THIS WEEK IN THE CFL WEEK 1

Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 30, 2010

THIS WEEK

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/06/2010 (5640 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THIS WEEK

IN THE CFL

WEEK 1

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

at SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

When: Thursday, 6 p.m. TV: TSN

Last season: Montreal (15-3, Grey Cup champs); Saskatchewan (10-7-1)

Vegas line: The Als are favoured by 3.

The storyline: 2009 Grey Cup rematch, or 2010 Grey Cup preview? The loss of rush ends John Chick and Stevie Baggs leaves Saskatchewan with some questions on defence. Riders QB Darian Durant is a rising star. Losing Larry Taylor to the NFL hurts the Als return game. Anthony Calvillo is at the controls once again, though, so Montreal remains the cream of the CFL crop.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS at

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

When: Thursday, 9 p.m. TV: TSN

Last season: Toronto (3-15); Calgary (10-7-1)

Vegas line: Stampeders by 13.

The storyline: The Argos will be fun to watch — but for all the wrong reasons. Where to start? New coach Jim Barker turned things over to NFL castoff Cleo Lemon, who was awful in the pre-season. Henry Burris returns at quarterback for the Stamps, but with so many holes in the offensive line Smilin’ Hank won’t be happy running for his life back there. As Burris and RB Joffrey Reynolds (and maybe even WR Ken-Yon Rambo) go, so will the Horsemen.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS at

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

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

Last season: Hamilton (9-9); Winnipeg (7-11).

Vegas line: Tiger-Cats by 3.

The storyline: Winnipeg has a new coach (Paul LaPolice), a new quarterback (Buck Pierce) and a new attitude set on winning back an alienated fan base. The Bombers should score a lot of points with a new offence, but will they stop anyone? Outside of the defensive line, there is some worry about the secondary and linebacker coverage. Expectations are very high in Hamilton. The new faces include WR Maurice Mann and K Sandro DeAngelis. Otis Floyd, Jamall Johnson, and Markeith Knowlton give the Ticats arguably the best linebacker set in the league.

B.C. LIONS at

EDMONTON ESKIMOS

When: Sunday, 6 p.m. TV: TSN.

Last season: B.C. (8-10); Edmonton (9-9)

Vegas line: The Eskimos are favoured by 4.

The storyline: After returning late last season, QB Casey Printers leads the Lions offence once again. Losing RB Martel Mallett to the NFL hurts, but former Argo RB Jamal Robertson should limit the drop-off in he B.C. backfield. On the Edmonton side, QB Ricky Ray continues to be a top-shelf CFL passer and RB Arkee Whitlock gives them a solid ground option. The run defence on both sides is questionable.

THE PICKS

Bob Irving, CJOB: Montreal, Calgary, Winnipeg, Edmonton

Ed Tait, Free Press: Montreal, Calgary, Hamilton, Edmonton.

Randy Turner, Free Press: Saskatchewan, Calgary, Winnipeg, Edmonton.

Adam Wazny, Free Press: Saskatchewan, Calgary, Hamilton, B.C.

Mitch Zalnasky, CJOB: Saskatchewan, Calgary, Winnipeg, Edmonton.