CFL Previews - Week 11 (September 5-7)

Football Betting Lines

09/05/2008 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -

CALGARY STAMPEDERS (5-4) at EDMONTON ESKIMOS (6-3)

DATE & TIME: Friday, September 5, 9 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: Thanks to quarterback Ricky Ray, Edmonton took the first game of the home-and-home Labor Day series with a convincing 37-16 win at McMahon Stadium on Monday.

Ray finished 26-of-38 passing for 376 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to Fred Stamps. Kamau Peterson had eight catches for 118 yards and a touchdown to lead the Eskimos receiving corps while Kelly Campbell added five catches for 106 yards.

The win was Edmonton's sixth of the season, one more than it had all of last year. As a result, the Eskimos moved into sole possession of second in the West Division, just two points behind the first-place Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Edmonton, which played the game wearing green helmets and white uniforms, opened strongly with a 12-play, 85-yard drive that was culminated with A.J. Harris's 34-yard touchdown run. However, Harris left the game in the second quarter with a calf injury as the Eskimos managed to head into halftime with a 12-9 lead.

And that evaporated quickly when Calgary opened the second half with a 74-yard march that resulted in a Joffrey Reynolds touchdown to put the Stampeders ahead.

But the Eskimos outscored Calgary 25-0 from that point to turn a close game into a rather one-sided affair.

Calvin McCarty replaced Harris in the Edmonton backfield and finished with 73 yards rushing on 12 carries.

Calgary starter Henry Burris was 8-of-14 passing for 81 yards before being forced out with a foot injury. He was diagnosed with turf toe and is expected to play in the rematch.

That's good, because backup Dave Dickenson is through for the season. Dickenson was 4-of-8 passing for 75 yards before leaving the game with yet another concussion. This time, though, the injury is career-threatening as the Stampeders have placed the veteran quarterback on the nine-game injured list.

To replace Dickenson, the Stampeders re-signed journeyman quarterback Ben Sankey.

The numbers: Edmonton is 4-0 at home and 4-2 within its division. Calgary is 3-2 on the road and 3-3 against West Division rivals.

Keys to the game: With Burris on the limp, two things will be imperative for the Stampeders.

First, the offensive line is going to have to protect its quarterback and keep the Edmonton pass rush away. As important, too, will be the establishment of the running game.

Reynolds was productive, running for 75 yards but he only had nine carries. That's not a surprise, considering the Stampeders fell behind in the second half and were forced to play catchup.

Calgary also has to get more production from its receiving corps. The unit was badly outplayed by the Edmonton pass catchers, with Ken-Yon Rambo being the club's top receiver with five receptions for 54 yards.

As for Edmonton, the emergence of a solid running game only serves to make Ray a more dangerous player because now rival defenses can't concentrate solely on getting to him. Add to that home-field advantage and the Eskimos are going to be tough to beat.

Ray needs one more touchdown pass to tie Warren Moon's club record of 144.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Edmonton 27, Calgary 22.

BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS (4-5) at HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (2-7)

DATE & TIME: Saturday, September 6, 4 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: These are indeed tough times for the B.C. Lions.

Four straight years the Lions have been the toast of the West, finishing first in the division standings. But not only does B.C. have a losing record but finds itself last in the conference.

This week, the Lions traded running back Joe Smith, last year's CFL rushing leader, to Winnipeg for tailback Charles Roberts, who left Manitoba as the club's career rushing leader. Smith lost his starting job to newcomer Stefan Logan this year as Roberts had managed just a single 100-yard rushing performance thus far.

Logan had a glorious opportunity to make B.C. a winner in its game last week in Montreal. He gathered in a Buck Pierce pass at the Alouettes' five-yard line and had just one man to beat to score the winning touchdown. However, he was hauled down on a picture-perfect tackle by defensive back Mark Estelle at the one-yard line with three seconds remaining to play.

That was a turning point in the game because B.C. failed to score the winning touchdown on three separate occasions as Montreal hung on for the 30-25 victory.

Pierce, replacing the injured Jarious Jackson, was 28-of-48 passing for 406 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Pierce began the year as B.C.'s starter, but was injured in the season opener, paving the way for Jackson to start seven straight contests before suffering a hand injury.

