THIS WEEK IN THE CFL

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/07/2010 (5542 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WEEK 5

TORONTO ARGONAUTS (3-1) at MONTREAL ALOUETTES (3-1)

When: Tonight, 6:30 p.m. TV: TSN.

Vegas line: Montreal by 10.

Argos line: RB Cory Boyd has been the offence. He leads the CFL in carries (66) and in rushing yards (431). His 240 punt return yards are also tops. QB Cleo Lemon is the only healthy starter with a completion percentage under 60 per cent. (59.1). He also has four interceptions. LB Kevin Eiben has 26 tackles.

Als line: As every other club continues to struggle with consistency, Montreal keeps rolling. QB Anthony Calvillo is completing passes at a 67 per cent clip. DE John Bowman has five sacks and three forced fumbles. Speaking of fumbles, Montreal has fumbled five times, but hasn’t lost possession once. Interesting match-up: The Als’ defence is only allowing 84.5 yards per game.

Bottom line: Celebrate the end of Toronto’s three-game win streak.

B.C. LIONS (1-3) at EDMONTON ESKIMOS (0-4)

When: Friday, 8 p.m. TV: TSN

Vegas line: Pick ’em.

Lions line: A battle of the two lowest-scoring teams in the CFL — the Lions (75) and the Eskimos (74). Despite reports to the contrary, QB Casey Printers is not yet done for the season. He’ll be the third stringer. Travis Lulay gets the start. RB Jamal Robertson has 280 yards on just 38 carries and four TDs. His 7.4 yards per carry is tops among CFL backs. K Paul McCallum is a perfect 9-of-9 in the field goal department.

Esks line: The last time the Green and Gold started a season 0-4 was in 1965. Despite only picking up 22 yards against the Bombers, SB Fred Stamps still leads all pass catchers with 421 receiving yards. The defence has allowed six TDs on the ground and has allowed a league-worst 129 points against.

Bottom line: Win, or everyone gets fired. Yeah, that should take the pressure off.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (1-3) at SASK. ROUGHRIDERS (3-1)

When: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. TV: TSN.

Vegas line: Riders by 7.5.

Ticats line: They hung with Montreal for a half, but Hamilton is not at the Als’ level yet. Despite the struggles, QB Kevin Glenn is putting together an impressive year. His completion percentage (65.2), touchdown to interception ratio (5:1) and efficiency rating (100.3) are all among the leaders. LB Jamall Johnson leads the league with 28 tackles.

Riders line: They were embarrassed in Calgary, and looked like they gave up in the latter stages. QB Darian Durant has thrown for 1,325 yards. LB Barrin Simpson has 19 tackles to lead the team. DB James Patrick has two interceptions. The Riders are tied for the most points scored (137, with Winnipeg) and most points against (129, with Edmonton).

Bottom line: Hard to figure back-to-back clunkers for the Green machine.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (2-2) at CALGARY STAMPEDERS (3-1)

When: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. TV: TSN.

Radio: CJOB

Vegas line: Stamps by a touchdown.

Bombers line: QB Steven Jyles makes his second-straight start for Winnipeg. The Bombers have rushed for the most touchdowns this season, but RB Fred Reid only has one of them. Winnipeg has 13 quarterback sacks. The Bomber defence is only allowing 307.2 yards per game – tops in the CFL.

Stamps line: Calgary owns the ball during games (33:23 time of possession). The Stamps welcome Ken-Yon Rambo back. He’s been out with a knee injury since last July. Same for WR Jabari Arthur. The former Bomber makes his return, too. Another former Winnipeg wide-out, Romby Bryant, is tied for the league lead with four TD catches.

Bottom line: Uh-oh. Winnipeg hasn’t won in Calgary since 2002.

THE PICKS

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

Ed Tait, Free Press: Montreal, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Calgary

Randy Turner, Free Press: Montreal, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Calgary

Adam Wazny, Free Press: Montreal, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Calgary

Mitch Zalnasky, CJOB: Montreal, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Calgary

Last week (overall): Irving: 3-1 (9-7); Tait: 1-3 (6-10); Turner: 3-1 (9-7); Wazny: 2-2 (10-6); Zalnasky: 1-3 (8-8).