Will Cornish Repeat?

[jerrym]

This is actually a multiple part question. Perhaps, the easiest part is will Jon Cornish threepeat as a 1,000 yard rusher, having already gained 1457 yards in 2012 and 1813 yards in 2013? Despite missing seven of thirteen games, Cornish has gained 743 yards and should break 1,000 yards easily providing he doesn't miss more games due to injury. The big but here is the fact that he already missed substantial games due to concussions. Unlike some other injuries for which there can be a return to full health, we now know that concussions will always make one more susceptible to further concussions.
It should be noted that even if Cornish does threepeat as 1,000 yard rusher, having already won the rushing title in 2012 and 2013, he would not match Normie Kwong's Canadian record of four consecutive 1,000 yard seasons in 1955, 1956, 1957 and 1958. (http://www.cflapedia.com/Players/k/kwong_normie.htm) Still, this would be a great accomplishment as only one other Canadian, Gerry James, even rushed twice for 1,000 yards, but this was not in consecutive seasons as James won in 1955 and 1957. (http://www.cflapedia.com/Players/j/james_gerry.htm)
The next question is can Cornish win the rushing title? His main competitor is Brandon Whitaker, who won the rushing title in 2011 and leads Cornish by 21 yards. Grigsby and Allen are also in the race but the other top Canadain RB, Andrew Harris, could well be out for the season after suffering a serious ieg injury yesterday. However, IMO, Cornish is the best runner in the group and has the best shot at winning, other things (principally injuries) being equal. If he wins the rushing title, he would match Kwong's record of three Canadian rushing titles. But Cornish would have accomplished this in three consecutive seasons (2012-2014), while Kwong won only twice in a row (1955 and 1956). Kwong's third rushing title was in 1951 when he won the rushing title without gaining 1,000 yards (he had 933 yards). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFL_Rushing_Leaders)
The final question is can Cornish repeat as the Most Outstanding Player Award even if he continues to rack up well over 100 yards per game for the rest of the season, especially when he has already missed so many games? Having won the MOP award last year, this would also represent the first time a Canadian has won twice in a row. The only other Canadian to win the MOP award was Russ Jackson who won it three times, but never consecutively. He won in 1963, 1966 and 1969. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFL's_M...g_Player_Award) This would be most difficult because of a combination of factors working against it: the games missed by Cornish; it involves all players at all positions; the tendency to give it to someone who was close to winning before but didn't; and the fact that the voters tend to think that Canadians already have their own outstanding player award and therefore should not get a second won.

[ArgoRavi]

Don't forget about the Lou Marsh Award, Jerry. My personal feeling is that Cornish should win it if he has another 1000 yard season but there was enough whining among the anti-CFL media about his win last year that I don't see it happening again this year especially with a couple of tennis players doing as well as they have.

[jerrym]

Don't forget about the Lou Marsh Award, Jerry. My personal feeling is that Cornish should win it if he has another 1000 yard season but there was enough whining among the anti-CFL media about his win last year that I don't see it happening again this year especially with a couple of tennis players doing as well as they have.

I was focused on CFL awards, but thanks for reminding me. Hopefully, Cornish will be given consideration if he continues to pile up the yardage in amazing per game totals and not face the old 'its just the CFL' bias.

[AngeloV]

Don't forget about the Lou Marsh Award, Jerry. My personal feeling is that Cornish should win it if he has another 1000 yard season but there was enough whining among the anti-CFL media about his win last year that I don't see it happening again this year especially with a couple of tennis players doing as well as they have.

I have a feeling Milos the tennis player will win the Marsh this year. I think his and Genie Bouchard's season's received a lot more positive press this year than any other Canadian athletes.

[Stouffvillain]

The answer to the 1st two questions is yes, providing he stays on the field. Honestly, I think that even if Cornish misses 2 games he'll still crack 1000 and be the leading rusher. There just isn't any evidence that any of the other competitors for the rushing title would be out of reach if he missed a game or two.

I just don't think you can give MOP to a guy that misses almost half a season. He's probably the most talented offensive player in the league but in a year where defence has dominated I think it's going to that side of the ball.

As for the LMA I don't care what the anti CFL media think (they'd give it to a hockey player every year if they could) Cornish deserved that award. However he won't win it this year with the injuries and achievements by others.

[jerrym]

One player who does not get enough credit for his all-around skills is Canadian RB Andrew Harris, who is currently leading the league in yards from scrimmage with 1,181 based on 652 yards rushing and 529 yards receiving [http://www.cfl.ca/statistics/league/...age/year/2014].
Unfortunately, he won't have a chance to repeat his 2012 league leading yards from scrimmage title of 1,830 yards (1,112 rushing and 718 yards receiving) as he will miss at least the rest of the regular season due to surgery for a dislocated ankle [http://www.cfl.ca/statistics/list/year/2012].
Even in 2013 Harris was third in yards from scrimmage with 998 yards rushing and 513 yards receiving, missing another 1,000 yard season by 2 yards (if I remember correctly he broke 1,000 near the end of the last game, then lost several yards on another play and was then pulled by the coach with still some time left on the clock) [http://www.cfl.ca/statistics/league/...mage/year/2013 ].
In 2010 and 2011 Harris also gained substantial yardage as a kick and punt returner before becoming too valuable as a runner and receiver to risk injury in the highest injury rate part of the game.
Too bad the Argos didn't do the same with Chad Owens earlier. Even in the BC game they had Chad returning until he was injured in the first half. When he returned to play in the second half, he no longer was returning punts or kicks.

