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Winnipeg Blue Bombers wide receiver Chris Matthews. (JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store

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The football reporters of Canada, or FRC, are the group that primarily determine not only the CFL all-stars, but the outstanding player candidates. Though it was widely speculated during my Blue Bombers tenure that I was participating in this vote to my own benefit as a consequence of my part-time capacity as a columnist for the Free Press, and soap box pundit for CJOB, Lance Armstrong and I continue to deny any involvement or wrongdoing.

As I remain a football outsider with my three part-time media vocations, here are my nominees for the major player awards, brought to you by the football players of Canada, otherwise known as the FPC.

Rookie of the Year and Most Outstanding Player Candidate

With all due respect to Terrance Edwards and, uh, ummmmmm, uh, oh yeah, a valiant late rally by Chad Simpson, the only double nominee for the Bombers this year has to be the venerable Chris Matthews. An inability to plug the holes left by losses in free agency (particularly Don Oramasionwu and Brendon LaBatte) and players intentionally let go (Clint Kent and Joe Loebendahn) has been a major issue this year for the Blue and Gold, yet the one player whose departure was filled and exceeded by a rookie, of all people, was Greg Carr. Say hello to the CFL’s version of Megatron, and easily the best roster move Joe Mack made in the 2012 off-season. The go-to guy of every pivot on this roster not named Buck Pierce, Chris is open at all times unless multiple defenders are guarding him, simply because of his physical superiorities and body control. Not only is Matthews a lock for both these awards on the Bomber roster, he has to be a leading candidate for CFL Rookie of the Year and should at a minimum, represent the East Division in that capacity.

Most Outstanding Canadian

It is no coincidence that in the years where there have been multiple deserving candidates for this award, the team has fared much better than in 2012. When you have a minimum of seven viable, productive, starting Canadians, the win column always seems to swell and this contemplation is that much harder. Cory Watson won it last season, and while we saw signs of the form that won him this distinction, he was plagued by too many injuries to repeat as Canuck of the year. Ian Logan has been steady, but hasn’t made the same uncanny reads and breaks on the football like he did last year, which garnered him his first all-Canadian recognition as a CFL all-star. After considerable review of the roster, this award should go to Henoc Muamba, even more so if it was called the "Most Improved Canadian" of the year. Not only has Henoc shown the potential to become a perennial ratio-breaking all-star at the middle linebacking spot, but he is tied for the league lead in forced fumbles as his explosiveness at the point of contact has been creating ball security issues for his opponents. A promising future for the Bombers would comprise Muamba, Watson, Logan, and Poblah, all vying for this distinction on an annual basis.

Most Outstanding Lineman

Glenn January: We haven’t heard much about Glenn this year, or seen much grooming, and that is just the way these limited range impediments prefer it. After struggling with an injury in training camp and the early part of the season, Glenn has been a solid if not spectacular performer in 2012, quietly nullifying and smothering the opposition’s standout pass rushers without pomp or circumstance. Since his reinsertion from injury the offensive line has steadily improved from having more holes than the IGF construction completion schedule, to a group that occasionally threatens to attain the benchmark of offensive line play: a 100-yard rusher and no sacks surrendered.

Most Outstanding Defensive Player

Alex Hall: Even though an injury has shelved him for the rest of the season, his humble ascension to a near-elite level of pass rushing consistency, in the wake of the Odell Willis’s major fouls and flamboyance, gives him the edge over the tireless, workmanlike efforts and character of runnerup Jason Vega. Had Marcellus Bowman not missed five consecutive games to start the year, his disruptive, heat-seeking play could have also easily swooned this judge with self appointed credentials.

Doug Brown, once a hard-hitting defensive lineman and frequently a hard-hitting columnist, appears Tuesdays and game days in the Free Press.

Twitter: @DougBrown97