Steinberg’s MMQB: Burris leading MOP race

I think every pro sports league should name their highest individual award the Most Outstanding Player. The word “outstanding” is so much less ambiguous than “valuable” because it’s so much more descriptive. No one was more outstanding in 2014 than BC’s Solomon Elimimian. When we get to the end of 2015, we’ll be saying the same thing about Henry Burris.

Deserved recognition

Knowing where things stand right now, how can Burris not be the current MOP frontrunner? Sure, if a healthy Zach Collaros were to be leading the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to the playoffs, this is a different story. Unfortunately, Collaros is done for the year, but his absence makes Burris’s credentials for the award shine.

It was Arash Madani who pushed me over the top on this one on Friday afternoon. Arash joined my show and laid out exactly why Burris has to be the frontrunner right now. At this point, it’s pretty tough to argue what’s so obvious to see.

First off, let’s appreciate what Burris did on Thursday night. His record setting performance in Ottawa’s 39-17 win over Montreal isn’t any less jaw dropping today than it was four days ago. Not only did Burris set a new CFL record with 45 completions, he also did it while throwing just eight incomplete passes all night long. That’s right, Burris had more than five times as many complete passes against the Als than he did incomplete. Let that sink in for a few minutes.

But what Burris did on Thursday was the best game in a season full of stellar performances. Burris is the CFL’s leading passer, throwing for 4115 yards and leading Calgary’s Bo Levi Mitchell by more than 300 yards in that category. It’s his completion that puts Burris in truly elite standing, however.

Burris has completed 71.2% of his passes in 2015, which is the highest mark of his career. Toronto’s Trevor Harris is the only quarterback to complete at a higher rate than Burris, and only by 0.6%. When you factor in how many more passing yards Burris has as compared to Harris (more than 900 yards), the picture becomes very clear. Burris is the league’s most deadly passer in 2015.

I think I’ve already painted a picture of what an outstanding season looks like, but we’re forgetting a few things. Burris has spearheaded an incredible turnaround in Ottawa and has lead the RedBlacks to a share of first place in the East Division. Oh, and he’s done this all at the age of 40.

It’s pretty clear to me that Burris is in the driver’s seat to be the 2015 Most Outstanding Player. Harris has been very good in his first year as a starter while Calgary’s Eric Rogers is having an incredible season at receiver. In the end, though, we have to be true to the word outstanding. That’s what the award is about, and no one has been more outstanding than Burris in 2015.

Looming showdown

The way the Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders have mirrored one another since their last meeting is rather eerie. It seems like every time the Stamps win it’s followed up in similar fashion by the Eskimos, or vice versa. That was the case this past weekend once again.

Calgary pulled one out of thin air on Friday night as Rene Parades nailed a 37-yard field goal as time expired to send Hamilton to a 23-20 defeat. Less than 24 hours later, Sean Whyte and the Esks did them one better as they stunned the Bombers 24-23. It was borderline creepy how similar the endings were to both games. Now, the two teams are on a collision course for one of the most important regular season Battle of Alberta showdowns in years.

The Stamps play host to Edmonton on Saturday night in a game that will have massive implications in how the West Division plays out. Nothing will be guaranteed after the final whistle, but it’ll be a surprise if Saturday’s winner doesn’t end up securing a trip to the West Final. That’s how important this game is.

At this point, I see very little between the two teams. I know Calgary has had Edmonton’s number in recent years, but I’m far less worried about that element after what happened in Week 13. The Eskimos finally took one from their provincial rivals and looked pretty good doing so. That started a four game win streak for Edmonton while the Stamps haven’t lost since.

I’m fairly confident in saying the CFL’s two best teams right now reside in Alberta. The Stamps don’t look as dominant as they did last year, but they are the defending champs and also hold the league’s best record. The Esks, on the other hand, are red hot, have their starting quarterback back in the fold, and remain as terrifying as ever defensively.

Buckle up for this one, because if the indications are right, this could be one of the best games of 2015.

Video game good

BC defensive back Ryan Phillips delivered the line of the season on Saturday night. After witnessing quarterback Jonathon Jennings pick apart the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Phillips said “my guy’s like a video game, he’s like a create-a-player sometimes.” And he’s not wrong.

Jennings was out of his mind in BC’s 46-20 romp over the Riders. At times it felt like playing your buddy at Madden… you know, that buddy who plays five hours a day. Jennings was that rare quarterback triple threat on Saturday, as he made plays in the passing, running, and receiving game. When was the last time you said that about a quarterback?

In all reality, Jennings had been trending up. I’m not saying I saw a game like Saturday’s coming, but you definitely did see some signs of promise. Jennings had looked good, albeit a little unpolished, in his last two appearances.

Against Calgary in Week 13, Jennings was moving the ball well and connecting on some big plays, but faltered on a few decisions. One week later against Edmonton’s vaunted defensive group, Jennings was a little more efficient and trimmed down on the mistakes. Things exploded, though, against the Riders.

Once again, it’s important to proceed with caution when it comes to expectations for Jennings. Let’s not forget how Rakeem Cato looked early on this season before coming back to earth fairly significantly. Jennings has some real good things going for him and the future looks bright, but games like Saturday’s are going to be tough to duplicate on the reg.

Quick hits

Don’t forget Week 16 is a quirky one. Things get going tomorrow with another massive showdown in the East between Ottawa and Toronto. There was a ton on the line last week when these two teams met, and that’s the case even more so this time around. I was quite entertained for most of that Week 14 contest, so I am really looking forward to another installment of this growing rivalry.

The Riders need to give Brett Smith the ball on Friday in Hamilton. I get why they wanted Kevin Glenn at the helm over the last few weeks, but this goes back to the bigger picture. Smith may or may not be the quarterback of the future, but we know for Glenn is not. Saskatchewan isn’t making the playoffs this year, so focusing on someone who could help them in the future needs to take higher priority. And from what we saw from Glenn in BC, it’s not like Smith is going to give them less of a chance to win, either.