Williams Named Top Special Teamer

In what should come as a surprise to no one, Chris Williams was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Special Teams Player for 2012.

Williams was outstanding in every way in 2012 and he was especially so on special teams, where he set a league record for return touchdowns in a season with six. He is the first Tiger-Cat to be named the league's top special teamer.

Williams was thrice named the CFL's special teams player of the week and twice named the special teams player of the month. Picking Williams was a slam dunk... except for one person.

Williams received 56 of a possible 57 votes, which means just one person voted for BC's Tim Brown. I am curious who the joker was that voted for Brown. No offense meant to him, but seriously? Williams was the best special teams player by a wide margin (and I'd argue that the second best played on the same team, Tiger-Cat kicker Luca Congi). This strikes me as the same silliness as when a baseball player isn't named on 100 per cent of Hall of Fame ballots even if they are undeniably a Hall of Famer. Whoever didn't vote for Williams knew that Williams would win, so instead cast a pity vote for Brown. If there was ever a player who deserved to be an unanimous selection, it was Williams this year.

The league handed out their other awards as well. JC Sherritt was named the league's top defensive player, Jon Cornish was named the top Canadian, Chris Matthews took home the top rookie prize, Jovon Olafioye was named the best offensive lineman, Brian Bratton won the Tom Pate Award and the most overrated player in the CFL (whose name will no longer be mentioned here) was undeservedly named the Most Outstanding Player.

While Williams was great on special teams, I'd argue that he should have also been named MOP (instead of you know who). The argument against Williams has been that he played on a 6-12 team that didn't make the playoffs, but I don't think that criticism has a lot of merit in an MOP race. An MVP race, absolutely, but not an MOP one. Williams was more outstanding in every measurable way to the guy who won (and to Cornish) that it is stunning he wasn't the winner of the award. The guy that won the award put up a paltry six touchdowns to Williams' 17, had just 11 more catches and 30 more receiving yards than Williams, and only got as much publicity as he did because he broke what is one of the most meaningless records I can think of (after QB wins): a total yards record.

That player had over 3,800 total yards, but a whopping 1,588 came on kick returns. Getting a lot of return yards is not impressive. All that record proved was that the Argos gave up a lot of points and that allowed that player to put up those numbers by returning so many kickoffs. He had more kickoff returns than any other player, so even if he had a mediocre year returning the football (which he did, since he had no return touchdowns) he had more opportunity to put up yards. Yet somehow he is the MOP and Williams is not.

There is no question in my mind that Williams was the most outstanding player this year and I honestly don't believe that No. 2 was even close.

Williams To Add to Trophy Case

In what should amount as a surprise to no one, Chris Williams has been named the East Division nominee for the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player award.

Williams was by far the best special teams player in the league this year and second best wasn't even close (and was probably his teammate Luca Congi). There is no chance that Williams loses the award to BC's Tim Brown, the West Division nominee. That is no slight to Brown, who had an excellent season in his own right, but no one who played special teams in 2012 was as outstanding as Williams.

The other award nominees were also announced and most of them should come as no surprised.

In the Most Outstanding Player category it will be Toronto's Chad Owens going up against Calgary's Jon Cornish. To be honest, there really wasn't a slam-dunk candidate this year like in past years. It was obvious that Lulay was going to win it last year, Calvillo the year before and Burris the year before that. This year was a more wide open field and that is probably why two non-QBs were named. I say Cornish wins the award (or at least he should). I have made my feelings known on Chad Owens (he's highly overrated and his record is essentially meaningless), but aside from that I do think Cornish had an excellent season and deserves to be named MOP.

Top defensive player is between Edmonton's JC Sherritt and Montreal's Shea Emry. Sherritt should and will win this award. He broke Calvin Tiggle's record for tackles in a season and he didn't get caught punching another dude in the balls during a game. This won is going, rightfully, to Sherritt.

Cornish is also up for top Canadian against Emry. If Cornish is the best player overall, he is also the best player from Canada. This one is a no-brainer.

