CFL Previews - September 10-12 - Week Eleven

Football Betting Lines

09/08/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -

CALGARY STAMPEDERS (8-1) AT EDMONTON ESKIMOS (2-7)

DATE & TIME: Friday, September 10, 9:00 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: Friday night brings out the best and the worst in the Canadian Football League as the slumping Edmonton Eskimos entertain the high-flying Calgary Stampeders in a Western Division showdown at Commonwealth Stadium.

Except for a single misstep against Toronto back in the middle of July, the Stampeders have been perfect this season. On Labour Day Calgary posted its second 50-point game in the last three outings by blowing away this same Edmonton squad, 52-5. On a roll with six consecutive wins, the Stamps have outscored their last three opponents by a combined 156-55 and that has the squad sitting atop the league's scoring list with an average of 35.9 ppg. Not surprisingly Edmonton, which has fallen in three of the last four games and has captured its two victories by a margin of just three points each, is at the bottom of that list after nine games with just 18.6 ppg.

The Eskimos may have scored the first points of the meeting on Monday with an 86-yard single by Noel Prefontaine, the kicker ending up being responsible for all five of the team's points, but the offense failed to do anything significant for the visitors on the day. The quarterback tandem of Ricky Ray and Jared Zabransky combined to hit just 12-of-30 passes for 193 yards and each was intercepted twice in the awful effort. Adding insult to injury was the fact that running back Arkee Whitlock gained a mere three yards on three attempts before leaving the meeting with an actual injury.

Over on the other side, there was no stopping the Stamps as Henry Burris made history with his 15-of-23 passing effort for 226 yards and three touchdowns. The signal-caller, now with 35,054 yards passing in his career, moved past Dieter Brock for 10th place on the CFL's all-time passing list. Romby Bryant was the chief recipient of Burris's efforts as he reeled in five balls for 80 yards and a pair of scores, while Ken-Yon Rambo and Deon Murphy also caught scoring strikes to dig an even deeper hole for the Eskimos.

Running back Joffrey Reynolds, who coming into this season had gained at least 1,200 yards rushing in five straight campaigns, accounted for a game-high 85 yards and tallied a major on 18 carries in the onslaught as well.

Since opening the season against Toronto with 116 yards and a score, averaging almost seven yards per carry, Reynolds hasn't been as productive, but some of that can be attributed to Burris finding a groove and sticking with it by putting the ball in the air more often. Nevertheless, even though Reynolds has not logged 100 yards in a game since the opener, he is still second in the league in rushing after nine games with 706 yards and that's reason enough for opposing defenses to keep him on their radar.

Burris, now completing his passes at a 65.1 percent clip, has thrown 13 interceptions to tie for the most in the league, but those mistakes are outweighed by his league-high 21 TD strikes. The only team with more interceptions thrown at this juncture is Edmonton with 14, divided up among a number of players. The Eskimos as a whole have completed an even 60 percent of their attempts, but with more than a dozen INTs and just eight TD passes the squad has a dismal 73.4 efficiency rating at the moment.

Granted, over the years Ray has had his share of success against Calgary, tossing 26 touchdowns through the air and scoring another three on the ground, but he has also suffered not only 13 picks but 14 fumbles as well. In his career versus Edmonton, Burris has also put the ball on the carpet (13 times) and thrown 19 interceptions, but his whopping 39 touchdowns through the air and seven on the ground have easily balanced the ledger.

Even though Calgary blew the doors off the Esks just four days ago, it is Edmonton that owns a 121-80-3 advantage in the regular-season series between the two clubs dating back to 1949. Nonetheless, the Stamps have taken five straight meetings and six of the last seven versus Edmonton.

A slow starter this year with just 16 combined points in the first quarter, Edmonton is setting itself up for yet another disastrous meeting against the Stampeders this week. In three of the last five meetings between the squads the Eskimos have scored eight points or less and while the team should be able to hit double digits this time around, that's still a far cry from putting one in the win column.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Calgary 45, Edmonton 13

MONTREAL ALOUETTES (6-3) at HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (5-4)

DATE & TIME: Saturday, September 11th, 1:00 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: The Montreal Alouettes continue to compete without the services of quarterback Anthony Calvillo as the team challenges the Hamilton Tiger-Cats this weekend at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Calvillo, who suffered a chest injury several weeks ago and sat out last week's loss to British Columbia, says he is on the mend and feels better, but the coaching staff has decided that sitting the superstar signal-caller would be the in best interest of everyone involved, especially with the second half of the season being so critical.

