CFL DEFENCES TIP THE SCALES
Several top defenders likely to be MOP nominees I’m proud of the guys who have been leading their teams on defence . ... It challenges me to do the same for my team.
In football, as in life, getting mad is pointless. Getting even is preferable.
But to hear defensive players tell it, the rules and scales are tipped so obviously against them on a Canadian Football League field, that getting even takes far more effort on their part than it does an offensive player.
“One hundred per cent. That’s the truth, and as a defensive player you learn to live with that,” said Montreal linebacker Henoc Muamba. “It is what it is, but for us to have to go through so much, it really almost always feels like the defence is at a disadvantage, to be honest. As defensive players, we always say it’s an offensive world.”
That said, the scales might swing over in favour of Muamba and his defensive counterparts in the CFL. The Football Reporters of Canada have completed the initial round of voting that will produce team nominees for each of the six player awards, and this year there’s a chance that four or perhaps even five defensive players will emerge as Most Outstanding Player nominees.
With 100 defensive tackles, five sacks, a league-leading 11 tackles for losses, a forced fumble, an interception, a fumble recovery and a knock-down, Muamba is a serious contender for the MOP nod in Montreal.
Linebacker Adam Bighill and running back Andrew Harris are the front-runners in Winnipeg, while linebacker Alex Singleton has to be considered in Calgary, along with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.
Bighill and Singleton lead the CFL with 126 defensive plays apiece. Singleton has the edge in defensive tackles with a leaguehigh 115, while Bighill is tops with four forced fumbles. He also has four QB sacks.
In B.C., defensive back T.J. Lee has 77 defensive tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, three tackles for a loss and a league-leading 12 knock-downs.
And in Saskatchewan, where that aggressive Chris Jones defence has racked up a CFLrecord 11 touchdowns off interception and fumble returns, linebacker Samuel Eguavoen has been a force. He has 81 defensive tackles, three sacks, nine tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, two knock-downs, an interception and a fumble recovery.
But it could be one of their defensive linemen, Willie Jefferson or Charleston Hughes, who earns the MOP nod. Hughes leads the CFL with 15 sacks, while Jefferson and teammate Nick Marshall are the only CFLers with a pair of pick-sixes.
“I’m proud of the guys who have been leading their teams on defence, affecting the game and whatnot,” said Muamba.
“It not only makes me happy, but it challenges me to do the same for my team. It’s always exciting to see guys rewarded for the hard work they put in all season long.
“For us to have to live with those rules and quote-unquote handicaps, but still be able to shine bright enough to be considered (for the MOP award), that should show how much harder it is to play on defence,” said Muamba.
Difficult as it may be, 2018 has been quite a year for CFL defences. There have been 38 defensive touchdowns scored across the league, not far off the record of 43 set in 2004, and there are four games to play.
Defences got even this year. Turnovers are up a whopping 18 per cent over last season. Offensive points are down four per cent, net offence is down three per cent, two-and-outs are up 13 per cent, second-down conversions are down two per cent, passing efficiency is down 5.4 per cent and big plays are down four per cent.
Last year there were four defensive MOP nominees: Singleton, B.C.’s Solomon Elimimian, Montreal’s Kyries Hebert and Hamilton’s Larry Dean.
And Elimimian is still the only defensive player to win the CFL award for MOP, a feat he accomplished in 2014.