Top rookie is between Winnipeg's Chris Matthews and BC's Jabar Westerman. Westerman had a nice rookie campaign with the Lions, but Matthews should win this one in a walk. He finished the season with 81 catches, 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns. Matthews was near unstoppable at the start of the season, but he slowed down a bit later in the year. But it still won't matter come announcement time. Matthews will be the man accepting the award.

Finally, top offensive lineman is the same as last year. Montreal's Josh Bourke was the East Division nominee and BC's Jovon Olafioye was Bourke's West Division counterpart. Bourke won the award last year and I think the reverse will happen this year. I thought Olafioye should have won it last year, but you can't really say picking Bourke was wrong. I feel the same way this year; I think Olafioye is the best lineman in the league and should win the award.

We'll find out who wins the awards when they are handed out in Toronto on November 22nd.

Player Award Finalists

Earlier today, the finalists for the 2011 Gibson's Finest CFL Player Awards was announced. For the most part, I think the right choices we made, with one exception. Now let's take a look at who is up for what.

Most Outstanding Player
East: Anthony Calvillo (QB, Montreal Alouettes)
West: Travis Lulay (QB, BC Lions)

Leaving aside the whole Jamel Richardson controversy, these were the only two who could be named. These two, out of the eight men selected for consideration, were the two best players in 2011. Calvillo led the league in passing yards, was the only Quarterback to throw for over 5,000 yards, tied for the league lead in passing touchdowns and threw the fewest interceptions. In every all those categories, Lulay finished second.

That would seem to make it a slam dunk for Calvillo since he led in every major statistical category. But the image of last Saturday night, when Calvillo and Lulay dueled will be hard to forget. Lulay outplayed Calvillo in every way imaginable, and while the award is for the season, it will be hard to look past what happened in the final game.

Calvillo has set the bar so high that he is his own worst enemy. Calvillo's 2011 season wasn good, but not as dominant as previous seasons. Lulay, however, got better as the season went on. He will also score points for leading the Lions from 1-6 to 11-7 and first in the West. I'm giving this one to Lulay.

Winner: Travis Lulay

Most Outstanding Defensive Player
East: Jovon Johnson (DB, Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
West: Jerrell Freeman (LB, Saskatchewan Roughriders)

This was probably the most difficult award to pick two nominees from. Keron Williams in BC, Justin Hickman in Hamilton and Chip Cox in Montreal could all have easily been their division's finalist and I doubt anyone would have complained. In fact, Hamilton's Rey Williams, Winnipeg's Odell Willis and BC's Solomon Elimimian were not even nominated and all could have won the award. It was a very good year for defensive players in the CFL.

Both Johnson and Freeman had great years. Johnson led the league in interceptions, while Freeman led the league in tackles and was the only player to break the 100-tackle mark. It will be tough to decide between these two as both are deserving. But Johnson was the best player in a very good Secondary on the better team. That swings it for me.

Winner: Jovon Johnson

Most Outstanding Canadian
East: Sean Whyte (K, Montreal Alouettes)
West: Jerome Messam (RB, Edmonton Eskimos)

This one is a no-brainer. I could justify Whyte's selection and debate his merits, but we all know this is going to Messam and rightly so. He was the first Canadian Running Back to rush for over 1,000 yards since Sean Millington in 2000. Messam deserves this award.

Winner: Jerome Messam

Most Outstanding Special Teams Player
East: Chad Owens (WR, Toronto Argonauts)
West: Paul McCallum (K, BC Lions)

This is the only award where I actually have a problem with who was selected. That problem is not with Paul McCallum. He is very deserving and should win the award. The problem here is Chad Owens.

This looks to be a case of the voters choosing style over substance. Don't give me the 3,000-plus combined yards because I don't happen to think that is a very significant feat. With the amount of points the Argos surrendered in 2011 – a league-high 498, to b exact – Owens had plenty of chances to get return yardage on kickoffs. He also played Receiver, ran back both punts and missed field goals, giving him ample opportunity to get to 3,000 combined yards. As long as Owens keeps all of those jobs, he should eclipse the 3,00-yard mark every season. If Owens can get recognized for this season, then he will pretty much have a stranglehold on the East nomination for the rest of his career.