With Calvillo taking a seat again the Als are set to go with a backup, but instead of letting Chris Leak handle the action it will be Adrian McPherson who himself is fresh off the injured list after getting cleared to play following a torn MCL suffered during training camp.

McPherson had some solid efforts for Montreal late last season and finished 2009 with six touchdown passes and a completion percentage of 68.1. More importantly, as long as he is not tentative in the pocket and slowed too much by a knee brace, his mobility at the position is more than the team is used to with Calvillo. McPherson gained 351 yards on the ground, averaging close to six yards per attempt a year ago and that's something the Tiger-Cats have to plan for, even if the Montreal coaches want to limit how many times McPherson puts himself in harm's way.

Last week the Als hosted British Columbia, one of the weakest clubs in the league with just a single win at the time, but it just so happened that the Lions picked that week to put together a strong effort on both sides of the ball to come away with the overwhelming 38-17 victory at Montreal. Leak started at quarterback for the Als, hitting 15-of-27 passes for 135 yards, but he was sacked three times and intercepted twice, prompting the team to insert Ricky Santos.

Santos, a former Walter Payton Award winner, stepped in and converted 10-of-12 passes for 93 yards and a pair of majors, but by then the help was too little, too late for a Montreal squad that lost for the second time in the last three outings and is just hanging on to first place in the Eastern Division over both Hamilton and Toronto which enter this week with identical records at 5-4.

As for those Tiger-Cats, winners of three of their four home games this season and a solid 5-2 within the division, they managed to take care of the Toronto Argonauts last week by a final of 28-13 at home, even though the visitors held them to a paltry 34 yards rushing on 14 attempts. While the run game was stalling, Hamilton turned to Kevin Glenn to get them through and he didn't disappoint as he hit on 27-of-33 passes for 313 yards and a score, shaking off an interception and a sack along the way.

Defense was a mixed bag for Hamilton as the group allowed Cleo Lemon to light up the airwaves for 350 yards, but at the same time the Tiger-Cats held the opposing gunslinger without a major, sacked him three times and also picked off a trio of passes.

Aside from making interceptions, Hamilton's pass defense is one of the weakest in the league at the moment, allowing opponents to complete 65.8 percent of their attempts, a mark that is second-to-last behind only Toronto (70 percent) which has had trouble stopping everyone this year. Were it not for the three INTs last week by Hamilton, the group would be even further off the pace in the league given that they are bringing up the rear in that department with a mere seven interceptions through nine games. Nevertheless, Hamilton is still third in the league at the moment in terms of turnover margin with a plus four.

Ahead of the Tiger-Cats in the turnover department is Montreal which is a plus eight, mainly because Calvillo has been so careful with his throws this season and has but three picks in 288 attempts. Unfortunately for the Als, they'll have to wait at least one more week to get Calvillo's magic arm back in the lineup.

The loss of Calvillo against BC shouldn't have brought down the Als, but maybe the Lions saw the opportunity to score a huge victory and took advantage of the situation. Even though McPherson is coming off the injured list and is somewhat inexperienced, at this juncture he gives the Alouettes their best chance at winning, despite what Santos was able to accomplish in mop-up duty last week. Unfortunately for the signal-callers available for the Als this weekend, not one of them has yet to even attempt a pass against Hamilton and that can't be a good omen.

Montreal's lack of experience at the QB spot against Hamilton might also mean the Tiger-Cats won't be ready for what the Als throw at them this time around. It should also give Avon Cobourne reason to think he might gets his hands on the ball more for Montreal as well, after gaining just 57 yards on 13 attempts last week. One of the most dominant runners in the CFL a year ago, Cobourne is currently seventh in the league with just 460 yards and three TDs, averaging less than five yards per attempt.

