Players Awards

[David]

Here are my nominees 9 games in:

Outstanding Player: Jeremiah Johnson - Mr. Consistency, does everything asked of him and then some. Problem is, he's not asked enough.
Runner-Up: Joel Figueroa

Defensive Player: TJ Lee - Some may disagree with this choice but I've been watching a guy in the first 9 games fly around and disrupt play. Time after time.
Runner-Up: Otha Foster

Offensive Lineman: Joel Figueroa - Not sure how may sacks or hurries he's given up this season but I could probably count them on one finger. Simply dominant.
Runner-Up: Cody Husband

Special Teams: Ty Long - The knock on Ty was always his directional punting. Not anymore. He has added that to his toolbox of kicking skills and is my vote as the league's top 2-way kicker.
Runner-Up: Chris Rainey

Canadian: Bo Lokombo - Not a lot of standout Nationals in this year's crop, but Bo appears to be getting more comfortable at linebacker. As of last week, stood tied for 9th in total tackles in the league with 47.
Runner-Up: Cody Husband


DH

[B.C.FAN]

Here are my nominees 9 games in:

Outstanding Player: Jeremiah Johnson - Mr. Consistency, does everything asked of him and then some. Problem is, he's not asked enough.
Runner-Up: Joel Figueroa

Defensive Player: TJ Lee - Some may disagree with this choice but I've been watching a guy in the first 9 games fly around and disrupt play. Time after time.
Runner-Up: Otha Foster

Offensive Lineman: Joel Figueroa - Not sure how may sacks or hurries he's given up this season but I could probably count them on one finger. Simply dominant.
Runner-Up: Cody Husband

Special Teams: Ty Long - The knock on Ty was always his directional punting. Not anymore. He has added that to his toolbox of kicking skills and is my vote as the league's top 2-way kicker.
Runner-Up: Chris Rainey

Canadian: Bo Lokombo - Not a lot of standout Nationals in this year's crop, but Bo appears to be getting more comfortable at linebacker. As of last week, stood tied for 9th in total tackles in the league with 47.
Runner-Up: Cody Husband


DH

Good selections, David. I might put Otha Foster ahead of T.J. Lee as defensive player, but I completely agree with the others. There's something about the Mark Washington defence that always results in strong play by the nickelback, no matter who plays the position.

[WestCoastJoe]

Good choices, David.

And, BCFAN, I agree about Foster.

[Gridiron Ernie]

That's a solid selection indeed, David. You nicely sifted through the roster and found some of our very best.

I understand your point about Lee, however I'll without hesitation chime in for Otha Foster (as others have done).

I really want to squeeze in Travis here somehow, given the burden of responsibility he carries so well, but, can't really argue with your choices. Is there a special award those intangibles?

(Herdman also comes to mind, but valiant as he's been, I feel maybe he's not yet quite there for the awards podium -- well but as "rookie player" perhaps? We shall see as the second half season unfolds.)

[TheLionKing]

Hard to argue with David's choices.

[Figaro]

David,

Love your choices for player awards. I agree with all of them except I would place Foster in front of Lee - but that is a tough call either way; however, as I pointed out in an earlier post, Foster's performance in our last game gives him the edge.

JJ24 is an offensive weapon that we have underutilized. I think on other teams he would get twice as many touches. He gets the job done. He and Harris from Winnipeg are quite similar and yet look how Winnipeg uses Harris compared to our between the tackles obsession.

I also mentioned the play of Joel Figueroa in my post on the last game. He just doesn't get beat. Another thing I like about Joel - who is the first player to congratulate a teammate on a play well executed? : Joel Figueroa. Always runs downfield to provide support and congratulations. My current nominee for Lineman Of The Year.

Agree totally on runner-up Husband - this is a man who plays hurt better than most centers in the league play healthy.

Ty Long. What can you say about a punter who can kick the bejesus out of the ball and knock in field goals as if for practice? And yes, I agree that his directional punting is improving - a nod to Reinebold. Plus he was the player who slowed down

Lokombo is a star who has arrived. His play is exemplary and yet I believe his best years and play are yet to come. Do not let him go.

Unsung hero? I really like the play of Davon Coleman. Often double-teamed yet in on so many tackles. His play will even get better with time. Reminds me of a young Tyrone Williams.

[David]

Thanks for the feedback guys. It was a complete toss-up for me as to Foster or Lee, but there is no question that Foster has had some standout games, most notably against the Riders (I believe he was very strong in the win over Edmonton too). I just found that T.J,'s play has been consistently strong from (almost) the start of the season.

Additional first half votes:

Biggest surprise: David Foucault (I didn't see this coming after his inauspicious start last year. A most pleasant surprise at guard. Very happy to have him on the roster)
Biggest disappointment: Gabe Knapton (no longer here), Shaq Johnson (not that I am pinning it all on Shaq by any means, but expected much better production....same could be said about Burnham but he's been spectacular lately).
Biggest Improvement (from first part of season to now): Anthony Orange


DH

[B.C.FAN]

Thanks for the feedback guys. It was a complete toss-up for me as to Foster or Lee, but there is no question that Foster has had some standout games, most notably against the Riders (I believe he was very strong in the win over Edmonton too). I just found that T.J,'s play has been consistently strong from (almost) the start of the season.

