CFL Previews - July 9-11 - Week Two

Football Betting Lines

07/07/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -

TORONTO ARGONAUTS (0-1) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (1-0)

DATE & TIME: Friday, July 9, 8:00 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: As the only team in the Eastern Division to get off on the right foot in the first week of the 2010 CFL season, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers try to make it two in a row on Friday night as they entertain the Toronto Argonauts at Canad Inns Stadium.

Not only did both the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats come out on the short end of their season-opening bouts, but so did the defending Grey Cup Champion Montreal Alouettes, leaving the Blue Bombers at the top of the heap. And it wasn't simply a victory for Winnipeg and new starting quarterback Buck Pierce, it was a complete domination of the Ti-Cats in a 49-29 final.

Pierce, who has been somewhat injury prone in his career and was credited with a mere 10 passing scores and 12 interceptions last year with British Columbia, cranked it up a notch for his new team as he completed 17-of-25 passes for 291 yards and a pair of scores, without suffering a single INT. While Pierce did endure four sacks, he did manage to generate 89 yards and another score on the ground in the onslaught for the home team.

Receiver Terrence Edwards, who had 52 catches for 816 yards and five TDs a season ago, reeled in five balls and turned those into 191 yards and a pair of TDs as the 49-point output by the Blue Bombers in the opener represented the most for the club since a 51-46 win over the Montreal Alouettes back in July of 2005.

Defensively the Blue Bombers did almost everything right as they limited the visitors to a mere 206 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers.

As for the Argos last week, they quickly found out that newly acquired Cleo Lemon probably isn't the answer to their QB prayers. In his first official action in the CFL Lemon, who previously appeared in the NFL and is a product of Arkansas State, completed only 16-of-28 passes for 192 yards and a single score in a 30-16 setback versus Calgary. Lemon, sacked three times in the contest and intercepted once, was also tagged for a pair for fumbles, one of which the Roughriders recovered.

Seeing as how Toronto averaged a league low 82.5 ypg on the ground last year and ran the ball fewer times than any other club, it should come as little surprise that the Argos gained a woeful 54 yards on the ground in the opener, averaging a meager 4.2 yards per attempt.

These teams squared off against each other a total of three times last season, with the Blue Bombers coming up with two straight wins after suffering a dismal 19-5 setback in the first meeting on July 24. The next week at Toronto, the Bombers reversed their fortunes with a narrow 13-12 decision and then at the end of September logged a 29-24 triumph at home as well.

In terms of the all-time series between the two programs, including the three decisions a year ago, Winnipeg maintains a slim 48-46-2 advantage in regular season contests. Based on what these two squads showed last week, it is clear that the Blue Bombers have the better personnel on the offensive side of the ball. In fact, with as poorly as Lemon performed for Toronto, the defense for Winnipeg might also look like world beaters as well this week.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Winnipeg 38, Toronto 20

CALGARY STAMPEDERS (1-0) AT HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (0-1)

DATE & TIME: Saturday, July 10, 1:00 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: After logging just 290 yards of total offense in the season opener last week, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats try to put together a more collective offensive effort this weekend as they host the Calgary Stampeders at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Last week it appeared as though the Ti-Cats were going to have their way with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, as they opened the meeting with a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, yet even an 8-0 advantage just moments into the contest failed to stand up and the team eventually bowed by 20 points on the road, 49-29. Kevin Glenn handled most of the quarterback duties for Hamilton, but he completed just half of his 30 pass attempts for 197 yards and a score, to go along with being sacked five times and tossing an interception along the way. Glenn also had the longest run of the game for the Ti-Cats with a 22-yard burst, yet the squad still finished with a mere 94 yards on the ground.

The Hamilton defense did manage to come up with four sacks and a pair of turnovers, but those did little to offset the fact that the unit also allowed a whopping 502 yards to the Bombers on the road.

In the case of the Stampeders, a team that placed second in the league last year in kicking points with 176, they once again saw the need for such an attack as Rob Maver booted a total of five field goals in his CFL debut, resulting in a 30-16 win over Toronto at home. Quarterback Henry Burris, the league's second-leading yardage producer at the position a season ago with more than 4,800 yards, managed to put Maver in position to make all of those successful kicks as he connected on 27-of-40 pass attempts for 324 yards, yet he failed to toss a single TD, was sacked twice and intercepted once.

Burris finished second on the squad with his 45 yards rushing, with most of the damage on the ground being done by Joffrey Reynolds who carried the ball 17 times for a game-high 116 yards and a score. The effort by Reynolds is nothing new, considering he led the league in rushing in 2009 with his 1,504 yards and was also one of the CFL leaders in touchdowns with 13 overall.

With six straight seasons of at least 4,200 yards passing under his belt, Burris has been wildly successful since arriving from Temple University, and the Oklahoma native is hoping to bounce back from what was, by his standards, a sub par 2009 when his 22 TD passes represented a success rate of just 3.9 percent based on his number of overall attempts. That ratio was the lowest for Burris, who needs one more passing score to reach 200 for his career, since 1998 when he was used very sparingly in Calgary and failed to post a single TD strike on 11 attempts.

