My choices for the Rider's most valuable players - to date

I never was a fan of the term Banjo Bowl for this rematch between the Riders and Bombers. I know it helps with the hype and in marketing the game. Winnipeg needs to do everything possible to keep their fans interested after the way their season has played out so far.

The Rider's 52-0 win in Sunday has really invigorated Saskatchewan fans once again. Folks are back on the bandwagon and I know I am in the same frame of mind as when the Riders started the season 3-0. I am hoping that one win would get the team back on track, instill some more confidence in them and give them some momentum for the rest of the season.

So now that we are half way through the season, its time to pick out the top performers to date. I know there is a lot of football to play yet, but if the best performance awards were handed out today, these would be my choices:

Most Outstanding Player - Kory Sheets

Although one could consider both Darian Durant and Weston Dressler, at this point Kory Sheets is my choice. Sheets has shown that his pre-season performance was not a flash in the plan. His play has been outstanding and he gives the Rider's the potential of a big play every time he touches the ball. His rushing stats have always been at the top (or close to) the league leaders, and he should easily break 1000 rushing yards for the season. He can be equally as dangerous as a received and his yards after catch numbers must be pretty good. Maybe one can argue that his blocking skills needed improvement, but I think that he has improved in this area since the start of the year. The only thing that I would like see is the play calling give him more touches. Nevertheless, because of the consistent, all round performances game after game, he has been the Riders most outstanding player player so far.

Most Outstanding Defensive Player - Brent Hawkins

This selection was a little tougher as injuries have affected the defense. Abraham Kromah would have been my choice if he hadn't been injured. With the revolving door in the defensive backfield and at linebacker, one has to look at the defensive line for consistency. Hawkins has been the most consistent of all of the d-line, and it seems he has put his injuries behind him. He may benefit from the extra attention that Odell Willis receives, but at the same time you have to take advantage of what the other teams gives you and I think that Hawkins has done that.

Most Outstanding Canadian - Chris Getzlaff

Getzlaff continues to be a dominate force on the receiving team and has become the go to guy on second down. Second in the league in 2nd down conversations says a lot about the confidence that Durant has in him when the Riders are second and long. He still drops the odd pass, but he is on pace for another 1000 yard season. Brendon LaBatte is also having a solid season as a first year Rider and is proving that his free agent signing was a good move by Brendan Tamon. But Getzlaff's importance to the team as a trusted, go-to guy cannot be understated and his performance so far is worthy of the MOC recognition.

Most Outstanding Rookie - Sam Hurl

When Ben Heenan started in place of Chris Best at the start of the year, he clearly proved that he could play, and play well in this league. But his recent injury drops him from consideration for the time being. It appears that Sheets will not be eligible for this award, and with Kromah's recent injury he loses out here as well. Rarely does a special teams expert receive such recognition but one cannot understate the impact Sam Hurl has had when on the field. Second in special teams tackles is a pretty good accomplishment for the true rookie. I am not sure much was expected from him when he was drafted this year, but his impact on special teams has been noted and he should be a valuable contributor for many years. 

So that's my mid term choices for the valuable contributors to the team Much will change between now and the end of the season, but if each of these individuals continue their strong performances this will only bode well for the Riders as they continue their quest to return to the Grey Cup.