Peerless’ longshot special came through last week but his best bet didn’t.
Such is life handicapping the Canadian Football League.
Peerless thought the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were good as a longshot and they not only covered the spread, they won, beating the league-leading Saskatchewan Roughriders quite handily.
But the Montreal Alouettes blew a huge lead and lost to the Toronto Argonauts. Peerless had the Als to cover.
Peerless had a 2-2 record overall, which wasn’t too bad, all things considered.
He was concerned his boss, Mellow Gary, was going to call him out like Ed Hervey did with Simeon Rottier. Honest Ed now knows the troubles of his Edmonton Eskimos run far deeper than just the Rottweiler. That was another rookie mistake by Hervey.
And speaking of the Blue Bombers, they will go back into the West Division next season now that Ottawa is coming back into the fold. Winnipeg is routinely on the move to the East in the CFL, even if its geographic landscape is in the West.
If the Maritime BlackReds are ever granted a franchise, they will be in the East.
But we get far too ahead of ourselves. We’re still trying to understand how the Hamilton Tiger-Cats ended up in Guelph, which used to be the site for the Argos’ training camp when Peerless first began covering the CFL.
The GM of the Argos at the time was Bob O’Billovich and the starting quarterback Kent Austin. Well, midway through that season, Obie canned rookie head coach Mike Faragalli and took over the dual role.
Obie retired from the CFL after last season in which he served as the Ticats’ GM. His replacement as GM/head coach became Austin.
And that’s enough of Down Memory Lane with Peerless.
Hamilton (5-5) at Calgary (8-2)
Friday, 9:00 p.m. McMahon Stadium
Why Hamilton can win: Starting to put it together in almost all phases. The offence is balanced with a strong running game and an aerial attack that is getting better and healthier.
The run stopping is good, which is a must against Calgary, and have to figure the blitz level will be persistent against Bo Levi Mitchell, who is likely to start.
The one area the team is weak in is the return game.
Hamilton has been inconsistent on the road, facing a team that is unbeaten at home and is playing at a high level.
Just not really sure how to read the Ticats, particularly when the crowd will work against them.
Why Calgary can win: Unbeaten at home and against East Division teams. Mitchell made plays on the ground last week and that is imperative against the Ticats’ pressure defence.
Receiver Mo Price could be the difference with his speed should the plays change on the fly. Of course the accent will be on running back Jon Cornish, who piled up huge yards on the ground in the last game.
The Stamps’ D Line is tough to handle.
The spread: Calgary -6
The pick is: Calgary to cover.
Winnipeg (2-8) at Edmonton (1-9)
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. Commonwealth Stadium
Why Winnipeg can win: The Bombers put it together last Sunday against Saskatchewan with the upset of the season. Winnipeg blitzed like crazy and made things miserable for Riders’ quarterback Darian Durant.
Playing a young quarterback with a terrible offensive line, you have to figure the game plan won’t be much different. The Bombers defence was finally rewarded for its hard work. So all the offence has to do is avoid mistakes.
With some consistency at quarterback and the continued work with Marcel Bellefeuille there are signs of improvement. If the Bombers can establish some momentum, the crowd will turn on the Eskimos.
Why Edmonton can win: They have yet to win at home this year, but they beat themselves last Friday with missed field goals and an inability to finish drives in the score zone.
The Eskimos simply have to provide better protection. They also have to play error-free, meaning no dropped balls.
With eight consecutive losses, the Eskimos have tied a franchise futility going back to 1971. Really hard to make a case for Edmonton with what’s been happening on and off the field.
The spread: Edmonton -5
The pick is: Bombers and the points.
Toronto (6-4) at Saskatchewan (8-2)
Saturday, 9:35 Mosaic Stadium
Why Toronto can win: Bursting with confidence after beating Montreal in a come-from-behind win. Quarterback Zach Collaros did okay in the second half when the Argos moved the pocket. The kid plays well making plays on the run.
The Argos receivers could pose threats for the Riders’ secondary. If I’m the Argos, I go after cornerback Dwight Anderson early to try to get him upset.
Punter/kicker Swayze Waters is slated to return from a long layoff due to injury and he could be crucial to what has been problems converting field goals.
The Riders beat the Argonauts by 11 in Toronto with Ricky Ray early in the schedule with the Argos’ secondary blowing some coverages. The Riders aren’t the same team now as then.
Why Saskatchewan can win: The Roughriders are 2-2 in their last four and there are signs of concern.
Some people in Rider Nation are all over quarterback Darian Durant, who has thrown picks in his last two games and the team as a whole is making far too many turnovers.
Riders gave up more sacks in their last game than all previous games this season. The Argos are capable of playing the same type of pressure defence.
Saskatchewan needs to get better production out of running back Kory Sheets, whose numbers are starting to drop. He’s been held under 100 yards in three of the last four contests. That’s a huge stat.
With all the problems on the field and news this week that two starters have been charged with assault, this is a time for concern for head coach Corey Chamblin, who is facing his first real crisis this season.
The spread: Saskatchewan -8
The pick is: Argonauts and the points
Montreal (4-6) at B.C. (6-4)
Sunday, 4:35 B.C. Place
Why Montreal can win: Als had a modest two-game win streak before losing last week by blowing a big-time lead. Some questionable decisions by quarterback Tanner Marsh played a role but he wasn’t alone. In his third start, he may improve because it’s not uncommon for a dropoff after a great opening start.
I’d like to see the Als pound the ball with running back Jerome Messam, who is averaging almost five yards a carry. With Brandon Whitaker out for the season, this is Messam’s time to make a statement.
The Alouettes’ defence has to do better than it did in the second half last week against Toronto.
Why B.C. can win: The Lions are 5-0 at home. Quarterback Travis Lulay has seven touchdowns and only one pick in his last three games. He’s also taken a beating, which is why B.C. traded for Buck Pierce, who knows all about getting pounded.
The running game has disappeared. Andrew Harris has been a non-factor in the last five games and this has to be a concern. There are issues with the receivers, too.
One characteristic of the Lions is they don’t blow away opponents at home, winning by an average of eight and quite often don’t cover.
The spread: B.C. -9
The pick is: Alouettes and the points.
Record last week: 2-2
Record this season: 19-19-1