CFL Previews - August 12-15 - Week Seven

Football Betting Lines

08/11/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -

BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS (1-5) AT SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (4-2)

DATE & TIME: Thursday, August 12, 9:00 p.m. (et)

GAME NOTES: The Saskatchewan Roughriders try to keep their home record in perfect shape this season as they entertain the British Columbia Lions at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on Thursday.

The Roughriders who, along with Calgary and Montreal are sporting a perfect 3-0 mark in their own building thus far, started off the new campaign as one of the team's to chase in the Western Division following a 3-0 start. However, the team has hit a couple bumps in the road during the last three weeks after losing bouts against both the Stampeders and the Alouettes on the road.

Last week the Roughriders started off slow and trailed Montreal by two touchdowns at the break, but in the second half the team limited the Als to just a pair of field goals while making a desperate attempt to fight their way back into contention. Unfortunately, it turned out to be too little, too late as Saskatchewan suffered the 30-26 setback.

Darian Durant did all he could to keep the visitors in contention, converting 35-of-62 passing for 445 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he was also intercepted twice and sacked three times. Weston Dressler reeled in 13 passes for 169 yards and a score as well.

As for the Lions, a lot has happened since the squad kicked off the new season with a 25-10 win over Edmonton, specifically a five-game slide that now has the club tied with the Eskimos for last place in the division. With Casey Printers going down with an injury several weeks ago, the offense has been turned over to Travis Lulay and the signal-caller has had his moments, but for the most part the experiment has been a failed test by everyone's standards.

Lulay converted 15-of-28 passing for 159 yards against Calgary in a 27-22 loss to the Stampeders over the weekend. However, Lulay was also picked off once and was taken to the turf four times before giving way to Jarious Jackson. The so-called rushing attack for BC accounted for a mere 58 yards on 14 attempts, although Jamal Robertson did manage to hit the end zone twice to give his team a fighting chance.

News out of British Columbia at the start of the week indicates that head coach Wally Buono has made the decision to go with Jackson as his starter this week. In just under three games as the starting QB, Lulay has been picked off a total of five times and has just a single passing score to show for his efforts. Buono admits that he would rather have Printers at the helm, but until the doctors give him a clean bill of health the coach will have to continue to juggle the available players he has now.

Jackson, who has been with the Lions since 2005, has never completed better than 58.1 percent of his passes in any one season, but British Columbia needs some sort of spark to get them going and this seems like the next logical step. After the performance last week the Lions fell to last in the latest CFL power rankings, while the Roughriders remained at six.

As long as the Lions continue to feed the ball a little more regularly to Robertson perhaps Jackson will be able to deflect some of the pressure. Robertson is averaging less than 10 carries per contest, yet he is tied for the league lead with five rushing scores and is averaging better than seven yards per attempt, thanks in large part to having a 69-yard romp earlier in the season.

Ironically, Robertson is tied with Saskatchewan running back Wes Cates for the most rushing TDs in the league entering Week 7 action. Cates, thanks to a lengthy 83-yard run of his own, is averaging a solid 6.6 yards per carry and when paired with Durant (8.9 yards per attempt), give the Roughriders a hard- hitting one-two punch coming out of the backfield. Already Cates has matched his entire rushing TD total from last year.

After his huge effort last weekend, Durant is atop the list for passing yards entering play this week, having accumulated 2,040 yards, while completing just under 60 percent of his attempts. Durant has also been credited with 10 passing scores, but because he has been picked off seven times in six games, his efficiency rating has sunk to 89.7. As bad as that might sound, Durant's rating is still light years beyond British Columbia which has a combined rating of 68.9 stemming from three different QBs who still have a mere three combined passing TDs.

Entering play this week, Saskatchewan leads the league in touchdowns (18) and field goals (19) and is second overall in scoring (33.0 ppg) while the Lions are all alone at the bottom of the scoring chart with 20.3 ppg, controlling the ball for less than 27 minutes per outing, again last in the CFL.

The Roughriders ran all over British Columbia in their first meeting of the season back on July 10, capturing a 37-18 victory on the road. In that contest Saskatchewan exploded for 17 points in the fourth quarter, thanks in part to a 40-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Brent Hawkins. That was also the game in which Lulay made his first significant appearance for the Lions, converting 9-of-15 passing for 197 yards and a touchdown, while shaking off three sacks.

