Lefko's CFL Power Rankings: Week 14 - sportsnet.ca

Previous Power Rankings

TW	LW	Team	Our Take
1	1	(7-6-0)	Six wins in a row, the latest a 33-24 win over Edmonton in the newly-renovated B.C. Place. Took the Lions a little while to get into gear, but took control in the second half. This was a total team effort: the offence showed balance in the passing game and running game, and it also provided further evidence of the growth of quarterback Travis Lulay, who just might be the Most Outstanding Player in the league. He’s certainly the MOP in the West. He recovered from an early interception and finished with three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown against the Eskimos. Dual-purpose running back Andrew Harris had 16 touches for a total of 175 yards and produced two touchdowns, one of them bouncing off two Eskimo tacklers and then turning on the jets. But the defence deserves full credit, too. It had some issues stopping the run game at times, but stiffened late with a goal-line stand that produced a turnover on downs.
2	2	(8-5-0)	Beat Winnipeg 32-26 to move into a first-place tie in the East, but nearly choked, leading 29-6 with slightly more than a quarter remaining in the game, and 32-13 with 8:47 to go. It was only because of a goal-line stand in the final two plays of the game that the Als were prevented from what surely would have been an embarrassing defeat. There are some major issues to address on defence. On a positive note, quarterback Anthony Calvillo rebounded from a concussion to complete 26-of-44 passes for 335 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
3	3	(8-5-0)	Yes, the Bombers lost, but the manner in which they fought back from such a huge deficit shows this team has character. If nothing else, backup quarterback Alex Brink received some quality playing time. Notwithstanding two interceptions and two fumbles, only one of which was lost, Brink showed poise to lead his team on a comeback that literally fell a yard short. The inability to score twice from the one-yard line is something that will surely stick in the craw of the entire team. Whether it’s Brink or starter Buck Pierce, who was sidelined so he could nurse his injured ribs, the Bombers need to find a way to score in these critical short-yardage situations. Running back Chris Garrett, making his first start, averaged nearly seven yards a carry and produced a touchdown with a solid 32-yard burst up the middle with 2:34 to go, so that’s clearly a positive. Rush end Odell Willis had his best game in several weeks, producing a sack and a forced fumble. Overall, if there is such a thing as a morale win considering all the obstacles the Bombers had going into the game, this was it.
4	4	(7-6-0)	Yes, the Cats won their second game in a row, but beating the lifeless Argos 27-12 was literally an example of road kill. Quarterback Kevin Glenn threw three interceptions to give the Argos some life, but all the Argos could muster was four field goals. Hamilton’s overall talent proved too much for Toronto. Rookie running back Terry Grant -- the Alabama Slama -- registered an early touchdown on an 89-yard run that showcased his jets, giving him three touchdowns in his first two games. What impressed these eyes was what Grant did after he scored, tossing the ball away without much fanfare. Then again, we did find it amusing when receiver Chris Williams scored a touchdown and then imitated a bowler knocking down pins.
5	6	(8-5-0)	Finally, the Stamps stemmed its freefall, pounding Saskatchewan 40-3 at home. It showcased the Stamps’ backbone, although clearly Saskatchewan is the West Division equivalent of the Argos. That said, the Stamps simply had to do something. The big story was running back Jon Cornish, making his second consecutive start in place of the benched Joffrey Reynolds, running for 149 yards on 13 carries and catching one pass for 32 yards. Besides needing to protect the ball, the Stamps had to produce a running game. Defensive lineman Charleston Hughes was a one-man wrecking crew, producing five tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble. Overall, the Stamps had four sacks.
6	5	(7-6-0)	Perhaps losing by nine to the hottest team in the league in a noisy environment isn’t bad, but the Eskimos simply missed too many scoring opportunities in the loss to B.C. The inability to punch it in near the goal line was an example of that. Fred Stamps had only one catch. Yes, both Adarius Bowman and Jason Barnes collectively had 14 catches for 230 yards, but the Eskimos have to find a way to get their top receiver involved. In his last two games, he has a total of seven catches for 55 yards. We’re not even completely sure about the move to replace Ricky Ray with backup Kerry Joseph, even if it did produce a series that ended on a touchdown run. Ray needs to be playing more to get a feel for the game, and schemes should be set up to get the ball in the hands of Stamps. Running back Jerome Messam was employed more in this game but it’s hard to know whether the Eskimos are a team that is better using a run game to set up the passing game or vice-versa. The Eskimos’ defence failed to record a sack and simply couldn’t contain Lulay’s mobility.
7	7	(4-9-0)	It’s two blowout losses in a row by a combined score of 82-8 for the Green Riders following their three-game win streak with Ken Miller coaching again. The Riders are coming perilously close to being eliminated from the playoff picture. They are missing the sense of urgency displayed during their win streak. Quite simply, they are reverting back to the team that faltered under Greg Marshall. The ground game and passing game are non-existent. Starting quarterback Darian Durant has been yanked in both of the losses, has accumulated only 316 total passing yards and his completion percentage is less than 50. The defence isn’t doing anything, either: no sacks, interceptions or forced fumbles in the last two games.
8	8	(3-10-0)	So much for the guaranteed victory predicted by linebacker Ejiro Kuale following the win over Winnipeg. The Argos made some defensive plays early, but there is absolutely no offence on this team. Quarterback Steven Jyles continues to struggle and backup Dalton Bell isn’t capable of doing anything in relief. Yes, the offensive line is in tatters and the receiving corps isn’t any good, but that only emphasizes the need to ground and pound with Cory Boyd. In two of the Argos’ three wins, Boyd has rushed for 100 or more yards. The Argos have now lost more games at this point than they did last year. There appears little hope going forward. General manager/head coach Jim Barker is already talking about next year. One Toronto-based football writer has pointed out that Barker will be either head coach or GM next year, but not both. The likelihood is a new coach will be hired and Barker stays on as GM.

latest CFL news

headlines