Dexter McCoil pulls off incredible return with help from Odell Willis, Almondo Sewell (video)

Edmonton Eskimos' rookie linebacker Dexter McCoil is relatively new to the CFL, but he's already making a huge impact, and he pulled off one of the most spectacular plays of Week 16 with a little help from his teammates. In the second quarter of Monday's Edmonton-Winnipeg clash, with the Eskimos leading 14-0, defensive end Odell Willis hit Bombers' quarterback Drew Willy and forced a fumble. Edmonton defensive tackle Almondo Sewell tried to jump on it, but the ball squirted loose, and McCoil picked it up. Then, he did this:

That's an 88-yard fumble return for a touchdown by McCoil, and it features some spectacular moves. In particular, the way he spins would-be tackler Rory Kohlert around and off at 0:14 is remarkable, as is the way he slides between two defenders at 0:16 and the way he avoids a last-ditch tackle at 0:18. That's some impressive agilty. Still, he told Con Griwkowsky of The Edmonton Sun this return wouldn't have happened without his teammates:

This is far from the only time McCoil's made an impact this season, though, and while he's had help, he's done spectacular things on his own too. He's cracked our Three Stars before as the first star in Week Nine (where he notched two touchdowns, one off an interception and one off another assist from Willis with a lateral following a forced fumble), and he was named the league's defensive player of the week Tuesday. On the season, he has a team-leading 54 regular tackles (plus 10 more on special teams), five interceptions (tied for the league lead), three sacks and three defensive touchdowns. That's not bad for a guy who went undrafted by the NFL out of Tulsa, had a brief stint with the Raiders and then was playing in the AFL with the L.A. KISS before coming to Edmonton in May. In fact, Griwkowsky makes a good case that McCoil should deserve consideration for the CFL's rookie of the year award, again with a little help from Willis:

That's another pretty good assist from Willis, but McCoil may not need it. Willis and Sewell definitely helped him out on this return, as did his other blockers, but the moves he pulled off here were all his own. If he keeps playing like this, he'll be an excellent candidate regardless of endorsements.