With that win last month the Roughriders now own an 89-76-4 advantage in the all-time series during regular season meetings.

The juggling of quarterbacks in British Columbia makes it difficult on everyone to get on the same page and get their timing down. It is clear that the Lions need something to give them a spark. However, with as well as the Saskatchewan offense has been operating, BC might want to focus a little more on defense in this one.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Saskatchewan 41, British Columbia 24

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (2-4) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (2-4)

DATE & TIME: Friday, August 13, 8:30 p.m. (et)

GAME NOTES: Having logged their only two wins of the season thus far against Winnipeg, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats try to make it three in a row versus the Blue Bombers when the two teams collide for the fourth time this season on Friday night at Canad Inns Stadium in Manitoba.

Both teams sport just 2-4 records entering the seventh week of the campaign and that has them tied for last place in the Eastern Division as a result.

Last week the clubs clashed at Ivor Wynne Stadium, a confrontation that ended with Hamilton capturing a 29-22 victory. Winnipeg scored the first six points of the contest, but the Ticats closed with nine unanswered in the fourth frame.

Kevin Glenn was one of the stars of the game for Hamilton as he completed 24- of-41 passing for 371 yards and three touchdowns, while absorbing one interception and a sack. Arland Bruce had another huge game for the squad as well, collecting 11 passes for 197 yards and a score, finishing second in offensive player of the week honors.

While the passing attack was right on target for Glenn and the Ticats, the rushing game was rather dismal with just 62 yards on 15 attempts, with DeAndre Cobb accounting for 47 of those yards and 20 on just one run.

Over on the other side, Stephen Jyles also had a strong game in and out of the pocket for the Bombers as he converted 24-of-35 passing for 349 yards and a pair of TDs, adding another 60 yards rushing. Running back Fred Reid led all players with 98 yards on 12 carries in the contest. Now in his second year with the Bombers, Adarius Bowman reeled in six passes for 139 yards and a score in the setback. Bowman is no stranger to having strong games against Hamilton, having registered 10 catches for a massive 213 yards and two scores in one of the meetings last season.

However, if you were to pick a dominating presence at the receiver position among these two clubs you'd have to go with Bruce who is currently ranked first in the league in receiving yards with 680 on 43 receptions, resulting in four touchdowns.

While the TigerCats have Bruce to turn to when they need a big play, the same can be said for Terrence Edwards for the Blue Bombers who is averaging close to 20 yards per reception and is tied for the league high with five TDs, already matching his entire total from a year ago. Getting the ball to Edwards is the responsibility of Glenn who is second in the league in passing yards with 1,890 and has completed close to 65 percent of his attempts, resulting in 11 TDs and only four picks, numbers that have elevated his efficiency rating to 101.3 after six games.

In the case of Jyles for the Bombers, he has been rather conservative in his passing, having delivered just four touchdowns and two picks while subbing for the injured Buck Pierce. Before heading to the sidelines, Pierce had an efficiency rating of 108.3, thanks to his 65.8 percent passing accuracy.

One of the more glaring stats for Winnipeg heading into this week is that the team is last in the league in made field goals with just eight, although Hamilton is just ahead of the Bombers with a mere 10 conversions. That low total for Winnipeg prompted the squad to release Alexis Serna on Tuesday and sign former Saskatchewan Roughrider Louie Sakoda. Serna made just one of his three attempts last weekend in the loss to Hamilton.

Hamilton has won two straight in the series and three of the last four against the Blue Bombers, including the seven-point decision less than a week ago. However, the overall regular-season series still belongs to Winnipeg by a count of 54-44 dating back to the 1950 campaign.

Working against the Tigercats is the fact that they have dropped three in a row on the road, while Winnipeg is 2-1 at home thus far.

Facing each other for the second time in less than a week and the fourth time in seven games on the season, these two teams should be extremely familiar with each other by now. Not only does Winnipeg have the advantage of playing at home this time around, the club also has a chip on its shoulder after losing last weekend. The change at kicker should also provide the Blue Bombers a boost as well.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Winnipeg 33, Hamilton 28

MONTREAL ALOUETTES (5-1) AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS (4-2)

DATE & TIME: Saturday, August 14, 7:30 p.m. (et)

GAME NOTES: The top two teams in the Eastern Division clash for the second time in the last three weeks as the Toronto Argonauts host the Montreal Alouettes at the Rogers Centre in Ontario Saturday night.

