You've heard of Marley and Me, the story of a sportswriter and his dog?
Well, this is Randall and Me, the story of a sportswriter and his handicapping mentor who keeps dogging him about not picking the dogs.
Randall was all over this week after I went 1-3 with my picks last week.
"Wasn't it Albert Einstein who defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? STOP TAKING ALL FAVES!!!"
He said some other things, which clearly are best left in an email discussion because the content and tone are aggressive in nature and suited for a mature audience. I think that's what they say about pro wrestling?
But since Randall is my sensei of selections, I have to respect him. He didn't earn his reputation by losing.
Me, I'm just a guy trying to figure out the Canadian Football League and I've only been at it since 1995.
After going 8-0, I have fallen mightily in the last fortnight with a 1-7 record.
Hey, who could have imagined the Stamps would fall against B.C.? If you were one of the pundits who took the Lions and the points, good on you.
And what about Montreal winning by only four against Winnipeg? Again, the dog ruled.
Saskatchewan came through against Hamilton, but thoughts of breaking even ended when Toronto played like dogs. That one really irked Randall, wondering how I could possibly pick the Argos to win and having to cover the spread.
Oh, well, just another week in the world of Randall and Me.
Then again, it could have been worse. I could have had my picture splashed across the internet wearing a woman's bra.
Hey, stuff happens.
Oh, well, on to this week's version of Perry's Peerless Picks, and beginning this week we provide updated lines. Randall provides me with his lines every Monday, but told me the change during the week, so I'll start providing the early line and the latest one.
If you want additional information on handicapping and understanding the shifting of the lines, listen to Randall Sunday mornings starting at 10 on Inside The Lines on the Fan590.
Friday
Montreal (9-3) at Calgary (9-3)
The battle of the top teams in each division. Montreal lit it up against Winnipeg, with quarterback Anthony Calvillo throwing five touchdowns, including a dramatic one at the end that became the winning points. He'll have to do without ace receiver Kerry Watkins, who is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury. Brian Bratton and Andrew Hawkins pull up the slack. The one concern now for the Als is their defence, which occasionally plays loose and gets burned on the back end. It happened early in the season and surfaced last week against Winnipeg. Calgary is on a two-game losing streak and is coming off arguably their worst game of the season. Similar to a loss in Toronto, quarterback Henry Burris turned the ball over too many times. It would be inconceivable to see him do it two games in a row, in particular consecutively at home. Receiver Nik Lewis should be back in action after missing one game and he adds a swagger to the receiving corps. Defensive lineman Tom Johnson also in back in the lineup. This is arguably the most important game the Stamps will play this season. They simply can't afford to throw craps again because Saskatchewan is making a run at them, and losing three in a row would be cause for concern. This has to be a statement game for Calgary, but the points concern me.
Randall had the Stamps by 3, but the line is now 3½.
Prediction: Als and the points.
Saturday
Saskatchewan (8-4) at Toronto (6-6)
I liked what Saskatchewan did in the last game, moving Gene Makowsky inside and having Joel Bell move into his place. Makowsky is more effective now inside. The Riders are on a nice two-game roll and showed last week they can come from behind after trailing 15-0 early. The team settled down, notably the offence. Quarterback Darian Durant had another amazing game, but he was joined by his receivers. And the defence came up huge, playing with some backups. Rush end Brent Hawkins will miss this game as well. The Riders will know by game time whether they have a chance to tie Calgary or will be four points behind. That may play a part in their psychology. They are facing Argo backup Dalton Bell, who formerly was a member of the Riders, so you know defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry will throw all kinds of fronts at the inexperienced QB. Just because Bell faced them in practice doesn't mean it will help him in real game action. The Argos had a wake-up call in Moncton, where they were embarrassed by Edmonton. Maybe Bell will do something extraordinary and usurp the starting quarterback job from Cleo Lemon, who is sidelined with a concussion. Running back Cory Boyd will likely be back in action following his layoff due to concussion problems. Boyd lit it up in the first third of the season with four 100-plus yards rushing game, but started to lose his effectiveness after that, contributing to the Argos' 2-4 record in the second third of the season. He'll be rusty and possibly tentative. It simply doesn't bode well for the Argos, who again will need big plays in their return game from their special teams. Saskatchewan is the only team that hasn't scored a TD on a return. I think the Riders are due.
Randall had the Riders by five, but it's now down to 3½.
Prediction: Saskatchewan to cover.
Winnipeg (3-9) at B.C. (4-8)
What a heartbreaker for the Blue Bombers last week. They deserved a win, but again didn't close out. Quarterback Steven Jyles has missed practice time this week with the flu, but will start. He's shown some ability in spurts this year. The Bombers should exploit the Lions weakness against the run by using Fred Reid early and often. Receiver Terence Jeffers-Harris, whom I tabbed as a rookie-of-the-year candidate, returns to the lineup for the first time since suffering a nasty ankle injury in game five. This guy was en route to a great season. He should add something to the receiving corps. Then again, this group can't continue to drop passes. How many times has that been said this year? But I believe the strength of the Bombers is their defence, notably their front seven. They have a chance to really dominate the Lions' line, which has been porous due to injuries. Defensive back Jonathan Hefney, who was a stud as a rookie last year, has returned from the NFL and provides badly-need help in the secondary. The Lions are on a nice roll with three wins in their last four. Travis Lulay starts in place of inconsistent Casey Printers, but Lulay has done better off the bench than starting. The Lions can play the power running game if they have to because of their abundance of quality running backs. But they need to do a better job up front and they need to finish drives. Lions are 1-5 at home, while the Bombers are 0-6 on the road.
Randall had the Lions by five, but the line has dropped to 4½.
Prediction: Bombers and the points.
Sunday
Hamilton (6-6) at Edmonton (3-9)
Ticats lost their edge last time out, but let's give credit to Saskatchewan, which proved to be the better team. Then again, some costly turnovers by running back DeAndre' Cobb in the scoring zone simply made the difference between winning and losing. Hamilton has played well against teams with records of .500 or worse. They've yet to rise up to beat the likes of Montreal, Calgary and the Riders. But the Eskimos, despite their victory in Moncton, are a team struggling from week to week. They were fortunate the Argos decided to turn the ball over every time Edmonton gave it to them. The Eskimos are back home following a two-game road trip. Was the victory over Toronto the start of a turnaround or an aberration from what has been an abhorrent season? They received some solid running from underrated Canadian running back Calvin McCarty, but the passing game is still faltering. Hamilton has a solid front four and newcomers Stevie Baggs played well in his Ticat debut. So the key here is for the Eskimos' offensive line to create holes in the run game to open up the passing game. The Eskimos have been hard hit by injuries this year and several players are coming back from nine-game layoffs, including receiver Kamau Peterson, who was struggling before his injury.
Randall opened the lines with Edmonton plus one, but now the betting has Hamilton by one.
Prediction: Ticats to cover.
Last week: 1-3
Record on this season: 23-24-1
