Last Word on Sports has emerged as a top online source for CFL news and views here in the 2014 season. We have covered every game with predictions, provided week-by-week power rankings, and posted over a hundred stories covering the season from end to end. So we are naming our picks for our own CFL awards in the following categories:
- Game or Play of the Year – the best chunk of football to watch across the entire season of the CFL
- Impact Player of the Year – the player who made the biggest difference for his team
- Underrated Player of the Year – the player who didn’t get enough headlines and mentions, despite his contributions to his team
- Overrated Player of the Year – the player who got far too many headlines and mentions, but made little impact on his team’s success
Our picks are below; add yours in the comments.
Game or Play of the Year
Steve Gifkins: Weston Dressler Touchdown Catch
Dressler in his first ever appearance against the Redblacks took the expansion team’s defense to school on this play. Incredible balance and vision along with a nose for the end zone to finish it off at the end.
Nicholas Di Giovanni: Week 12, Toronto at Calgary
Who could forget this great comeback by the Calgary Stampeders? On a nice September afternoon, the home field Stamps fans must have already started thinking they lost their first game of the season, down 29-3 in the second quarter to the woeful Toronto Argonauts. After a late first half TD pass by Bo-Levi Mitchell, Jon Cornish made possibly the run of the year when he sprinted 79 yards to the endzone and brought his team within two majors. The Stamps never looked back, even when Mitchell left with an injury. Drew Tate stepped in and threw two touchdown passes and completed every one of his six passes. The Stamps won 40-33 in one of the biggest comebacks in franchise history.
Lance Keiser: Week 13, Ottawa at Saskatchewan
Any time CFL game that needs extra time to decide is exciting. But this game featured a comeback by the Roughriders to force overtime, a missed field goal by Saskatchewan to send it to double overtime, and a blocked field goal at the end of the final mini-game to secure a victory. The home fans were treated to game of the year in Regina, how can anyone argue with that?
Matthew Bin: Brandon Banks Touchdown Return
It made no sense for the Tiger-Cats to even be in this game, after their spotty season; but here they were, hosting the East final against the Montreal Alouettes. The home team surrendered an early final, but battled back; the nail in the Montreal coffin, though, was a 97-yard punt return for a touchdown by Brandon “Speedy” Banks. He broke or dodged a half-dozen tackles and outran the entire coverage team to give the Ticats an insurmountable lead and a berth in the Grey Cup.
Kelly Bale: None
In 2014, there was no game of the year. I racked my brain, pondered for days, and still no single game stood out above the rest. That could be taken as a positive or a negative. There were great parts of games but on the whole CFL fans got defensive football this year and that isn’t really to my liking.
Impact Player of the Year
Steve Gifkins: Solomon Elimimian
In a year where defences have dominated, it’s only fitting that impact player of the year goes to a defender. Elimimian impacts games more then any single player in the league. He plays in the middle so it’s hard for offenses to run plays away from him. He has sideline-to-sideline speed and has incredible instincts, which have led to him to break the CFL single season tackle record with 143 on the season.
Nicholas Di Giovanni: Solomon Elimimian
Not everyone knows how to spell or pronounce his name, but he’ll be remembered long after this season. This linebacker was a monster this season. His 143 tackles were a CFL record, surpassing JC Sheritt’s mark of 131 from two years ago. In a brittle offence weakened by injuries at the quarterback position, the Lions wouldn’t have been where they are without Elimimian. Not many ball carriers get by him and he was a spark for the whole Lions defence.
Lance Keiser: Jon Cornish
Granted, he missed a big chunk of the calender due to injuries, but when healthy the Canadian running back has averaged 7.8 yards per carry for the Stampeders. At 7.8 yards per carry when battling injuries all year speaks volumes to Cornish’s skill set as well as the groove he has with the Calgary Offensive line. The Grey Cup being this Sunday and Calgary representing the West division, we may just see the type of impact he can have on the big stage.
Matthew Bin: Tim Hortons Field
All right, it’s a bit of a cheat, but did any single player guarantee a Grey Cup appearance more than the Tiger-Cats’ home field advantage? It still isn’t actually completed, but the Donut Box – a.k.a. Tim Hortons Fortress – was enough to spark a second-half rejuvenation for the Hamilton team. A new facility and a raucous, angry crowd led to seven straight home victories, including one win over the Alouettes that put the Ticats in the playoffs, and another that put them in the Grey Cup.
Kelly Bale: Darien Durant
Through the first nine games, number four had his Saskatchewan Roughriders poised to repeat as Grey Cup champions, or at least to make a game out of the west final. But then an injury to his throwing elbow in the Banjo Bowl and his placement on the six-game injury list all but crippled those hopes for Rider Nation. Darian’s absence proved that he had the greatest impact on his team in 2014, whether positive or negative.
