Here's how I rank the Canadian Football League teams through Week 11:
- Overall record: 9-1-1
- Streak: Unbeaten in 10
- Next: Ottawa
QB Bo Mitchell is happy because he led his team back from a small deficit, took it to overtime vs. Edmonton and then won with two fine TD drives. Ownership is happy because 35,278 fans piled into McMahon Stadium to watch a second-straight victory over their hated rivals. Coach Dave Dickenson is happy because he gets to grump at his team in video sessions this week. Bo went 25-38, 338 yards, three TDs (including OT) and one pick. However, what must be pointed out is that the offence couldn't break through Edmonton's defence until midway through the third quarter. Taking 16 penalties for 123 yards was damaging, And the secondary had some coverage problems here and there that need to be addressed. Unbeaten in 10 is nice… especially for a guy who picked the White Stallions to win it all.
Stampeders beat Eskimos 34-28 in overtime0:40
- Overall record: 8-3
- Streak: Won 3
- Next: Bye
We repeat, Wally Buono's put together a good team here and is coaching the heck out of it – surely there must be more than 18,107 fans in the Vancouver area interested in coming out to watch. The Leos are a couple of wins short of wrapping up a playoff spot (10 will do it), and they play interesting football. Such as this week, when a rushing game to warm the heart of an old fart appeared as Jeremiah Johnson took his turn in the starter's role (he's splitting with Anthony Allen) and thundered for 159 yards, the highest in the CFL this season. Overall, B.C. had an electric 252 on the ground, pounding away at the Montreal defence and eating up clock. Jonathon Jennings led the attack to 585 net yards. Maybe by the playoffs they'll come out to see this club.
Jeremiah Johnson lead Lions over Alouettes0:47
- Overall record: 7-4
- Streak: Won 6
- Next: Toronto
Oh my goodness gracious, it's five in a row and the crowds are celebrating at Portage and Main. OK, not really, but they did show up 33,234 strong on Chancellor Matheson Road to spur Big Blue to a Banjo Bowl victory and a sweep of Saskatchewan. The tone was set early when the defence found itself backed against the goal line where it held and forced a field goal. Good thing they played so well, as there was little real offence most of the contest – some good plays, certainly (Weston Dressler grabbed 7-for-135, including 60 yards after catch), but only sustained drives a couple of times. Matt Nichols, who turned this team around when he replaced Drew Willy, was a steady 21-of-31, 247 yards. Willy (and his contract) are now Argonauts, and Kevin Glenn (and his lesser contract) now backs up Nichols.
Blue Bombers down Roughriders in 'Banjo Bowl'0:55
- Overall record: 5-4-1
- Streak: Won 1
- Next: @ Calgary
GM Marcel Desjardins, so tough Vince Lombardi would have loved him, shook things up on the bye week (Week? They hadn't put on pads for 10 days!) the old-fashioned way. If kickers Chris Milo and Zach Mederios are not quite up to snuff, we'll bring in P/K Sergio Castillo to push them a bit. Defence giving up too many points, pick a veteran (safety Jermaine Robinson) to cut loose, sending a message. RBs are on the road, and that's great because they're 4-1 away from the friendly confines, and 1-3-1 while home. They're also getting healthy again, with four regulars returning for the trip to Calgary. This club has been maddeningly inconsistent, tying hot Calgary, beating Edmonton twice, but losing to Montreal, Toronto and Saskatchewan. Hard to fathom.
- Overall record: 5-6
- Streak: Lost 1
- Next: Montreal
Let's use some modern vernacular: Kitty gonna cough up a hairball once in a while. After clawing the Argos a week ago, Hamilton came into Toronto with nothing; claws retracted, messing with a ball of twine. Zach Collaros had his first below average outing since coming back from a year off, throwing just 22 completions on 39 tries, for 56.4 per cent. And after back-to-back picks by the defence led to 10 points in the first quarter, there wasn't much going. Collaros wasn't the only one – too much shoulder tackling by the defence: C.J. Gable, a normally reliable blocker, missed his man completely on a key punt block, and how did the secondary let Tori Gurley make a circus catch early in the third against triple coverage? Says here this is a blip, the Cats are coming hard.
Argos take down Tiger-Cats0:35
- Overall record: 5-6
- Streak: Lost 2
- Next: @ Saskatchewan
Sport has some silly clichés, an annoying one being "Not to worry, we'll get this back." No you can't, it's on the board. A game that saw the Eskimos play well only to lose in overtime, would have been won in regulation but for a Jordan Lynch bobble on the snap during a first-quarter field goal. Three possible points gone. Not to pick on Lynch, these things happen, but key moments arrive anywhere in the 60 minutes, not just in the final quarter. QB Mike Reilly was 35-of-45, 432 yards, two TDs, no picks, but little errors and penalties hurt drives. The defence gave up too many aerial yards, though held firm in their own end most of the way. Here's something else that happened – Calgary learned the Eskies can play them tough in a future playoff matchup.
- Overall record: 5-6
- Streak: Won 1
- Next: @ Winnipeg
Argo GM Jim Barker isn't going down without a fight. QB Ricky Ray suffered a broken rib and partially deflated lung last week (out four-to-six weeks, officially). The much-travelled Dan LeFevour took over the reins and was poised, confident and occasionally confused by the club's complicated offence as he helped lead the Double Blue to a season-saving victory over Hamilton. He threw for 329 yards, a TD, and two bad back-to-back picks in the opening quarter while working out who everyone was. And a little self-help resulted in 39 rushing yards. RB Brandon Whitaker (75 on the ground) scored on a pretty option late. T.J. Heath had two key picks. After the game, Barker unveiled a draft pick trade with Winnipeg for QB Drew Willy – oft-injured, inconsistent, expensive, but talented.
- Overall record: 3-8
- Streak: Lost 3
- Next: @ Hamilton
The week that was: 1. GM/coach Jim Popp announced he would not be on the sidelines next year, and given his losing career record, that will come as a relief to the fans. (Anthony Calvillo? Possibly.) 2. Owner Bob Wetenhall said his team is not for sale, despite rumours. Who would buy it, he pointed out, when he's losing so much money? 3. The Larks sent young QB Rakeem Cato out in place of the shell-shocked Kevin Glenn, resulting in another loss after the defence collapsed. 4. Kevin Glenn was traded to Winnipeg because the club doesn't believe it can make the playoffs so no sense spending on the vet. Cato was alright, leading a couple of good drives, but the defenders were run over by the B.C. attack, giving up almost 600 yards.
- Overall record: 1-10
- Streak: Lost 7
- Next: Edmonton
Trailing 17-10 with 5:05 to go, the Riders pulled one of the worst fake field goals of recent memory on a third and two in Winnipeg territory. First, it took five seconds to run it from reset to ball snap, giving the defenders plenty of time. Second, backup QB Brandon Bridge presented three tight-ends right with an empty backfield, telegraphing the direction. Third, instead of running right off his blocker's butts (he would have made it), Bridge went for a promenade down the line until he was about four yards from first down. Tackled. Terrible. The defence played well in this one, holding Bombers to 17 points. Darian Durant (23-of-36, 283 yards) was strong, but too many penalties hurt. Naaman Roosevelt (six catches for 121 yards) is a weapon to build off for next year.
CFL Power Rankings: Can anyone stop the Stampeders?
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