Canadian bacon: CFL Week 7 preview and picks
By CHARLES-ANDRÉ MARCHAND
Charles-André Marchand is a play-by-play announcer and Canadian Football League analyst for CKAC-730 AM.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS AT EDMONTON ESKIMOS (-1, 59)
This could very well be the best game of Week 7, when two great rivals led by two of the best quarterbacks in the league meet for the first time this season. This being said, the supporting cast around Henry Burris, specially the offensive line, seems more solid than the one Ricky Ray can count on. But it is never easy for anyone, even the Stampeders, to pick up a game at Commonwealth Stadium. You can expect a very close game and if that’s the case, you have to go with the home team.
Pick: Edmonton -1
BC LIONS AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS (+3, 46.5)
No matter who starts at quarterback, if the offensive line doesn’t do the job, you won’t win a football game. Cody Pickett will try to ignite the Argos offence but how will he do that if he has no time to find his receivers and throw the ball? And how is he to perform miracles when his head coach, Bart Andrus, seems way over his head when play calling three-down football? Calling a sweep on the weak side on a third and short situation last week in Montreal comes to mind. It’s even worse when the entire team gives yardage by the ton through terrible penalties. The B.C. Lions have had their fair share of problems and a QB controversy of their own. But they are a much better team than the Argonauts at this point and should win this one.
Pick: B.C. -3
MONTREAL ALOUETTES AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (+8, 48)
Winnipeg will try to run the ball and with backs like Fred Reid and Yvenson Bernard, they should. The problem is that it is exactly what the Alouettes will be expecting and have prepared for during practice. Will Michael Bishop be able to create chaos in Montreal’s secondary by throwing deep and take advantage of tall WR Adarius Bowman against two cornerbacks that are only 5-foot-9? That might be the key. But Bishop will need his offensive line to contain the Alouettes front seven if he is going to take advantage of that apparent mismatch. The defensive unit will also need to step up to slow down Anthony Calvillo and his impressive arsenal of receivers. The Bombers have the second-worst offensive record in the CFL and are facing the second most potent attack.
Pick: Montreal -8
HAMILTON TIGER CATS AT SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (-5, 52.5)
It’s an interesting showdown in Regina between these surprising squads who lead the CFL in points against after six games. Not exactly what they are used to in Saskatchewan. DeAndra Cobb is a solid running back and he should inflict some damage to the Riders but I doubt that it will be enough. Hamilton this season has played with discipline avoiding giving costly turnovers or taking bad penalties. The Roughriders should make note of that, especially after last week when QB Darian Durant threw two interceptions in a 35-20 loss to B.C. Home advantage should be a big factor in this one.
CALGARY (3 - 3) at EDMONTON (3 - 3) - 8/13/2009, 9:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 4-2 against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 4-2 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
9:00 PM
CALGARY vs. EDMONTON
Calgary is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 5 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Edmonton is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Edmonton's last 13 games at home
Calgary at Edmonton
The Stampeders look to build on their 5-2 ATS record in their last 7 games in Edmonton. Calgary is the pick (+1) according to Dunkel, which has the Stampeders favored by 7. Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+1). Here are all of this week's CFL picks.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13
Game 401-402: Calgary at Edmonton
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 116.134; Edmonton 109.161
Dunkel Line: Calgary by 7; 62
Vegas Line: Edmonton by 1; 59
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+1); Over
The Stampeders opened up their game against the Blue Bombers like gang busters, and looked like they were going to roll to an easy victory. RBs Fred Reid and Yverson Bernard absolutely crippled the Calgary defence in the second half though, and as a result, Stampeders betting enthusiasts suffered the loss even though they won the game 31-23. QB Henry Burris had a tremendous game, throwing for a whopping 356 yards and two touchdowns. He did a great job spreading the ball around the field, hitting eight different targets in his 22 completions.
The Eskies put up 422 yards of offence, held the Ti-Cats to 299 yards of offence, and jumped out to a 12-0 lead, but still couldn’t figure out how to pick up a victory in their Week 6 CFL wagering affair. QB Ricky Ray threw for 335 yards and a score, but he threw two costly interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. When the skies opened up and the rain started to pour down at Ivor-Wynne Stadium, everything went wrong. The weather is only going to get worse in Canada as winter approaches, so the Eskimos had better figure this out quickly.
The Stamps need to assert themselves as the class of the Western Division. A win at Commonwealth Stadium would go a long way towards doing that. Edmonton may have beaten the Als here two weeks ago, but beating the Stamps seems like too difficult of a challenge.
Canadian bacon: CFL 8/13
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