Additional first half votes:

Biggest surprise: David Foucault (I didn't see this coming after his inauspicious start last year. A most pleasant surprise at guard. Very happy to have him on the roster)
Biggest disappointment: Gabe Knapton (no longer here), Shaq Johnson (not that I am pinning it all on Shaq by any means, but expected much better production....same could be said about Burnham but he's been spectacular lately).


DH

Biggest disapppintment is a tough one.

Knapton performed exactly as I expected. He was a hard-working, productive run-stopper who can make plays up and down the line. He is not a pass-rush specialist, which is what many fans were hoping for.

It’s too early for me to make a judgment on Shaq Johnson. His 172 receiving yards in 7 games projects to 442 yards for an 18-game season, which beats Marco Iannuzzi’s career high. The sky is still the limit for him. He has great speed and an ability to get open, much like Kevin Elliott and Ricky Collins. The weakness of all three receivers is their hands, unlike Bryan Burnham, who seldom gets much separation but catches a lot of contested passes.

My greatest disappointment might be Jovan Olafioye. Age and back problems have taken their toll on him. He may be the biggest weakness on the offensive line. I can see the Lions replacing him with a national OT next year.

[Pistrinus]

Best cameo performance; David knevel

[David]

I can't disagree with anything you said, B.C.FAN. It's not that Shaq has played poorly per se, but I was just expecting more long passes thrown his way and him to get more separation. I thought it would be a break out year for him, but I guess the reality is that we're not running that kind of offence.

Bang on about Jovan. I am pulling for the big guy, but I would like to see more than just a "cameo" from David Knevel, Pistrinus. A National tackle would give us so many options, especially if Boyko comes here. It can be the 1-2 punch at RT they look for (seems they hate to put a National anywhere without proper back-up).

DH

[Lion Guy]

Lol.

[Gridiron Ernie]

Others will also have seen this article from the CFL website by now... It's kinda' interesting to place our hometown/team considerations into the broader context of the league. Seven regulars (writers) from cfl.ca have selected the halfway point all-stars. When the dust settled not a single Lion remained in the mix. The most votes any Leo got out of seven was two for Ty Long and two for Winston Rose (huh?), while a small handful, such as Burnham and Figueroa and T.J. Lee and a couple others, got one vote each. As disappointing as that is, I couldn't really argue with the stellar list of players making up the all-star roster. A brilliant bunch of players for sure!
https://www.cfl.ca/2018/08/31/harris-wi ... son-stars/

[Gridiron Ernie]

Just to further comment... it bruises the ol' heart a bit, though I'm happy for their success and continued top-notch play since their departures, to see Mike Reilly, Andrew Harris, Adam Bighill & Richie Leone front and centre in this all-star roster. Ex-Leos still shining. Sigh...

[David]

Unsung hero? I really like the play of Davon Coleman. Often double-teamed yet in on so many tackles. His play will even get better with time. Reminds me of a young Tyrone Williams.

Davon Coleman maybe started a bit slowly with our Leos but has been a beast, and teams just can't double-team him because there are too many lethal weapons on the defensive front.

But my point is really to say, I am not sure I'd call Davon our "Unsung Hero" because a lot was expected when he was signed after his success with the Ti-Cats.

For my money, the Unsung Hero Award thus far goes to Ivan Mclennan. He has really made the most of limited reps, and every game seems to make one or two really big plays off the edge.


DH

[B.C.FAN]

Much has changed with the Lions' fortunes since the half-way point in the season but the leading contenders for the Lions' player awards have stayed pretty much the same. Ballots are out for the Lions' candidates in the 2018 CFL player awards, and Farhan Lalji weighs in with his thoughts:



The Most Outstanding Player category seems wide open. Jeremiah Johnson has fallen out of favour with the coaches and fallen off the game-day roster three times in recent weeks.

My leading contender for MOP is Bryan Burnham. In a generally slow year for the offence, Burnham has been their one consistent weapon and the key to many of their victories. He is the Lions' clutch receiver and is on pace for his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. HIs performance in the overtime game against Hamilton was classic, with two fourth-quarter TDs and a game-tying two-point conversion on the last play of regulation. Through 16 games, here are his totals:

REC: 64
YDS: 934
TDS: 8
AVG: 15.3

He is in the top 10 in the league in all receiving categories, and ranks third in catches of more than 20 yards (14) and fourth in catches of more than 30 yards.

I agree with most of Farhan's other suggestions, which are largely the same as those made by David and others at midseason. I'm not sure about top rookie. This is a team made up largely of veterans, many of them recruited from other organizations. Claudell Lewis is probably as good a choice as any. He has 20 tackles in nine games and has really solidified the Lions' front four. I'd give honourable mention to Andrew Peirson. He's only played three games so far but he seamlessly stepped into one of the toughest positions on the O-line. The Lions won all three games he started at centre, and have rushed for 187, 123 and 136 yards in those three games.