Last year, Owens was 100 per cent deserving of the award. In 2011, he is not. This should have gone to either Sean Whyte or Justin Medlock. With Whyte getting the East nomination for top Canadian, Medlock should have received the Special Teams nomination. Last season, Special Teams was dominated by return men. This year, it's been the Kickers that have garnered the most headlines. Owens was the wrong choice. Hopefully, McCallum will win the award to somewhat right this wrong.

Winner: Paul McCallum

Most Outstanding Rookie
East: Chris Williams (WR, Hamilton Tiger-Cats)
West: JC Sherritt (LB, Edmonton Eskimos)

Sherritt had a very good first year in the CFL. He finished 13th in league in tackles, third on his own team. He made an impact in his first season that helped take Edmonton from last in the West in 2010 to second in 2011.

Despite that, Chris Williams is the winner and it's not even debatable. Williams finished he season seventh on yards (1,064), eighth in receptions (70) and tenth in touchdowns (6), leading all rookies in each of those categories. Williams also pitched in on Special Teams. Williams's impact was so great it allowed Hamilton to ship out veteran Receivers Arland Bruce and Maurice Mann.

As good as Sherritt was, Williams was better.

Winner: Chris Williams

Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman
East: Josh Bourke (OT, Montreal Alouettes)
West: Jovan Olafioye (OT, BC Lions)

I've said it over and over, but picking the best O-Lineman is one of the hardest things to do. You only hear their names when they miss a block, give up a sack or take a penalty. Most people (and I would include myself in this as well), don't really pay attention all that much to the Offensive Line. I know both players have had great seasons, and anchored lines that gave up the least sacks in their respective divisions. Based on little more than he plays for the best team in the league, I'll give this one to Olafioye. But both deserve their nominations and either would deserve to win.

Winner: Jovan Olafioye

Aside from what I think is the ridiculous nomination of Chad Owens, these nominations are pretty solid. My picks are partly prognostication and partly who I would pick. I doubt I'll get all the winners right, but I think everyone I did pick deserves to win. We'll find out who takes home the hardware on November 24th.

Knowlton Wins Most Outstanding Defensive Player

A season that ended in disappointment for the Tiger-Cats and their fans just got a little less gloomy as Markeith Knowlton has been named the 2010 CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

I won't go into a long soliloquy about how great Knowlton is. Everyone who reads this blog knows how much I admire Knowlton. Numerous times I have referred to him as the best defensive player in the CFL; tonight he was officially bestowed the title.

Good on you, Markeith.

The Tiger-Cats were shut out in the other three awards they were nominated for: Marcus Thigpen lost out on Most Outstanding Rookie to BC Lion Linebacker Solomon Elimimian; Dave Stala was beaten by Saskatchewan Receiver Andy Fantuz for Most Outstanding Canadian; and Marwan Hage, somewhat surprisingly, lost the award for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman to Calgary's Ben Archibald. The other award winners were Chad Owens for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player and Henry Burris, who was finally given his due by being named Most Outstanding Player.

Congratulations to all the award winners, and another big hand for Markeith Knowlton.

Blogskee Wee Wee's Most Outstanding Player Awards (CFL Edition)

When the team nominees for the Most Outstanding Player awards were announced last Wednesday, I figured I would add my two cents and pick the players I think were the most outstanding in 2010.

Most Outstanding Player
West Nominee: Henry Burris (QB, Calgary Stampeders)
East Nominee: Cory Boyd (RB, Toronto Argonauts)

I think there are really only four legitimate candidates for MOP: Burris, Boyd, Anthony Calvillo and Kevin Glenn. One could make a case for any of those four, and it would be compelling enough for me to probably agree with it.

I went with Burris and Boyd. I think that Burris has been far and away the best player in the West Division this season. I don't think any player has come close to matching him. Boyd, while not as dominant as Burris in the West, has been the linchpin for the Argonauts' offense. Imagine where they'd be without Boyd. I know that what I just described is most valuable player, but Boyd has also been outstanding. When everyone knows he's getting the ball, he still cannot be stopped.

When stacking up the 2010 résumés of Boyd and Burris, I think the advantage goes to the Calgary pivot. If this award was for Most Valuable Player, I think I'd give it to Boyd. Without him, the Argos simply cannot win. But this isn't MVP, it's MOP, and no one has been more outstanding this season than Henry Burris.

