Love him or hate him, Perry's back picking the winners in the CFL while basking in his glory after going el perfecto last week.
Oh yes, oh yes. Perry's Peerless Predictions had a perfect week, going four for four.
Inasmuch as his critics - one of whom put a curse on me - want to attack my credibility and put my face on a dartboard, I am fearless. No curse will stop me from making my bold prognostications. And if any of you Roughrider fans wants to assail me, I have a new best buddy from Regina, Aaron Nagy, proprietor of ridersradio.com, who supports me in my quantitative analysis. So if you want to go to war with Perry, understand Aaron, brother of Moses, has me covered. Now on with this week's picks, brought to you by 1-800-PERRY1.
Thursday
Hamilton 2-1 at Montreal 3-0
Okay, the Ticats are on a roll, but let's not get too overwhelmed. They beat the lowly Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Credit must be given to the defence, but this is the proving ground against the mighty Als. Starting young quarterback Quinton Porter against the Als is like feeding the lamb to the wolves. Even if Kevin Glenn comes on in relief, the opponent is just too good. Hamilton's only hope is to limit the opposing touchdowns and get as many points off the foot of Nick Setta because I don't think offensive touchdowns will be at a premium. Als are just too good. How about their defence? There are virtually no holes in it. Anwar Stewart has turned back father time. Larry Taylor is the best returner in the league. This one is a no-brainer. The gimme of the week if you're playing straight up, but if you're playing the spread otherwise known as the Paula Abdul special. My investment adviser Randall the Handle has the Als by 14½ They might just do that at home, although Ticats' fans, notably David Winchester, has the Cat Scratch Fever and is hoping for a mighty upset.
AND THE WINNER IS: Montreal
Friday
Toronto (1-2) at Winnipeg (1-2):
Two teams that are struggling and two rookie head coaches involved in controversies. Big time. The Argos received a mighty manure-kicking courtesy of the Calgary Stampeders. Quarterback Kerry Joseph is showing signs of frustration, even though he's leading the league in passing yards, although a good portion of them have come when the game was out of reach. He's not getting great protection and I'm surprised he isn't being flushed out of the pocket more. Please, put in some zone reads, Coach Andrus. The Argos receiving corps is in tatters now, and will be without Arland Bruce, whose time is likely over in Toronto because Andrus has had enough of Bruce's act - literally. So, the Argos will likely have to focus on the run game, which was abandoned last week. Removing Bruce also takes away the only legitimate returner the Argos had. As for Winnipeg, who knows what will happen this week? Coach Mike Kelly took the fall for the loss in the last game by not putting in the right formations. He's now talking about simplifying the schemes. I think the problem is a young quarterback who needs to be used more in shotgun because right now he's shellshocked. If the Bombers don't get their receivers involved, unrest will fester and eventually boil. The run game with Fred Reid is okay. I flipped coins, read tarot cards and played eenie-meenie-miney-moe to try and figure out this game and still have no definitive idea. The Bombers won at home two games ago beating Calgary and I think they'll prevail this time on a hunch the defence will come through in a low-scoring game. The Argos traditionally falter in the 'Peg. I hope Richie Williams is used if Stefan LeFors struggles because he could be the most effective of all the QBs on the Bombers' roster, but Bryan Randall is No. 2 on the depth chart. Whichever team loses this game, talk will develop about the efficiency of the head coach. Given that this is the first of back-to-back home games, anything less than a split for each team could have serious ramifications. Bombastic Bombers favoured by three points.
AND THE WINNER IS: Winnipeg
Calgary (1-2) at B.C. (1-2)
Finally the Grey Cup champs played like it, playing soundly as a team. Henry Burris played like Good Hank instead of Bad Hank. I still feel the run game with Joffrey Reynolds needs to be developed with more purpose, but it did make some positive movement last time out. The Stamps did some different things on defence that befuddled the Argos. The Lions back end thwarted the Roughriders' passing attack, so the key is to make greater progress in the intermediate zone. This is where Burris can be most effective, especially with his legs. I also think the Stamps are starting to get some of their key players back and this helps. If Nik Lewis is sidelined, Jermaine (No Relation To Michael) Jackson will be activated. Coincidentally, the Lions have two Jacksons on their roster, so at the very least we're looking at the Jackson Three. The Lions took advantage of the Eskimos, in particular when Jarious Jackson went vertical. He should be starting again because it makes no sense to rush Buck back, but that's the game plan. The Lions showed that when you get the ball to Jackson and Geroy Simon, the chances of success are good, but the touchdown dances are quite different. It is obvious the receivers have a better rapport with Jarious Jackson because of his arm strength. The Lions' defence is still working through some adjustments in personnel. One team will drop to 1-3, and who would have guessed that? The game will be decided by the better quarterback. Stamps favoured by a field goal, according to Randy.
AND THE WINNER IS: Calgary
Saturday
Edmonton (1-2) at Saskatchewan (2-1)
Is there a combined offence and defence having more difficulty than the Eskimos? Without a consistent run game - or any run game for that matter - the Eskimos are just too one-dimensional on offence. And Ricky Ray is struggling, possibly missing the speedy Kelly Campbell, who likely helped create space for Kamau Peterson. To this point, he is clearly struggling. The Eskimos' offensive line has been a source of worry for a few years. I'm wondering if this is a team going through an evolution with a new coaching staff. And on that note, you just know there will be a big focus on Richie Hall's return to Saskatchewan. The Eskimos laid a serious whooping on the Riders in the pre-season, but remember that happened last year in the pre-season and the Riders laid a huge licking on them in the season opener. I expect the Riders to rebound from the humiliation they suffered against the Als, who were just too dominant. I hope the Riders find a way to get Hugh Charles and Wes Cates in the game at the same time, or at least get Charles back into the lineup. Clearly ball security is paramount because the football has been like a greased pigskin for the Riders at home. It is a correctable thing. Quarterback Darian Durant had a tough outing in the last game, so he needs to rebound. The offensive line is still a work in progress due to injuries. A change at tackle may be made. Gene Makowsky has an outside shot to play and that will be huge. I have been consistent in not picking the Riders this year and I am 2-1, so why should I change now? Well, this is the 20th anniversary reunion of the 1989 Grey Cup champion team, extra stands have been put in place and Mosaic Stadium will be alive with memories. But why is the reunion now instead of closer to Grey Cup time? Roughriders are the bookie's choice by three. So…
AND THE WINNER IS: Saskatchewan (yes, you read it right, Mikeylikesit. Now lift the curse).
RECORD SO FAR: 8-4.