[Stouffvillain]

I think Harris was getting the recognition earlier in the year. Then he got hurt and Cornish came back from injury and that slowed the Harris hype train.

You're not wrong though he should be seen on that level

[jerrym]

Jon Cornish came in riding a streak of four-straight games with 100-plus yards, but his night ended in the third quarter with a left knee injury, after running for 74 yards on 11 carries.
Cornish said after the game his cleat got caught in the turf early in the game, but the injury is not believed to be serious.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/10/04...in-second-half

With the 74 yards Cornish gained against Saskatchewan, Cornish now leads the league with 817 yards compared to Whitaker's 764 yards. However, because Montreal did not play last weekend, Whitaker has a game in hand. As long as Cornish's injury remains not serious, and he suffers no other serious injuries, he should easily break 1,000 yards and has a good chance to lead the league in rushing, both for the third time in a row. While breaking 1,000 yards for a third consecutive time would not match Kwong's Canadian record of four 1,000 yard seasons, leading the league in rushing for three consecutive years would be a Canadian record (George Reed holds the all-time consecutive rushing titles with five).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFL_Rushing_Leaders

[jerrym]

By gaining 160 yards against Winnipeg, Cornish once again took over the league lead in rushing with 977 yards, guaranteeing him his third in a row 1,000 yard season, barring injury. Only one other Canadian RB has run for 1,000 yards three - Normie Kwong, who did it four times in a row from 1955 to 1958. In fact, there has been only one other Canadian who has rushed for 1,000 yards twice - Gerry James in 1955 and 1957.
Cornish now leads Anthony Allen 977 yards to 849 yards. With Whitaker (754 yards) and Harris (652 yards) out with injuries, Grigsby (744 yards) not playing at least this week and probably in limited action initially even if signed by Hamilton, as rumoured, only Allen has any chance of catching Cornish. Cornish therefore has an excellent chance of also winning the rushing title for the third time in a row, something no Canadian has done (Kwong won it three times but not in a row).

[jerrym]

Gaining 160 yards tonight also enabled Cornish to surpass Sean Millington (6,086 yards) for second place all-time among Canadian running backs. Cornish's 6,117 yards puts him behind only Normie Kwong's 9,022 yards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Millington

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Kwong

[jerrym]

With Anthony Allen not playing Sunday after Cornish gained 160 yards against Winnipeg while Allen did not play, Cornish now leads Allen by 128 yards (977 yards to 849 yards). So Cornish now has an excellent chance to not only have another 1,000 yard season, but to lead the league in rushing for the third time in a row, which would be a record for Canadian RBs (George Reed holds the CFL record of five consecutive rushing titles). That would be quite an accomplishment for a player who has missed so many games and a great testament to his talent level, although the recent rash of injuries to his major competitors has made it easier.

[jerrym]

With Cornish missing his eighth game of the season Friday, his chances of winning the MOP award are practically zero, as it's hard to justify giving it to someone who has missed roughly half the season or more. However, with Anthony Allen, who is 128 yards back of Cornish, also sitting out the game, Cornish still has an excellent chance of winning the rushing title. It seems unlikely that even if Grigsby or John White, who are both more than 230 yards behind Cornish, will catch him. Grigsby, who has 3 games remaining, would have to average 78 yards a game while White with only 2 games remaining would have to average 123 yards a game to surpass Cornish. During the Calgary-Saskatchewan broadcast, there was some discussion that Cornish may not play again until the playoffs as Calgary has first place locked up. This seems to be the only scenario that would also prevent Cornish, who has 977 yards, gaining 1,000 yards again. Even if he doesn't play again in the regular season, he still has an excellent chance at the rushing title, although a return of Allen to action next week might just put that in question.
Cornish's repeated game absences and the vagueness of his injury report (general soreness) this week in the Vancouver Sun suggest that Calgary is trying to hide something. It could be that his concussion is causing ongoing problems, which could result in a much shortened career.

[jerrym]

For Calgary, the loss may have been twice as costly, as running back Jon Cornish was forced out of the game during the second quarter after sustaining a head injury. He left the contest with 105 yards on 12 rushes, putting him over the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight season -- but his current status is up in the air, as he'll undergo concussion protocol.

