Lefko's CFL power rankings: Week 7 - sportsnet.ca

Previous Power Rankings

TW	LW	Team	Our Take
1	1		Undefeated on the road and looking stronger each week. Totally took it to B.C. in the second half with another stellar defensive performance, despite missing their starting two interior tackles. The offensive receiving corps is so strong now that Greg Carr can’t even get into the lineup. Buck Pierce continues to show why he is so important to the Bombers’ success and why his health is of paramount importance. Swaggerville is gaining a bigger following -- and with good reason. This team is fun to watch.
2	3		With three wins in a row and undefeated in four road games, the Stamps are on a roll and appear poised to claim first overall in the West fairly soon with Edmonton going through some adversity in its last two games. Stamps scored on their first four possessions against Saskatchewan, directed by quarterback Henry Burris, who has shaken off the inconsistency that plagued him in the first few games, although the offence bogged down in the second half. The defence, which produced a touchdown on an interception, is slowly starting to find itself, too, after missing a variety of players through injuries and off-season moves.
3	5		Absolutely annihilated Edmonton in every phase of the game. The defence, which has undergone some changes because of injuries, lit it up, limiting the Eskimos to minus-1 yard on seven carries, producing six sacks, including two by newcomer Moton Hopkins. Sean Whyte continues to give the Als some of the consistent kicking they were lacking in the last two years. It’s not every day you can say the Als were great and Anthony Calvillo wasn’t the big story of the game, even if he did accomplish some personal milestones.
4	4		Ticats rebounded from a butt-kicking in Calgary with a good, but not great, victory performance against Toronto. The Ticats’ defence allowed way too many long balls and for the second consecutive game has shown a weakness against quick passes to the flanker or the running back. But at least they won, and scored some second-half points, which was an issue against the Stamps. You have to be impressed with the receiving corps: it’s young and learning and could be a huge factor later in the season as they gain more experience.
5	2		The mighty have fallen -- actually “crashed” may be a more apropos description. The offensive line is getting absolutely manhandled, which was an issue for the last two seasons but appeared to have been corrected. Jason Barnes appears to be the only receiver capable of filling the hole left by the injury to Fred Stamps, who is out for more than a month. Because the Eskimos have banked some early-season wins and B.C. and Saskatchewan are both struggling, they aren’t in a desperate situation, although this is a critical time for a new coaching staff and many new players.
6	8		Put up a fairly good fight against Calgary, limiting the Stamps’ offence in the second. An interception returned for a touchdown was the play of the game. While quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie came on in relief of starter Darian Durant in the final quarter and led the offence to a touchdown, the game was out of reach by then. There should be no quarterback controversy: Durant isn’t the problem. This is a total team collapse. When you’re used to winning and can’t win at home with the benefit of the raucous crowd, that’s a problem. The game this Thursday in Toronto could be huge in terms of the future of the personnel and possibly the football operations.
7	6		Yes they’ve lost six in a row, but their offence is starting to pick up and, yes, embattled quarterback Cleo Lemon seems to be finally grasping the CFL game. The trouble with the Argos this season is clock management, questionable decisions by the coaching staff or just plain bad luck. And they may have issues again with their kicking: veteran Noel Prefontaine returned to the lineup after missing two games with a wonky quad and did not look good with his punting and missed a 20-yard field goal near the end of the first half. Similar to Saskatchewan, the game this Thursday in Toronto should have some key ramifications going forward.
8	7		Now the fans are starting to boo, and that says a lot. Dropped passes continue to plague the Lions, and not even the swagger of newcomer Runako Reth (a.k.a. Arland Bruce) made much of a difference, considering he fumbled after one of his four catches. An emerging issue is quarterback Travis Lulay, who was pulled in the second half. He is young and is starting to grow frustrated and there seems to be a lot of attention focused on his won-lost record. He simply hasn’t received the support from his receivers. Collectively, the Lions were handling the ball like a live grenade against Winnipeg.

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