With respect to the all-time series between these two clubs, Montreal owns an 84-74-7 in the regular season dating back to 1950. The Alouettes have taken five in a row against Hamilton and 13 of the last 14 encounters, including a 37-14 romp in Montreal back in July.

If Cobourne fails to reach expectations and the quarterbacks for the Alouettes have a hard time connecting with receivers, this could be another losing proposition for Montreal.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Hamilton 31, Montreal 24

TORONTO ARGONAUTS (5-4) AT BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS (2-7)

DATE & TIME: Saturday, September 11th, 4:00 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: Fresh off a huge upset win against the Montreal Alouettes, the British Columbia Lions shoot for back-to-back victories for the first time in 2010 as they entertain the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday afternoon at Empire Field.

The Lions, who defeated Edmonton in the season opener (25-10), had been slipping away ever since and were trapped at the bottom of the Western Division standings with a seven-game losing streak before entering the month of September. A team that is winless at home in four tries thus far, British Columbia caught front-running Montreal at the right time and used the opportunity to come up with a stunning 38-17 win over the Alouettes on the road.

Granted, the Als were without quarterback Anthony Calvillo who was still nursing a chest bruise, but still it was assumed that Montreal had enough quality players to get them by the Lions, yet that wasn't the case at all. Quarterback Casey Printers connected on 14-of-28 passes for 235 yards and a pair of touchdowns, helping offset Travis Lulay who had as many completions to the opposition (two) as he did to his own teammates (2-of-6 for 54 yards). Surprisingly, BC was able to overcome 12 penalties for 115 yards to gather the victory, partly because Montreal was flagged 11 times for a loss of 127 yards.

As for the Argonauts last week, they saw quarterback Cleo Lemon open up the offense and throw for a career-high 350 yards by completing 32-of-44 passes, but he was sacked three times and was guilty of three interceptions as well in his team's 28-13 loss to Hamilton on the road. Toronto kicker Grant Shaw kept the team involved in the first half with field goals of 39 and 16 yards, while running back Cory Boyd tacked on a seven-yard scoring run to cap a nine-play, 63-yard drive in the third period, but it wasn't nearly enough with the number of turnovers the Argos committed.

Boyd finished the game with 54 yards on 11 attempts, but no one else on the team was credited with more than a single carry in the setback. Toronto ended up with a pair of lost fumbles and that defeated a defensive effort that held the Tiger-Cats to just 34 yards rushing on 14 attempts.

Even though he had a lackluster game last week, the fact remains that Boyd is still the leading ground gainer in the CFL after nine games with 846 yards, averaging close to six yards per attempt. For much of the early part of the 2010 campaign the Argos had to lean heavily on Boyd because they were not sure what they'd be able to get out of Lemon, but now they know there is potential in the first-year signal-caller as long as he can cut down on his mistakes. In the first game of the season between these two squads, Lemon threw for 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but at he same time he was touched for a pair of interceptions, fumbled once and was sacked three times so really the only way to go is up for him versus the Lions at this stage.

In his first ever game against Toronto, Printers had huge production with three passing scores and one on the ground and his legs have since proven to be a lethal weapon versus the Argos. In two meetings back in 2008, the QB threw for a combined 332 yards but just one TD, while coming up with an even 100 yards on the ground and four majors, so at least Toronto knows what to plan for heading into this weekend.

Unfortunately for Printers and the Lions, 2008 seems like a lifetime ago because this season the passing attack for BC has fallen far short of the mark. At this stage the position has accounted for just seven touchdowns through the air and a league-low 55.2 percent completion rate. Add to that a total of 13 picks and it is easy to see how the program ranks dead last in the CFL in efficiency rating at 68.2.

In a bit of irony Toronto, which has allowed opponents to complete 70 percent of their pass attempts and is giving up a league-high 428.1 ypg, is actually better than the Lions when it comes to scoring defense, allowing 27.0 ppg compared to the 27.1 ppg permitted by BC entering this week's action.

With regards to the all-time, regular-season series between the programs, British Columbia owns a 46-31-2 edge dating back to 1954. The Argos won the most recent meeting earlier this season by a score of 24-20 at home, but that victory for Toronto was the first against the Lions since October 2004 when the team posted a 22-16 triumph. In between Toronto victories, BC had rattled off 10 straight wins in the series.

