Things essentially went according to plan in Week 5, as the home teams were victorious in all four games, and not a single underdog won outright.
I finished with a 3-1 ledger in Week 5, extending my record to 11-1 on the season. You can check out this week's plays by heading over to Covers Experts.
Enough shameless promotion, let's get to the Week 6 rankings.
1. Montreal Alouettes
There's no reason to knock the Als from top spot after they rolled past the Argos last Thursday. There's no question, Montreal is the class of the East, and as far as I'm concerned, the entire league. The Als offense got rolling in the fourth quarter against Hamilton two weeks ago, and that carried over into last week's rout. Now they'll look to complete a perfect homestand with a win over the Roughriders on Friday.
2. Calgary Stampeders
The Stamps easily move past the Roughriders for second spot on this week's list. It's amazing what they've accomplished so far this season when you consider that RB Joffrey Reynolds has yet to get rolling. Henry Burris has put his turnover issues behind him, and has found the end zone eight times in the last three games. Defensively, the Stamps are the best in the West, hands down.
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Riders kept pace with the Stamps last week, cruising to a 37-24 win over Hamilton, but that victory wasn't quite as lopsided as the final score indicated. The Ti-Cats actually outgained the Riders by 120 yards, and carried a lead into halftime. As I mentioned last week, Saskatchewan still has a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the ball if it wants to be considered an elite CFL team. A big test awaits in Montreal this week.
4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Even with Buck Pierce sidelined, the Blue Bombers continue to play competitive football. Their defense has been outstanding, particularly in the last two weeks, allowing just 44 points against the Eskimos and Stampeders. Steven Jyles has been serviceable in place of Pierce, and he should only get better with a third straight start on Saturday in Hamilton.
5. Toronto Argonauts
If you told Argos head coach Jim Barker prior to the season that his team would be 3-2 after five weeks of the season, he probably would have been ecstatic. That doesn't mean that last Thursday's 41-10 loss in Montreal didn't sting a little. I was high on Cleo Lemon earlier in the season, but now I'm not so sure. He's got a solid group of receivers to work with, but he doesn't seem to be progressing all that well. If the Argos are going to continue to be successful, their defense is going to have to lead the way. No surprise there.
6. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Kevin Glenn continues to impress, having already thrown for over 1,500
yards and eight touchdowns this season. His wide receiving corps has
been second to none as well. The problem for Hamilton right now is its
defense. Since holding the Blue Bombers to seven points three weeks ago,
the Ti-Cats have been ripped for 37 points in back-to-back games.
Perhaps a return home will help, where they've allowed only 30 points in
two games this season.
7. Edmonton Eskimos
The Eskimos are much better than their 1-4 record indicates. Last week's narrow win over B.C. will certainly give them a much-needed boost of confidence, but will it be enough to carry them to a second consecutive victory this week? A lot of folks have knocked Ricky Ray this season, but the fact is, he's thrown for nearly 1,500 yards and completed 68% of his passes. If he can cut down on the number of turnovers, this offense could take off.
8. B.C. Lions
The Lions are an absolute mess right now. We've seen poor decision-making from head coach Wally Buono, but they've also been plagued by poor execution on the field. The Lions offense was built for Casey Printers, so it's no real surprise that Travis Lulay has struggled. This is a banged up team on both sides of the football heading into a critical home game against Calgary on Saturday. B.C. is still looking for its first victory at Empire Field.
Things essentially went according to plan in Week 5, as the home teams were victorious in all four games, and not a single underdog won outright.
I finished with a 3-1 ledger in Week 5, extending my record to 11-1 on the season. You can check out this week's plays by heading over to Covers Experts.
Enough shameless promotion, let's get to the Week 6 rankings.
1. Montreal Alouettes
There's no reason to knock the Als from top spot after they rolled past the Argos last Thursday. There's no question, Montreal is the class of the East, and as far as I'm concerned, the entire league. The Als offense got rolling in the fourth quarter against Hamilton two weeks ago, and that carried over into last week's rout. Now they'll look to complete a perfect homestand with a win over the Roughriders on Friday.
2. Calgary Stampeders
The Stamps easily move past the Roughriders for second spot on this week's list. It's amazing what they've accomplished so far this season when you consider that RB Joffrey Reynolds has yet to get rolling. Henry Burris has put his turnover issues behind him, and has found the end zone eight times in the last three games. Defensively, the Stamps are the best in the West, hands down.
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Riders kept pace with the Stamps last week, cruising to a 37-24 win over Hamilton, but that victory wasn't quite as lopsided as the final score indicated. The Ti-Cats actually outgained the Riders by 120 yards, and carried a lead into halftime. As I mentioned last week, Saskatchewan still has a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the ball if it wants to be considered an elite CFL team. A big test awaits in Montreal this week.
4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Even with Buck Pierce sidelined, the Blue Bombers continue to play competitive football. Their defense has been outstanding, particularly in the last two weeks, allowing just 44 points against the Eskimos and Stampeders. Steven Jyles has been serviceable in place of Pierce, and he should only get better with a third straight start on Saturday in Hamilton.
