, so happy to be corrected here by someone in the know, but the o-line seems to have been resurrected into a force since Travis Bond got in there.
Most Outstanding Canadian - Jamaal Westerman's team leading 5 sacks put him in the running, and Taylor Loffler's overall "presence" scores him some points, but this is down to Andrew Harris. The offence was intended to be built around Harris' skill set, so the glamour position is hard to ignore. We'll see if the injury changes this outlook. (Yes, I edited this because I am an idiot and assumed kickers are Canadian for a split second. That's a paddlin' coming my way.)
Most Outstanding Rookie - OK, I can't keep making Taylor Loffler second best in every category, can I? Well...... In this corner, you have Loffler's 1 sack, 2 INT's, 1 forced fumble, 5 special teams tackles, and 27 tackles (and it feels like each one of them caused an injury to an opponent), and beyond that, how many receivers hear footsteps and bail out on tough catches when he is near? But in the other corner, Kevin Fogg has 3 INT's and 1 sack, plus an astounding 58 tackles (2 off of Wild's club lead), not counting his 1 special teams tackle, plus 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. Fogg did have that one monster game in Toronto that may give me a bias, and Loffler's passport should not be discounted, but the tie breaker for me is Fogg's punt return work. He is fourth overall with 489 return yards, has a ridiculous 15.3 yard return average (second only to Chris Rainey in BC) and if his 3 TDs hadn't been called back by penalties (2 of which, and arguably all 3 had zero bearing on his returns given that he had already beaten the coverage and was clear to the end zone before the flags were thrown) he'd be leading the league in return TD's and likely return average. It's Kevin Fogg for me, and I don't think it's that razor thin a victory. Now light up the torches and bring the pitchforks.
OK, the second segment of 6 games is now done, so who are the contenders for the Shaw CFL Awards (Schenley Award was so much cooler sounding back in the day) from the Bombers? One poster's suggestions below, happy to hear other opinions.
Most Outstanding Player - The whole team has been clicking, with no real dominant performances that have carried the team repeatedly a la Milt Stegall, and different players stepping up each game. And since there is an award for defence and special teams, kind of default to offence here. I would say Andrew Harris, who was leading the league in rushing before missing the last game, but could Justin Medlock actually challenge for this award, given how clutch he has been and how many wins would be losses without his accuracy? And Weston Dressler may have something to say about this by year's end.
(Most Valuable Player) - Not an official award, but maybe more appropriate for this team given that we have no dominant stats guys like a Mike Reilly, Bo Levi Mitchell, Adarius Bowman, etc. Again, Medlock has been vital to our success in close games, but can anyone deny that, pedestrian stats or not, Matt Nicholls has clearly turned this season around for us and has this offence (and defence) inspired with his fire and drive? 7-0 as a starter clinches it for me.
Most Outstanding Defensive Player - Ian Wild has been a tackling machine, and Taylor Loffler brings a physical element to the safety position that has been missing. In fact, after I finished this write-up I went back and looked at Khalil Bass' stats and realized what a "quietly" outstanding season he has had (55 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INTs, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery), and he may be the most underrated player on that defence. But I will take Maurice Leggett for his league leading 6 interceptions from the linebacker spot.
Most Outstanding Special Teams Player - With all due respect to Quincy McDuffie and Kevin "are you kidding me, another flag?" Fogg, it is Justin Medlock hands down.
Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman - I have no special insight into this position, so happy to be corrected here by someone in the know, but the o-line seems to have been resurrected into a force since Travis Bond got in there.
Most Outstanding Canadian - Jamaal Westerman's team leading 5 sacks put him in the running, and Taylor Loffler's overall "presence" scores him some points, but this is down to Andrew Harris. The offence was intended to be built around Harris' skill set, so the glamour position is hard to ignore. We'll see if the injury changes this outlook. (Yes, I edited this because I am an idiot and assumed kickers are Canadian for a split second. That's a paddlin' coming my way.)
Most Outstanding Rookie - OK, I can't keep making Taylor Loffler second best in every category, can I? Well...... In this corner, you have Loffler's 1 sack, 2 INT's, 1 forced fumble, 5 special teams tackles, and 27 tackles (and it feels like each one of them caused an injury to an opponent), and beyond that, how many receivers hear footsteps and bail out on tough catches when he is near? But in the other corner, Kevin Fogg has 3 INT's and 1 sack, plus an astounding 58 tackles (2 off of Wild's club lead), not counting his 1 special teams tackle, plus 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. Fogg did have that one monster game in Toronto that may give me a bias, and Loffler's passport should not be discounted, but the tie breaker for me is Fogg's punt return work. He is fourth overall with 489 return yards, has a ridiculous 15.3 yard return average (second only to Chris Rainey in BC) and if his 3 TDs hadn't been called back by penalties (2 of which, and arguably all 3 had zero bearing on his returns given that he had already beaten the coverage and was clear to the end zone before the flags were thrown) he'd be leading the league in return TD's and likely return average. It's Kevin Fogg for me, and I don't think it's that razor thin a victory. Now light up the torches and bring the pitchforks.
Edited by TrueBlue4ever