Winner: Henry Burris

Most Outstanding Defensive Player
West Nominee: James Patrick (S, Saskatchewan Roughriders)
East Nominee: Markeith Knowlton (LB, Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

There were many outstanding defensive performances this season. Whether it was Philip Hunt and Odell Willis making life miserable for opposing Quarterbacks, or whether it was Jamall Johnson, Barrin Simpson and Kevin Eiben tackling anything that came within a 10-yard radius of them, or whether it was Chip Cox taking the heads off people with crushing hits, there were plenty of players worthy of garnering consideration as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player for 2010.

In the end I settled on two guys: James Patrick and Markeith Knowlton.

Patrick was the ballhawk to end all ballhawks this season, leading the league in interceptions, with nine. His play, especially at the beginning of the season, was outstanding.

Knowlton's stats don't wow anyone individually, but taken together, they are phenomenal: 71 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, four forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, two blocked kicks and one touchdown. Those numbers are out of this world.

In my mind, there has not been a more outstanding defensive player this CFL season than Markeith Knowlton.

Winner: Markeith Knowlton

Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman
West Nominee: Ben Archibald (T, Calgary Stampeders)
East Nominee: Marwan Hage (C, Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

I have said it time and time again: this is the hardest award to choose nominees for. The best Offensive Linemen produce in relative anonymity.

So how best to judge an Offensive Lineman? I say by looking at the numbers of the player they are charged with protecting (Quarterback) and blocking for (Running Back).

Both Calgary and Hamilton have put up fantastic numbers in the passing game. Kevin Glenn threw for over 5,000 yards, and Henry Burris nearly did. Burris led the league in TD passes (38), and Glenn finished second (33).

Both Calgary and Hamilton had 1,000+ yard rushers in Joffrey Reynolds and DeAndra' Cobb, respectively.

The Cats also allowed a league-low 26 sacks. Considering 11 of those came in two game (Week 1 vs. Winnipeg; Week 4 vs. Montreal), that means the Cats allowed only 15 in the remaining 16 games. That's pretty remarkable.

With everything being equal, I'm going with Hage because he's the leader of the Line that gave up so few sacks.

Winner: Marwan Hage

Most Outstanding Canadian
West Nominee: Andy Fantuz (SB, Saskatchewan Roughriders)
East Nominee: Dave Stala (SB, Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

Before the season started, I pegged Fantuz as the West nominee and Stala as the East nominee. I figured going in that these two guys would be neck and neck for top Canadian Receiver.

At mid-season I pegged Fantuz as the West nominee and Stala as the East nominee. I felt that at mid-season, these two were still the best Canadians in the league at any position, so my position at the start of the season had not moved an inch.

At the end of the season, I've got Fantuz as the West nominee and Stala as the East nominee. After 18 games, I don't think any other Canadians have outproduced, or been as important as, Fantuz and Stala.

Fantuz became the first Canadian to lead the league in receiving since 1995 (Dave Sapunjis), and he was the go-to guy for the Riders in 2010. While Stala had perhaps his best season, Fantuz's season was even better.

Winner: Andy Fantuz

Most Outstanding Special Teams Player
West Nominee: Yonus Davis (RB, BC Lions)
East Nominee: Chad Owens (WR, Toronto Argonauts)

I was going to wax poetic about this award, but this one is such a no-brainer that it would be a waste of my time to write anything and of your time to read it. Anyone who picks anybody but Chad Owens either hates the Argos so much that they let their biases blind them (as I was recently accused of) or they're an idiot. Since I am most definitely not an idiot, Owens wins this one without an argument.

Winner: Chad Owens

Most Outstanding Rookie
West Nominee: Solomon Elimimian (LB, BC Lions)
East Nominee: Marcus Thigpen (RB, Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

To make an impact as a rookie in the CFL is not easy to do. Players who come from the United States have to get used to vastly different rules than they have been playing with since they were children. Solomon Elimimian and Marcus Thigpen have made it look easy.

As a rookie, Elimimian led the BC Lions in tackles, and was also voted by players as the Hardest Hitter in a recent TSN poll. For a player to garner that much respect in his rookie season is nothing short of amazing.

