Okay, it’s the start of the second season.
Even though there’s 10 games to go on the 18-game schedule, Labour Day is considered the start of the second season.
There are still plenty of games to go, and still time to improve my record.
At times it’s felt like hard labour doing this.
I’ve been moving closer to the .500 mark, which might not seem like a lot, but it is when you’re picking against the spread.
And when you think the Roughriders are a lock…
There are so many variables going into the four games: quarterback Anthony Calvillo is out of Montreal’s lineup and the Als aren’t nearly as powerful. He leaves a gaping hole in the lineup, which the Als are hoping to fill with a guy named Leak.
Then again, the Als are playing the B.C. Lions, who are on a seven-game winless streak. What’s become of Wally Buono, the winningest coach in Canadian Football League history? He’s riding a seven-game winless streak. We recall a guy named Matthews who endured a similar winless skid.
In Winnipeg, questions abound about who will be the starting quarterback. Will it be Buck Pierce or Steven Jyles? More importantly, will the receivers learn to hold on to the ball? And will rookie head coach Paul LaPolice turn loose running back Fred Reid?
Will Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant stop throwing interceptions and try running the ball more when the pass isn’t there?
Will the prime receivers become more involved in the play or will the offence go away from their skills?
Will Edmonton start a positive winning streak after scoring a surprise upset over Saskatchewan, or was it just one of those cases where on any given day any team can be beat?
Should Edmonton Sun columnist Terry Jones be installed as the de facto head coach?
Will the Ticats continue their winning streak? As long as they keep winning, head coach Marcel Bellefeuille will keep his goatee. We wonder if the stadium issue in Hamilton will be resolved in favour of Ticat owner Bob Young or will city council vote him down? Perry’s Peerless Predictions can’t figure this one out and his spy, Deep Throw, is unsure. Randall the Handle tells me it’s a pick ‘em.
And lastly, what about the Calgary Stampeders?
Will they continue to be the class of the league? We see no reason why, and we think Dave Dickenson may be head-coaching material, perhaps as early as next season.
So without further ado, we continue with Canada’s favourite pigskin pundit – okay, many don’t share that notion – providing peerless prognostications.
On two: Ready, break.
Friday
B.C. (1-7) at Montreal (6-2):
The Lions are simply dreadful.
They are in total disarray and their offensive line is terrible. Casey Printers begins his second game back after his layoff due to a knee injury and he was running for his life. But let’s look at the positive: the Lions finished strongly in their loss to Calgary, pushing the ball down field. This potentially could be the key weapon to neutralizing Montreal, which early in the season was giving up the long ball.
Printers has one of the best arms in the league and is great at making plays on the run. And their running game isn’t that bad when they want to use it.
Really like the versatility of rookie Yonus Davis, who is fast becoming one of the best all-purpose players in the league. Discarded Eskimo Joe McGrath is inserted into the offensive line.
The Als are not nearly as formidable without Calvillo in the lineup. Chris Leak has had some shaky moments when thrust into action. He’ll have had lots of time to get ready for his starting job. He has all the weapons, but can he deliver the goods? And will the rest of the team rally around him, both on offence and defence? This will be a team game for the Als without their most outstanding player.
Randall the Handle has the Als by 10.
Prediction: Lions and the points.
Sunday:
Winnipeg (2-6) and Saskatchewan (5-3)
At least the Bombers have had some time to rest some of their ailing bodies. No team has been hit as hard as the Bombers have this year. That’s why it’s anybody’s guess whether it will be Jyles or Pierce starting. I’d lean to Jyles. He hasn’t played that badly. Remember, Adarius Bowman dropped two passes destined for touchdowns. It’s up to Bowman and Terrence Edwards to step up. These guys are playmakers. And Brock Ralph has to be better.
If in doubt, give the ball to running back Fred Reid.
Defensively, the cornerbacks have to do a better job of reading plays. Two games in a row they’ve been misreading plays that went for touchdowns.
As for Saskatchewan, they’ve got some problems. They clearly aren’t playing with the same authority as last year. Something is seriously missing. Durant’s numbers speak volumes, as do the lack of catches by Weston Dressler and Andy Fantuz. What’s happened to return specialist Dominique Dorsey? Has he lost a step, or is it the system? Playing at Mosaic Stadium, the fans will be pumped, and they may be restless, too, if the Green Riders don’t play with more intensity.
Randall has the Roughriders by 10.
Prediction: Bombers and the points.
Monday
Toronto (5-3) at Hamilton (4-4)
Argonauts head coach Jim Barker has received rave reviews in Toronto for the job he’s done with Toronto. He only needs two more wins to match the franchise victory total for the past two seasons. But this is a team still struggling in some areas, notably at quarterback.
Barker can defend Cleo Lemon all he wants, but Lemon has yet to win games by himself. The team has won with great defence and outstanding special teams. The running game has been great with Cory Boyd, but he’s been shut down in the past two games.
Hamilton is starting to play with the kind of proficiency that made them a strong contender for first place in my pre-season assessment. Some of their losses were largely because of lousy kicking and punting, which appears to have been resolved. What’s really been key to their recent success has been the play of running back DeAndre’ Cobb. He’s starting to gain some yardage on the ground.
Labour Day in Hamilton is a chance for Ticat supporters to shout "Argos suck."
They’ll be noisy and this will force the Argos to go with a silent snap count. It will be one more thing for Lemon to adjust.
Randall has the Ticats by 3.
Prediction: Ticats to win.
Edmonton (2-6) at Calgary (6-2):
Well, the Eskimos did it. They won a game and temporarily silenced the restless fans and media.
So do they go with Ricky Ray at quarterback or Jared Zabransky? It’s not even an issue. Ray is the guy. Find a way to move the ball by using running back Arkee Whitlock more. The offence doesn’t need to be pushing the ball down field. Go with a good ground game to try and soften up the defence.
Ray isn’t going to make many plays with his feet, but he can when he needs to, but the pass blocking needs to be better. Why not go with a bunch formation of twin tight ends. All Ray needs is a little more time.
If the defence can rise to the occasion similar to the last game, the Eskimos have a chance.
The Stamps are just oozing with confidence. There aren’t many holes in the lineup. They’ve added defensive lineman Corey Mace, while offensive lineman Jesse Newman has returned after a surprising retirement before the start of the season (though he remains a trade possibility). Early in the year, the Stamps’ offensive line wasn’t cohesive, with new players on board. Now the offensive line is sound.
Quarterback Henry Burris made some poor decisions in the last game, but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. We see receiver Nik Lewis possibly becoming a contender for outstanding player of the year. He certainly is the Tweeter of the Year.
We like the way fellow receiver Ken-Yon Rambo has returned to form. And how about the job of getting backup running back Jon Cornish more involved in the offence? It can’t help but keep Joffrey Reynolds fresh, though he’s a workhorse. The defence let up late in the last game, but head coach John Hufnagel won’t allow for complacency. I think this team is starting to play more like the team that won the Grey Cup in 2008.
Stamps are favoured by 12.
Prediction: Stamps to cover.
Record last week: 1-1.
Record to date: 15-18-1
