Hello, Power Rankings committee.
I know the list is usually reserved for member clubs of the Canadian Football League but if you don’t put Céline Dion somewhere on there after her comeback performance at the Olympics then what are we even doing?
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Here are this week’s takeaways.
CHAINSAW’S GETTIN’ LOUDER
The Ottawa REDBLACKS are for real. And on Friday night, they were spectacular.
Playmaking offence with a quarterback who is slinging with confidence? Check.
Disciplined defence that is swarming at high speed and with great physicality? Check.
Special teams clicking, both return and coverage? Check.
The REDBLACKS 33-6 win over the Calgary Stampeders was as thorough as thorough can be, showcasing quarterback Dru Brown’s arm and leadership abilities, an increasingly in-sync squad of receivers, and a defence that seems ready for anything that comes its way and relishes the opportunity to blast opponents to smithereens.
“We’re 5-2 but we’re certainly not perfect,” said Brown afterward, with no apparent dropping of his game face at all.
“I still think the best is ahead of us.”
Waiting for the REDBLACKS to crash to earth? I kinda doubt that’s gonna happen. However, there are big tests looming after the team takes a bye. At home to Saskatchewan in Week 10. Back-to-backers against BC in Weeks 12 and 13.
EASIEST TAKEAWAY OF THE SEASON SO FAR
Take the points, coaches. Take the points.
Both Toronto’s Ryan Dinwiddie and Winnipeg’s Mike O’Shea had their teams go on third and short, late in Saturday night’s game, eventually won by the Argonauts in overtime.
The Argos could have avoided that overtime, in all likelihood, had Dinwiddie elected to send placekicker Lirim Hajrullahu out for a 38-yard attempt – which would have put Toronto up by two scores – with five and a half minutes left. And O’Shea’s team had a great chance of winning in regulation had he opted to send Sergio Castillo out for a 29-yard field goal attempt, with less than a minute remaining and the game tied. The way Toronto’s offence was struggling, even a point would have looked pretty good.
O’Shea’s gambit was understandable from the viewpoint that his short yardage unit had been bulldozing for most of the night. Credit the Toronto defence for coming up very large at the right moment.
But the takeaway remains: Sometimes, points is points. Especially in a game like that.
OKAY, ACTUALLY THIS MIGHT BE THE EASIEST TAKEAWAY OF THE SEASON SO FAR
Watching quarterback Tre Ford come in and do so much of his thing on Sunday night, it has got to be a “stamped it, double-locked it, no backsies” take that he gets the start for the Edmonton Elks in Week 9 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
That performance was a stunner, with Ford reminding us all of his remarkable athletic ability, especially on two ridiculous escape acts when the Hamilton Ticats’ defence had him stalked and bagged. It’s like trying to tackle the steam from a kettle.
Ford’s the CFL’s Keyser Söze. Or Keyser Söz-Tre, I guess. “And like that… poof… he’s gone.”
This week’s playbook? Trim it down to just one thing: “Guys, everybody run around and try to get open. Tre, you do something.”
BONUS TAKEAWAY: By the way, it looks like the Hamilton offence has smoothed things out nicely.
IT APPEARS THEY’VE GOT SOME DEPTH AT THE POSITION
A sluggish and wheel-spinning Montreal Alouette offence appeared to be doomed against the very impressive Saskatchewan defence on Thursday night, with quarterback Cody Fajardo on the sideline and his understudy, Caleb Evans, finding no momentum at all.
Enter third-string pivot Davis Alexander, who proceeded to direct the Als’ offence to consecutive touchdown drives in the second half, going 12 for 12 on those marches and igniting a Montreal comeback that saw them win, 20-16, improving their mark to 6-1.
“I’m glad they trusted me,” Alexander told the Alouettes’ post-game show, pointing out that the Als just ran their usual offence with him at the controls.
“Our freakin’ playmakers just made plays,” he added.
Can the Alouettes weather a few more weeks without Fajardo? The takeaway from Thursday’s game is a resounding Yes They Can.
RUNNING BACK? THEY DON’T NEED NO STINKING RUNNING BACK
I remember well when Wally Buono’s Calgary Stampeders used to go with an empty backfield and six receivers charging downfield, led by the incomparable Allen Pitts, terrifying defensive backs across the nation.
Friday night, the Ottawa REDBLACKS embraced the nostalgia. Sort of.
When running back Ryquell Armstead was tossed during the early moments of the second quarter – and with no other running back dressed – Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown got to feel a bit like Doug Flutie, as the REDBLACK offence put on a track meet. Pass, pass, pass. And pass again.
After Armstead’s ejection, Ottawa didn’t run the ball again until Brown handed off to receiver Bralon Addison with just over 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter. They ran 20 straight passing plays in between.
In the past, Addison’s been praised for his speed, for his pass-catching and for his elusive abilities.
Now, we add pass blocking and blitz pick-up to the list.
When Armstead was ejected, Addison was implemented as an emergency replacement and his instructions appeared clear; get in front of pass rushers however you might.
Unaccustomed to that kind of duty on a regular basis – the 30-year-old veteran did a very nice job as Brown looked downfield for target after target after target. It may not have been perfect, but it was impressive how Addison was willing to seek out and try his damndest to get in front of any Calgary marauder he spied. And he did get a hat on a lot of them.
“That’s just a microcosm of the type of guys that we have in the locker room,” Brown said of Addison’s dutiful backfield trench work.
AND FINALLY... Saturday, September 21. Montreal at Ottawa. CIRCLED.