At the moment, the Als and Argos are also the only two teams in the division who are playing over .500, as Hamilton and Winnipeg struggle with identical 2-4 marks. Since losing the season opener to Saskatchewan in a wild double- overtime affair, the Als have settled down to take five straight decisions and are now tied with the Calgary Stampeders for the best record in the league overall.

Last week Montreal exacted revenge against the Roughriders as they slipped by with a 30-26 win at home, even though the offense sputtered in the second half and the hosts managed just six points after the break yet still came away with their 12th straight victory at home nonetheless.

Quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who was named the CFL Offensive Player of the Month for July, came out firing as he hit SJ Green for a 67-yard gain on the game's opening play from scrimmage. Calvillo finished the night 17-of-25 for 252 yards and a pair of TDs, but was also sacked three times and actually left the field near the end, giving Chris Leak a few snaps to handle.

Ben Cahoon came up with a couple of receptions for the Als, giving him a total of 971 for his career and that means he is now just one behind Darren Flutie for second place on the all-time CFL receptions list. Terry Vaughn, who once played for Montreal, is first on the charts with 1,006, a number that is certainly attainable as long as Cahoon and Calvillo stay healthy and on the field. Still, one concern has to be that Cahoon has 21 catches so far in 2010 and has yet to visit the end zone. Then again, the 13-year veteran had 89 receptions for 1,031 yards in 2009 and only scored twice then as well.

As for the Argos, they continue to chase Montreal in the standings and are doing so even though they are seventh in the most recent power rankings in the CFL. Last week Toronto needed a huge effort from running back Cory Boyd as the rookie celebrated his 25th birthday by scoring three touchdowns, including the game winner with under a minute to play in a 29-28 final versus Edmonton on the road.

Boyd, who was named the CFL Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts, generated a game-high 164 yards on 25 rushing attempts, taking some of the heat off quarterback Cleo Lemon who had his best game yet as he converted 23- of-34 passing for 292 yards and a score in the close call.

Not only is Boyd first in the league in rushing with 648 yards, he is also first in terms of total yards from scrimmage with 718 through six games. The production from Boyd has not only made the Argos successful, it has aided Lemon, who is still learning the ropes in the CFL. Of all the quarterbacks slated to start this week, Lemon has the lowest efficiency rating at 77.3, basically because he has more interceptions (five) than touchdowns (four) at the moment.

Someone who doesn't face the same problems as Lemon in the pocket is Calvillo, who is enjoying the top efficiency rating in the league this week at 110.2. As someone who is second on several all-time passing charts in the CFL, Calvillo is again carving up defenses with his 69.7 percent accuracy and his strong decision making which has resulted in just two interceptions on 218 attempts thus far in 2010. Calvillo has also shown an affinity for beating up on Toronto, having thrown for no less than 336 yards in five of the last six games in which he has attempted a pass versus the Argos. Perhaps even more telling are his 13 TDs and mere two picks in the last six meetings with the Argos.

Montreal thrashed the Argos in the first meeting of the season just two weeks ago, dominating at home in a 41-10 final. In that contest Avon Cobourne went wild for the Al with his 115 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and another 116 yards on eight catches. The quarterback comparison was rather embarrassing, as Calvillo threw for 394 yards and two TDs, while Lemon accounted for just 143 yards and was sacked three times.

The Als have now won seven in a row over Toronto and maintain a healthy 102-80-3 mark in the all-time series during the regular season, dating back to 1946.

The Argos showed that their defense was quite vulnerable against Calvillo and Cobourne the last time around and even if Toronto has made significant adjustments on that side of the ball it will still be tough to stop both the rushing and passing attack of the best team in the Eastern Division.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Montreal 30, Toronto 23

EDMONTON ESKIMOS (1-5) AT CALGARY STAMPEDERS (5-1)

DATE & TIME: Sunday, August 15, 8:00 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: The Calgary Stampeders try to continue their domination at home this season as they welcome the Edmonton Eskimos to McMahon Stadium in Alberta on Sunday.

