Here are the top-10 candidates with four weeks to go in the 2015 CFL season:
1. QB Henry Burris, Ottawa RedBlacks
Burris is supposed to be twilighting. He’s supposed to be selling insurance. After all, he’s 40 years old. He’s not, though. The Spiro, Okla., native is wheeling and dealing and completing a career-high 71.6% of his passes in his 16th CFL season. One year after being essentially left for dead, a few weapons and a new offensive co-ordinator in Jason Maas later, and Burris has enjoyed one of the finest seasons of his career.
2. QB Trevor Harris, Toronto Argonauts
He’s completing a ridiculous 72.1% of his passes in his first season as a starter, but Harris has proved lately that he’s more than just a product of head coach Scott Milanovich’s system, throwing 31 touchdown passes and impressing in crunch time. If the Argos win the East Division, he may be the favourite. No one is missing Ricky Ray these days, and the Boatmen have a doozy of a decision looming when both QBs are free agents this off-season.
3. SB Eric Rogers, Calgary Stampeders
The California Lutheran product leads the CFL in receiving yards by a wide margin — he has about 300 yards of cushion — and has piled up 76 receptions and eight touchdowns. The amazing thing about Rogers’ exploits is that he’s doing it at the age of 24. The quarterbacks lead the way, but Rogers’ final numbers will be pretty.
4. QB Bo Levi Mitchell, Calgary Stampeders
Mitchell’s early-career exploits have raised the bar so high that it’s almost impossible for the man who was named the top player in the CFL by TSN coming into the season to meet those expectations. That said, Mitchell is third in the league with 21 touchdown passes and has led the Stamps to the second-most points in the CFL up to this point.
5. RB Andrew Harris, B.C. Lions
This is where it gets dicey. As a football team, the Lions simply aren’t very good. But as a player, Harris has been fantastic and leads the CFL with 866 rushing yards. He’s a ratio breaker and a dual-threat problem for defences, but probably not the MOP.
6. RB Jerome Messam, Calgary Stampeders
His team is now the Stampeders, but Messam became the league leader in yards from scrimmage with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who dealt him west at Wednesday’s trade deadline. Messam is the most physical RB in the league by far.
7. SB S.J. Green, Montreal Alouettes
The Alouettes are a team that’s built on defence and running the football this season. But that hasn’t stopped the league’s highest-paid receiver from piling up 60 receptions for 935 yards, good for second in the CFL behind Rogers. The QB carousel hasn’t affected Green.
8. SB Marquay McDaniel, Calgary Stampeders
Rogers, Mitchell and Cornish get the attention in Calgary, but folks need to stop sleeping on the best chain-mover in the game. He’ll likely never provide enough highlight-reel plays or numbers to actually win the MOP, but he should be at least in the conversation.
9. DE Jamaal Westerman, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
After an extended NFL foray, the Canadian pass-rusher returned to Canuck country this season and hasn’t disappointed one bit, notching 14 sacks thus far to lead the league. He’s definitely the Bombers’ MOP in 2015.
10. WR Emmanuel Arceneaux, B.C. Lions
He started slow, but the Manny Show has been prime time lately, notching four-straight games of more than 90 yards as the Leos hunt down the final playoff spot in the West Division. A couple more huge games and he’ll be neck and neck with Harris for team MOP.
Here are the top-10 candidates with four weeks to go in the 2015 CFL season:
1. QB Henry Burris, Ottawa RedBlacks
Burris is supposed to be twilighting. He’s supposed to be selling insurance. After all, he’s 40 years old. He’s not, though. The Spiro, Okla., native is wheeling and dealing and completing a career-high 71.6% of his passes in his 16th CFL season. One year after being essentially left for dead, a few weapons and a new offensive co-ordinator in Jason Maas later, and Burris has enjoyed one of the finest seasons of his career.
2. QB Trevor Harris, Toronto Argonauts
He’s completing a ridiculous 72.1% of his passes in his first season as a starter, but Harris has proved lately that he’s more than just a product of head coach Scott Milanovich’s system, throwing 31 touchdown passes and impressing in crunch time. If the Argos win the East Division, he may be the favourite. No one is missing Ricky Ray these days, and the Boatmen have a doozy of a decision looming when both QBs are free agents this off-season.
3. SB Eric Rogers, Calgary Stampeders
The California Lutheran product leads the CFL in receiving yards by a wide margin — he has about 300 yards of cushion — and has piled up 76 receptions and eight touchdowns. The amazing thing about Rogers’ exploits is that he’s doing it at the age of 24. The quarterbacks lead the way, but Rogers’ final numbers will be pretty.
4. QB Bo Levi Mitchell, Calgary Stampeders
Mitchell’s early-career exploits have raised the bar so high that it’s almost impossible for the man who was named the top player in the CFL by TSN coming into the season to meet those expectations. That said, Mitchell is third in the league with 21 touchdown passes and has led the Stamps to the second-most points in the CFL up to this point.
5. RB Andrew Harris, B.C. Lions
This is where it gets dicey. As a football team, the Lions simply aren’t very good. But as a player, Harris has been fantastic and leads the CFL with 866 rushing yards. He’s a ratio breaker and a dual-threat problem for defences, but probably not the MOP.
6. RB Jerome Messam, Calgary Stampeders
His team is now the Stampeders, but Messam became the league leader in yards from scrimmage with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who dealt him west at Wednesday’s trade deadline. Messam is the most physical RB in the league by far.
7. SB S.J. Green, Montreal Alouettes
The Alouettes are a team that’s built on defence and running the football this season. But that hasn’t stopped the league’s highest-paid receiver from piling up 60 receptions for 935 yards, good for second in the CFL behind Rogers. The QB carousel hasn’t affected Green.
8. SB Marquay McDaniel, Calgary Stampeders
Rogers, Mitchell and Cornish get the attention in Calgary, but folks need to stop sleeping on the best chain-mover in the game. He’ll likely never provide enough highlight-reel plays or numbers to actually win the MOP, but he should be at least in the conversation.
9. DE Jamaal Westerman, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
After an extended NFL foray, the Canadian pass-rusher returned to Canuck country this season and hasn’t disappointed one bit, notching 14 sacks thus far to lead the league. He’s definitely the Bombers’ MOP in 2015.
10. WR Emmanuel Arceneaux, B.C. Lions
He started slow, but the Manny Show has been prime time lately, notching four-straight games of more than 90 yards as the Leos hunt down the final playoff spot in the West Division. A couple more huge games and he’ll be neck and neck with Harris for team MOP.