Take that, TSN! The top players in the CFL

Jon Cornish enjoyed a breakout 2011 season, but is he the best RB in the CFL?

With TSN releasing their Top 50 players currently in the CFL, it caused a lot of stir around the league’s players, media and fans. While I don’t expect this column to cause nearly as much of a stir, I decided to do something similar.

It was interesting to see only four linebackers and five offensive linemen make the TSN list, which was dominated by receivers and had seven of the week 1 starting quarterbacks on it (what does that tell you about everyone’s expectations for Edmonton this season?).

Here’s my breakdown of the top players at each position around the league, and, just for fun, the top ten Canadian players. Keep in mind this is all in my humble opinion; no corrupt balloting, no inaccurate points system, just who I think is the best at each position.

Since there are an abundance of players at some positions, those will have top 10 lists, while the smaller groups will have a top 5.

Let the Twitter wars  debates  fights  minor disagreements begin!

Quarterback

1.       Anthony Calvillo – Montreal Alouettes

2.       Travis Lulay – BC Lions

3.       Ricky Ray – Edmonton Eskimos Toronto Argonauts

4.       Henry Burris – Calgary Stampeders Hamilton Tiger-Cats

5.       Buck Pierce – Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Notes: As long as AC is in the league, he’s #1. Lulay emerged bigtime last season, but will have to work to keep his #2 spot with Ray and Burris in new locations. I’ve always been a fan of a healthy Buck Pierce, let’s hope his health holds up like it did last season.

Running Back

1.       Jon Cornish – Calgary Stampeders

2.       Cory Boyd – Toronto Argonauts

3.       Brandon Whitaker – Montreal Alouettes

4.       Avon Cobourne – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

5.       Andrew Harris – BC Lions

Notes: Two Canadian RBs in the top 5? Absolutely. Cornish put on a show late last season, while Harris also was a late bloomer en route to being the Grey Cup’s Most Outstanding Canadian. Whitaker will always put up better stats, but he’s behind a better O-Line and is a multi-faceted threat coming out of the backfield. Boyd is the best power runner in the league, and Cobourne is now the greybeard among CFL backs.

Receiver

1.       Jamel Richardson – Montreal Alouettes

2.       Geroy Simon – BC Lions

3.       Nik Lewis – Calgary Stampeders

4.       SJ Green – Montreal Alouettes

5.       Andy Fantuz – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

6.       Arland Bruce – BC Lions

7.       Weston Dressler – Saskatchewan Roughriders

8.       Fred Stamps – Edmonton Eskimos

9.       Andre Durie – Toronto Argonauts

10.   Terrence Edwards – Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Notes: Richardson has exploded the last couple of years, and should keep his pace going up with the retirement of veteran teammate Kerry Watkins. Simon is poised to become the CFL’s all-time leading receiver. Durie is the more underrated of the group, while Stamps will try and bounce back from an injury-shortened 2011. Nik Lewis is my favourite player to watch, because you never quite know what he’s going to do when he gets the ball.

Offensive Line

1.       Josh Bourke – Montreal Alouettes

2.       Dmitri Tsoumpas – Calgary Stampeders

3.       Scott Flory – Montreal Alouettes

4.       Marwan Hage – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

5.       Jovon Olafioye – BC Lions

6.       Ben Archibald – BC Lions

7.       Brendon Labatte – Saskatchewan Roughriders

8.       Kyle Koch – Edmonton Eskimos

9.       Luc Brodeur-Jourdain – Montreal Alouettes

10.   Dominic Picard – Saskatchewan Roughriders

Notes: Bourke is the reigning Most Outstanding Lineman, and deservedly so, while Tsoumpas will probably someday win the same award. Hage is hands down the best centre in the league, Flory the most experienced, and Koch perhaps the most underrated. Honourable mentions to Winnipeg’s Glenn January, Montreal’s Jeff Perrett, BC’s Angus Reid, and Edmonton’s Gord Hinse, who could all easily be on the list.

