The Canadian Press
With Week 3 in the background and Week 4 dawning, the early MOP Watch landscape has added a couple of names not mentioned in this space previously.
There are some usual suspects, too, with three — and maybe even four — quarterbacks jockeying for position.
The ground will shift again, it always does. And we’re just three holes in, so to speak so we’re not even close to declaring a ‘clubhouse leader’ at the turn.
But here’s where I think we stand at the moment.
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THE QUARTERBACKS
There’s a handful of quarterbacks that can stake a claim for Most Outstanding Player at the moment, including Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros, of course. But I will suggest that it is another pivot who has nosed out front, early in the race.
Vernon Adams Jr. came out of the gate in Week 1 with a splendid performance in an opening night win in Calgary and he has not throttled down yet.
His overall body of work has been the football field version of ‘put your money where your mouth is,’ with comfortable, consistent decision-making aplenty, showing that his (and his coaches’) claim that a winter of studying the BC playbook and getting a full camp under his belt would prove profitable, was correct. And to show out again in Week 3, in Winnipeg (a place where Adams admits he’d had no fond playing memories previously) served only to underline, with thick magic marker that he has finally, completely arrived.
Adams has two 300-yard games to his credit in three starts, leading the CFL in that category. He is second in completion percentage at 73.0, a mere three-tenths of a point behind Montreal’s Cody Fajardo. He’s tied at the top of the charts (with Collaros and Saskatchewan’s Trevor Harris) with five touchdown passes thrown and stands second in total passing yardage with 861, just six yards behind Harris.
Trevor Harris has brought gaudy numbers and some good vibes to the Riders early on in the 2023 campaign (The Canadian Press)
Harris has impressed with his usual, read-fast and get-it-out-quick delivery in Saskatchewan’s three games, looking particularly good in a Week 2 loss against Winnipeg, putting up league-wide, season highs in completions (29) and yards (413). Beyond that, he really does seem to have infused the Saskatchewan room and sideline with energizing good humour and competitive leadership. He’s in the mix.
Collaros is firmly there, too, despite last week’s disappointment against BC. You can be certain that both he and the Blue Bombers are not that team, and Collaros’ numbers remain MOP-worthy, even after that crash.
And here’s a little something for you to chew on, MOP watchers: Cody Fajardo, as mentioned, leads the league in completion percentage. He also leads the league with a 129.2 quarterback efficiency rating. His 12.3 yards per passing attempt? Also number one. Fajardo is fifth in passing yards with 553 but has played one game fewer than the four QBs above him in the category.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: A DOMINANT BACK + A BIG PLAY RECEIVER
I’ve got a couple more hot shots for you to consider as the MOP Watch marches on.
Saskatchewan running back Jamal Morrow absolutely insisted he be included in the conversation with his Week 3 performance in the Roughriders’ overtime victory against Calgary.
In putting up a league-wide, season high of 133 yards last Saturday, Morrow boosted his total to 233 and that makes him the top rusher in the CFL. At one point during the fourth quarter, the Riders called on Morrow for six consecutive runs, where he deked, darted, surged, spun and sometimes just barged his way to 31 clock-chewing yards and a couple of first downs.
With 42 carries, Morrow and Winnipeg’s Brady Oliveira top the stats as the backs with the most luggage, and Morrow’s 5.5 yard average puts him just one-tenth of a yard behind BC’s Taquan Mizzell for the lead.
Montreal’s first-year receiver Austin Mack is eighth on the list when it comes to receiving yardage but the seven players ahead of him have all caught passes in three games compared to Mack’s two. After opening with four catches for 120 yards against Ottawa in Week 1, Mack lit up the Hamilton Ticats’ for five receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns in Week 3.
Nine catches, 201 yards. Mack’s receiver efficiency rating is an outlandish 189.9, far and away the top number among the CFL’s top ten receivers (BC’s Alexander Hollins is next at 125.5).
