Plenty of star power was prevalent across the CFL in 2015, some of it coming from bright new emerging stars and some coming from exactly where you’d expect.
Derel Walker led some of this year’s breakout stars, coming out of virtually nowhere to contribute in a major way to the Eskimos’ Grey Cup run. Trevor Harris was among the leading passers in his first full season as a CFL starting quarterback, while Abdul Kanneh became a top defensive back for the REDBLACKS.
Many expected Eric Rogers to build on his strong rookie season and he did just that with a dominant year in 2015, while others like Luke Tasker, S.J. Green and Marquay McDaniel were their usual productive selves.
Then there were the new, old stars – the ones that were top performers once upon a time and may have been counted out going into 2015. Henry Burris may just be the best example of all-time, a 40-year-old quarterback who coming into the season was only an afterthought.
The REDBLACKS won only two games in 2014 while Burris put up the worst statistical season of his career, leaving some to wonder whether he was the right fit on an Ottawa team with a new-look offence.
We know how the rest of the story goes as Burris, in his 18th CFL season, put up a career year, won Most Outstanding Player and led the REDBLACKS from 2-16 to an appearance in the 103rd Grey Cup presented by Shaw just a year later.
Burris is without a doubt the top bounce back performer in 2015, but who will it be next season? We look at some of the top candidates that you could be writing off whether due to age, injury or recent performance:
15. Courtney Taylor
The 31-year-old Taylor has displayed plenty of athleticism and play-making ability, but after amassing 1,290 yards in two seasons with BC he took a step back in 2015. Injuries allowed Taylor to play in only seven games while in those games he managed only 22 catches (a career low 3.1 per game) and 227 yards.
For the 6-foot-1, 205-pound pass-catcher last year marked career lows in yards, yards per reception and touchdowns. With free agency potentially looming as he enters his fifth CFL season, could Taylor become a regular contributor again in 2016?
14. Chad Owens
A combination of age and injury history will make many skeptical about Owens’, a free agent to be, role in the Argo offence.
Last year was the first significant dip in production of the Mighty Mouse’s career, going from 89.9 yards per game in 2014 to 43.8 yards per game in 2015. Owens was nagged by injuries throughout the season but made far less of an impact in the 13 games he played in than we’re used to seeing, while his 55 receptions were the fewest he’s had in a season since 2010, his first year as an Argo.
A lot has to go right for Owens, who will be 34 when the Argos kick off training camp, but if he can stay healthy and get back in tune with veteran pivot Ricky Ray, expect the Hawaii native to contribute much more in 2016.
13. Andy Fantuz
Last year was an up and down season for Fantuz, who at times became an afterthought in a Ticat offence that was without Zach Collaros for the second half of the season.
Fantuz missed time due to injury himself and sometimes struggled to get on the same page with Jeff Mathews and Jeremiah Masoli, while all of these factors resulted in the 32-year-old having his worst statistical season since 2006, his rookie season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Many questions surround the Chatham, Ont. native who joined the Ticats in 2012, from whether the pending free agent returns to Hamilton to whether he can regain his own form.
One thing we’ll point out is that after a one-catch effort for zero yards in the Eastern Semi-Final win over the Argos, Fantuz did bounce back with a seven-catch, 88-yard performance in the Eastern Final. Blip on the radar or sign of things to come?
12. Swayze Waters
Waters has been far and away the CFL’s top punter in recent years, but injuries held him to only five games in 2015 while his placekicking numbers took a bit of a hit. After connecting on 47 of 52 field goal tries in 2014 and winning the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, this year he attempted only seven field goals and connected on four of them – not including the two he missed in the Eastern Semi-Final at a windy Tim Hortons Field.
Waters joined the Argos in 2012 and has emerged as a top special teams player ever since, so look for the 28-year-old to get back to being healthy and putting up some of the top kicking and punting numbers in the game in 2016.
11. Solomon Elimimian
After a record-breaking 2014 in which he set the league all-time single-season tackles record and became the first ever defensive player to win Most Outstanding Player, Elimimian’s bid to repeat that magical feat came to a crashing halt after he suffered a torn Achilles tendon through just seven games.
Elimimian is 29 and in the middle of his football prime, but a return to dominance is no guarantee – especially with an injury so severe. A tear of the Achilles tendon is one of the most brutal injuries to come back from in football and while there are success stories, nothing is a given.
Adam Bighill took the torch from Elimimian last year but the Lions need their tackling duo back in 2016 for their defence to get back to dominating.
10. Drew Willy
Willy is on this list solely due to injury as his team’s record was 3-4 through seven starts while his quarterback rating was among the CFL’s best before missing the rest of the season due to a knee injury.
Yet while an injury slowed down his 2015 season and likely cost the Bombers a shot at the playoffs, there’s no doubting the pressure facing the 29-year-old heading into 2016. The Bombers have a new offensive coordinator in Paul LaPolice and a young offensive line expected to take strides, meaning it’s all on the right throwing arm of Willy to elevate the Bombers to a new level.
Where does Winnipeg’s undisputed leader stand among true franchise quarterbacks, and moreover, can he put the Bombers in the playoffs for the first time since 2011?
9. Chris Getzlaf
After four straight seasons with at least 850 yards and two with 1,000, Getzlaf had emerged as one of the top national receivers in the game. Two sub-par seasons in a row have changed his outlook as he heads towards this off-season without a contract.
