Canadian Bacon: Week 2 Analysis and Picks
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Saturday
Calgary Stampeders at Hamilton Tiger Cats (-2, 50.5)
The Stampeders were far from impressive last week against the worst team in the CFL. Sure, Henry Burris completed 27 of 40 pass attempts for 320 yards but he didn’t throw a single TD pass, got sacked twice and was intercepted once. Calgary better get into gear because the Tiger Cats will prove much more of a challenge than the Argos.
Kevin Glenn handled most of the plays under center for the Tiger Cats and finished 15 of 30 on pass attempts for 197 yards and a TD. Hamilton’s special teams produced a 93-yard kickoff return for a score last week and should a difference maker again.
Expect a great game from Hamilton kicker Sandro DeAngelis who will find extra motivation against his former team. Hamilton also showed promise on defense with four sacks and a couple of turnovers. Of course the unit ended up collapsing and allowed 502 yards to the Bombers. This will be a close one, but give the advantage to the home team.
Pick: Hamilton
Saskatchewan Roughriders at British Columbia Lions (-2.5, 53)
Can the Green Riders regroup after a thrilling roller-coaster ride that gave them a 54-51 double overtime win against the Grey Cup defending champs to kickoff the 2010 season? Lions QB Casey Printers has a history of success against Saskatchewan, but Riders quarterback Darian Durant was almost perfect in last week against the Alouettes.
It will all come down to which defense will play the best. One thing seems for sure, Durant, who was 30 in 44 for 478 yards and 5 TDs against Montreal, won’t have as much fun against the Lions secondary.
Pick: Under