CFL Week 7 Excitement Rankings

After inputting all the statistics for this week, BC was third in the rankings. I thought, 'wait, that can't be right. My system is totally flawed,' so I changed it. Passing touchdowns are now a factor in the rankings, and offensive points are weighted slightly heavier in the combined point total statistic.

By the way, this week, there was just one lead change. The BC Lions scored a field goal on their opening series, only to have Saskatchewan come back with a touchdown and take a 6-3 lead pending convert. That's one lead change for every bench-clearing brawl.

#1 - Hamilton Tiger Cats

The TIger Cats have a terrific formula for exciting games: a red-hot quarterback, a deceptive, rookie return man who scores a lot of touchdowns in a lot of different ways, and a mouthy receiver throwing downfield bombs with his team up by 14 points on the road in the second half.

Marcus Thigpen has become the first player to score a touchdown in five different ways in a single season: punt return, kickoff return, missed field goal return, reception and a run from scrimmage. Sure, it looks alright, but I'll be really impressed when he scores the same way every game.

#2 - Toronto Argonauts

Well, well, well, Hamilton and Toronto are number one and number two heading into their pre-Labour Day battle at Rogers Centre Skydome. Toronto is 5-2 after a surprising win over the Montreal Alouettes in which Cleo Lemon looked strangely competent.

The Argos have a high ranking because they play in close games that are decided late. The 11-point spread was actually the lowest in the league this week

#3 - Montreal Alouettes

Only in the CFL can you throw for 450 yards and three touchdowns and lose in a blowout. Calvillo is back from injury and looking great, as expected, less dropping a snap.

#4 - Calgary Stampeders

The Stamps put up 56 points, their highest total of the year, against an impressively bad Edmonton team. After this week's events, they lead the league in passing touchdowns, passing yards and are second in total combined points.

#5 - Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Riders now have two wins against the Lions, which is the equivalent of one win against any other team. Despite Chris Getzlaf factoring in only one series and nothing out of Weston Dressler, the passing game is still just as good as Calgary's.

Remember when Wes Cates was a trick play specialist with the Stampeders? It seems he can do pretty well for himself as a starting running back, being ahead of Joffrey Reynolds in every major rushing category.

The Riders biggest problem in these rankings is that they take leads too early and never give it up, so we're let down by the fourth quarter when we're watching Ryan Dinwiddie play catch with whoever the backup running back is.

#6 - BC Lions

:-(

#7 - Winnipeg Blue Bombers

One of the most used phrases in the CFL over the past two seasons is "...Buck Pierce return..." although now we're mired in a quarterback controversy in Winnipeg, ducking around the issue that they're now a 2-5 football team simply one game ahead of the very terrible Lions and Eskimos.

#8 - Edmonton Eskimos

The 2010 Edmonton Eskimos is where once-great quarterbacks come to die. They boast former All-Stars Jason Maas and Ricky Ray. Jared Zabransky of 2007 Fiesta Bowl fame has become the pet project of Richie Hall, although keep in mind the most memorable pass completion during his time at Boise State took place when he was lined up as a weak-side receiver in a modified wildcat formation.

Also, after a terrific first couple of weeks, Kelly Campbell has just become a poor man's Kamau Petersen--this week he managed to drop two fourth quarter touchdown passes.

After the 56-15 loss to Calgary, Coach Hall stood in front of the podium and said "I can't tell you what kind of team we are." I can, coach. It's pretty easy, and by the end of your bye week, I'm pretty sure you'll no longer be using the pronoun 'we'.