In his first season, Thigpen scored a touchdown in five different ways – rushing, receiving, punt return, kick return and missed field goal return – which is something no player had ever done before. Thipgen, on his first touch, took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown in Week 1 against Winnipeg.

Not many players set records in their professional careers, and Thigpen did it in his first year. For that reason alone, he is the top rookie.

Winner: Marcus Thigpen

Coach of the Year
Nominee 1: John Hufnagel (Calgary Stampeders)
Nominee 2: Jim Barker (Toronto Argonauts)
Nominee 3: Marc Trestman (Montreal Alouettes)

I know that they don't announce Coach of the Year until March – something I have never understood – but since I'm handing out awards, I might as well hand this one out as well.

I'm giving this one to Jim Barker. What he has done in Toronto this season is beyond remarkable. He took a team that had won seven games in the previous two seasons, combined, and got them to nine wins and a playoff berth.

The job Barker did this year is nothing short of amazing, and he deserves to be recognized for the tremendous job he has done. He is my Coach of the Year.

Winner: Jim Barker

Blogskee Wee Wee's Most Outstanding Player Awards (Tiger-Cats Edition)

Earlier in the week, the Tiger-Cat nominations for the end-of-the-year player awards were announced. I was going to rush and make sure my picks were out before the official ones to see how close mine were to the actual selections made by actual writers. (After all, I'm not a professional, I just play one on the Internet.)

But the more I thought about it, the more I didn't quite understand why the picks were made before the regular season ended. Sure, one game will not drastically change many selections (and, in fact, I probably would have been able to make these picks on Labour Day and stuck with them), but this is the CFL and anything can happen.

So I made the decision to wait until the Tiger-Cats played their final game of the regular season before I published my picks.

Most Outstanding Player
In my mind there were really only two players who legitimately had a shot at this award: Kevin Glenn and Arland Bruce.

Kevin Glenn is becoming to this generation of fans what Danny McManus was to me when I was a teenager. McManus was the man; Glenn is quickly becoming the man.

Glenn has put together a season for the ages by throwing for 5,100 yards and 33 touchdowns. Glenn also completed a career-high 64.5% of his passes. Glenn had one of the best seasons a Tiger-Cat QB has ever had. This has been Glenn's masterpiece season. He was very good in 2007 when he was with Winnipeg (and was the East nominee for MOP), but Glenn has been even better in 2010.

The trade that brought Arland Bruce to Hamilton in 2009 might go down as the greatest trade in Hamilton Tiger-Cat history. He was the team's 2009 nominee for MOP, and he put together a fantastic season in 2010. His numbers are all great: 86 receptions for 1,303 yards and eight TDs, and all of those numbers were achieved with Bruce missing two whole games and most of a third. I wonder what kind of numbers Bruce would have put up had he been healthy all season.

Both guys have put together great campaigns, but the QB is always the most important player on the team, so it's especially hard to ignore what Glenn has done in 2010.

Most Outstanding Player: Kevin Glenn

Most Outstanding Defensive Player
At the beginning of the season, I predicted that Jamall Johnson would win Most Outstanding Defensive Player. He had a stellar 2009 campaign, and only didn't get the team nomination because it went to his fellow Linebacker, Markeith Knowlton. I thought Johnson would eclipse his numbers from '09 and make it near impossible for anyone to consider someone else for MODP.

Saying JJ would take home the award was not a slight on Knowlton, who is probably the most underrated player in the league (even if Kevin Glenn did win that title earlier this week). Knowlton continues to put up fantastic numbers, and he makes plays week in, week out. I think I, like many, underrate Knowlton's impact. But watching him closely this season has allowed me to really appreciate what he brings to the team.

But before I go crowning someone, there is one other player that deserves mention: Stevie Baggs. Baggs has not been back in the CFL long enough to be a legitimate candidate for MODP, but I would be remiss if I didn't make note of his great play since joining the Cats. I don't think I need to enumerate what he's done. If you're reading this, you are well aware of how great Baggs has been since donning the Black & Gold in September. Again, this is not a knock on Knowlton (or Johnson), but Baggs is already my odds-on favourite for MODP in 2011.

