Brandon Banks should have been voted as Hamilton’s Most Outstanding Player (MOP), hands down.
Instead, the voters – CFL head coaches and five local members of the Football Reporters of Canada – selected quarterback Jeremiah Masoli as the team’s MOP.
Masoli has had a great 2018. Entering the last week of the season, he has thrown for 5,209 yards (second-most in the CFL) 28 touchdowns (third overall), has the fourth-best passer efficiency rating (98.3) and leads the league with 12 games of 300 yards or more in passing.
But Masoli has also thrown the most interceptions in the league this year (18) and has led Hamilton to an uninspiring 8-9 record.
The case for Banks as Hamilton’s MOP is much more evident.
Despite playing only 14 games due to injury, Speedy B is second in the CFL in receptions (94) and receiving yards (1,423), tied for first overall with 11 receiving TDs with teammate Luke Tasker, and is the CFL leader in second-down catches, receptions of over 30 yards, and 100-yard games (a team record 10). Imagine how much more impressive those numbers would be if Banks hadn’t missed any action.
The statistics don’t always tell the whole story, but in the three games that Banks didn’t play because he was hurt, Hamilton lost.
I can see why Banks tweeted that he thought he should be Hamilton’s Most Outstanding Player. While his tweet might read as sour grapes, Speedy B is bang on.
I don’t think the tweet was an effort to throw his quarterback under the bus. Far from it. It’s a direct shot at those who voted.
It’s clear to me that Banks was expecting, and deservedly so, to be recognized for his exceptionally outstanding performance this year. It’s too bad those who voted disagreed.
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