Most Outstanding Rookie

The CFL released the list of eligible players for the Most Outstanding Rookie award earlier today. The award itself will be handed out at the Gibson's Finest CFL Player Awards on November 24th in Vancouver as part of the Grey Cup festivities.

Hamilton's Chris Williams is the odds-on favourite to win the award, but Clarence Denmark, Kenny Mainor, Craig Butler and JC Sherritt all have a legitimate shot as well.

Last year's winner was Solomon Elimimian, who was a very deserving choice. The year before, it was Martell Mallet, who was also deserving. But in those two years, two equally, if not more so, deserving players were ineligible for the award because of a rule that prevented them from being considered. Both Cory Boyd (in 2010) and DeAndra' Cobb (in 2009) were not up for the award in their first CFL season because they had spent time in the NFL.

Neither Boyd nor Cobb never so much as touched the football in their brief NFL careers, but one of the rules of eligibility is that a player must not have "dressed for a member Club in the National Football League" in a regular- or post-season game. Both players did, and were therefore disqualified from being nominated.

I can understand why the rule is the way it is. If a long-time NFL player came to the CFL, it would be hard to deem him a rookie because of his extensive pro career. It is also not an unprecedented move. Wayne Gretzky was ineligible for the Calder Trophy in the NHL in 1979-80 because he played in the WHA. Instead, the award went to Ray Bourque.

Rules are rules, but sometimes they are silly rules. Just because a player suited up for an NFL team in the final week of the season – as Boyd did with the Denver Broncos in 2008 – does not mean he should not be able to be named the top rookie in the CFL. As great as Elimimian was in 2010, Boyd was greater. His time in the NFL didn't make him greater and had no impact on his ability to produce in the vastly different Canadian game.

The best way I can think of is keep the rule as is, but allow for exceptions. Let a player, prior to the season, petition the league to allow himself to be eligible for the Most Outstanding Rookie award. Not all cases are the same, and the league can go on a case-by-case basis to allow players who are ineligible based on the rules in place, like Boyd and Cobb, to be deemed eligible.

That one change would allow for the truly great players to be given their proper due.

Cobb and Floyd Officially Released

We all knew that this news was coming sooner or later, but today the Ti-Cats released Running Back DeAndra' Cobb and Linebacker Otis Floyd.

Both players became expendable after the team signed Running Back Avon Cobourne and Linebacker Rey Williams two weeks ago.

I am not going to lie – watching Otis Floyd leave is tough. He was easily one of my three favourite players one the team since he joined Hamilton in 2009. He may have been my favorite player. I just loved the way he played. He exuded so much passion, and he brought a take-no-prisoners attitude that the Defense needed. Many times I have called him the heart and soul of the Defense, and to know he will never wear the Black & Gold again sucks. I have a beautiful #35 away jersey in my closet that I will wear with pride. Floyd was exactly the type of player that this Tiger-Cat fan always loves. Should he continue his career in another uniform, I will give him a standing ovation when he returns to Ivor Wynne in 2011. A guy like Otis Floyd deserves nothing less.

I don't want to give Cobb short shrift, but I'm more bummed by seeing Floyd leave than I am Cobb. I like Cobb, but he seemed to regress last season. I hope he finds his way onto another roster, and he was one of the players that helped turn Hamilton around. I will never forget the game against BC in 2009 when Cobb went off. A surprising win that showed that the Cats were on their way back.

It's a bit of a sad day for this fan. Good luck in the future to both Otis Floyd and DeAndra' Cobb. Thank you for the part you played in bringing respectable football back to Hamilton.