Underrated Player of the Year
Steve Gifkins: Clarence Denmark
Finishing second in the league in receiving yards with 1,080 on the season, Denmark has quietly become one of the CFL’s top receivers. At only 5’10”, he makes the most of his size by running great routes and having a pair of the softest hands in the league. Denmark made several highlight reel grabs this season, and posted an incredible 16.6 yards per reception. This player is a definite star in the making.
Nicholas Di Giovanni: Back-up Quarterbacks
Drew Tate and Tanner Marsh have been contributing to their teams success under no spotlight and are doing an extremely effective job. Two of the best goal-line and third down situation QBs in the league, Tate lead the league in rushing TDs this season with 10 while Marsh ran in 7. The only running back that has more TDs this season than Marsh is Nic Grisby with 9, while Mike Reilly was also key at squeezing through defensive lines this season with 8 majors. However, Reilly gets enough recognition as a starter and Tate received his fair share but Marsh never even started a game this season. Three players started at quarterback position this year for the Alouettes but Marsh was a back-up all year. Without Marsh and Tate, the Alouettes and Stampeders would be different teams.
Lance Keiser: Ricky Foley
Lost in the John Chick sack attack this year was Ricky Foley. He proudly wears his Canadian heart on his sleeve game in and game out, and this year he proved that he is still a force on the defensive front. On the Riders defence, Foley had 54 tackles as well as 12 sacks, a great year for the often-overlooked Canadian.
Matthew Bin: Jonathan Crompton
Montreal was a sad sack of a team in the first eight games of the year, looking even worse than the expansion Redblacks. The post-Calvillo era began with horrendous games from Troy Smith and Alex Brink, and Montreal looked like a contender for last place. But while coaching and improved defensive play brought this team around, no position had the impact of the calm, poised play at quarterback. Crompton’s success as a new starter led to an impressive 8-2 record on the remainder of the season, and turned the Alouettes into playoff contenders. His numbers weren’t great but he should be mentioned in the same breath as the other elite QBs in the league, and he isn’t.
Kelly Bale: Tristan Jackson
A starter all year on the boundary corner, Jackson had career highs in 2014 with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He led the league in combined return yardage with 1531 yards. He also had 47 tackles, which is amazing considering how few QBs were willing to test him. He did it all for the Riders and in my eyes was the team’s MOP.
Overrated Player of the Year
Steve Gifkins: Andy Fantuz
While Andy Fantuz did have 62 catches this season, he has not looked like the true physical threat he was in the past. He marked a career low in yards per reception this year with just 10.3 yards per catch. At no point in his nine-year career has he averaged less that 13 yards per catch. Possibly on the down side of his career, Fantuz can erase all doubts by having a big Grey Cup showing on Sunday.
Nicholas Di Giovanni: Drew Willy
Remember willy-peg? Remember the 6-0 start? Remember the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ playoff hopes? Yeah, well, they all lasted as long as a teenage relationship: six weeks. Drew Willy was by far the most overrated player in the league this season. He started the summer as one of the league’s hottest quarterbacks, but the media, fans and even the Winnipeg Blue Bombers succumbed to the hype that ensued the 6-0 start. Like all overrated players, Willy fell down fast and hard, from the most appreciated QB in the league to a pivot that could have played for the 2-16 expansion Redblacks. If the Bombers want a playoff spot next year, they should look into a real quarterback.
Lance Keiser: Solomon Elimimian
Before you bite my head off, I realize he leads the league in tackles. But what does that mean, game planning? Maybe offences target the middle of the field knowing he rarely creates turnovers. He had an outstanding year, he broke a record, but is he a game changer? Being on the defensive side of the ball and getting all the attention he got, the Lions still lost their last three games, ending the season on 37-3 and 31-16 efforts, and then embarrassing themselves in the crossover 50-17. So while he can make tackles, he can’t change a game. He isn’t the Ray Lewis of the CFL. He is a player who can tackle well, and he’s overrated.
Matthew Bin: Ricky Ray
I said it last year and I’ll say it again this year: Ricky Ray has become a one-trick pony. Yes, he’s a terrifyingly accurate passer. But put some pressure on the man, and he’s lost. Rattle his cage a little and he’ll throw like a chump for the rest of the game. He’s got nothing to show us when the pocket collapses. If he played behind a middling offensive line, he’d be exposed as a second-rate quarterback. He might have been Most Outstanding Player at many points in his career, but recently he’s been riding his reputation, and he isn’t the quarterback he was even two years ago.
Kelly Bale: Chris Getzlaf
In 2014, the younger Getzlaf brother amassed his lowest receiving yardage total since 2009 with 591 yards. He also set career lows with 36 catches and only one touchdown. Compared to his 2013 statistics of 63 catches and 7 TDs, his production dropped off severely. And then there’s the drops. Ohhh, the drops. And the constant offsides in the waggle. Chris Getzlaf had better be trade bait for Ottawa this off-season.
Thanks for reading. Agree? Disagree? Add your picks for any of these categories in the comments below!
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