The Round of 16 of the CFL March Madness: Best Player of the 2010s is complete, meaning we’re into the Round of 8. If you missed it, here are the important things to know:
Bracket:
- Regions: Quarterbacks, Canadians, Offence (including kickers), Defence.
- Players’ seeding: Based on players’ statistics from 2010 CFL season until the end of the 2019 CFL season (July 1, 2010–November 24, 2019).
- Background colours: Based on the team the player played the most games with from July 1, 2010–November 24, 2019.
Voting:
- Twitter: @nik_kowalski polls. NOTE: Only poll votes count, not replies or like.
- Facebook: Let’s Talk CFL Facebook group polls created by Nik Kowalski. NOTE: Only poll votes count, not comments or likes.
- ONE VOTE PER PERSON.
- Final vote count determines which player advances.
Round of 16 Recap:
- 4 lower seeds advanced to the Round of 8:
(4) Ricky Ray over (1) Bo Levi Mitchell
(3) Brendon LaBatte over (2) Andy Fantuz
(11) Stanley Bryant Jr. over (2) Weston Dressler
(4) Adam Bighill over (1) John Bowman - (11) Stanley Bryant Jr. is the highest seed remaining.
- The closest matchup was (3) Brendon Labatte over (2) Andy Fantuz, with LaBatte receiving 51.9% of votes.
- Two No. 1 seeds were eliminated (Bo Levi Mitchell and John Bowman).
- Two No. 2 seeds were eliminated (Andy Fantuz and Weston Dressler).
- The most lopsided win was (4) Adam Bighill over (1) John Bomwan, with Bighill receiving 74% of votes.
- 1 of the 8 advancing players is retired.
- Andrew Harris received the most votes in the Round of 16 (334).
- Chad Owens received the fewest votes in the Round of 16 (81).
- The remaining 8 players are made up of the following positions: 2 quarterbacks, 1 running back, 1 receiver, 2 offensive linemen, 1 defensive lineman, and 1 linebacker.
Round of 8 Matchups:
Quarterback:
(4) Ricky Ray vs. (2) Mike Reilly
Ray:
9 seasons, 28,364 yards, 149 touchdowns, 74 interceptions, 2 Grey Cups, 2 Grey Cup appearances, 2x CFL All-Star.
Reilly:
10 seasons, 31,522 yards, 168 touchdowns, 99 interceptions, 2 Grey Cups, 2 Grey Cup appearances, 1x CFL All-Star, 1x CFL Most Outstanding Player.
Canadian:
(1) Andrew Harris vs. (3) Brendon LaBatte
Harris:
10 seasons, 9,088 rushing yards, 48 rushing touchdowns, 5,107 receiving yards, 31 receiving touchdowns, 2 Grey Cups, 2 Grey Cup appearances, 5x CFL All-Star, 1x Most Outstanding Canadian.
LaBatte:
10 seasons, 181 games played, 1 Grey Cup, 2 Grey Cup appearances, 6x CFL All-Star, 1x Most Outstanding Lineman.
Offence:
(1) S.J. Green vs. (11) Stanley Bryant Jr.
Green:
10 seasons, 9,869 receiving yards, 57 receiving touchdowns, 2 Grey Cups, 2 Grey Cup appearances, 2x CFL All-Star.
Bryant Jr.:
10 seasons, 156 games, 2 Grey Cups, 3 Grey Cup appearances, 5x CFL All-Star, 2X CFL Most Outstanding Lineman.
Defence:
(4) Adam Bighill vs. (2) Charleston Hughes
Bighill:
8 seasons, 655 tackles, 41 sacks, 12 interceptions, 2 touchdowns, 14 forced fumbles, 2 Grey Cups, 2 Grey Cup appearances, 5x CFL All-Star, 2x CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
Hughes:
10 seasons, 383 tackles, 119 sacks, 3 interceptions, 3 touchdowns, 30 forced fumbles, 1 Grey Cup, 4 Grey Cup appearances, 6x CFL All-Star.