Reynolds averaged an impressive 6.4 yards per carry last season and has rattled off five straight campaigns in which he has gained no less than 1,200 yards, is somewhat of a rarity given how the running attack takes a back seat to the passing game on oversized Canadian fields. Nevertheless Reynolds, who is now in his seventh season, uses his ability carrying the ball to also set up plenty of opportunities to come out of the backfield and gather passes as well, having logged more than 1,600 yards and eight touchdowns in his career via the pass.

Reynolds might be a huge piece of the puzzle for the Stamps this weekend, seeing as how Hamilton trotted out one of the strongest pass defenses in the league a year ago, one that allowed foes to complete 59.1 percent of their aerial attempts. While that might sound like a high rate, consider that it was still second-best in the league behind only Montreal, the reigning Grey Cup champs.

The area in which the Tiger-Cats need more emphasis is on getting to the quarterback, the group posting only 36 such takedowns a year ago. Khari Long, who posted 10 of those sacks, got off to a slow start this season with just two total tackles in the opening game.

Last season these two squads split a pair of meetings, with each winning on their home field. In the middle of September, Hamilton captured a 24-17 win, followed a couple weeks later by a narrow 15-14 triumph for the Stampeders. As a result, the all-time regular-season series now stands at 48-29 in favor of Calgary.

Seeing as how the Hamilton defense was exploited by both the run and the pass in the season opener, there's no reason to think the Stampeders cannot do the same against the club again this weekend, even if Calgary is out on the road for this meeting. Reynolds will certainly chip in by changing up the pace and odds are Burris will easily reach his milestone touchdown pass early on and then cruise for the squad.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Calgary 38, Hamilton 24

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (1-0) AT BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS (1-0)

DATE & TIME: Saturday, July 10, 10:00 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: Having avenged their difficult loss to Montreal in last year's Grey Cup meeting, the Saskatchewan Roughriders now turn their attention to the British Columbia Lions for the lone contest between undefeated programs in the second week of the CFL's 2010 campaign at Empire Field.

Saskatchewan, which suffered a painful 28-27 loss to the Alouettes in the 2009 title game, came out on the winning side of a thrilling 54-51 final in this year's opener versus Montreal. In a game that was the highest-scoring opening day game of all-time and was the third-highest scoring contest in league history overall, the Roughriders nearly cost themselves the game yet again when they were flagged for too many men on the field. However, this time around Saskatchewan did not go away quietly as Darian Durant's three-yard pass to Weston Dressler in overtime proved to be the game winner after the Roughriders defense held Montreal to a field goal in the second OT.

Durant, who has his team atop the power rankings entering the second week of the campaign, connected on 30-of-44 passes for an astounding 478 yards and five touchdowns and just as importantly, did not throw a single interception. Dressler, appearing in his first game since suffering a broken leg last season, reeled in 10 balls for a game-high 154 yards. Rob Bagg stretched his four catches into another 121 yards and a score, while Andy Fantuz had two TD catches as he set up the Roughriders for a shot at overtime and then hit the end zone first in the bonus frame. Running back Wes Cates tacked on a game- high 112 yards rushing, his effort alone topping that of the entire Montreal contingent. Add to that another 52 yards on five carries for Durant and it was easy to see how Saskatchewan finished with an astounding 641 yards of total offense.

Even though the Saskatchewan defense gave up 417 yards of offense and allowed Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo to connect on four touchdowns, in the end the Roughriders played big when it meant the most.

As for the Lions, it was their defense that came ready to play versus Edmonton on the road last Sunday as they limited Ricky Ray to just 229 yards passing and sacked the quarterback a total of five times in order to keep him off balance. The offense for British Columbia didn't exactly shine, but at least the squad could lean on kicker Paul McCallum who knocked through all six of his field goal attempts and his lone extra point as he alone outscored the Eskimos in their 25-10 decision. Running back Jamal Robertson carried the ball just 11 times for the program, yet still finished with a game-high 168 yards and a score for BC. Robertson added three pass receptions as well, yet those he stretched for just two net yards. Last season Robertson was a solid performer in the league as he gained not only 1,031 yards rushing but another 482 yards on 59 receptions as well.

Casey Printers, one of several players to handle some of the quarterbacking duties for the Lions last season, completed 20-of-34 pass attempts for 218 yards in an effort to keep the ball moving for the British Columbia offense. An overlooked source of offense for a number of years now, Printers has thrown a total of just 18 touchdowns since his standout year of 2004 when he threw for more than 5,000 yards and 35 scores.

With the offense in somewhat of disarray in 2009, the Lions had to settle for just under 24 ppg, which had them placed sixth in the league ahead of only Winnipeg and Toronto, two teams which finished a combined 10-26. Unfortunately for the Lions this season they will have to find a replacement for Martell Mallett who, after placing fourth in the league in rushing with 1,240 yards and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie of the Year in 2009, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL.

