Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell leads the list of Calgary Stampeders nominees for the 2016 Canadian Football League player awards.
He is joined by Charleston Hughes (Most Outstanding Defensive Player), Jerome Messam (Most Outstanding Canadian), Rene Paredes (Most Outstanding Special Teams Player), Derek Dennis (Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman) and DaVaris Daniels (Most Outstanding Rookie).
Calgary’s nominees were determined by voting members of the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) as well as one vote from the Stampeders coaching staff.
Here is a closer look at the Stampeders’ nominees:
Bo Levi Mitchell (Most Outstanding Player): Mitchell led the Stamps to a 15-1-1 record in his 17 starts including a 14-game winning streak and a 16-game unbeaten streak. He leads the CFL with 32 touchdown passes and he is one of just two QBs this season to crack the 5,000-yard mark (5,385). He also threw for 11 two-point converts. Mitchell completed 412 of 606 passes and has thrown just eight interceptions. He had 11 games with at least 300 passing yards and threw at least one touchdown pass in 16 of his 17 starts. His 107.9 QB rating is tops among all of the league’s current starters. Mitchell also carried the ball 16 times for 40 yards. He was the CFL’s player of the month for both July and August.
Charleston Hughes (Most Outstanding Defensive Player): The veteran defensive end leads the CFL with 16 sacks as he bids for the second CFL sack title of his career. He had five games in which he recorded at least two sacks. Hughes made 47 tackles including a team-leading four tackles for loss. He also shared the team lead with three forced fumbles and one pass knockdown. Hughes was previously voted the Stamps’ nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2012 and 2013 and he was the West finalist for the award in 2013.
Jerome Messam (Most Outstanding Canadian): Messam leads the CFL in rushing yards (a career-best 1,198), rushing touchdowns (11) and total touchdowns (12). He also leads the league with five 100-yard games and his average of 5.8 yards per rush is tops among all players with at least 60 carries. Messam also set career highs with 54 catches and 485 receiving yards this season and he scored twice on two-point conversions. He is a previous winner of the Most Outstanding Canadian award, taking home the honour in 2011 as a member of the Edmonton Eskimos.
Derek Dennis (Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman): Dennis played all 18 regular-season games this season including 15 starts at left tackle, two at left guard and one at right guard. He was an integral part of a Stamps unit that allowed the fewest sacks in the CFL in 2016 with 20 (11 fewer than the second-best team in that category) and also helped tailback Jerome Messam run for a league-leading 1,198 yards.
Rene Paredes (Most Outstanding Special Teams Player): Paredes tied the franchise record by kicking 56 field goals in 2016 including a league-leading 18 three-pointers from 40 yards or longer. His 52-yard field goal on the final play of the game gave the Stamps a come-from-behind win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sept. 24. His season included a streak of 32 consecutive successful field goals and he was named a CFL player of the month for August when he was perfect on all 17 of his field-goal attempts including two games in which he went five-for-five. He kicked for a total of 203 points thi season, the second-highest total in the CFL. Paredes also leads the CFL with 81 kickoffs for 5,378 yard, an average of 66.4 yards per kickoff. This is the fourth time he has been the team’s nominee for the special teams award.
DaVaris Daniels (Most Outstanding Rookie): The Notre Dame product didn’t make his professional debut until Aug. 19 but he quickly made up for lost time. In just 11 games, he wound up second on the team in both receptions (51) and receiving yards (885). Despite spending eight weeks on the practice roster, he was fifth in the entire league with nine receiving majors and, pro-rated over an 18-game schedule, his yardage total would have been good for third place in the CFL. He was second in the league with an average of 17.4 yards per catch including nine grabs that went for at least 30 yards. Daniels had four 100-yard games and three games with two touchdowns. He also had two catches for two-point conversions during his rookie season and added two carries for 34 yards.