Defensive Line

1.       Keron Williams – BC Lions

2.       Khalif Mitchell – BC Lions

3.       John Bowman – Montreal Alouettes

4.       Aaron Hunt – Montreal Alouettes

5.       Odell Willis – Saskatchewan Roughriders

6.       Kevin Huntley – Toronto Argonauts

7.       Charleston Hughes – Calgary Stampeders

8.       Marcus Howard – Edmonton Eskimos

9.       Greg Peach – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

10.   Eric Taylor – BC Lions

Notes: The fact that BC has three DLinemen in the top 10, and Hunt at #4 was with them last year shows the awesome front four they have. Willis will have to have a bounce back season in a way, after facing some off-season troubles, while Bowman will start the year on the injured list, as will Peach. Howard broke onto the scene late last season, but should be a bright spot on Edmonton’s roster this year.

Linebacker

1.       Korey Banks – BC Lions

2.       Markeith Knowlton – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

3.       Chip Cox – Montreal Alouettes

4.       Jamall Johnson – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

5.       Shea Emry – Montreal Alouettes

6.       TJ Hill – Edmonton Eskimos

7.       Juwan Simpson – Calgary Stampeders

8.       Jay Pottinger – Toronto Argonauts

9.       Anton McKenzie – BC Lions

10.   JC Sherritt – Edmonton Eskimos

Notes: I’ve said it before, but Banks is the best defensive player the CFL has to offer in the Lions’ hybrid linebacker-defensive back position. Knowlton and Cox play similar positions with their respective teams, while Emry is the top Canadian and middle linebacker. Simpson had an impressive year last season, and Pottinger brings a unique toughness veteran leadership to Toronto’s defence.

Defensive Back

1.       Jovon Johnson – Winnipeg Blue Bombers

2.       Jonathan Hefney – Winnipeg Blue Bombers

3.       Dwight Anderson – Montreal Alouettes

4.       Byron Parker – BC Lions

5.       Lin-J Shell – BC Lions

6.       Ryan Phillips – BC Lions

7.       Keon Raymond – Calgary Stampeders

8.       James Patrick – Saskatchewan Roughriders

9.       Geoff Tisdale – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

10.   Billy Parker – Montreal Alouettes

Notes: Johnson and Hefney make a killer one-two tandem in the secondary, and are the heartbeat of the Bombers’ defence. The Lions should have the best overall secondary in the league, while Montreal’s mended group also includes Jerald Brown. Raymond and Patrick will have to come up big in their teams’ young secondaries, and Tisdale returns to Hamilton, where he broke out as a solid presence in the secondary.

Punter

1.       Burke Dales – Edmonton Eskimos

2.       Paul McCallum – BC Lions

3.       Mike Renaud – Winnipeg  Blue Bombers

4.       Sean Whyte – Montreal Alouettes

5.       Noel Prefontaine – Toronto Argonauts

Notes: Dales has consistently been the best punter in terms of average over the past couple of seasons, but McCallum has the creative side to him where he can successfully pull off a fake whenever the opportunity presents itself. Renaud has a strong leg, and Whyte held his own last year in his first season as a CFL punter.

Placekicker

1.       Paul McCallum – BC Lions

2.       Sean Whyte – Montreal Alouettes

3.       Noel Prefontaine – Toronto Argonauts

4.       Luca Congi – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

5.       Rene Paredes – Calgary Stampeders

Notes: McCallum and Whyte were teammates in BC until last spring, but McCallum will have the edge in the battle until he retires. Prefontaine’s lefty kicking still gives him good distance and accuracy, and Congi and Paredes won training camp battles for their jobs. Chris Milo of the Riders could find his way onto this list no problem should they falter, and the Bombers’ Justin Palardy also has a solid leg.

Top Ten Canadians

1.       Jon Cornish – Calgary Stampeders

2.       Andy Fantuz – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

3.       Josh Bourke – Montreal Alouettes

4.       Dmitri Tsoumpas – Calgary Stampeders

5.       Shea Emry – Montreal Alouettes

6.       Andrew Harris – BC Lions

7.       Scott Flory – Montreal Alouettes

8.       Andre Durie – Toronto Argonauts

9.       Paul McCallum – BC Lions

10.   Rob Bagg – Saskatchewan Roughriders

Notes: Yes, Bagg didn’t make it into the receivers’ list above, but he’s still one of the league’s better Canadian players. Since the offensive lineman position is very much still a Canadian position, it’s fitting that there are three of them on the list. The Canadian positions that are lacking: D-Line, defensive back, and, as always is the case recently, quarterback.