5. Toronto Argonauts
If you told Argos head coach Jim Barker prior to the season that his team would be 3-2 after five weeks of the season, he probably would have been ecstatic. That doesn't mean that last Thursday's 41-10 loss in Montreal didn't sting a little. I was high on Cleo Lemon earlier in the season, but now I'm not so sure. He's got a solid group of receivers to work with, but he doesn't seem to be progressing all that well. If the Argos are going to continue to be successful, their defense is going to have to lead the way. No surprise there.
6. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Kevin Glenn continues to impress, having already thrown for over 1,500
yards and eight touchdowns this season. His wide receiving corps has
been second to none as well. The problem for Hamilton right now is its
defense. Since holding the Blue Bombers to seven points three weeks ago,
the Ti-Cats have been ripped for 37 points in back-to-back games.
Perhaps a return home will help, where they've allowed only 30 points in
two games this season.
7. Edmonton Eskimos
The Eskimos are much better than their 1-4 record indicates. Last week's narrow win over B.C. will certainly give them a much-needed boost of confidence, but will it be enough to carry them to a second consecutive victory this week? A lot of folks have knocked Ricky Ray this season, but the fact is, he's thrown for nearly 1,500 yards and completed 68% of his passes. If he can cut down on the number of turnovers, this offense could take off.
8. B.C. Lions
The Lions are an absolute mess right now. We've seen poor decision-making from head coach Wally Buono, but they've also been plagued by poor execution on the field. The Lions offense was built for Casey Printers, so it's no real surprise that Travis Lulay has struggled. This is a banged up team on both sides of the football heading into a critical home game against Calgary on Saturday. B.C. is still looking for its first victory at Empire Field.
There's no way that I'd put the Argos ahead of the Eskimos. It's like you said they are much better than their 1-4 record. You gotta take into consideration those untimely turnovers. Too much hype with this Cory Boyd kid. He couldn't even make the practice squad on 2 nfl teams. He's way over rated and was exposed last week. The Esky's have moved the ball well in between the 30's. Edmonton is a 5.5 favorite at home against the Argos. Now if the Eskimos played at Toronto the line would be around the pick-em or -1 range. That alone should be some kind of indication.
There's no way that I'd put the Argos ahead of the Eskimos. It's like you said they are much better than their 1-4 record. You gotta take into consideration those untimely turnovers. Too much hype with this Cory Boyd kid. He couldn't even make the practice squad on 2 nfl teams. He's way over rated and was exposed last week. The Esky's have moved the ball well in between the 30's. Edmonton is a 5.5 favorite at home against the Argos. Now if the Eskimos played at Toronto the line would be around the pick-em or -1 range. That alone should be some kind of indication.
There's no way that I'd put the Argos ahead of the Eskimos. It's like you said they are much better than their 1-4 record. You gotta take into consideration those untimely turnovers. Too much hype with this Cory Boyd kid. He couldn't even make the practice squad on 2 nfl teams. He's way over rated and was exposed last week. The Esky's have moved the ball well in between the 30's. Edmonton is a 5.5 favorite at home against the Argos. Now if the Eskimos played at Toronto the line would be around the pick-em or -1 range. That alone should be some kind of indication.
GOOD LUCK AND MUCH SUCCESS TO YOUR GREAT START.
You make excellent points. I agree, the Eskimos are probably going to be the better team, but I couldn't warrant ranking them ahead given their 1-4 record. Early season rankings can be tough, with a lot of changes on a week-to-week basis. We should have a clearer picture in a couple of weeks.
Tough schedule coming up for Edmonton; Calgary, Saskatchewan, Calgary, Calgary, and Montreal in consecutive weeks. Yikes. We should learn a lot about them over that stretch.
By the way, I read your thread, and I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Esks head coach and defensive coordinator Richie Hall. He's made some questionable decisions early on this season.
There's no way that I'd put the Argos ahead of the Eskimos. It's like you said they are much better than their 1-4 record. You gotta take into consideration those untimely turnovers. Too much hype with this Cory Boyd kid. He couldn't even make the practice squad on 2 nfl teams. He's way over rated and was exposed last week. The Esky's have moved the ball well in between the 30's. Edmonton is a 5.5 favorite at home against the Argos. Now if the Eskimos played at Toronto the line would be around the pick-em or -1 range. That alone should be some kind of indication.
GOOD LUCK AND MUCH SUCCESS TO YOUR GREAT START.
You make excellent points. I agree, the Eskimos are probably going to be the better team, but I couldn't warrant ranking them ahead given their 1-4 record. Early season rankings can be tough, with a lot of changes on a week-to-week basis. We should have a clearer picture in a couple of weeks.
Tough schedule coming up for Edmonton; Calgary, Saskatchewan, Calgary, Calgary, and Montreal in consecutive weeks. Yikes. We should learn a lot about them over that stretch.
By the way, I read your thread, and I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Esks head coach and defensive coordinator Richie Hall. He's made some questionable decisions early on this season.
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