Geroy Simon enjoyed another solid outing for B.C., with eight catches for 133 yards. Logan was also a prominent figure in the passing game with 12 catches for 104 yards. But the Lions finished the game with five turnovers while the defense registered no sacks.

Hamilton is also coming off a Labor Day loss, a 34-31 decision to the Toronto Argonauts. The Ticats were marching late for a shot at a field goal to force overtime but fullback Jeff Piercy was stopped on a third-down gamble at the Argos' 44-yard line with 28 seconds remaining to end that threat.

Hamilton once again dominated the game with its rushing attack as the CFL's top-ranked ground game finished with 258 yards rushing against Toronto, the third time this year the unit had rolled up more than 200 yards rushing versus the Argos.

Tailback Jesse Lumsden had a game-high 104 yards rushing while Casey Printers and Terry Caulley both added 68 yards rushing apiece. Yet, for some reason, it was Piercy, who had 18 yards on four carries, who was called upon for the biggest carry from scrimmage with the game on the line.

Printers, the CFL MVP in '04 while with B.C., was 12-of-22 passing for 161 yards and his first touchdown pass of the year.

The numbers: Hamilton is 1-4 at home this year and 0-3 against West Division teams. B.C. is 1-3 on the road but 3-1 against Eastern clubs.

Keys to the game: Roberts will likely get some snaps for B.C. But it's not as if the Lions are missing much with Logan in the backfield. His game is a lot like Roberts in that both are slashing-type runners who use quickness and finesse to gain their yards.

But as has been the case all year with B.C., the club's fortunes rest upon consistent performances from their quarterbacks. Pierce didn't play badly last week, but at times showed the rust one would associate with a player making his first start in nearly two months.

Hamilton's forte remains its running game. The Ticats are averaging 186 yards rushing per game and a stellar 7.2 yards per carry. That's good, because Hamilton's passing attack is terrible, averaging 232 yards per game, second- worst in the CFL.

Stop Hamilton's run game and essentially you stop the Ticats' offence. B.C. is capable of doing that as the Lions are the CFL's second-toughest unit to run against, allowing 104 yards per game.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: B.C. 28, Hamilton 17.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS (4-5) at MONTREAL ALOUETTES (6-3)

DATE & TIME: Sunday, September 7, 1 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: Kerry Joseph was a one-man show Monday.

The Toronto Argonauts quarterback passed for 399 yards and a touchdown in guiding the Double Blue to a crucial Labor Day victory in Hamilton. Not only did the win move the Argos into sole possession of second spot on the East Division standings, it capped a tumultuous week for the club.

Prior to returning to work last week following a bye, the Argos traded disgruntled backup quarterback Michael Bishop to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Bishop was 11-1 as Toronto's starter last year but came to camp having to fight for his job after the club acquired 07 CFL MVP Joseph from Saskatchewan.

Argos rookie head coach Rich Stubler said publicly he'd be using both quarterbacks to start the year, but it was Joseph who started the club's first eight games, which irked Bishop and in turn created division within the locker room.

After Bishop was dealt, the Argos then cut veteran safety Orlondo Steinauer, a player who was a CFL all-star last year. The club moved defensive back Kenny Wheaton to safety and then elected to start newcomer Jason Shivers in his place as well as Ken Heatley at the other defensive back position, this putting three members of the five-man secondary in new positions.

Then came word that Argos ownership had spoken to former coach Mike (Pinball) Clemons about a possible return to the sidelines. Clemons stepped down as coach following the '07 season to become the club's chief operating officer.

There's been no such turmoil in Montreal as the Alouettes, led by rookie head coach Marc Trestman, have been the surprise team in the CFL this year.

Montreal earned a huge win over B.C. last week, thanks to its defense. But the offense hasn't been bad, leading the CFL in total yards (426 per game) and scoring (32 points per game) and standing second in passing (321 yards per game).

Anthony Calvillo is second overall in passing with 2,879 yards but leads the league in touchdown passes with 21 and quarterback rating (107.1).

But the real story offensively speaking in Montreal has been running back Avon Cobourne.

Cobourne leads the CFL in rushing with 815 yards but has also recorded 49 catches for 487 yards. He's threatening to become the first player in league history to accumulate 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season.

