Perry tries to get back on track with his Week 7 picks.
Another week of two wins, two losses, and once again the Calgary Stampeders have me puzzled. Just when you figure the Stamps are going to win by a small amount, they secure victory by their largest margin, thereby covering the point spread with ease.
One third of the way into the 2011 Canadian Football League season, the Peerless One is still in the plus overall. The teams projected to win have won for the most part this year, but the favourites haven't covered the spread with similar results.
It's why Randall the Handle, who provides the CFL betting line worldwide, says it's better to play the dog.
So, in tribute to Randall and receiver Arland Bruce The Third, also known as Runako Reth and suiting up this week for the first time as a member of the B.C. Lions since last week's trade from Hamilton, we present Perry's Peerless Picks, Week 7 edition.
Thursday
Edmonton (5-1) at Montreal (4-2)
This is a true test of the Eskimos' resolve. This is the back half of their two-game road trip that began with a humbling 28-16 loss to Winnipeg last Friday. They turned the ball over five times after only five turnovers collectively in their first five games. They have lost standout receiver Fred Stamps for four to six weeks following abdominal surgery, which further depletes their receiving corps with Adarius Bowman (ribs) and Andrew Nowacki (hamstring) already sidelined. So that's a strength that has been neutralized. Edmonton has a good ground game, but with a diminished passing attack it will have to shoulder the load now. The Als are always tough at home, and when quarterback Anthony Calvillo comes out firing like he did last week against Toronto, he's tough to stop. The Als lost one game without Calvillo for the most part in the lineup and the next game he was frustrated and likely not 100 per cent against a solid Hamilton team that had the crowd in its favour. Calvillo has seen enough of the Eskimos' new defence and tendencies to have an idea what to do.
Als favoured by 6½.
And the pick is: Als to cover.
Friday
Calgary (4-2) at Saskatchewan (1-5)
The Stamps are really starting to come together, notably at quarterback. Henry Burris is in a groove and he's already led his team to victory in Riderville this year. The passing and running games are starting to develop as their best players are starting to impose their will. Receiver Nik Lewis ran over the opposition last week and it appears as if Joffrey Reynolds is starting to wear down the opposition again. If some of the injured players return this week, such as receiver Ken-Yon Rambo, it could be really scary. Rookie kicker Rene Paredes appears to be back on his game. Middle linebacker Robert McCune, converted from a defensive lineman, has emerged as a stud. The Roughriders are in disarray. They had a chance to beat B.C. last week but simply looked dazed and confused, which was evident when field goal kicker Eddie Johnson was standing on the field waiting for his holder. This may be the most important game for the Riders to date this year. They have not won at home, the fans are anxious and fingers of blame are being pointed, though not from inside the team. They traded for import receiver Dallas Baker from Montreal and he'll be plugged into the lineup. But the team has to make some ratio changes because starting Canadian defensive lineman Luc Mullinder went to Montreal in the trade. Shomari Williams, a former No. 1 overall draft pick who has yet to crack the lineup as a starter, may take his spot. However, the whole thing shakes out the team needs to find a way to get quarterback Darian Durant moving - literally. He can make plays with his feet when the pocket breaks down or it's a called play, but he needs to do more zone reads or bootlegs to confuse the defence. The Stamps like to take chances, but they can be thrown off with some variations in formations.
Stamps favoured by 3½.
And the pick is Stamps to cover
Saturday
Toronto (1-5) at Hamilton (3-3)
This has been billed by one Toronto newspaper as the non-Labour Day Classic, given that the two teams won't be playing one another in Hamilton in their annual back-to-school showdown. The Argos winless in their last five, just fired their defensive co-ordinator and have lost another starting Canadian linebacker for the season. Other than that, it's all good. On a more positive note, quarterback Cleo Lemon played his best game as an Argo last week, making only one turnover on a tipped ball. He matched Anthony Calvillo in the first two series. Power running back Cory Boyd returns and he'll be chomping to run the ball. He runs well with fresh legs, so all signs suggest he should be hard to handle. The Argos used a power fullback last week, so I would expect that in some situations to neutralize the Cats' powerful defence, which is versatile. The Cats' three-game win streak came to an end last week in Hamilton when the offence bogged down in the second half and the defence didn't do its job. You know collectively they will want to improve in all aspects, and undoubtedly the crowd, which was a huge factor in the victory against Montreal two games ago, should be in their favour, even if it's not Labour Day.
Ticats are favoured by 7½.
And the pick: Argos and the points.
Winnipeg (5-1) at B.C. (1-5)
Bombers are simply living the good life now. They are off to their best start in almost 25 years. Swaggerville is definitely for real. The Bombers will likely be without two starting defensive linemen this week, but overall the defence has been strong and getting results from so many different players. The offence is really on fire because quarterback Buck Pierce is healthy and moving the pocket. The receiving corps is solid and Pierce will undoubtedly try to exploit the Lions' back end. The Lions finally won a game this year, but their opposition didn't seem to want to win or know how. This is a far bigger challenge. Arland Bruce III makes his debut for B.C. and you know he will be looking to make plays after he became an afterthought in Hamilton's offence. He will help take the load off of Geroy Simon, who simply took the game into his own hands last week. It was a rare win for the Lions at home and now they'll try to double up.
Lions favoured by 1½.
And the pick is: Winnipeg and the points.
Record last week: 2-2
Overall record this year: 13-11 .
