Sandra's WK11 CFL Power Grouping

Welcome to ABC Football and my Week 11 CFL Power Grouping.  If you've never visited before let me tell you how my "ranking" differs from others.  It's not a ranking from 1-9.  Instead teams are given a grade and grouped according to A, B or C.  I started doing Power Grouping after disagreeing with one Belton Johnson about his own ranking.  The doodles or Garfunkel's as I've come to call them evolved over time as a fun addition.  Sports is fun and football is fun so why not have a little fun when it comes to grading out our CFL teams, right?

Week 11 Garfunkel

Check the Garfunkel tab for passed weeks!

Group A - Frappucino

Treat yourself to the expensive $5 fancy whipped topping with sprinkles coffee treat Group A!  The Blue Bombers without Matt Nichols found a way to win against the Edmonton Eskimos.  I hope they give Willie Jefferson all the kudos because it certainly wasn't due to the Streveler led offence.  Over at ABC Rider Fans we were all poking jokes about the debacle the NFL preseason game was and now with the news that Andrew Harris has been suspended for 2 games, will the defence continue to step up?  Can the team shake off adversity? Is the run game the same threat?  What happened to the Streveler we saw early in the season?  All will be answered at the Labour Day Classic in Regina.  Speaking of the Riders, how about that Cody Fajardo?!  He continues to evolve, see the field, throw a great spiral and it's so easy to jump on the #7 bandwagon.  Who wore that number again?  Thank you defence for those 3 turnovers.  I wish I could provide analysis for the Hamilton Tigercats but because I was enroute from Regina to Saskatoon I cannot except that it sounded like a boring game...or was it a defensive battle too?

Group B - The Double Double

How much fun is it to watch this Montreal Alouettes team right now?  Double the pleasure double the fun or something like that.  Vernon Adams Jr sure has risen to the occasion and had me jumping out of my chair on that double reverse play.  As an ex Oregon Duck he's used to running plays like that and it's so much fun to watch for us fans too.  He reminded me a bit of another "doubles" in the way he carried himself.  The Edmonton Eskimos saw a bad Trevor Harris show up along with what appears bad offensive calls.  You can't win games on field goals alone.  The Stampeders were on Bye Week this week.  How will they emerge in the Battle of Alberta?  That's actually in Alberta, right?  Not Winnipeg?

Group C - Home Brew

The Argonauts seem so close to being a winning team.  McBLT has really come along these last two games and I think that's the influence of Zach Collaros on the sidelines, who by the way, we have yet to see in an Argo's uniform.  The Touchdown Atlantic game was a great one and both the Argos and Als put on a great show.  Let's hope their influence and excitement was felt.  The Ottawa Redblacks had some issues on Saturday.  I was thinking it was going to be a much closer game against the Greenwhites but when Davis turned the ball over 3 times early in the game and the team had to resort to putting Jennings in you knew things were not going to go their way.  The BC Lions.  What can be said?  They are just brutal right now.

Sandra's WK10 CFL Power Grouping

Grab a beverage and find a comfy chair.  Let's taco 'bout Week 10 in the Canadian Football League with my Power Grouping.  Remember it's a grouping with no numbers involved.  You may wonder how I come up with which team belongs where.  Well I do keep a list of sorts and move teams up or down according to whether they win or lose or how dominant their play was in that week.  I do keep their previous record in mind too.  So if a team totally stinks they don't fall to C group immediately but if they stink week after week they will find themselves there eventually.  

Okey dokey.  Here we go!

Group A - Burrito

Who doesn't like a burrito?  It's everything all wrapped up in a neat little package.  It doesn't crack and break although it might leak down your shirt if you aren't careful.  The Winnipeg Blue Bombers seem to have 1st place in the CFL all wrapped up tight but Matt Nichols left the game with an upper body injury of some unknown description.  He has always seemed to be a QB to me who looks broken one week and returns the following seemingly fine.  Is this a flashback to their 2007 season?  Yes, I have my Saskatchewan Roughriders in A Group.  They were on bye week and as such I rarely move a team unless someone else outplays them.  No one did that in Week 10.  How will the team play in Week 11 at home against the Ottawa Redblacks?  I'm thinking the Riders are going to be healthy and raring to go.

Group B - Hard Shell Taco

The Hard Shell Taco always seems like a good idea until you bite into it and the shell breaks scattering it's innards all over your football jersey.  These teams in B Group have what it takes to be delicious but still seem to crack under pressure occasionally.  The Hamilton TigerCats under Dane Evans are right on the cusp.  Perhaps they're more of a Gordita.  How much fun is the duo of Harris to Ellingson to watch in Edmonton? It makes one wonder why these players were ever allowed to leave Ottawa.  Or is it that under the Jason Maas direction they are flourishing?  That does happen and is the case with Vernon Adams and Head Coach Khari Jones.  By the way, what a magical comeback in double over time against the Stampeders!  ABC!  It was fun to see Nick Arbuckle's offense run the flea flicker.  Who doesn't like a trick play?  I've always said you have to watch for the Stamps because they always find a way to win.  Well not in Week 10 when the Alouettes finally ended their 10 year drought in Calgary.  We won't talk about 2009.

Group C - Guacamole & Chips

While the chips might be nice, if you've forgotten the lemon juice in the guac you've got a nasty brown mess no one wants.  Did someone forget to add the lemons to these teams?  The Ottawa Redblacks are having major quarterbacking woes.  Dom Davis was in someone else's words "stinking up the place" and Jon Jennings didn't seem to be much more successful.  It would appear having Zach Collaros on the sidelines is helpful as the QB with 3 last names aka McLoed Bethel-Thompson was spurred on to be better.  I keep seeing this team progressing under Corey Chamblin but those wins are as elusive as that last bit of tomato salsa you've been chasing around the bowl.  The BC Lions - what more can be said?  I'm shocked that Mike Reilly is only one of two remaining starting Quarterbacks.  I'm shocked that he keeps taking a pounding.  It's embarrassing the amount of sacks that O Line has allowed already this season.  They did sign a Lemon but unless he's converted to an offensive lineman that's not the help the team needed.

Hope you enjoyed this weeks Power Grouping.  As always, let me know your thoughts, what next weeks theme should be or just let me know what kind of taco you enjoy most.  Don't forget to join in this discussion and all the fun at ABC Rider Fans where you'll find an exciting game thread for Saturday August 24th.  Go Riders!

Sandra's WK9 CFL Power Grouping

If today had a theme it would be about band aids, stitches and industrial strength super glued medical tape.  That's because as I mentioned in the post last week, I had gallbladders surgery on Thursday.  While it was told to me that the surgery has a quick recovery rate it has not been the picture the brochure painted and because of this there is no witty drawing aka Garfunkel to accompany today's grouping.  

I was pretty loopy for Thursday and Friday.  

If I had a sponsor this post would be brought to you by Tylenol, Advil and Canada Dry Ginger Ale.

Group A - Calgary Stampeders/Winnipeg Blue Bombers/Saskatchewan Roughriders

Group B - Edmonton Eskimos/Hamilton TigerCats

Group C - Ottawa Redblacks/Toronto Argonauts (bye week)/Montreal Alouettes/BC Lions

I do have to say a couple of things:

1) I still think it's hilarious that the Bombers lost to the Argo's in Week 8.  I'd never point and laugh, but when you consider the intense rivalry between our clubs...I can't help myself.  Yes, I also know karma is a you-know-who and I'll likely come to be sorry for laughing at another teams expense.  For now though you can give me this one little pleasure.

2)  The Roughriders won in the first ever game that was called in the modern CFL era by a weather delay.  This was something that was negotiated in the last CBA.  The rule was posted all over social media and during the TV broadcast.  The rule was put into place for the safety of the CFL players.  Honestly, I truly appreciated the game being called.  TSN had already cut to the other Friday night game anyway.  The players would have had to warm up all over again and then deal with the condition of the field which could have resulted in injury.  Also the weather system was not a short burst and something that was going to just move through.  It was going to be ongoing.  Calling the game final was the responsible thing to do.  You all can complain if you want that the Riders were handed the win but as one ABC Rider Fan pointed out imagine the outrage had the tables been turned - what if the Als were leading by 7 and the team owned by the CFL won by a new rule the CFL/PA put into place?  How would y'all feel then?  In November they don't ask how, they just ask how many wins.  

3)  No lead is safe.  In the 3rd Quarter of the Saturday game with the Lions leading I had written out my grouping and then the Cats made a come back to win.  This is why the CFL is one of the most exciting leagues to watch.  You never know what's going to happen.

4)  What's with all the missed converts and field goals?

5)  Is this the record for amount of kick offs returned for touchdowns ever?

6)  It's only a matter of time that Mike Reilly gets seriously injured and while he wants to be the leader/hero he's really not doing anyone favours for playing when banged up.  I think it's pretty selfish to think you are the only one who can will your team to win.  Sit down and let the team rise to the occasion.  

I hope to be back to my normal (as normal as I ever was) self for Week 10 and get some fancy drawing in for the Power Grouping.  Thank you for all the well wishes, likes and comments.  It's all much appreciated.  

Sandra's WK8 CFL Power Grouping

Week 8 Garfunkel

Group A - Mustard

Cheers 

These teams cut the Mustard.  The Stampeders minus Bo Levi always just seem to find ways to win games.  You can never count them out.  They are good enough to turn over the ball, take unnecessary penalties and still fight their way back to win games.  The Hamilton TigerCats did lose in Riderville this week and are also down a starting quarterback.  Dane Evans (there were 3 players with the name Evans in this game) looked good in his first start but has some growing to do.  The Blue Bombers were handed their second loss of the 2019 season (wahoo!) at the hands of the Toronto Argonauts.  The Bombers had motivational issues in Week 7 and that seemed to continue into Week 8.  Were they really that good at the start of the season or are other teams just catching up?

Group B - Ketchup

Credit to Greg McCulloch @GregOnSports 

For the first time this season the Saskatchewan Roughriders are over .500.  They can boast the leading receiver in the CFL in Shaq Evans and everyone is corndog crazy over Cody Fajardo.  It would seem that the Riders are tied for the Edmonton Eskimos for 3rd in the West.  Trevor Harris is one of the 3 veteran quarterbacks still standing and he seems to be flourishing under the Eskimo system.  What's going on with Head Coach Jason Maas?  It wasn't that long ago he was kicking field goals on first down and this week seems to be playing things too safe.  One can ask what's going on in Ottawa as well.  The Redblacks Dom Davis was back in the game this week and lead his team to victory but it was a close one for the sheer amount of turnovers.  

Group C - Relish

Vernon Adams Jr who I've been excited to see get success was injured (concussed) in the game versus the Redblacks.  It's hard to understand how penalties aren't handed out yet a player can be pulled for concussion protocol.  At any rate, once gone and rightly so, the Als just couldn't rise to the occasion.  The Toronto Argonauts are relishing their first win FINALLY.  The Rider fan in me was a bit gleeful to see the Bombers taken down a notch although I've said I really have thought this was their year.  Now that Collaros is with the Argos will that change the dynamics of the team?  Will he be able to stay healthy?  Was his presence the reason McLeod Bethel-Thompson was so much improved this week?  The BC Lions didn't lose this week but that's also because they were on their bye week.  They take on Hamilton in Week 9.

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Just a personal note to end this post.  Thursday of this week I am undergoing gallbladder surgery (thankfully) and because of that next weeks Power Grouping will be really pared down if posted at all.  No worries.  I'll still be watching and keeping tabs on you all.  Be good CFL fans.  Go Riders!  Happy Saskatchewan Day August Long Weekend!