CFL WEEKLY

B. C. LIONS

Dave Dickenson was named the league’s offensive

player of the week for leading the Lions to an 11-0

record in their 27- 26 win over Montreal on Saturday.

Besides completing 27 of 36 passes for 314 yards and three touchdown passes, Dickenson also ran for 15 yards. His completion average this season is above 75% and his quarterback rating in 124.1, which would break the old record of 115.0 set last season by teammate Casey Printers … B. C. should get a good fight when it visits second-place Edmonton on Saturday. Oddsmakers favour the Lions by a paltry point.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

After an inauspicious beginning to his first CFL start,

quarterback Jason Gesser settled down and earned a

39- 17 win over Hamilton on Saturday. At one point, Gesser had thrown four interceptions and four completions. But he connected with Nik Lewis, Ken- Yon Rambo and MarTay Jenkins for second-half TDs and the win. “I really wasn’t trusting my throws early,” said Gesser. “I was second-guessing everything I was doing and the throws I was making.” The Washington State product is starting because Henry Burris is out for about another month with torn ligaments in his non-throwing thumb.

EDMONTON ESKIMOS

Six carries for five yards is hardly overwhelming. But

head coach Danny Maciocia is sticking with tailback

Ron McClendon, despite his lack of success on the

ground in Sunday’s loss in Regina. McClendon also had seven catches for 72 yards and a TD. Most of those yards came on shovel passes, a play the run-starved Eskimos use to move the ball on the ground. As such, McClendon will start at tailback on Saturday against the B. C. Lions. Canadian Dahrran Diedrick will also dress and could see his first playing time out of the backfield. Defensive back Gerald Dixon ( chest) and rush end Rashad Jeanty ( shoulder) are questionable. Defensive tackle Steve Charbonneau ( back spasms) is doubtful. Vicki Hall, The Edmonton Journal

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

In an effort to curtail boorish behaviour, the Roughriders are threatening to banish any of their “World’s

Greatest Fans’’ who misbehave at Taylor Field. “Don’t think that we don’t want them to cheer,’’ said team president Jim Hopson. “But when you’re spilling beer, every second word is a vulgarity and you’re making racial taunts, we have to do something about it.’’ Extra security people have been hired. A handful of fans have been ejected from recent games, Hopson said, for smoking in the stands, drunkenness and misbehaving. “We will even ban people for a year,’’ he said. Darrell Davis, Regina Leader- Post

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Wins by the Stampeders and Roughriders over the

weekend left the 4-9 Bombers four points behind

their two Western rivals, now both 6-6, with just five

games remaining for the Blue and Gold. Winnipeg, which lost the season series to both the Stamps and the Riders, will now likely have to win at least four of its last five games and hope either Calgary or Saskatchewan stumbles in order to slip into fourth spot. Then the Bombers will have to keep their fingers crossed that they finish with more points than the third-place team in the East. The Montreal Alouettes, this week’s Bomber opponent, are 5-6 while Ottawa is 5- 7. Ed Tait, Winnipeg Free Press

HAMILTON TIGER- CATS

Danny McManus played against Calgary without

any protection on his injured throwing hand,

leaving his torn ligaments open to the elements.

Then, after leading the Ticats to a touchdown on their opening drive, the 40-year-old was clocked by a defensive lineman and left the game with a badly injured jaw. With his hand hurting and his mouth frozen shut with pain, McManus returned in the third quarter in a bid to rally Hamilton. “Trying to do cadence was fun,” he said. “I couldn’t really get to say it loud enough for these guys to hear.” Sean Fitz- Gerald, National Post

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

One of the oldest rules in sports is a team should never look beyond its next game. But old rules don’t always apply, especially when one considers the Argonauts’ compressed schedule. The Argos fly to Saskatchewan tomorrow morning for a game against the Roughriders on Friday night. They return to Ontario late Saturday and, five days later, play host to Ottawa. Toronto has had quick turnarounds before — a three- day break to get ready for Winnipeg on Aug. 1 and a four- day respite to prepare for Hamilton on Sept. 10. They managed to win both those games. Joe O’Connor, National Post

OTTAWA RENEGADES

After four straight losses dropped them out of

playoff position, the Renegades are struggling to

find stability on offence. Last week against Winnipeg, the Renegades were shut out in the second half, their first scoreless half of the season. The Renegades have gone 10 games without reaching double digits in both halves. In their seven games before Winnipeg, Ottawa had first halves of two, two, five, eight, seven, seven and six points. Matthew Sekeres, Ottawa Citizen

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

Marc Megna has, as expected, been released after

four seasons with the Als. The undersized rush end

became obsolete in Montreal’s revamped defence.

... A torn quad suffered by new middle linebacker Jeremiah Garrison means veteran Kevin Johnson is back in the team’s plans … “I’m not going to get into a pissing match with you,” coach Don Matthews told a legendary Vancouver broadcast journalist after being asked Saturday about his decision to go for a two-point convert while down a point to B. C. in the last minute of the fourth quarter. Als lost, 27- 26. Herb Zurkowsky, The Gazette