Mike Reilly is the Canadian Football League‘s most outstanding player.
The Edmonton Eskimos quarterback received the honour Thursday night at the CFL’s annual awards banquet. Toronto Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray was the finalist.
Reilly, 32, started all 18 regular-season games and led Edmonton (12-6) to five straight wins to end the regular season and clinch third in the West Division despite a plethora of injuries. The six-foot-three, 230-pound Reilly led the CFL in passing (5,830 yards) and tied Ottawa’s Trevor Harris for the league lead in TDs (30).
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Reilly also ran for 12 TDs and had 39 completions of 30-plus yards, both league-best marks. Edmonton led the CFL in net offence (406.8 yards), offensive points (27.2 per game) and offensive touchdowns (52) while allowing a league-low 29 sacks.
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Ray, 38, enjoyed a resurgence with Toronto, starting 17 regular-season games after appearing in just 12 the past two seasons due to various injuries. Ray led the CFL in pass attempts (668) and completions (442) and finished tied with Reilly for most 300-yard games (12) and second in passing yards (5,546).
It was Ray’s first 5,000-yard season since ’08 and fourth of his career. Ray joins Hall of Famers Anthony Calvillo and Doug Flutie as the only players to reach that plateau four or more times.
Also winning awards were running back Andrew Harris (Canadian) and Stanley Bryant (lineman) of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, linebacker Alex Singleton and kick-returner Roy Finch (special-teams) of the Calgary Stampeders as well as running back James Wilder Jr. (rookie) and Marc Trestman (coach) of Toronto.
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Harris had a CFL-best 105 catches, the most ever by a running back. He also led the league in rushing (1,035 yards) as Winnipeg (12-6) earned its first home playoff game since 2011.
Ottawa Redblacks receiver Brad Sinopoli, the 2015 winner, was the finalist. The Peterborough, Ont., native had 91 catches for 1,009 yards with three TDs before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
The six-foot-five, 308-pound Bryant anchored a Winnipeg offensive line that created holes for Harris and protected quarterback Matt Nichols (4,472 yards, 28 TDs). The Bombers led the CFL in rushing (101.3 yards per game) and were second in offensive points (26.7 per game).
Toronto centre Sean McEwen, a Calgary native, was the finalist. The Argos led the CFL in pass attempts (713) and completions (502) while finishing second in passing yards and net offence.
Singleton, 24, recorded 123 tackles — most by a Canadian — in his first full season as a starter. Calgary’s defence allowed a league-low 349 points (19.4 per game) while recording 50 sacks and 45 turnovers.
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Montreal linebacker Kyries Hebert was the finalist. The 37-year-old was third overall in tackles (108), becoming the first player in CFL history over the age of 35 to surpass 100 tackles. Hebert’s previous best was 78 recorded last year.
The five-foot-seven, 165-pound Finch had a club record-tying three punt return TDs while amassing a league-high 1,200 yards. Finch’s 16.4-yard average was third-best in CFL history and he added 696 kickoff-return yards.
Ottawa’s Diontae Spencer was the finalist. Spencer accumulated a CFL-record 496 all-purpose yards in a 41-36 win over Hamilton on Oct. 27.
Spencer was fourth in punt returns (70, 929 yards, one TD) and kickoff returns (25 for 607 yards) but first in missed field-goal returns (five, 260 yards, one touchdown).
The six-foot-three, 232-pound Wilder Jr. had 872 yards rushing (7.2-yard average) and five TDs in 17 games — 10 starts — while adding 51 catches for 533 yards.
Calgary receiver Marken Michel was the finalist, registering 41 catches for 780 yards (19-yard average) and three TDs.
Trestman, 61, was also the CFL’s top coach in ’09 with Montreal. In his first year with Toronto, Trestman guided the Argos (9-9) to a Grey Cup berth following last year’s 5-13 mark.
Calgary’s Dave Dickenson, last year’s winner, was the finalist. The Stampeders had a CFL-best 13-4-1 record and are making their second straight Grey Cup appearance.
Toronto and Calgary meet in the Grey Cup game Sunday at TD Place.
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