Perry Lefko

Perry Lefko keeps you connected to all the news in the CFL on Sportsnet.ca.

After a rough Week 3, Perry looks to prognosticate a couple of victories.

Once again the spread cost me.

Picked Montreal and Saskatchewan to win and cover the spread, but both came up short.

Hamilton won convincingly, while the Argos posted an upset against Calgary, who erased a decent lead with more turnovers than you'd find at a Pillsbury factory.

Sitting next to my mentor Randall the Handle at the Argo game, I had every reason to feel good about my picks for the week. But the Calgary collapse may have been a sign. Randall had only one play. Edmonton and the points. Saskatchewan was favoured by six, but only won by four. So congratulations to the Handle.

As one of my many critics pointed out last year, it is easy to pick winners when there are standout teams. It is much different when you're picking against the spread. So, with that little axiom, Perry's Peerless Picks ventures forward to this week's slate of games. May the spread be with you.

Thursday

Hamilton (1-2) at Montreal (2-1):

The Ticats put it all together against Winnipeg, going deep and getting a little help from the officials. Ticats quarterback Kevin Glenn has been putting up some decent numbers, principally by going deep. That's been the Als' Achilles heel to this point. But the Hamilton still needs to develop a running game. This is the biggest test of the season so far for the Cats, a veritable gauge of how they fare against one of the best teams in the league. Field-goal kicker Sandro DeAngelis is struggling, but perhaps a change of scenery following two games at home may help. Points will be a premium in this one. The Als are finally back from their road trip from hell. They fared relatively well, and now they get to play their home opener in the expanded Molson Stadium. The place should be rocking. The Als played zone defence almost exclusively against B.C., frustrating Casey Printers. In the first two games of the season, the Als employed a pressure defence and were burned badly in the back end. Because Glenn isn't as mobile as Printers and the Cats haven't established a definitive run game, the Als can mix up their coverages. I expect a fairly heavy slate of blitzing, including some from the safety, which means the back end will be playing man-to-man and that's where the game will be won and lost. The Cats have been employing maximum protection to help tackle Simeon Rottier and he seems to have overcome the shellacking in the first week. It will be interesting to see if the Cats play recently-signed import tackle Belton Jones. Clearly he will factor into the Cats lineup at some point.

The Als need to make a statement. Their fans will be cheering loud and doing everything possible to disrupt the Cats' cadence. Look what that did to Edmonton against Saskatchewan, producing numerous procedure penalties.

Randall has the Als favoured by nine.

Prediction: Als to cover.

Friday

B.C. (1-2) at Toronto (2-1):

Travis Lulay gets the start at quarterback for the Lions because Printers is physically beat up. The Lions are really struggling on offence, while run game was effective in week one, but has disappeared since. Jamal Robertson, whom the Argos elected not to keep, needs more touches. And the offensive line, which has been under construction due to injuries, needs to do a better job. And again, somehow Paris Jackson needs to be involved by getting the ball to him early. Is he labouring because of off-season knee surgery and tweaking it in training camp? That is the speculation. It's basically a one-man receiving corps with Geroy Simon. The defence did a nice job of shutting down the Als' potent offence in the last game. The Argos are enjoying a renaissance under new coach Jim Barker. The offence has been doing some good things with the run game, but the passing game under Cleo Lemon continues to evolve, albeit slowly. Subtle little wrinkles are being added with each game, including using all-purpose player Chad Owens. The defence is getting some push from the defensive line, notably end Kevin Huntley back.

Everyone is labeling this the Braley Bowl because David Braley owns both teams.

Because of the shift from Printers to Lulay, Randall has changed the line, which was originally B.C. by three. It's now Argos by one.

Prediction: Argos to cover.

Saturday

Edmonton (0-3) at Winnipeg (1-2):

The Eskimos have imploded with dropped balls that have cost them wins. While it's early in the season, the pressure is mounting for second-year head coach Richie Hall. There's too much talent on this team to think it could go 0-4. But if it happens, it wouldn't be surprising if something drastic happens. At the very least, the Eskimos need to complete drives. The Bombers had a successful start to the season for rookie head coach Paul LaPolice, but two consecutive losses have been humbling. Quarterback Buck Pierce is sidelined with a knee sprain, so backup Steven Jyles, who at one point in the off-season signed as a free agent hoping he would get to compete for the starting job, gets a chance to show his skills. He had some success in relief of Pierce last time out. This will be an interesting game from a crowd point of view. If the Bombers are struggling, it will create anxiety among the hometown fans, who might begin to feel the past is coming back.

Bombers are favoured by two.

Prediction: Edmonton and the points.

Saskatchewan (3-0) at Calgary (2-1):

The Roughriders showed last time out they can still win even without playing at their best. There were all kinds of mistakes made, but in the end the Green Riders prevailed. Last week they were playing in garish togs that looked like they were replicas of the jerseys worn by the Mean Machine in the Longest Yard. Hopefully, they will never see the light of day anymore. Maybe that's why the Riders weren't up to snuff. The Riders will be back in their green jeans again. You just know that quarterback Darian Durant will be looking to make up for a subpar performance. The Stamps are reeling from a terrible offensive display against the Argos. Head coach John Hufnagel is still in a foul mood. He has a fiery temper and he's been doing the slow boil on the sidelines. Quarterback Henry Burris needs to play with more consistency. Yes, the offensive line has new personnel, but it's all about Burris making the right decisions instead of trying to make plays and force the ball into areas. The easiest way to instill confidence is to establish the run game again.

Stamps are favoured by two. If they win it will be huge.

Prediction: Saskatchewan and the points.

Record last week: 0-4

Record to date: 3-8-1.