Solomon Elimimian could be the CFL's first defensive MOP, but will be up against Ricky Ray

The CFL released the nominees for the league awards Thursday, and there's a historic battle for the top one, Most Outstanding Player. B.C. Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who broke the league tackles record this season with 143, won the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy as the West Division's top player, making him the first-ever defensive player to be selected as the top overall player in his division. He could make more history if he's able to claim the MOP, but that's far from a certainty, as he'll be up against Toronto Argonauts' quarterback Ricky Ray, the Terry Evanshen Trophy winner as the East Division's top player.

Elimimian dominated his field this season, and he's a thoroughly deserving choice to be the first defensive player ever nominated for MOP at the divisional level. His 143 tackles put him 54 ahead of closest competitor Bear Woods, the Montreal Alouettes' linebacker who will be deservedly battling him for top defensive player (but is probably doomed to lose that one).  54 tackles itself is quite a respectable season total, recorded by players like B.C. defensive back Cord Parks, Saskatchewan linebacker Weldon Brown and Saskatchewan defensive end Ricky Foley; being that far ahead of your nearest competitor is remarkable. He also had five sacks, three fumble recoveries and an interception. It wasn't like Elimimian was the only one making plays for B.C., either, as fellow Lions' linebacker Adam Bighill was seventh with 77 tackles. Elimimian's overall performance is remarkable, and certainly gives him a good shot at the MOP trophy.

However, Ray will be a formidable opponent. He pulled away from the field in the passing game almost as far as Elimimian did in tackles, throwing for 4,595 yards and 28 touchdowns. His nearest rivals in those categories were B.C.'s Kevin Glenn (3,918 passing yards, 677 back of Ray, with just 17 touchdowns) and Calgary's Bo Levi Mitchell (22 touchdowns, six back of Ray, with just 3,389 yards). Moreover, Ray managed to pull that off despite an incredible array of injuries to his receivers, forcing him to instantly develop chemistry with new additions. Imagine what he could have done if players like Chad Owens and Andre Durie had been able to stay healthier. Owens wound up leading the Argos with 989 receiving yards, but the team's second-best receiver by yardage was Jason Barnes (who also missed a fair bit of time) with 500. 12 different players recorded 200 or more passing yards for Toronto; that speaks to their level of injuries, and to Ray's ability to still get the job done despite that.

There's a lot of potential noise that could come into the final vote, which will be conducted by 68 voting members of the Football Reporters of Canada as well as the league's head coaches. Some may think that a defensive player shouldn't receive MOP consideration, as there is a separate defensive award. Some may think the chance to make history by recognizing Elimimian is the most important factor. Some may think that Ray's team missing the playoffs reflects negatively on him. Some may make this a career award, using this vote to recognize Ray for an outstanding career and give him his first MOP trophy. In the end, though, this should only be about determining which player was the most outstanding, regardless of team, position or history. It's difficult to compare players from such different positions directly, but there are excellent cases for both Ray and Elimimian here. We'll see who the voters choose.