Even with a new regime in Regina some questions surrounding whether he’ll return, Getzlaf still has to be considered a strong candidate to bounce back in 2016. The last two years have been injury plagued for the 6-foot-1, 208-pound receiver while his career low 12.2 yards per reception is likely a blip on the radar than a new norm.
Wherever he ends up in 2016, there’s no reason the 32-year-old can’t return to his previous form.
8. Paris Cotton
After emerging as the Bombers’ lead back at the end of 2014, last season was one to forget for the young CFL running back. Cotton’s rushing average fell from 5.5 in his rookie season to 4.8 in 2015, while his role as an every down back didn’t quite come to fruition after averaging eight carries and 38 yards per game over the span of seven games.
He never got a chance to turn his season around after that, suffering a season-ending arm injury and leaving the Bomber run game in the hands of Cameron Marshall.
With Paul LaPolice in town and the Bombers looking to run the ball better, can Cotton return to form as the lead back in the Winnipeg offence?
7. Andre Durie
Whenever he’s in the lineup he’s productive, but the problem with Durie has been injury. The 34-year-old has played in only six games the last two years and is a long way removed from his stellar 2013 season in which he recorded a career-high 986 yards.
Argos GM Jim Barker has suggested there’s a spot for Durie on the team next year, meaning there could be an opportunity for a huge bounce back year if the York University product can stay healthy.
Durie’s playing style fits Scott Milanovich’s offence perfectly but with so many emerging stars on the Argo offence he’ll be competing for touches.
6. Bear Woods
After breaking out in 2014 with 89 tackles and seven sacks, Woods’ 2015 season ended very early as a result of a torn pectoral muscle. Injuries have hurt Woods early in his Montreal career but he’s proven when on the field he is an elite linebacker.
The Alouettes could no doubt use the boost on defence, but can the 28-year-old get his game back after a year on the sideline? Woods will undoubtedly be a player to watch in 2016 as he looks to prove 2014 was no fluke.
5. C.J. Gable
He’s flashed loads of potential through three CFL seasons but injuries have prevented Gable from becoming a premier running back. Gable is often praised by Head Coach and General Manager Kent Austin as one of the best all-around backs in the league, one that not only runs the ball well but is strong in pass protection and can make plays through the air.
It’s true, a lot of what Gable does goes on behind the scenes, often unnoticed because the Ticats typically throw the ball more than any other team in the league — but the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Southern California graduate has the ability to be a top running back in the league, it’s just a matter of staying healthy.
If Gable can play 18 games next season a rushing title is totally possible as the 28-year-old still remains one of the top up-and-coming backs around.
4. Clarence Denmark
Everything about Denmark’s game has been quiet. First, the 30-year-old pass catcher quietly became one of the more consistent receivers in the league with four straight seasons of at least 17 games played, 50 or more catches and 600 or more yards.
Last year though it was quiet disappointment for Denmark, who followed up his first career 1,000-yard season with 718 yards and only 57 catches – both the second-lowest totals of his CFL career.
At this time last year Denmark was one of only a few 1,000-yard receivers and was considered one of the top receivers out there, and next year with Paul LaPolice guiding the Bombers and ideally Drew Willy healthy under centre, we expect him to return to his elite form.
3. Tearrius George
In 2014 the Riders had the CFL’s most vaunted defensive line, leading the league with 61 sacks. Tearrius George was quite literally the centerpiece of that unit with his 12 sacks.
How things change in a year. While both George and Foley were re-signed last off-season, Foley was traded to Toronto while the Rider defence sank to the bottom of the CFL in both total yards and sacks. Corey Chamblin and Brendan Taman were dismissed mid-season and suddenly the Riders were an entirely different team.
George, now 33, has to be a leading bounce back candidate following a year in which he played in 10 games and recorded only a single sack. With an upstart team and a new identity led by newcomer Chris Jones, can George get back to being the force he was from 2011 to 2014 with the Riders when he had 31 sacks in four years?
2. John White
While Jon Cornish was firmly entrenched as the CFL’s most dynamic running back going into 2014, that year he was challenged by Eskimos running back White. White, then just 23, rushed for 852 yards on 123 carries for a 6.9 yard average despite playing in only nine games.
The 5-foot-8, 186-pound back was a wrecking ball on the Eskimos’ offence and may have won the rushing title if not for an injury that kept him out half the season, but next year his chance to really break out took a devastating turn when he suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon during training camp.
A pending free agent, can White return to being a starting running back and pick up where he left off at the end of 2014? No matter where he ends up he’ll be a bounce back player to keep an eye on in 2016 as he looks to battle back from a potential career-threatening injury.
1. Ricky Ray
Injury issues have caught up to the 36-year-old Ray, considered one of the most accurate passers in CFL history, but the veteran pivot may not be getting the respect he deserves. He took the Argos by storm in his first three years with the team, leading them to a Grey Cup in 2012 and winning the East Division Most Outstanding Player the next two years.
In 2013 Ray set records for his completion percentage and passer rating, while in 2014 he was again a top-ranked quarterback until late in the year when he suffered a season-ending injury. Ray wound up undergoing shoulder surgery and missed most of 2015, and when he did return late in the year has wasn’t quite his usual self.
Ray not getting the respect he deserves? Sounds an awful lot like a certain 40-year-old quarterback that proved everyone wrong in 2015 and won Most Outstanding Player. Keep a close eye on him as he looks to win the starting job in Toronto and return to being a premier passer in the CFL.
