Esks headline Kickoff edition of Nissan Titan Power Rankings
TORONTO — With the regular season around the corner and the rosters set, the Nissan Titan Power Rankings return for another year and at the top, to no surprise, is the defending Grey Cup champions. Yes, it is early and yes, there have been significant off-season changes but let’s take a look at how it all shakes down heading into Week 1.
This Week: 1 | Last Week: —
Gone is Chris Jones but in is one of the brightest young offensive football minds in Jason Maas. Put him with Mike Reilly and you would be hard pressed to start the season with anyone but the defending champion Eskimos in the #1 spot.
This Week: 2 | Last Week: —
Henry Burris is coming off his best season as a pro and there is his replacement waiting in the wings in Trevor Harris. The runner-ups from a year ago have one of the more dangerous receiving corps in the league and need to be considered the favourites in the East heading in.
This Week: 3 | Last Week: —
Last year they were finally conquered by their rival but the Stampeders still boast one of the league’s elite quarterbacks and have a force carrying the rock with Jerome Messam. Their depth at receiver will be tested early and it may not take long to see where the Stamps sit in the West depending on how quickly their new pass-catchers get up to speed.
This Week: 4 | Last Week: —
A healthy Ricky Ray changes everything for the Argos. A new home and re-worked defence along with strong Canadian depth gives Toronto as a good a chance to win the East as anyone else.
This Week: 5 | Last Week: —
If Ricky Ray changes everything in Toronto, so too does Zach Collaros in Hamilton. Collaros will be back this year but for now it is Jeremiah Masoli’s team. Inexperienced quarterback play along with an unproven kicking game takes a potential Grey Cup favourite to the middle of the pack to start the year.
This Week: 6 | Last Week: —
It won’t take long to see where these Blue Bombers will stack up in 2016. They are all-in in Winnipeg and it all stems from a free agency where they stockpiled their roster with proven vets. Can they get hot out of the gate? How long will it take for them to gel? All questions that will be answered in the first few weeks of the season.
This Week: 7 | Last Week: —
They have a veteran leader and a young upstart at the controls of their offence and the BC Lions are about to see how much their re-tooling will pay off. Two consecutive early playoff exits were enough to bring Wally Buono back down to the sidelines but are the pieces there? If anyone can restore the roar in BC it is the League’s all-time leader in wins.
This Week: 8 | Last Week: —
The jury is still out on the Roughriders. On paper they have a roster that could instantly compete for a championship but as the saying goes, ‘games aren’t won on paper’. Missing the playoffs and a complete organizational overhaul stole the headlines in Riderville but we won’t know what this team can do until all those big name free agents have a few weeks under their belt. Adding your starting quarterback back into the mix helps things as well.
This Week: 9 | Last Week: —
Montreal missed the playoffs last year for the first time since returning to the league in 1996. If there is one thing that could force this team to climb the rankings it’s the receiving corps. Already boasting veterans like SJ Green and Nik Lewis, the return of Duron Carter and Kenny Stafford rounds out a dangerous group that loves the big play.
