Lefko's CFL power rankings: Week 9 - sportsnet.ca

Previous Power Rankings

TW	LW	Team	Our Take
1	1	(7-1-0)	Notched fifth win in a row and kept Swaggerville giddy -- not to mention the coach’s wife, who took a playful shot at Hamilton receiver Dave Stala for disrespecting the mighty Bombers. (Note to self. Next time instead of interviewing Bombers’ head coach Paul LaPolice, I check in with his wife, who is way more exciting. Just kidding, Bombers fans). I tweeted during the game that I thought it would be a blowout for the Bombers after they led 17-3 in the second quarter -- and was promptly chided by several tweets, including one from none other than Runako Reth, the guru of the gridiron. Anyhow, the Bombers really came together when it mattered. That play by Joe Lobendahn to force a fumble at the Bombers’ one-yard line was pure hustle. Last time the Bombers started off 7-1 they won the Cup.
2	2	(6-2-0)	Second hottest team in the league. Stamps are now on a four-game win streak and atop the West for the first time this season. Quarterback Henry Burris is on fire. His numbers during the win streak are off the chart. It’s funny, but this whole season he’s started off slowly and then picked it up in the second half of the game. Liked how the defence found a way to throw Anthony Calvillo off his game in the second half and produced the key turnover of the game. Memorable game for young receiver Johnny Forzani, who has some impressive wheels. And in the category of best impressions, Nik Lewis did a pretty good Dwight Anderson.
3	3	(5-3-0)	The Als are on a nice two-game win streak and return from the bye week to face the Stamps. The Als beat up Edmonton and Toronto in their last two and face a significantly tougher challenge as they embark on the final 10 games of the regular season. This will test the mettle of the Als, who lost two in a row earlier in the season and had everyone thinking the champs had fallen from their perch. This will indicate something about their ability to play against a quality team on the rise.
4	4	(4-4-0)	The Ticats probably felt awfully sick about their loss in the Peg. They had the Bombers on the ropes and blew it with a questionable playcall -- the second-down gamble that resulted in a sack was a killer -- and a fumble at the Bombers’ one-yard line by receiver Chris Williams, who has played his heart out this year. The Cats simply don’t have that killer instinct. On the positive side, they received a big-time game from rush end Stevie Baggs. He was full of fire and energy. It’s time to let this Cat out of the bag and run wild. Defensive co-ordinator Corey Chamblin may have picked up a tip or two watching how his former Stamps’ boss, Chris Jones, defenced the Als, notably in the second half. He used a lot of zone and it clearly frustrated quarterback Anthony Calvillo.
5	5	(5-3-0)	The Eskimos are now second in the West and they have back-to-back games against the Stamps. Even if they lose both, they still will remain in second and will have all of their receivers back by then. A split of the two games is possible pending the return of Fred Stamps for the second game. The offensive line will likely undergo some tweaking because it is somewhat of an issue. We’d also like to see a better commitment to the run game. You can’t pass all the time, can you?
6	6	(2-6-0)	Play the Argos, also known as the other part of the Braley Bunch, this Friday in Toronto. After trashing the Eskimos in the final game before the break, there were sufficient signs that the Lions could be headed for a turnaround in the second half of the season. Can’t underestimate the value of Arland Bruce/Runako Reth getting more acclimated to the offence. If running back/returner Tim Brown returns to the lineup, it gives the Lions some options because of receiver/returner Kierrie Johnson, who has multiple skills. This team should never have been 2-6 after six games. They self-imploded with way too many drops by the receivers. Going back to a 4-3 defence helped in the last game. The 3-4 simply doesn’t work.
7	7	(2-6-0)	Okay, the Argos probably enjoyed the bye week after squeaking out a win over Saskatchewan. Now it’s back to reality. The two-game set against the Lions has major implications because the crossover is a possibility. Yes, it’s early, but the Argos simply need to play with more of an all-around team game. They seem to play with either the offence working and the defence failing or vice-versa, and that says nothing of the special teams. Punter/kicker Noel Prefontaine showed in the last game his value when he’s on his game. Still a week-to-week guessing game about the growth of quarterback Cleo Lemon.
8	8	(1-7-0)	Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Ken Miller returns to the lineup following the firing of head coach Greg Marshall -- and he gets to face the Bombers in back-to-back games. Nice. Maybe Andy Fantuz will be back from the NFL. Not saying the Riders are going to suddenly turn around and be the team they were last year just because of the coaching change. But maybe they’ll play with a little more inspiration and fire, similar to what they did in the final few minutes of the loss to Toronto. At the very least Miller has to let quarterback Darian Durant move from the pocket. He can’t be a statue back there. If he is, well, expect the same old, same old.

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