Power rankings

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/08/2009 (5915 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Power rankings

One man’s totally subjective rankings of the eight CFL teams after Week 5 of the season (last week’s rank in parenthesis):

1. (1) MONTREAL ALOUETTES (4-1) — Well, well, well… certainly not as invincible as these eyes thought after sub-par performance in Edmonton.

2. (3) SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (3-2) — Riders move up after superb effort in knocking off the champs in their backyard.

3. (5) EDMONTON ESKIMOS (3-2) — And some said Ricky Ray was struggling.

4. (4) HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (3-2) — This is a good football team that gets better when Arland Bruce III gets comfy in the offence.

5. (2) CALGARY STAMPEDERS (2-3) — Can’t protect a late lead at home against a divisional rival? These aren’t the same Stamps from late last year.

6. (8) WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (2-3) — That defensive dozen is a force and Bishop was a spark.

7. (6) TORONTO ARGONAUTS (2-3) — Seven turnovers? They’ve got some work to do on offence.

8. (7) B.C. LIONS (1-4) — We’ll see how patient Wally Buono will be if this free-fall continues.

Juicy number – 57

The number of players who have latched onto Anthony Calvillo’s 335 career TD passes, second on the CFL’s all-time list. Ben Cahoon, a Calvillo teammate since 1998, is the all-time leader with 57.

FYI

A Ticat win this week at home to Edmonton would improve them to 4-2. Big deal, you say? It would be in Hamilton where the Tabbies were just 3-15 in their last two seasons… Plugging a book from a colleague we’re waiting to get our mitts on: Regina Leader-Post columnist Rob Vanstone has penned West Riders Best about the 1966 Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders. If we know Rob, it will be thoroughly researched and a solid read. Question: is there any other CFL team that is the basis of more books than the Riders? We think not… Anybody who watched the Ticats run over the Lions last week likely knew this was coming: B.C. announced Monday they have added linebacker JoJuan Armour, running back A.J. Harris and Canadian D-line prospect James Edwards. Armour bounced from Hamilton to Calgary after playing with the Lions in 2004 and 2005 and should help a run defence that was horrible in Hamilton. Harris was with the Eskimos last year while Edwards led McMaster in sacks in 2006 and 2007… The Argos made-over receiving corps will soon be welcoming back P.K. Sam, cut last week by the Buffalo Bills. Sam’s brother Lorne is on the Bomber practice roster.

Say what?!

“Muhammad Ali got knocked out, Mike Tyson got knocked out, Damon Allen’s been released and played on several teams, Warren Moon’s played on several teams. Those are Hall of Fame guys and I see myself being a Hall of Famer one day in this league.”

— Arland Bruce III, after being traded from Toronto to Hamilton last week.