Before we get down to the quarterback rankings, just a quick message to whatever mysterious forces control the fates of football games, can ya quit it with the quarterback injuries?
It was bad enough with Bo Levi Mitchell and Zach Collaros, but then you had to injure Nathan Rourke on the BC Lions’ second play from scrimmage as well? Really?
How about you take the summer off and just let us enjoy what has been a fantastic start to the year.
*Tre Ford and Chase Brice are included here assuming they are starting in Week 8. The Tiger-Cats and Lions have not announced their starter for Week 8 as of this writing.
1. (1) DAVIS ALEXANDER | MONTREAL ALOUETTES
The last two weeks have seen the Montreal Alouettes sweep the Calgary Stampeders with their quarterback putting up over 700 yards and four touchdowns.
Davis Alexander just set the record for the most pass attempts without an interception. What makes this record so remarkable is that it’s not like Davis plays it safe. He is not running a conservative check-down offence.
Alexander has gone over the 300-yard mark in every game this year. One play stands out in the team’s 38-32 victory over the Stampeders. In the second quarter, Davis committed the cardinal sin among passers: he threw across his body to the middle of the field. They (whoever “they” are) always tell you to never do that … unless you’re Davis Alexander. The pass led to a 25-yard touchdown to Tyler Snead, putting the Alouettes up 22-0.
2. (2) TREVOR HARRIS | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
This spot may be too high as the last time we saw Trevor Harris was in a 38-7 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in which he put up modest numbers.
When you go back and watch his two interceptions, though, both can be attributed to outstanding plays by All-CFL defenders Wynton McManis and Stavros Katsantonis.
3. (-) DRU BROWN | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
I promise I am not doing this to troll the good city of Ottawa. You have to hand it to Dru Brown who, due to the Zach Collaros injury, was handed the starting job soon after being traded to Winnipeg and has responded with two victories.
I loved his aggressiveness against Toronto, going to Tommy Nield for 25 yards with his team up 29-21 on a second-and-long with under three minutes left to help put the game away. Against the REDBLACKS, he missed a bunch of throws, but was super efficient late in the third and throughout the fourth quarter, leading Winnipeg to a comeback and a duel of two-point conversions in a 36-34 win.
4. (5) CHAD KELLY | TORONTO ARGONAUTS
If Lirim Hajrullahu makes that 31-yard field goal to beat the Tiger-Cats, I imagine many people are looking at Chad Kelly differently.
Kelly wasn’t perfect against Hamilton, but he did put the Argonauts in a position to win. In the team’s 30-21 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, I can point out several elite throws including a 55-yard over-the-shoulder toss to Makai Polk and then in the fourth quarter an absolute laser to Polk for a 15-yard score.
5. (6) CODY FAJARDO | EDMONTON ELKS
Cody Fajardo put up greater numbers and Edmonton scored far more points in their Week 6 40-17 triumph over Ottawa, but I was more impressed with Fajardo’s night in the team’s 19-17 win against the Lions.
A week prior, the Elks receivers (led by Brendan O’Leary-Orange’s heroic 90-yard reception) put up 228 yards after the catch against the REDBLACKS defence. They also put up over 200 yards on the ground. Fajardo had plenty of help that night. On Friday, BC managed to hold Justin Rankin and Javon Leake to 12 yards rushing, but Fajardo, along with a ferocious defence, found a way to get a win.
6. (4) VERNON ADAMS JR. | CALGARY STAMPEDERS
No shame in losing both games to Montreal, the best team in the CFL, which is led by the game’s best quarterback. Vernon Adams Jr.’s numbers were almost identical in both losses, throwing for 272 yards and three touchdowns in Week 6 and then 273 yards and another hat trick of touchdowns last week.
Both contests were one-score affairs and in their second meeting Adams Jr. did bring Calgary back with a 15-yard touchdown strike to running back Dedrick Mills to tie the game at 32.
7. (7) JAKE MAIER | OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Yes, the four interceptions against Edmonton look bad on paper, but remember two of them were late in the game with Ottawa down by a significant margin.
In their close loss to Winnipeg, the headline naturally was all about Dru Brown beating his “former” team, but Jake was the better passer on Sunday night. Maier was getting hit time and time again and he still managed to create big plays downfield.
His 34-yard pass to Ayden Eberhardt on the first play of the third quarter was wildly brave as Michael Fletcher, who would be called for a grade-two roughing the passer penalty, hit him just as he released the ball. That was Jake’s best game of the season, and he deserved a better result.
8. (-) TRE FORD | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
If Tre Ford can build on his day against Toronto, we could be in for some exciting times in the East.
I’m not sure how he got the ball to Larry Rountree III in the first quarter. As he was being taken down, he somehow flipped it to his running back to convert a second-and-long. His scrambling led to the Kenny Lawler 25-yard touchdown, and Ford was the most dangerous runner in that game.
I’m not sure if his interception to Benjie Franklin was about miscommunication with his receiver or just a bad decision, but I did enjoy his moment of revenge with a 35-yard throw to Keric Wheatfall just over the hands of Franklin late in the third quarter.
9. (-) CHASE BRICE | BC LIONS
Chase Brice was put in a tough spot coming in for Rourke and the Elks defence was all over him from start to finish.
