WEEK 8 IN THE CFL WITH ED TAIT

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/08/2009 (6177 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (4-3) at MONTREAL ALOUETTES (6-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m. TV: TSN/RDS Radio: CJOB

Streaks: Sask.: 1W; Mtl.: 2W.

Vegas line: The Alouettes are favoured by 121/2 points.

The storyline: No kidding the Alouettes are cruising, but a 121/2-point spread seems a bit much, especially with the way the Riders can play defence. Montreal kicked the snot out of the Riders in Regina a couple weeks back, winning 43-13 as tailback Avon Cobourne ran for 146 yards and two scores. The Als will continue to try and pound the ball against the Riders’ defence, as many teams have done recently, but will still rely on Anthony Calvillo and two of the top three receivers in the CFL in Kerry Watkins (first with 577 yards) and Ben Cahoon (third with 524). An example of why the Riders may have one of the toughest, if not THE toughest, travel schedule in the CFL: Nothing flies direct to or from Regina anymore, or so it seems, forcing the club to fly to Calgary, where they have a four-hour layover before heading to Montreal. That’s eight hours to fly halfway across the country. No wonder they are 2-8 in their last 10 at McGill. The Riders will also be without star slotback Andy Fantuz (hamstring) for a fourth straight game.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (2-5) at B.C. LIONS (3-4)

When: Friday, 9:30 p.m. TV: TSN Radio: CJOB

Streaks: Wpg.: 2L; B.C.: 2W.

Vegas line: The Lions are favoured by 71/2 points.

The storyline: The Lions have rediscovered their roar of late, courtesy of two wins — even if last week’s victory over the Toronto Argonauts had grand-theft larceny written all over it. Jarious Jackson gets the call at QB for B.C., with Travis Lulay now No. 2. The Lions are hoping for better ball protection, especially against the Bombers’ turnover-happy defence. B.C. has a league-high 27 turnovers; the Bombers lead the CFL with 16 interceptions. Bomber fans should keep an eye on what changes, if any, they can see with the offence. A great deal of attention was spent this week on fixing the worst attack in the CFL and we should see quicker reads from QB Michael Bishop, a little more shotgun and perhaps more formations featuring RBs Fred Reid and Yvenson Bernard in the backfield at the same time. Siddeeq Shabazz returns to the defence, albeit as a safety, and his presence should help a defence that has been pushed around the last two weeks by Calgary and Montreal.

THE PICKS

Bob Irving, CJOB: Montreal, B.C.

Gary Lawless, Free Press: Montreal, B.C.

Ed Tait, Free Press: Montreal, B.C.

Randy Turner, Free Press: Montreal, B.C.

Mitch Zalnasky, CJOB: Montreal, B.C.

Last week/overall: Bob Irving: 3-1/16-12; Ed Tait: 3-1/14-14; Randy Turner: 3-1/14-14; Gary Lawless: 3-1/14-14; Mitch Zalnasky: 2-2/13-15.

— Tait