Collaros, Bryant and Bighill named West nominees for Most Outstanding Player Awards
WINNIPEG, MB., November 25, 2021 – The Canadian Football League today announced the West and East Division finalists for the 2021 Most Outstanding Player Awards, and three members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been selected from the six categories.
Representing the West Division from the Blue Bombers will be:
Most Outstanding Player: quarterback Zach Collaros
Most Outstanding Defensive Player: linebacker Adam Bighill
Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman: left tackle Stanley Bryant
Most Outstanding Player
Zach Collaros has been named his team’s MOP three times; twice with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2014, 2015) and with the Blue Bombers in 2021. This is his first time as a finalist for the award.
Recently named to the West Division All-Star Team, Collaros finished first in the CFL with 20 passing touchdowns and with a quarterback efficiency rating of 111.0, while his 3,185 passing yards ranked second. The Bombers were 11-2 in games Collaros started this season and he is now 15-2 overall in starts for the Bombers dating back to his arrival in 2019 at the trade deadline and including the 2019 Grey Cup victory.
Most Outstanding Defensive Player
Adam Bighill is already a two-time CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award winner, having previously won league-wide honours in 2015 (with the B.C. Lions) and in 2018 in his first year with the Blue Bombers. He has been named his team’s top defensive player five times: 2018 and 2021 with the Bombers and in 2012-13 and 2015 with B.C. Bighill played in all 14 games for the Bombers this season and led the club with 70 tackles, adding two quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Earlier this week he was named a West Division All-Star for seventh time in his career.
Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman
Stanley Bryant will represent the West Division as the CFL Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman for the fourth straight season after previously being selected from 2017-19. He was named the league’s top O-lineman in 2017 and 2018 and was a runner-up in 2019. No offensive lineman has captured this honour three times in the history of the award dating back to 1974. Bryant, named to the West Division All-Star team for a sixth time in his career earlier this week, anchored the left side of a line that was part of the CFL’s highest scoring offence, which surrendered the fewest sacks and saw three different starting running backs help the Bombers to the second-best rushing totals in the league this season.
The voting was conducted by members of The Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) and the league’s head coaches, with the Most Outstanding Player Award winners to be announced during Grey Cup week in Hamilton.