But this is 2010, and the best Defensive player on the team (and, in my opinion, the entire league) is none other than Markeith Knowlton.

Most Outstanding Defensive Player: Markeith Knowlton

Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman
Picking an award for an Offensive Lineman is very difficult. The best ones are the ones whose name you never hear. The life of a great O-Lineman is a life of near anonymity.

When it comes to being anonymously good, the man for this award is Marwan Hage.

I have been a critic of Hage's in the past. He is not the perfect Lineman, but he is a damn good one. Hage, having played for some terrible Tiger-Cat teams, mostly gets recognized for his humanitarian work (which is second to none), but only recently has he been getting recognized for his play on the field.

The Tiger-Cats' O-Line has been phenomenal all season (minus the terrible Week 1 contest versus Winnipeg), most notably by giving up the least sacks, which has allowed Glenn to put up the numbers he has.

As a former Centre, I tend to give a little more love to the men who patrol the middle of the Line. But Hage deserves credit for having a great season.

Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman: Marwan Hage

Most Outstanding Canadian
I have to be honest, I cannot think of a reason not to give this to Dave Stala; can you?

Since coming to Hamilton last season, Dave Stala has turned himself into one of the most reliable and durable players in the CFL. When Stala was with Montreal, he fought the injury bug; since coming to Hamilton, he has been the model of health.

Stala has been the best Canadian Receiver since Mike Morreale. While not a speed demon by any stretch of the imagination, Stala has been as clutch as they get when it comes to picking up first downs. The nicknames "Sticky" (because he rarely drops a pass) and "Second-down Stala" (because all he seems to do is pick up first downs on second down) are not just cute alliterations.

Stala set personal highs in catches (86) and touchdowns (6), while notching his second 1,000-yard receiving season.

Stala has become one of the most beloved members of the current Tiger-Cat roster. With Stala being a Hamilton boy, some will say it's because of that that Stala is so popular. But unlike the last guy who was proclaimed a "Hometown Hero," Stala backs it up on the field.

Most Outstanding Canadian: Dave Stala

Most Outstanding Special Teams Player
Should I even bother to make an argument? I mean, we all know this award is going to Marcus Thigpen.

However, since I don't need to regale everyone with what Thigpen has meant to the Special Teams in 2010, I'll spend some time giving another underrated player some publicity.

Since arriving in Hamilton at the beginning of August, Eric Wilbur has been up there with the best Punters in the CFL.

After the disaster that was the Justin Palardy experiment (but much respect for him becoming a damn fine Kicker for the Blue Bombers), Wilbur provided the Tiger-Cats with exactly what they needed in the punting game: accuracy and distance.

Wilbur seems to get better and better each week. I hope that he gets to come back next season and prove that 2010 was not a fluke. Using an import spot on a Punter is not something most teams like to do, but with Wilbur I think the positives outweigh the negatives.

That said, Marcus Thigpen still gets my vote.

Most Outstanding Special Teams Player: Marcus Thigpen

Most Outstanding Rookie
The Wilbur-Thigpen debate could be carried over to this award as well. Since I spent the entire section of Special Teams Player on Wilbur, I'll spend this one on Thigpen.

What Thigpen has done in the return game is nothing short of brilliant. Why the Roughriders ever let this guy go is beyond me.

But recently, Thigpen has also been establishing an offensive identity as well. Thigpen has become that Weapon X-type player, where he is a threat no matter where he lines up. Hm, perhaps his nickname should be Weapon X? Maybe I'll throw that out there and see if it sticks.

Thigpen is the first and only player in CFL history to score a touchdown in five different ways (rushing, receiving, kick return, punt return and missed field goal return) in one season... and he did it before Labour Day. It is kind of incredible to think that someone like Hall of Famer Mike "Pinball" Clemons never accomplished that feat.

Perhaps the best rookie in the entire league, he is most definitely the best rookie on the team.

Most Outstanding Rookie: Marcus Thigpen

Had I posted this prior to the unveiling of the actual team nominees, I would have gone six for six. Maybe I can be a professional? (Please note the sarcasm.) Hey, Drew, next year, pick me, will ya?