The Lions caught lightning in a bottle last week and probably won't have the same luck this time around, even if Lemon does serve up a bunch of mistakes for BC to try and capitalize on.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Toronto 27, British Columbia 20

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (6-3) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (2-7)

DATE & TIME: Sunday, September 12, 1:00 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: For the second time in as many weeks the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers find themselves pitted against each other on the gridiron, this time at Canad Inns Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

In Week 10 action, the Roughriders scored nine straight points to open the fourth quarter at home and that was enough to put the team over the top in a 27-23 final versus Winnipeg. The victory for Saskatchewan continued the trend of alternating wins and losses by the club over the last seven games.

The Roughriders scaled back their running game and instead focused on putting the ball in the air as Darian Durant converted 23-of-35 passes for 301 yards, yet he failed to put one in the end zone, was intercepted once and sacked three times. However, when Saskatchewan did opt to keep the ball on the ground the end results were nothing short of amazing as Durant gained 43 yards on six carries and scored once and Wes Cates added a pair of majors, even though he gained just 15 yards on seven attempts.

Over on the other side Fred Reid was limited to just 43 yards on 13 carries, but still he made his way over the goal line in the setback for the Blue Bombers. Buck Pierce was back under center for the club and hit on 21-of-29 passes for 243 yards, but like Durant he could not get one of his passes into the end zone. Steven Jyles, who was brought in to sub for Pierce, completed all four of his passes for 43 yards and a score in the losing effort.

Keeping Winnipeg signal-callers on their toes was James Patrick who notched yet another interception for the Roughriders, returning it 44 yards on the first play of the second quarter to later set up the first major of the game. Patrick now has a total of seven interceptions on the season, easily the top number by any defender in the league entering play this week. Unfortunately, the defender isn't getting much support in that area from the rest of his teammates because through 10 games Saskatchewan has a total of only 11 picks and is currently breaking even in the turnover department as a result.

As frustrating as it might be for Patrick to see his team with a turnover differential of zero at the moment, it is still better than Winnipeg which is a minus six due to the fact that the Bombers have only 17 takeaways thus far. The biggest issue for Winnipeg has been maintaining possession of the ball because at the moment it is tied with Toronto for the most lost fumbles with 11.

Jyles and Pierce, the primary gunslingers for the Blue Bombers, have done all they can to try and keep the team competitive thus far with their combined 14 TD passes and just six interceptions. The team as a whole is completing 63.5 percent of its pass attempts and putting that altogether gives the unit an efficiency rating of 99.6, which is currently third in the conference. No matter which signal-caller is under center for the club, the main option down the field remains Terrence Edwards who is second in the league in receiving yardage with 778, averaging almost 18 yards per catch while reeling in seven TDs for the squad.

Durant has been slinging the ball all over the field every chance he gets for the Roughriders, which is why he leads the league in passing yards with 2,775 after nine games. However, Durant has also had more than his share of mistakes and is currently tied with Calgary's Henry Burris for the most interceptions with 13. In defense of Burris, he has tossed his picks while also converting a league-leading 21 majors, compared to just 11 TDs for Durant.

In his last three appearances against Winnipeg, Durant has averaged almost 260 ypg through the air, has thrown for a pair of touchdowns and also logged two majors as a runner in order to keep the Roughriders more than competitive in the series. Helping to balance out the offensive attack, Cates has been destroying the Bombers defense in the last four meetings with a total of eight touchdowns on the ground and another through the air, even though his overall yardage hasn't been all that spectacular.

With respect to the all-time, regular-season series between the clubs, Winnipeg is ahead by a count of 112-83-3 dating back to 1945. Thanks to the victory last week the Roughriders have now taken five in a row and six of the last seven meetings with Winnipeg.

Playing the same team in back-to-back weeks should give the Blue Bombers some insight on how to defeat Saskatchewan, but until Winnipeg gets its quarterback situation figured out the team will continue to have its issues.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Saskatchewan 33, Winnipeg 24

Sportsbook Betting Lines Season Predictions: 23-13; Last Week: 3-1.