Wide receiver Kerry Watkins is also a bona fide threat, standing third overall in CFL receiving with 43 catches for 665 yards and three touchdowns.

The numbers: Montreal is 3-1 at home and a stellar 5-0 within the East Division. Toronto is 2-3 on the road and 3-3 against conference rivals.

Keys to the game: For years, Toronto's defense was the CFL's best using a 3-4 alignment that relied heavily on the play of its athletic linebackers. But against Hamilton, the Argos showed four- and five-man fronts and also at times brought defensive backs up to the line of scrimmage to put six men in the box.

But those changes came at the expense of veteran linebackers Mike O'Shea and Michael Fletcher. When the Argos went to a four-man front, O'Shea was on the sidelines, and then was joined by Fletcher when five defensive linemen were on the field.

That left the Argos vulnerable in the middle as they would go with either two or one natural linebacker in the middle. Against a passing-challenged team like Hamilton, maybe that's a viable gamble. But do that against Calvillo and Co., and Toronto won't be so lucky.

Cobourne's running ability forces a defense to respect the rushing game, which in turn gives Calvillo more options when it comes to passing, especially considering the offense doesn't skip a beat on second-and-long with Cobourne in the backfield.

Montreal dismantled Toronto 32-14 in their previous meeting August 15 at Rogers Centre. While this game means more to the Argos, the Als are definitely the best team in the East Division.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Montreal 35, Toronto 20.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (7-2) at WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (2-7)

DATE & TIME: Sunday, September 7, 4 p.m. (et).

GAME NOTES: It wasn't pretty, but Michael Bishop's debut with the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week was still good enough to record a much-needed win.

The Riders acquired Bishop from Toronto just over a week ago, and Bishop spent last week trying to cram Saskatchewan's offensive playbook into his head. With just four practices under his belt, Bishop finished just 10-of-24 passing for 107 yards with an interception, but the Green and White, backed by a stellar defense, ended a two-game losing streak with the 19-6 home win over Winnipeg.

Bishop's biggest offensive contribution, though, was his mobility. The former Kansas State star ran for 51 yards on 11 carries and scored a touchdown for the Riders. However he also had a fumble.

But 19 points was more than enough for a Riders defense that was anchored by the 10-tackle performance of defensive back Omarr Morgan. The unit recorded four sacks and two interceptions against the Bombers.

Kicker Luca Congi also did his part, hitting 4-of-5 field goal tries while running back Les Cates finished with 72 yards rushing on 14 carries.

Bombers quarterback Kevin Glenn finished 28-of-42 passing for 269 yards and gave up two interceptions. Derick Armstrong also had a game-high eight catches for 105 yards. But Charles Roberts, in his final game with Winnipeg, ran for just 48 yards on 13 carries before being dealt to the B.C. Lions for tailback Joe Smith, last year's CFL rushing leader.

The loss left Winnipeg 0-4 on the road this season.

The numbers: Winnipeg is 2-4 at home but 1-3 against West Division clubs. Saskatchewan is a league-best 3-1 on the road and 4-0 versus Eastern squads.

Keys to the game: The expectation is that the more practice sessions Bishop gets, the more he's bound to improve. The interesting thing is the situation Bishop currently faces is much the same as the one he had last year in Toronto when, with the support of a solid defense, he was 11-1 as a starter.

There's no denying the strength of a Riders defense that's first in fewest yards allowed (346 per game), touchdown passes allowed (five) and points allowed (21.3 per game) and second in passing yards (255 per game) and interceptions (13).

That's good, because Saskatchewan's offense is ranked last in the CFL in passing, averaging just 209 yards per game. By comparison, with Wes Cates (801 yards rushing, 5.8-yard average per carry) lugging the ball, the Riders are ranked third overall in rushing (123 yards per game).

An inability to run the football has plagued Winnipeg all season, and is a big reason why the club traded for the six-foot-two, 223-pound Smith. Even with Roberts, a multiple 1,000-yard rusher, the Bombers are last overall in rushing, averaging just 73 yards per game.

Enter Smith, who ran for over 1,500 yards last year with B.C. and should give the Bombers' run game a huge boost.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Saskatchewan 22, Winnipeg 21.

Last week's record: 2-2; Season record: 15-21.