http://www.cfl.ca/article/on-a-posit...to-finish-2014

Jon Cornish's ongoing battle with the injury bug continued on Saturday afternoon.In the second quarter of Calgary's Week 19 loss to the visiting Blue Bombers at McMahon Stadium, Cornish was forced out of action after hitting his head on the turf at the tail-end of a rushing play.
He immediately left the field and did not return. Cornish later appeared on the sidelines in street clothes.
"Considering I was knocked out in the first one, I just got up and, I was having balance issues. I didn't really have balance issues in the first one, so I would say this is in a different category," said Cornish after the game.
"You see a player go down, a big piece of the offence, that’s important, but I don’t think it’ll be a thing, it’s just precautionary. But, like I learned before, with concussions you can’t say anything until you’ve gone a few days without symptoms."
The 2014 season has been a difficult one for the reigning Most Outstanding Player, as he's appeared in just nine games due to an array of injuries.
In Week 1 against Montreal, Cornish was forced out of the game with a head injury and was eventually placed on the 6-game injury list. He has also been dealing with other nagging injuries that have kept him out of the lineup in the late stages of the season.
Despite the injury woes, Cornish has managed to put together a strong season, statistically speaking. Prior to leaving Saturday's clash, Cornish had eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark, becoming the first player to reach the mark this season.
After the game, Cornish was focused on his team's performance in what was only their third loss of the year.
"This is a loss that might be one of the greater disappointments that we've had. We have such a great team in this locker room and to see us not perform at the level we need to – the level we know we can – it’s just a disappointment."
He then took to Twitter to voice his frustration with his latest setback.
I learned last time that concussions are no joke. With that said I'll wait a few days to see how I feel. Right now though, I'm pissed off.
Jon Cornish

http://www.cfl.ca/article/sidelined-...ame-vs-bombers

With his 105 yards gained rushing before his injury, Cornish broke 1,000 yards for the third consecutive season and virtually guaranteed he will lead the league in rushing even if he does not play again in the regular season. Second place Anthony Allen is 233 yards behind him with one game to play and he may not play anyway as he missed last week's game due to injury. Third place Nic Grigsby is 280 yards behind him with one game to play. Fourth place Whitaker is out with injury. Fifth place John White has two games to play, including tonight, but would have to gain 341 yards to pass Cornish.
Cornish became only the second Canadian to rush for 1,000 yards three times. Normie Kwong did it four times in a row. Gerry James is the only Canadian RB to do it even twice. Cornish is also on the verge of becoming the only Canadian to win three rushing titles (Kwong did it twice - once without rushing for 1,000 yards).
However, the concussion injury raises major questions - questions that I raised in an earlier post about his repeated concussions this year and his growing susceptibility to concussions with each succeeding one. Cornish will almost certainly miss the final regular season game as it is meaningless to Calgary. There is also the question of whether he will be ready to return for the Western Finals, and whether he will make it to the Grey Cup game, if Calgary wins the Western Final. There is even the possibility that the concussion problem could linger shortening his career and possibly even ending it now. Finally, Calgary looked rather pedestrian on offence once Cornish was injured raising questions about the team's success if Cornish is not available, although Calgary is still the best team in the league even without Cornish IMO. However, Edmonton seems to be coming on like gangbusters.

[jerrym]

Although John White gained 122 yards tonight to give him 852 yards on the season, he is still 230 yards behind Cornish with one game to go. This makes it even more unlikely that any surpasses Cornish in rushing yardage even if he does not play in the season finale, as now seems extremely likely.

[jerrym]

The official close of the CFL regular season found Cornish, as expected, leading the league in rushing with 1,082 yards despite not playing in the season finale because the other top rushers were too far behind him. Cornish therefore became the first Canadian RB to lead the league in rushing in three consecutive seasons (Normie Kwong won twice in a row 1955-56 and one other time - 1951). Only three international RBs have won three times in a row - George Reed who won five times in a row (1965-1969) and six times (1974) overall, Mike Pringle's 4 consecutive times (1996-1999) and six times (1994-95) overall, and Johnny Bright who won three in a row (1956-58) and a fourth time in (1952).
Cornish also broke 1,000 yards for the third consecutive time, still one short of Kwong's record of four consecutive 1,000 yard seasons (1955-58), despite missing half the season. In fact, no one else rushed for 1,000 yards this year, with Anthony Allen second at 930 yards and Nic Grigsby third at 890 yards. Cornish also surpassed Sean Millington's 6,086 yards rushing to end up second all-time among Canadian RBs with 6,222 yards, behind only official Kwong's 9022 yards (in the reality being Kwong probably had over 10,000 yards as no statistics were kept for his first two years in the league in 1948-1949).
Although Cornish is Calgary's nominee for Most Outstanding Player, his missing so many games will almost certainly keep him from winning the MOP award again.
However, despite Cornish's accomplishments, the big question for the future remains how long Cornish can continue sustaining concussions and could this even be his final season.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Kwong

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Millington

http://www.cflapedia.com/Players/k/kwong_normie.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFL_Rushing_Leaders


http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/football/cfl/stats/

[ArgoRavi]

If you listen to Cornish himself, he claims that he did not suffer a concussion last week although it sure seemed as though he did.

[jerrym]

If you listen to Cornish himself, he claims that he did not suffer a concussion last week although it sure seemed as though he did.

His head struck the ground in a manner similar to Ray's, who ended up with a concussion. Other than his first injury of the season, Calgary and Cornish have been vague about his injuries, claiming he needed rest due to general soreness etcetera. I think is simply a case of trying to reduce the risk of people trying to target his head, probably a futile attempt.