Ricky Ray’s selection as divisional all-star brings up a peak/durability debate that may affect MOP

The CFL's list of divisional all-starswas released Wednesday, and there's a particularly notable name headlining the East Division list—Toronto Argonauts' quarterback Ricky Ray. It's tough to dispute that Ray has played at a superbly high level this season, as he set a CFL record for the best season-long completion percentage (77.2 per cent) while throwing 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions. However, he only played in 11 of the Argonauts' 18 games, missing six thanks to injury and then sitting out the final meaningless one, which kept his yardage numbers down to 2,878, fourth-best in the league and over 2,000 yards behind fellow East Division QB Henry Burris (who led the CFL with 4,925 yards). Thus, there's a debate to be had about if Ray's peak was superb enough to mean he should get significant CFL awards (including this all-star nod) despite the limited number of games he participated in. The all-star voters (some Football Reporters of Canada members and all of the league's head coaches) have decided to reward peak performance over duration this time; will that happen again when it comes time to name the league all-stars and the CFL's Most Outstanding Player?

From a "What will Ray win?" standpoint alone, it seems highly likely he'll take at least a league all-star nod and perhaps the Terry Evanshen Trophy as the East Division's Most Outstanding Player. Ray's competition for the league all-star spot at quarterback is West Division all-star Darian Durant, whose numbers on the season were generally worse than the ones Burris posted; the Ticats' star bested Durant in yards (4,925 to 4,154) and completion percentage (65.8 per cent to 61.2 per cent) and only trailed him in touchdown/interception ratio (24/19 versus 31/12). For the Evanshen Trophy, Ray's competition is only the already-announced team MVPs: Burris in Hamilton, Henoc Muamba in Winnipeg and Chip Cox in Montreal. Cox would seem to be the only one likely to give Ray much competition there, as he edged Muamba in most statistical categories (114 tackles to 106, 12 sacks to one, four interceptions to one) and Ray's already bested Burris in voting, but even he may not prove a huge obstacle; voters tend to prefer offensive players. No defensive player has won the Evanshen Trophy since its introduction in 1994 and its predecessor, the Jeff Russel Trophy, was only won by two defensive players between 1968 and 1993. Thus, Ray seems likely to emerge as both the CFL all-star selection at quarterback and the East's nominee for the league's Most Outstanding Player award.

Ray may have a tougher time winning the CFL Most Outstanding Player, though, as there's stiff competition from the West Division. The top candidate may be Calgary running back Jon Cornish, who piled up a CFL-leading 1,813 rushing yards this season while maintaining an excellent average of 7.0 yards per carry and adding 12 touchdowns. Saskatchewan running back Kory Sheets, Edmonton slotback Fred Stamps and B.C. linebacker Adam Bighill are the other nominees, though, and they also had great seasons. Still, Cornish is the most likely to emerge, and it will be tough for Ray to best him, considering that the Calgary star had the combination of both peak efficiency and durability this year. Quarterbacks often win these awards, though, so you never know how people will vote.

There's an interesting philosophical debate to be had over peak versus durability, though, and it's far from a debate only applicable here. It's frequently come up in baseball in particular, with Joe Posnanski and others often referencing the concept during Hall of Fame debates. We've seen that in the case of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame too, and there the needle's often swung towards peak; for example, Warren Moon is in the Hall (and deservedly so) despite playing only five seasons in the CFL before heading to the NFL. Ray's case is slightly different, of course, as we're talking about one season rather than a career and awards rather than hall of fame inclusion, but the peak/durability debate is a long-standing one. In any case, voters have opted to reward Ray's peak over Burris' durability so far, and we'll see if they do the same with the Evanshen Trophy and the league Most Outstanding Player nod. From this corner, it's hard to envision a Most Outstanding Player who took part in just 11 of 18 games, but that may very well happen.