Perry is on a sweet Tootsie Roll but with a visit to the Hammer on tap, things may get rocky.
The Peerless One is feeling good about himself.
He's 6-2 over the last two weeks.
Randall the Handle tells him maybe he's finally realizing the favourites don't always cover.
Then again, Randall has been away the last two weeks.
Oh, well, on to Week 5, dedicated to Runako Reth, the football player formerly known as Arland Bruce the Third. We plan to visit him this week at Ivor Wynne Stadium, where the Ticats are hoping to beat the might Alouettes.
Thursday
B.C. (0-4) at Winnipeg (3-1)
We keep wondering what possessed us to pick B.C. to win the Grey Cup. Maybe by season's end that will happen. Not looking too good now. At least the Lions know they can run the ball and won't rely strictly on the pass. Trouble now is the defence. What's happened to it? What's happened to Peerless's favourite defensive player Solomon Elimimian, the Eliminator? A big concern is how the Lions' pass protection will hold up against the Bombers' defence. The Lions' back end has problems guarding against the deep ball. It's going to be a packed house at Canad Inns Stadium and hearts will be heavy following the sudden passing of Bombers' defensive line coach Richard Harris. Quarterback Buck Pierce lit it up against Toronto. When he's running like that and making plays, he's among the best in the league. But the Bombers need to get more out of running back Fred Reid. Tonight's the night - I think Rod Stewart said it best, but in a different context.
Bombers favoured by three.
And the pick is: Bombers to cover.
Friday
Montreal (3-1) at Hamilton (2-2)
Als finally tasted defeat, albeit without Anthony Calvillo for most of the game. For the limited time he played, he struggled. Calvillo is back this week. Tackle Josh Bourke is back after missing a game, and receiver Kerry Watkins makes his season debut following off-season nasal surgery. Safety Etienne (Woolly) Boulay is out and a raw rookie is in his place. Don't see the Als losing two in a row, even if it is the Ticats they're facing. Hamilton is jacked after winning two in a row. Big story is running back Avon Cobourne still yakking about the Als and how they didn't re-sign him. He should be thanking them. He got more money in Ticatland. Cobourne has also been trash-talking on Twitter about Als' deebee Dwight Anderson, who started out in Hamilton but was a bust there. Anderson got fined for eye-gouging Roughriders' Weston Dressler last weekend, and now says it was purely an accident. Cats' offence is slowly developing a rhythm now that Kevin Glenn is getting time to go through his reads (ever since Coach Lefko suggested putting Belton Johnson in at left tackle two games ago and the Cats are 2-0 since). They are getting production out of their receiving corps, notably Dave Stala and last week rookie Chris Williams, but Arland (Call me Runako Reth or Handsome King, if you please) Bruce still needs to do more. Put the ball in his hands early on a hitch and let him runaka with the ball. Multi-purpose returner Marcus Thigpen is piling up yards. Ticats were sky-high after mauling the Als in pre-season and got whacked in the season opener.
Als favoured by 3½. That extra half a point worries me.
And the pick is: Ticats and the points.
Toronto (1-3) at Edmonton (4-0)
The Argos are unsettled at quarterback, and their defence has tons of injuries. They at least showed some life on offence last week. If taking middle linebacker Ejiro Kuale out of the game caused the Argos to self-destruct last week, they need to be stronger than that. The Argos would be winless at this point if Calgary didn't have a kicking problem when it lost to Toronto. So clearly the team that Jim Barker turned around last year has regressed. They face the hottest quarterback in the league, and you know Ricky Ray will be testing the depleted secondary. Argos played zone against Montreal fearing the deep ball and Calvillo nickel and dimed them. I see the same thing this time, except the Eskimos have a damn good running game, too. It's hard to think the Eskimos will not get the job done. They'll miss defensive end Greg Peach, who is out for a month or so. Receiver Adarius Bowman is sidelined with cracked ribs.
Eskimos favoured by nine.
And the pick is: Eskimos to cover.
Saturday
Calgary (2-2) at Saskatchewan (1-3)
Wondering when Calgary will finally get it together. No time better than now with Henry Burris going to Saskatchewan and hearing the legion of Hank Haters booing him. If the Stamps start giving the ball to Joffrey Reynolds more, I'd feel good about them. But a problem now would seem to be their kicking. Rookie kicker Rene Paredes has experienced problems in his last two games after a solid opener. Playing in Regina is hard at the best of times for kickers, let alone rookies. Middle linebacker Juwan Simpson is injured and replaced by defensive lineman Robert McCune. Riders came to life against Als. Yes, Calvillo was out for most of the game, but Stamps were making it difficult for him, and they still had success against the Als' defence, which can be porous at times. When quarterback Darian Durant is moving the pocket and receiver Chris Getzlaf is making plays, it's a different team from the one which did little in the first three games.
Stamps are favoured by 2½ points. I'm a little surprised by that. They're playing on the road in a tough place and they're only two points ahead of the Riders.
And the pick is: Riders and the points.
Record last week: 3-1
Record to date: 9-7.
