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Perry Lefko's Power Rankings: August 24, 2009

TW LW Team Our Take
1 1 Hard to knock the Als off their pedestal, even if they had to fight all the way to the finish following a hard-fought battle with the Roughriders. All three phases of the Als’ attack was on display. While quarterback Anthony Calvillo was merely ordinary – at least by his lofty standards – it was Avon calling – as in Avon Cobourne. The muscular running back proved his value with 101 yards on the ground and some added yardage as a receiver. But the defence came through with three interceptions and some key stops on third-down situations, notably the one that thwarted Darian (Duran) Durant toward the end of the game. And Larry (Don’t Call Me Lawrence) Taylor again proved the value of a great returner.
2 2 In the absence of any game action, the Eskimos are unchanged.
3 3 The Roughriders lost, but displayed heart in defeat. Durant is gradually becoming a leader with his arms, legs and his heart. The ability to escape three would-be tacklers en route to registering a two-point convert on a pass is the kind of play that inspires confidence in the players around him. The grit he displayed on a third-and-10 run that came up a little short is to be admired. Add in yet another hard-nosed display by receiver Weston Dressler, a younger version of Ben Cahoon in his ability to take a hit and bounce back, and you just have to tip your helmet to this guy. He even did some punt returning, which he did last year in his rookie season. He may be the best all-purpose yardage player in the league, if he continues to do more returning. On the down side for the Roughriders, if you commit as many turnovers as they did against the Als, you’re not going to win. But there’s no shame in losing by nine and fighting right to the end.
4 5 While the Ticats didn’t play, they actually move up because of how badly B.C. played.
5 6 Calgary didn’t play, so they inherit the same ranking as the week before.
6 8 The Blue Bombers make a huge leap following their blowout win over B.C. Hey, if a ground game works, stick with it. Forget that fancy offence, just run the damn ball with Fred (Slash) Reid and Yvenson (Saint) Bernard. The two combined for a whopping 372 yards on the ground. Reid’s performance on a bad ankle underlined the value of this guy to the team. He was a stud last year and he’s even better this year while Bernard is proving to be the bookend for Reid that Joe Smith was last year. The offence doesn’t have to revolve around Michael Bishop’s arm. This is the game that could theoretically mean a lot toward the drive to the playoffs in the second half of the season because the way things are going, the fourth-place team in the West may not have more wins than the third-place team in the East. If the two are tied in wins, the East team gets in.
7 4 The Lions simply spit the bit in this one. It was bad enough that the defence disappeared against the run, but the offence – for the limited time it was on the field – didn’t do anything. There was no miraculous rally this time. Jarious Jackson is becoming like Henry Burris of a few years ago – Good Hank and Bad Hank. And as mediocre as Jackson played, the knock he took on the head emphasized how vulnerable this team is at quarterback due to injuries. Isn’t it amazing that Wally Buono has surrounded himself in his great career with two or three good quarterbacks on the same roster at one time, and concussions, of late, seem to be a recurring theme? This appears to be the Dave Dickenson scenario all over again.
8 7 While the Argos didn’t play, they still have the worst record in the league. And given that the Lions beat them in their last game, it still places the Argos in the league basement.
 

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