Thursday, July 1, 2010

CFL Predictions, Week 1, Part A

Montreal at Saskatchewan,
Last I checked the Als are favoured by three. A rematch of last year's Grey Cup, one would assume the Riders will keep a close eye on the number of players on the field. Calvillo should be relatively fresh coming off the off-season, however the Rider front four is decimated losing John Chick and Stevie Baggs to the NFL. Can the Riders find adequate replacements. I would bet no, although Hamilton as an example last year did OK in that department, in terms of finding new guys who would perform. I still like the Riders' Canadian receivers, and Weston Dressler returning makes them more potent. Picking up Prechae Rodriguez adds some depth, although how much playing time he gets early is a question. Montreal seems to be mostly the same, with the most important loss being Bryan Chiu, their former center to retirement. Until I see otherwise, I'm picking Montreal, even on the road.
Montreal 29, Saskatchewan 19

Toronto at Calgary,
Calgary is favoured by 13 at home, which could well be charitable. With the Argos starting Cleo Lemon (certainly not a fearsome football moniker) at quarterback versus the veteran Henry Burris, things could get smelly for the double blue in a hurry. The Argos do have Chad Lucas and Jermaine Copeland at receiver, so if they actually had a quarterback, they might be able to do something. The Argos sucked at offensive line last year too. Maybe former Ticat Gagne-Marcoux will help, but that's asking a lot of a guy who couldn't beat out an aging George Hudson at guard. Calgary has Romby Bryant and Nik Lewis at receiver, although their offensive line has gone from good to suckitude over one short off-season. There could be some sacks in this game although I don't have a lot of confidence in either defence. Calgary has taken a step down this year, but Toronto is in shambles.
Calgary 24, Toronto 9

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