The Weekly Say: Mid-season award picks

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO — With OK Tire Labour Day Weekend quickly approaching and summer very gradually easing its toasty grip on the country, we are very clearly at the midpoint of the CFL season.

A quick survey of the standings, league leaders and some highlights reveal that we’ve got some surprises this season, along with some of the outcomes that many projected before we kicked action off, 12 weeks ago.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, for example, are still very, very good. The BC Lions have shown that they can still be dominant, even with Nathan Rourke showing his escapability and playmaking skills in the NFL. The Toronto Argonauts, meanwhile, have risen to the top of the CFL heap — both in the standings and in the CFL.ca Power Rankings — thanks in large part to the play of quarterback Chad Kelly.

It won’t be surprising, then, that as a selection of CFL.ca’s writers made their picks for their top mid-season performers that the Argos, Bombers and Lions are well represented.

Can Zach Collaros become the first player in 30 years to three-peat the Most Outstanding Player award? Halfway through the season, our selection of writers says yes. Collaros’ bid at CFL history leads off our mid-season selections.

Most Outstanding Player

Marshall Ferguson: Zach Collaros

When healthy and on the field, there is no player with a bigger and more important impact on the outcome of CFL games. Simply outstanding.

Kristina Costabile: Zach Collaros

Collaros has looked every bit like the back-to-back MOP he is through the first half of the year. You don’t even need stats to know that he’s playing spectacular, though he is near the top of the league in almost all quarterback categories. His consistency and play-making ability when standing in or scrambling out of the pocket on the run set him apart from the rest of the pack, though Vernon Adams Jr. and Chad Kelly are making a case for themselves to be considered too.

Jim Morris: Chad Kelly

I’m going with Chad Kelly even though Vernon Adams Jr. has the better numbers. With Kelly, the Argos have a better record than the Lions and also lead the league in scoring. While Adams has been good, he’s also had a couple of bad games.

Matthew Cauz: Zach Collaros

I bet everyone thought I would go with the league’s new star in Chad Kelly, but I am going with the reigning champ. This pick is of the slimmest of margins. I’ll go with the passer who has hit on the most deep throws in the league and has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Chris O’Leary: Zach Collaros

If there’s a game on the line, or a gotta-get-it play to be made in the CFL right now, I want Zach Collaros to be my quarterback. Chad Kelly and Vernon Adams Jr. have been great, but I still feel like Collaros is the most clutch player in the league.

Most Outstanding Defensive Player

Ferguson: Micah Awe

There are a lot of great options here, I’m not sure any better than the well-rounded resume of Micah Awe.

Costabile: Mathieu Betts

This was the hardest category for me to pick just one player. Micah Awe, Larry Dean, Willie Jefferson, and Robertson Daniel all crossed my mind when thinking about who could be named this year’s MODP. I decided on Mathieu Betts, though, as the Lions’ defensive lineman has been consistently disrupting quarterbacks this year with his league-leading 11 sacks in 10 games.

Morris: Demerio Houston

Houston leads the league with seven interceptions and three fumbles.

Cauz: Mathieu Betts

It is not just that he leads the league in sacks, it is the manner in which he gets to opposing quarterbacks. Betts is a battering ram with speed who makes me feel bad for offensive tackles.

O’Leary: Mathieu Betts

His roll has slowed a little in the last four games, where he has just one sack, but if he can produce in the second half of the season like he has in the first, he’s a strong candidate for MODP. It feels like Betts was a rookie just yesterday (he was the third overall pick in 2019); it’s nice to see him round into this kind of form so quickly in his career.

Most Outstanding Canadian

Ferguson: Nic Demski

Watch the games, you don’t need some poetic writeup here to know why he’s THE pick.

Costabile: Brady Oliveira

There were a few Canadians that I could have picked here, including Betts, but I’m going with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ running back. Oliveira is leading the league in rushing yards with 783, over 200 more than the next rusher (Jamal Morrow, 561). He’s also the top running back in yards per carry with 5.6 as he’s established himself as the premier back in the CFL through the first half of the season.

Morris: Brady Oliveira

Oliveira gets my nod. He’s leading the league in rushing yards and is averaging over 78 yards a game. He also has 21 catches for 292 yards.

Cauz: Mathieu Betts

See above. Just go back and watch what he did to the “poor” Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive line in Week 3.

O’Leary: Samuel Emilus

Maybe I’m just mesmerized by the pair of catches he made in Week 11, but I feel like Emilus has stood out on the field multiple times this year. He’s up to 577 receiving yards on 35 catches and after his showing in the Riders’ win over the Lions is now up to four touchdowns in 10 games played.

Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman

Ferguson: Pier-Olivier Lestage

He might not get the votes, I get it, line play is tough to evaluate. But on a play-in and play-out basis, this guy is a superstar mix of athleticism and physicality.

