Players of the Week

CFL Talk
1

Wednesday, July 4, 2007 - 12:00PM

(CFL.ca) – The Canadian Football League (CFL) announced today the Rogers Players of Week for Week #1.

Rogers Players of the Week are selected for on-field excellence by members of the Canadian football broadcasters.

Offensive Player of the Week

QB – Ricky Ray – Edmonton Eskimos
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 39 @ Edmonton Eskimos 39

Highlights / Key Stats:
In Edmonton’s 2007 home-opener, quarterback Ricky Ray completed 33 of 42 passes for 394 yards, one interception and five touchdowns. Ray also contributed on the ground with four carries for 34 yards as the Eskimos and Blue Bombers finished in a 39-39 tie.

Good Pick

Runner Up
SB – Milt Stegall – Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Defensive Player of the Week

DE – Cameron Wake – B.C. Lions
B.C. Lions 24 @ Toronto Argonauts 22

Highlights / Key Stats:
In his first ever CFL game, defensive end Cameron Wake registered three sacks for 22 yards and seven tackles – including one for a loss (one yard).

Good pick

Runner Up
DB – Eddie Davis – Saskatchewan Roughriders

Special Teams Player of the Week

KR – Bashir Levingston – Toronto Argonauts
B.C. Lions 24 @ Toronto Argonauts 22

Highlights / Key Stats:
In the 2007 CFL season-opener, Toronto’s Bashir Levingston returned a missed field goal 129 yards for a touchdown – setting a new modern day CFL record since missed field goal returns were categorized separately in 1985.

Levingston also returned two kickoffs for 25 yards and four punts for 11 yards for a total of 165 return yards.

Good pick

Runner Up
S – Barron Miles – B.C. Lions

Canadian Player of the Week

FB – Rob Cote – Calgary Stampeders
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 9 @ Calgary Stampeders 37

Highlights / Key Stats:
Also in his CFL debut, fullback Rob Cote scored an eight-yard touchdown reception, helping the Stampeders defeat the Tiger-Cats 37-9 at McMahon Stadium on Saturday night. Cote rushed once for three yards and had three receptions for 20 yards.

Questionable pick

Runner Up
DE – Brent Johnson – BC Lions
DE – Riall Johnson – Toronto Argonauts
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2

…Lame pick?!..a life-long-stamp-fan just-turned 20 year old local boy from Cochrane one year out of HS and with NO college experience against all odds not only MAKES the pro team as a walk-on but records a TD in his first ever pro game…that is freakin Hollywood script material let alone deserving of the POTW (Canadian) award…

3

Hey, I like the kids story as much as the next guy red&white, but the only award he should have got is the sympathy player of the week category then.

J Lumsden (1st NI rushing), J Lumsden (1st NI receiving), J Lumsden (1st NI combined yards, 124). I guess since his team lost, his performance goes unrecognized ?

4

...POTW awards are given to those individuals that go above and beyond the call...those that excelled in their feild....not taking anything away from Lumsden, but he puts those numbers up week in week out....and to answer your question about whether his performance goes unrecognized?...I guess the answer is yes seeing he didn't make the runner up slots either....sympathy award, that's insulting....

5

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It’s as plain as the nose on your face. 23 yds and a TD, that’s supposed to be some kind of outstanding performance by a professional football player ? Granting him the honour simply makes a mockery of the whole thing, especially when you compare his performance to the rest of the amazing performances turned in by the other winners.

6

Well he was not a professional player a month ago. What 2 years out the high school program in Cochrane no less.

7

Again, sympathy is the trump card.

8

...what is outstanding is that he is even there in the first place let alone actually catches a major....you are insulted by the award, fine, that is your opinion....I think the award is well deserved, and I'm saying that regardless of him playing for the team I cheer for, I'd be saying the same damn thing if he grew up in Vegreville and was wearing Edmonton colours....

9

Nobody is belittling his accomplishments of just making the team. My issue is giving him an award reserved for "the best weekly performance" by all NI's in the league. To me he is worthy of many things, but this award was not one of them.

10

I have to agree with Pigseye. Rob Cote making the team is a great story, but so is every other NI player in the league as well.

11

...who says "Best Weekly Performance" is based solely on stats?....I'll agree that his numbers are clearly unimpressive, but the intangible is what gets the award....you call it sympathy, I'll prefer to call it something less insulting...

...and under your theory then derex every POTW (Canadian) is a sympathy award.....that doesnt' make sense now does it?....

12

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that Canadian player of the week was a sympathy award, just that all of those guys can be considered a great story.

13

I have taken the initiative and changed lame to questionable, as we do not want to offend Cote or diminish his other accomplishments.

14

...actually, now that I think about it, the POTW (Canadian) kind of IS a sympathy award, lol....sort of like when the kid who is having the birthday party also gets a prize even though his tail wasn't closest to the donkey's butt....

....'questionable' is a better phrase piggy given that you have provided a decent argument to back it up...

15

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I think we have all been to a few of those party’s red. :lol:

16

On the other hand, it is nice to see a blocking back get some recognition.

17

hey redwhite....based on a weak performance...you could pick anybody as POTW because they get a sympathy vote...come on....POTW is supposed to represent an outstanding achievement. While I agree losing teams don't normally have POTW performers on them picking someone who has a only 23 yards total offense is nothing but pandering to the whiners in Calgary. Calgary would not have been mentioned once in the POTW if not for this award.

You don't give it to a player who has a weak game and in the end his performance didn't contribute anything of any significance to the win.

Giving him the POTW brings this awards to the same level as the power rankings highly subjective and definitely not worth the paper they are written on.

18

...I already explained that Cote's 'outstanding achievement' is based on just being there at all...

...and yes I agree POTW awards are subjective and open to debate, which is what we are doing in fact....

19

I doubt anyone in Calgary would have whined if they didn't get a POTW

20

...other than Cote (for reason already explained), there was no one that did anything above and beyond the call on the stamps....