Perry Lefko

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

Anthony Calvillo looks to be headed for another Most Outstanding Player of the Year Award.

The Peerless One needed only Calgary to cover against Winnipeg to cap off a perfect week.

He was so confident about the Stamps, he touted the pick with extreme enthusiasm to Railbird Brad, one of his longtime friends and an avid punter of Canadian Football League games. Peerless used the expression "heavy leanage," popularized by a gambling guru best known as Cash.

Alas, it was not to be. Calgary didn't win by the converted touchdown, so Peerless and Railbird took it on the chin.

Peerless is convinced the Railbird is the human anchor.

Meatloaf said two out of three ain't bad, but Peerless will take that one step further by saying three out of four ain't bad - unless it's all in on one game.

Peerless believes it's best to hedge all bets.

So on to another week of Perry's Peerless Picks, also knows as Pigskin Pontificating for Pundits.

Friday

Saskatchewan (4-1) at Montreal (4-1)

What a way to start off the slate of games. The last two times these two teams have played it has gone down to the last play. Can this be a continuation of the theme? The Riders humbled the Als in the opening game of the season, giving them a small measure of revenge for what happened in last year's Grey Cup but what's going on with the Riders now? They haven't been nearly as explosive offensively or defensively since that thrilling season-opening victory in overtime against the Als. They have given up 153 points so far, tied for the second most in the league. They also have scored the second-most points. But everyone knows that defence wins more often than not. Darian Durant's percentages are slipping. He has eight touchdown passes, but a troubling five interceptions. His quarterback rating is 94.5%, and it has been declining. This has to be troubling. If he can pick apart the Als like he did in the opener with five touchdown passes, then there is no cause for concern. But he has only tossed three TD passes in the last four games and five interceptions. He's also had two costly fumbles in the last two games. The Riders are also having trouble finishing drives, and you simply can't miss opportunities against Montreal. The Riders beat Hamilton by 13 points last week, but gave up 425 passing yards. They picked off two passes, both on deflections. Quarterback Kevin Glenn and receiver Arland Bruce ripped the Riders' defence apart. Here's where missing outstanding defensive ends John Chick and Stevie Baggs is starting to have an effect. Replacing those two is easier said than done. The Als have changed from a blitz-happy group to more of a zone-defence unit, protecting the back end against man-to-man coverage, in particular going deep. They were torched in the first two games of the season before making adjustments. Montreal has been solid since returning home from its three-game, season-opening road trip. They've tightened up defensively and poured it on offensively. Versatile running back Avon Cobourne added another element to the attack last week. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo looks to be headed for another Most Outstanding Player of the Year Award.

Randall the Handle has the Als favoured by 4½.

And the prediction is: Als to cover.

Toronto (3-2) at Edmonton (1-4)

Seldom has a 3-2 team been under as much criticism as the Argos, who only won three games all season last year under the unforgettable Bart Andrus. The Argos are last in every passing category and the media has focused on rookie quarterback Cleo Lemon. It's caused head coach Jim Barker to lose his cool, calling the media ignorant. Lemon has been only average so far, although like every other former NFL quarterback he will need a whole season to understand the complexities of the CFL game. We've seen far worse examples in recent years, Mike McMahon being exhibit A. The Argos have won because of solid defence and a good ground game. The Als put the boots to the Argos last time out by shutting down the running game and slicing and dicing the defence. What it exposed more than anything is that the Argos are not in the same class as the Als. Few teams are. They need to focus on the strength of their running game because the Eskimos have been vulnerable in this area. That said, the Eskimos are a fired-up team following their first win of the season. Edmonton has a chance to attack the Argos up the gut because of changes due to injuries in the interior of the defensive line. Expect running back Arkee Whitlock to be used a lot to break down the defence. Ricky Ray's play is better than the numbers indicate because of too many dropped balls and wrong routes by the receivers. That wasn't an issue in the last game for the most part.

Eskimos are favoured by six.

And the prediction is Eskimos to cover.

Saturday

Winnipeg (2-3) against Hamilton (1-4)

The first of a home-and-home series which will end four games that these teams will have played against one another in the first seven weeks of the season. They are even so far, each team winning at home. Winnipeg put up a nice fight against Calgary last week playing with a depleted lineup due to injuries. It will continue this week with the loss of standout rookie receiver Terence Jeffers-Harris due to an ankle injury. Chris Davis, who played for the Cats at one point, is scheduled to replace him. This may be the week that Buck Pierce returns after a two-game absence with a right knee injury suffered in the loss to Hamilton. He was on fire for the first two games of the season, rushing and passing the ball. He may be a little reserved first game back. Then again, he may be backing up Steven Jyles, who was serviceable starting in the last two games. Winnipeg is winless on the road and 1-2 against East Division teams. Strongside linebacker Ike Charlton was cut and will be replaced by either Clint Kent or Bernard Hicks. Defensive end Philip Hunt is tied for the league lead with six sacks. Brady Browne is back in at safety because starter Ian Logan re-injured his hamstring. Hamilton's game plan is simple: create offence via the pass, although they did display more of a running game last week. They will likely try to create situations to test Browne. Hamilton disposed of Winnipeg easily in Week 3. One area they need to address is the overall kicking game. Rookie Justin Palardy, who has had too many punts blocked, has been replaced by an import. And it will be interesting to see how embattled field-goal kicker Sandro DeAngelis fares. Hamilton has had the tougher schedule to date: Aside from a one-sided loss to Montreal, they held their own against Calgary and Saskatchewan.

Hamilton is favoured by three.

And the prediction is: Hamilton to cover.

Calgary (4-1) at B.C. (1-4)

The Stamps are starting to get their groove together. The addition of standout guard Dmitri Tsoumpas, back from a tryout in the NFL, is huge. It adds veteran presence and seals up what was a problem for the team at the start of the season. Receiver Ken-Yon Rambo returned last week and added toughness and skill. Nik Lewis seemed to feed off Rambo's presence. The team appears to be moving closer to the pace and strength it displayed two years ago when it was dominant. The sound thrashing it gave Saskatchewan two weeks ago was a huge indicator. Quarterback Henry Burris has six touchdowns and only two interceptions in his last two games after throwing five touchdown and six interceptions in his first three games. His quarterback percentage ratings in the last two games have increased dramatically. Maybe he needed that horrible game against Toronto in Week 3 to refocus. That was also a game in which the Stamps had little practice time playing two games in five days. Back at home and with practice time and the return of some key players, they have been a different group. There's been some solid additions on defence and that aspect is starting to come together. Now on to B.C. It's been limping along this season, showing little on offence and defence. It is back at home, but is winless at Empire Field. Star receiver Geroy Simon is frustrated, not unlike last year at this time. My own opinion is the Lions have fallen on hard times losing too many standout players to the NFL, notably defensive standouts Cameron Wake and Ricky Foley. The offensive line has been under construction since the start of the season. Maybe deciding they could live without rugged offensive tackles Rob Murphy and Jason Jimenez, who were simply outstanding in 2006, was a mistake. You can pinpoint to a variety of factors what is ailing this franchise. They lack swagger. It really all comes down to one thing: consistency and, most of all, solid play at the quarterback spot. It was a revolving door last year and it's been almost the same this year. Travis Lulay will start his third consecutive game and he and the offensive line need to be better.

Stamps are favoured by 4½.

And the prediction is: Calgary to cover.

Record last week: 3-1

Record to date: 8-11-1