Costabile: Ryan Hunter

The Toronto Argonauts’ offensive line has been fantastic through the first half of the season. They’ve protected Chad Kelly, allowing a league-low 10 sacks in eight games and have helped anchor one of the best rushing attacks in the CFL with AJ Ouellette, Andrew Harris and Kelly all finding success on the ground. But who’s the best of the bunch? My money is on left guard Ryan Hunter.

Morris: Isiah Cage

Cage has dealt with injuries this year but is part of an Argos’ offensive line that leads the league in scoring, is second in net offence and has allowed just 10 sacks.

Cauz: Dejon Allen

Had to be someone from the unit that has allowed the fewest sacks, is third in rushing yards and first in average yards per play at a whopping 7.48 yards. Yes, someone from the Toronto Argonauts. I cheated on this one and looked back at the weekly player grades assigned from the Pro Football Focus stats. The winner is right tackle Dejon Allen.

O’Leary: Dejon Allen

I think Cauz has my playbook. I scrolled through PFF’s grades and Allen’s name continues to pop up with a deep shade of green next to it (that’s a very good thing, if you’re unsure).

Most Outstanding Special Teams Player

Ferguson: Carthell Flowers-Lloyd

The kickers have been great, but I’m partial to the grinders and Hamilton’s Carthell Flowers-Lloyd has separated himself this season with 19 special teams tackles.

Costabile: Javon Leake

Leake has been the most electrifying returner in the CFL through the first half of the 2023 season. Leake currently leads the league in return TDs (three), punt return yards (612) and average yards per punt return (15.3). His success on punt returns has helped Toronto jump to the top of the league in field position, with their average starting point on their own 39.9 yard line.

Morris: Mario Alford

Alford can be one of the most exciting returners in the league. He leads the league in combined yards at 1,345 and is second in kickoff return yards with 709. He also has returned two punts for touchdowns.

Cauz: Javon Leake

The Argonauts’ offence has benefited from so many short fields this year and Leake is a big part of it. Leake leads the league in both punt return yardage and average yards per return and is the only player with three return touchdowns on the season.

O’Leary: Javon Leake

For all of the reasons listed above, which have shown us just how much of a spark a great returner can be. In those weeks where the offence isn’t flowing, or the defence might give up something that it normally doesn’t, Leake can be that game-changing presence that every championship-calibre team needs.

Most Outstanding Rookie

Ferguson: Tyler Snead

Projecting a bit here but I think Snead has the ability to make a statement over the next two months in Montreal. Back-to-back ROY for receivers? Maybe.

Costabile: Dustin Crum

The King of the Crumback has been so much fun to watch this season. He’s been dangerous using his legs, taking off whenever he can, rushing to the top of the CFL in yards per carry (8.1) and has tallied 451 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. But he’s also proven he can throw the ball in recent weeks, leading the CFL in completion percentage (70.9) while throwing 1,419 passing yards and five touchdowns. And how can we forget about one of the most exciting games of the year when Crum led his REDBLACKS to a big comeback win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 6?

Morris: Lake Korte-Moore

The Riders’ defensive end has had a solid season with 10 tackles and two sacks.

O’Leary: Still deciding

If I had to pick today, which I technically do, I’d go with Dustin Crum. However, Calgary’s Clarke Barnes has caught my eye. In nine games, he had 25 catches for 234 yards and a touchdown and was emerging as a true threat in the return game, with 18 kickoffs taken back for 379 yards. He’s on the six-game injured list now, but he’d shown a ton of promise after doing similar things in his time at Guelph in U SPORTS. If he can get back soon, he could impact that Outstanding Rookie race.

Coach Of The Year

Ryan Dinwiddie has steered the Argos to a league-best 7-1 record with a first-year starting quarterback (Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca)

Ferguson: Ryan Dinwiddie

Took a group full of champions, pushed them to start the season like they ended it and re-shaped an entire offence after losing his previous starting quarterback with an upgraded running game.

Costabile: Ryan Dinwiddie

A 7-1 record is quite the accomplishment for the Toronto Argonauts’ bench boss but add in a team that is strong (and deep) across all three phases and you have a front-runner for Coach of the Year.

Morris: Ryan Dinwiddie

Dinwiddie has shown the Argo’s Grey Cup win last year was no fluke. He’s coached the Argos to a 7-1 record, second best in the league and tops in the East using a second-year quarterback.

Cauz: Ryan Dinwiddie

The Argonauts have done a masterful job easing Chad Kelly into the difficult role of No. 1 starter, slowly allowing Toronto’s second-year quarterback to fully show off his skills as a passer. Kelly has looked like an old pro for much of the season and Dinwiddie and the coaching staff deserve a ton of credit.

O’Leary: Ryan Dinwiddie

You can’t argue with any of the above. The Argos were a question mark at the most important position at the start of the season and Dinwiddie and his staff have ensured a seamless transition for their first-year starter. The extension he signed earlier this season was a no-brainer for the Argos’ organization. Now 27-8 as the Argos’ head coach, the team is in a tremendous spot.

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