THE CANADIAN PRESS
CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — With fall football now in full swing, each week CFL.ca looks at the top candidates for MOP this season and considers whether they’re trending upwards or downwards.
Last week, you voted on your choice for MOP as of Week 17 and came up with the following results:
John Chick — 32%
Jon Cornish — 30%
Bo Levi Mitchell — 16%
Zach Collaros — 11%
Odell Willis — 7%
Solomon Elimimian — 2%
Mike Reilly — 1%
Ricky Ray — 1%
Adarius Bowman — 1%
Chad Owens — 0%
Week 18 Outlook:
Week 18 didn’t feature any off-the-charts performances, but most players on our list managed to at least maintain their recent value in the league’s MOP race. Bo Levi Mitchell and Zach Collaros each helped their cause, while Solomon Elimimian was quietly solid in the Lions’ victory over Winnipeg. Meanwhile, a new addition to the list sees the Ticats’ Eric Norwood enter the picture, despite not registering a sack over the weekend.
Here are our top 10 candidates, with a stock assessment of each one.
Bo Levi Mitchell, QB – Calgary Stampeders
STOCK UP — Bo Levi Mitchell didn’t have his best game (21-of-31, 231 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions), but he led his team to victory despite not having Jon Cornish in the backfield. If you had to pinpoint the Stamps’ most important piece for the playoffs, you’d probably pick out the Katy, Texas native.
» View Player Profile
» Must Watch: Giddy up and Bo!
Solomon Elimimian, LB – BC Lions
STOCK UP — Elimimian only had four tackles in his team’s 28-23 win over the Bombers, but his sack was one of the team’s 10 on the night. The veteran linebacker has the league’s single-season tackles record in his sights, and is the heart and soul of the league’s most dominant defence.
Zach Collaros, QB – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
STOCK UP — The Argos dialed up the pressure against their former quarterback, and after a rocky first quarter Collaros responded. He finished the evening with 335 passing yards and three touchdowns, including a 109-yard scoring drive, coming up just short of the win.
Eric Norwood, DE – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
STOCK UP — His sack streak came to an end, but Eric Norwood was still in the face of Ricky Ray throughout the afternoon, while also chipping in with five tackles during Saturday’s loss to the Argos. Norwood has played a key role in the Ticats’ turnaround and shows no signs of slowing.
Jon Cornish, RB – Calgary Stampeders
STOCK NEUTRAL — It’s hard to win MOP if you’re not playing, but in sitting last weekend’s 40-27 win over the Riders, Jon Cornish put his team’s playoff success before his own personal goals. He should still win the rushing title, but may need to get some more action in order to win the prestigious award.
» View Player Profile
» Must Watch: Cornish 75-yard dash
Adarius Bowman, SB – Edmonton Eskimos
STOCK NEUTRAL — Bowman has already set a team record for single-season catches, destroying the rest of the competition when it comes to receptions and yards. A strong finish would bode well heading into the playoffs.
» View Player Profile
» Must Watch: Two hands are for beginners
Mike Reilly, QB – Edmonton Eskimos
STOCK NEUTRAL — Reilly was unspectacular in his last performance against the Riders, failing to throw a touchdown pass and also getting picked off. But he’s gotten the Eskimos back on the winning track heading into last weekend’s bye, and will play a key role in the team’s playoff chances.
» View Player Profile
» Watch: Reilly’s mad dash
John Chick, DE – Saskatchewan Roughriders
STOCK NEUTRAL — John Chick finally ended a miserable sack drought, taking down Bo Levi Mitchell for his league-leading 15th sack. Outside of that, though, the Rider defence couldn’t get back on track against a Stamps team without Jon Cornish along with most of its top receiving threats.
Odell Willis, DE – Edmonton Eskimos
STOCK NEUTRAL — Odell Willis enjoyed a hard-earned bye week, and should be well-rested to go chase the CFL sack lead in the final two weeks. With Chick and the Riders getting a bye next weekend, the veteran lineman has every opportunity to catch the sack leader.
» View Player Profile
» Watch: Willis gets the ball rolling
Ricky Ray, QB – Toronto Argonauts
STOCK NEUTRAL — Ray wasn’t at his absolute best in the Argos’ 26-24 win over the Ticats. He underthrew a pass in the end zone at a key moment, while his first-half interception gave the Ticats momentum. But he got the job done in the end, and his fourth-quarter completion along the sideline to Slaton was a thing of beauty.
» View Player Profile
» Watch: Ray surpasses Lancaster
Chad Owens, SB – Toronto Argonauts
STOCK DOWN — Owens wasn’t a total non-factor against Hamilton, but he didn’t put up the numbers we’re accustomed to. Steve Slaton was the game-breaker in the Argos’ win over the Ticats, although the 2012 Most Outstanding Player surely served as a major decoy.
» View Player Profile
» Watch: Owens burns the Riders
» Watch: Owens’ game-winning TD
