Making a strong case for MVP

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/09/2017 (2957 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was the day before the 2016 West Division semifinal in Vancouver when a curious reporter asked Winnipeg Blue Bombers cornerback Chris Randle about one of his teammates, linebacker Maurice Leggett, and whether he felt Leggett been snubbed after being passed over for the league’s most outstanding defensive player award.

Randle, someone who prefers to let his play do the talking for him, took a moment to prepare his response, seemingly taken aback by the question ahead of an important playoff game against the B.C. Lions. But as he leaned into the microphone to speak, Jamaal Westerman, occupying the chair beside him, took the onus upon himself to provide an answer.

“Robbed!” said Westerman, the Bombers’ defensive end, repeating the words one more time just to be clear. “He was robbed.”

“Solomon won it and I can’t be mad at it. He’s a great player and he’s been doing it every year,” Leggett said Thursday following practice at Investors Group Field. “Anybody else, I would have probably been furious.”
– Bombers linebacker Maurice Leggett on being passed over for the league’s most outstanding defensive player award last season.

Despite carrying a clear bias, Westerman wasn’t all that out of touch with his reaction. Leggett had put together a strong season, finishing the year tied for the league-lead in interceptions with seven, three of which he returned for touchdowns. He was voted Winnipeg’s defensive MVP and was the best player on a Bombers unit that led the CFL with 59 takeaways.

Even then, it was difficult to argue against the decision to go with B.C. Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who edged Leggett in votes as the West nominee. Elimimian, who paced the CFL with 129 tackles that year, went on to win the award, his second in the past three seasons.

“Solomon won it and I can’t be mad at it. He’s a great player and he’s been doing it every year,” Leggett said Thursday following practice at Investors Group Field. “Anybody else, I would have probably been furious.”

Instead, Leggett said he took it in stride, using it as motivation over the winter. He vowed to return this year an even better version of himself — bigger, faster and stronger. That meant focusing on the voice inside his head and ignoring any outside noise.

“I wouldn’t say it changed my mind frame but it helped me just push further,” he said. “One more bench press or one more sprint. It helped the way I talked about myself and the confidence I have in being able to speak up more.”

It’s hard to think how Leggett or his teammates might feel months from now if the same thing were to occur.

Making good on his promise over the off-season, Leggett is on pace to put up even better numbers this year. In 10 games, he has two touchdowns — one of which came on a punt return — and three interceptions. His 43 defensive tackles are just eight shy of the 51 he registered all of last season. He also has a career-high three forced fumbles.

“I don’t see anyone else in the league right now consistently making the type of plays he’s doing every week on defence,” said Bombers running back Andrew Harris. “There are some guys that have a lot of tackles but they’re not making plays like he is and they’re not getting interceptions and fumble recoveries and getting touchdowns. When your defensive guys are creating offence for you, that’s a big difference right there.”

Leggett has received more recognition for his play this year than any year previous. He was named one of the CFL’s top performers in August, finishing the month with 19 tackles and all three of his quarterback sacks this year. He followed that up by being named the CFL’s top performer for the first week of September with a two-touchdown performance in a 48-28 win against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

What makes it even more impressive is Leggett has struggled with injuries this year, beginning in training camp. He was injured the first day of formal workouts and was unable to play in the pre-season. The injury bug bit him again midway through the year, sidelining him in weeks five and six. Even while he was recovering, he never stopped working, said Randle. Leggett spent the entire training camp coaching up his teammates and when he returned he hadn’t lost a step.

“Just talking to him, he believes in himself. To have supreme confidence in your abilities takes you to a whole other level,” said Randle. “When you can go out there and know you can make these plays, you’ve made the plays in your mind already, you’ve told us in practice you were going to make those plays, and then you go out and do it. Believing in yourself and believing in the people around you can help you play at a high, high level.”

Randle added: “I’ve said it before that for sure he was our defensive player of the year for a reason and I think he was the defensive player of the year last year throughout this whole league just from the plays he was making.”

Though Leggett has appreciated the recognition he’s received this year, what he enjoys most is the confidence his teammates have in him. He said he can feel the way his presence is perceived by his teammates when he steps onto the field, and it’s the trust they have in him that’s allowed him to take his game to a higher level. He also believes his play has brought out the best in others on the defence.

“Just from my presence alone it helps the defence and helps other players make plays because they have such confidence in knowing that I’ll be there, where they know if they make a mistake I’m there to back them up and make them right at all costs,” said Leggett. “So if they want to take a chance on a ball, they have the confidence that I’m there to back them up.”

As for whether Leggett feels he’s in the running for most outstanding player, there’s another trophy he’s eyeing instead.

“I’ll take the Grey Cup every time.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton