Midseason report cards

To all teams in the Canadian Football League: pencils down. Your mid-term grades are in. For some of you, your grades have improved from last season while some of you -- you have some 'splaining to do. So let's take a look at you all did, shall we?

East Division

Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Grade: F. If there was a lower grade, I'd give one; but this team is just plain awful. Many other fans agree; their rush defense is the bottom of the league, allowing 1,064 rushing yards in nine games. This is also with the return of rush end Joe Montford, who was brought in to cut costs on Toronto's end. Speaking of cutting costs, the CFL announced that they were taking over the Tabbies on Saturday afternoon, only a few weeks after their announcement to take over day-to-day operations in Toronto. Their offense need just as much help as their defense as they have been anemic with only 1,390 yards and 127 points scored. As for head coach Ron Lancaster, it seems like he's running out of answers -- and the hardcore Tabbie fans are running out of patience.

Montreal Alouettes, Grade: A. Once again, the Alouettes are the dominant team in the CFL. They're frontrunners to win their second straight Grey Cup and who can blame them? Head coach Don Matthews has again worked his taskmaster ways into his player and his players have responded positively even with heavy personnel losses. Anthony Calvillo is one of the leading quarterbacks in the league again and Keith Stokes continues to be a highlight reel with his returning ability. Defensively, the Alouettes are one of the best in the league again with Mark Megna, Mark Thompson, Kevin Johnson, and Baron Miles being the most reliable players in Matthews' defensive scheme.

Ottawa Renegades, Grade: C+. Ottawa's second season as a resurrected CFL franchise hasn't been that bad and granted that they're a franchise that is still building, but after a year of trying to find the right quarterback, the Renegades have seemed to find the right guy in Kerry Joseph. After trading a pick to Calgary for the pivot, he's making things happen for an offense that had trouble scoring (even if he's still relatively green). Making an argument for best return man in the league other than Keith Stokes is Demetris Bendross. What a pickup he's been for Ottawa! As one of the league leaders in all-purpose yards, his returning ability has rivaled Stokes in highlight reel ability. Joseph and Bendross' play have been two reasons why the Renegades are dark horse playoff contenders.

Toronto Argonauts, Grade: B-. Definite improvement is seen in this Argonauts franchise, even with the CFL taking over day-to-day operations. Head coach Mike Clemons is in a full-time coaching role and is doing a solid job. Damon Allen has been his go-to quarterback on offense, but it's the defense that's doing a lot of the talking for the Argos. This is particularly in the secondary; Bashir Levingston is back in his return role and has already taken one back for a touchdown. Clifford Ivory has taken back both of his interceptions for touchdowns. But with the exception of the 41-point win against Hamilton in week two, the offense has sputtered, even with Damon Allen at QB. The offense will definitely have to pick up if the Argos are going to make the playoffs.

West Division

BC Lions, Grade: B+. It's year one of the Wally Buono Project in Vancouver and the first two weeks of the season was looking like last season: two straight losses and the team looking for answers. Then, an overtime win against Toronto, a week four win in Montreal, consecutive blowouts against Ottawa, and the Lions are suddenly a force to be reckoned with! What spurred the power surge? How about having Dave Dickenson, the 2000 league MVP, as your quarterback? Dickenson's game hasn't changed since he left in 2000; he leads the league in passing yards, quarterback efficiency, and touchdown passes. Their defense hasn't been too shabby, either. Barrin Simpson is the league's leading tackler and Carl Kidd and Eric Carter still can defend the pass as good as anyone in the league.

Calgary Stampeders, Grade: D-. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Two years ago, the Stamps were the league's Grey Cup winners. The last two seasons, the Stamps have fallen on their faces time and time again. You can't blame first-year coach Jim Barker for the mess the team on the field has gotten into. Mounting injuries to key players on offense (Marcus Crandell: hamstring vs. Montreal; Lawrence Phillips: hand vs. Ottawa) has forced the Stamps to use backups Kevin Feterik and Scott Milanovich, who have performed sub-par. One of the lone highlights has been Darnell McDonald, who has caught 23 passes for 377 yards. And with the way the offense has been failing to move the ball, the defense has been left to play most nights for pride. Joe Fleming is tied for the league lead in sacks with six.

Edmonton Eskimos, Grade: B. Slipping last season from their A- grade, the Eskimos are still the team to beat in the West, they are currently in a four-way tie for first in the division. Ricky Ray is still the starter in Edmonton and is still doing the job as the second leading passer in yards. The big story on offense has been Mike Pringle, who is second in the league in rushing with 438 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, the Eskimos have been steady again. They are fourth in total defense, third in rushing defense. Kelvin Powell is the team's leading tackler with 23 tackles and Dorian Boose has four sacks. Three straight wins after a streaky start has the Esks thinking Grey Cup playoffs with nine games to go.

Saskatchewan Roughriders, Grade: B+. The Roughriders were very close to earning an A, but are still significantly improved from last year's squad. The big reason why the Riders are successful is because their rushing offense: while fourth in total offense, the Riders lead the league with 934 rushing yards as of week nine. Almost a fifth is on the feet of quarterback Nealon Greene, who has 220 yards, good enough for sixth in the league individually. Their other big component is their defense. The Riders are tops overall in yards allowed with 1,659, mostly due to their passing defense. They're the best in the league; Jackie Mitchell has two picks (one returned for a touchdown), Nate Davis leads the team with five sacks, and Reggie Hunt has 24 tackles. Could the Riders win their first Grey Cup since 1989 -- and at home at Taylor Field?

Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Grade B. Three weeks into the season, they looked like they were going to run the table out in the West. The next three games were losses, which included a 31-point blowout at home against Montreal. Now the Bombers have won their last three in a row, forcing themselves into the four-team tie for first place in the West Division. On offense, Khari Jones, Milt Stegall, and Charles Roberts have been the Bombers' main components, but Jones can't depend on Stegall and Roberts alone. Robert Gordon has to step up his production. The Bombers also have to be better defensively. Even though the secondary has ten picks, they've been beat a lot this season. And although they have 17 quarterback sacks, Daved Benefield has five of them, almost a third.

Nine weeks down, nine weeks to go -- may the best team win.