A perfect 3-0 mark at home in 2010, Calgary is tops in the Western Division at the moment with a record of 5-1, while Edmonton is tied with British Columbia for last place in the division with just a single victory in six opportunities.

Last week the Stamps played another tight game but managed to come away with the 27-22 victory over the Lions on the road, marking the seventh straight for Calgary over BC during the regular season since the start of the 2008 campaign. Henry Burris hit on 22-of-32 passing for 238 yards and two touchdowns, while backup Drew Tate added a one-yard major of his own when he found Rob Cote in the second quarter. The scoring strike was the first in the pro career for Tate, who again appeared in place of Burris during a short- yardage situation.

The return of Ken-Yon Rambo to the lineup after a lengthy stint on the injury list, continued to pay dividends for the Stamps, as he reeled in three passes for 77 yards, including a 48-yard effort that resulted in his second touchdown in as many weeks.

Even though the defense for the Stampeders did allow a couple of rushing touchdowns to Jamal Robertson, the unit limited the home team to just 58 yards rushing overall and took down starting quarterback Travis Lulay four times in the backfield, prompting the Lions to bring out Jarious Jackson to finish the effort.

Meanwhile the Eskimos were trying to win their second straight outing on August 6 when they hosted Toronto and nearly pulled it off before allowing Cory Boyd into the end zone for the third time late in the fourth quarter of a 29-28 loss. Quarterback Ricky Ray managed to hit on 24-of-35 for 272 yards and a score, while Arkee Whitlock tacked on a team-best 147 yards and a major on 16 carries coming out of the backfield. Receiver Fred Stamps led with seven catches for 70 yards, but in the third quarter he suffered a dislocated shoulder and the league's second-leading pass receiver will be watching from the sidelines for the next few weeks as he heals.

Heading into this week's action Stamps had 38 catches for 609 yards and a score, but with him on the shelf, slotback Kelly Campbell is now the primary option for Ray, having captured 37 passes for 503 yards and a score himself.

Ray has one of the top completion percentages in the league through six games with his 68.1 percent, but with just six touchdowns and five interceptions he has bowed to the pressure of opposing defenses thus far. Now in his eighth season in the league, all of which have been with Edmonton, Ray has shown some personal success against Calgary, throwing for no less than 342 yards in five straight encounters between 2007 and 2009. However, more recently his numbers have fallen off to the point where he threw for a combined 698 yards in the last three meetings in 2009 and was sacked a total of five times.

Because Ray has been inconsistent this season the Eskimos are second-to-last in scoring with an average of just 21.7 ppg, compared to Calgary at 27.8 ppg. When it comes to defensive efforts, the Stamps are at the top of the list with just 21.2 ppg allowed, which is just one of the reasons why Calgary is atop the most recent power rankings as well. Edmonton is currently tied with Saskatchewan for the weakest scoring defense in the league, permitting 30.5 ppg, but don't blame that on Chris Thompson, who is by far the best cover man with a staggering five interceptions already. No one else in the league has more than a pair of picks through six games.

With 13 TD passes, Burris is first in the CFL entering action this week and yet he is also charged with the most interceptions thrown with nine on 218 attempts. Nik Lewis and Romby Bryant have helped Burris keep the Stamps offense moving in the right direction, the receivers posting 36 and 30 receptions, respectively, while combining for seven of those scores. The return of Rambo to the lineup will only make the offense stronger and give Burris another quality option to seek out.

The most recent regular season meeting between the clubs took place in late October of last year, with Calgary wrapping up a 30-7 home win over the Eskimos. The victory was the third in a row and the fourth in the last five meetings for the Stamps over Edmonton.

However, as dominate as Calgary has been in the series lately, the fact remains that the Esks own a convincing 121-78-3 advantage in regular season encounters dating back to 1949. The teams are slated to face each other twice in early September during a four-day span.

Even though the Eskimos have battled hard the last couple of weeks and gone down to the wire versus British Columbia and Toronto, this is a team that simply cannot keep up with Calgary.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Calgary 35, Edmonton 23

Sportsbook Betting Lines Season Predictions: 16-8; Last Week: 3-1.