Last season, Durant placed second in the league in passing touchdowns for the Roughriders with a total of 24, but he was also charged with a season-high 21 interceptions and that is an area that he'll have to guard against this year as defenses aim to put him in challenging positions.

These teams met a total of four times last season, with each taking a pair of meetings at home. The Roughriders logged a couple of close calls (28-24 and 33-30 in overtime) on their field, and the Lions put up a 35-20 triumph in early August and then followed that up with a 19-16 victory the first week of October. As a result of the split, Saskatchewan leads the series by a count of 88-76-4, accounting for regular season matchups dating back to 1954.

Assuming that the offensive outburst by the Roughriders was no fluke and that the team can come back with the same sort of intensity it showed in the second half of its win over Montreal, expect to see Saskatchewan come away with the convincing win, even on the road, this weekend.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Saskatchewan 45, British Columbia 21

MONTREAL ALOUETTES (0-1) AT EDMONTON ESKIMOS (0-1)

DATE & TIME: Sunday, July 11, 7:00 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: The lone meeting between winless teams in week two of the 2010 CFL season takes place at Commonwealth Stadium as the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes square off.

The defending Grey Cup champion Alouettes, who ran the table in all nine of their regular season home games last season and lost just three times on the road, were immediately challenged in this year's opening game when they replayed last year's title game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina. In what eventually turned into the third-highest scoring game in CFL history, the Als found themselves on the outside looking in at a 54-51 double- overtime loss.

Now a three-time winner of the league's most valuable offensive player award, Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo refused to let his team go quietly as he completed 28-of-42 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns, yet even he could not stop a determined Roughriders group that nearly relived the drama that cost them the trophy last year when they were flagged for having too many men on the field during a crucial point in the title game. Receiver Kerry Watkins emerged as the primary go-to guy down the field for Calvillo and the Als, catching five balls for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while S.J. Green also recorded a pair of receiving scores in the decision.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the offense for the Als was that of their rushing attack, a facet of the game which had been a strong suit of Montreal last season when it placed second in the league with an average of 119.9 ypg on the ground. The opener saw Avon Cobourne, one of the most aggressive and exciting running backs in the league, post just 39 total yards and a score on 10 attempts. In 2009, Cobourne not only finished sixth in the league in rushing with 1,214 yards, he also led all players during the regular season with 13 rushing scores. The team as a whole managed just 91 yards on 18 carries in the first game of the season.

As for the other half of this meeting, the Eskimos had the weakest opening to the season of any program, falling to British Columbia at home by a final of 25-10. If not for a four-yard touchdown run by Arkee Whitlock in the second quarter, the offensive effort for the Eskimos would have appeared even more dire. Whitlock finished with 116 yards on 16 carries, responsible for the lion's share of the unit's 139 rushing yards, while quarterback Ricky Ray managed to convert 27-of-40 passes for another 229 yards, yet he was sacked five times and failed to record a single passing score.

On a positive note, Edmonton's defense didn't exactly roll over versus the Lions, instead limiting BC to just a single touchdown and forcing the visitors to kick their way to a victory with six field goals. Permitting BC to generate a lofty 395 yards of offense might appear to be a bit unsightly for the Eskimos, but at least the Lions were held out of the end zone for almost the entire outing.

However, with just a single sack of Casey Printers, Edmonton showed the same form at the line of scrimmage that it did in 2009 when it ranked last in the league in sacks with a mere 32 during the regular season. Failure to get to the opposing QB left the Eskimos exposed in the secondary at times last season, resulting in 26 passing touchdowns allowed.

Montreal was an offensive beast last season and again showed that same prowess in the 2010 opener, so expecting the Eskimos to grind the Als to a halt would be asking quite a bit. Calvillo threw a league-best 26 touchdowns last year and could have easily done even more damage had the team not called off the dogs in several lopsided decisions. Chances are Cobourne is going to come out of his shell for this meeting as well, which means the matchup between he and Whitlock (1,293 yards, 12 TDs in 2009) should be something of great interest.

Considering how dominant Calvillo has been in the last couple of seasons, it is easy to see how Ray might get lost in the shuffle, even at home in front of a favorable crowd. In the last two seasons, Ray has thrown for more than 10,000 yards and has connected on 48 TDs, yet it seems like forever since he tossed a remarkable 35 touchdowns for the Eskimos in 2003. Staying in the pocket and getting the job done will be paramount for Ray, having already been tabbed for a pair of fumbles thus far.

These teams met twice last season, with both meetings coming before the end of July. At Montreal on July 9 the Als completely crushed Edmonton in a 50-16 final, yet three weeks later the Eskimos made things more respectable and in fact handed Montreal one of only three losses on the season in a 33-19 final. As a result of those two outcomes, the all-time regular season series between the clubs now stands at 37-21-2 in favor of Edmonton, dating back to the 1961 campaign.

The passing defense for the Eskimos is going to be put to the test by Calvillo and Montreal, a test that Edmonton is almost certain to lose given that the Als are having to play from behind just to keep up in the division standings.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Montreal 49, Edmonton 17

Sportsbook Betting Lines Season Predictions: 2-2; Last Week: 2-2.