The CFL on TSN’s commentators and analysts have been spending far too much time under those hot TV lights.
How else do you explain their CFL Power Rankings, unveiled following Week 4? While the rankings mean little – the CFL standings are all that really matter – TSN’s group of respected football brains receive plenty of attention from fans and media each week.
But this same group’s first offering of the season is so out of whack it warrants review.
Presumably compiled by someone who has watched some games this season, TSN’s list is a bit scrambled: 1. Saskatchewan (3-1), 2. Montreal (3-1) and 3. Calgary (3-1), is a top-three ranking that simply makes no sense. The Roughriders were smoked last week 40-20 by the Stampeders, who own the same record and deserve top spot on any sensible list. The Alouettes are enjoying a three-game win streak, but should fall to third based on a season-opening loss to the Riders.
Buzz builds for Boyd
Cory Boyd is light years from Mike Pringle’s record of 13 consecutive 100-yard rushing games, but he’s already gaining notoriety early in his first CFL campaign. The Toronto Argonauts’ 24-year-old rookie tailback is just the fourth player in Argos history to post three consecutive 100-yard rushing games. Bill Symons set the Argos team record by rushing for 100 or more yards in four straight games during the 1968 season. The Argos play tonight in Montreal where Pringle established the seemingly untouchable CFL standard more than a decade ago.
On the chopping block
Jobs are on the line Friday night when the 0-4 Edmonton Eskimos host the B.C. Lions. Esks GM Danny Maciocia and/or head coach Richie Hall could be gone should the team field a performance as pitiful as its last outing in Winnipeg when it fell behind 23-0 in the first half. It’s the Eskimos’ worst start to a season since 1965.
Getting rough
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are fortunate to enjoy the support of the CFL’s best fans, affectionately known as the Rider Nation. But inside some CFL parks – most notably Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg – a small percentage of the watermelon-wearing faithful are soiling the entire group’s reputation. A handful of Rider Priders always over-indulge long before the opening kickoff and are a little too well lubricated by the third quarter when fist fights lead to ejections from the stadium.
