Cnotes 2016 Canadian Football League Picks-Trends-News !

[CNOTES]

CFL Betting Notes - Week 11




Thursday, Sept. 1


Ottawa RedBlacks (4-4-1 S, 3-6 ATS) vs. Montreal Alouettes (3-6 SU, 3-6 ATS)
Point-spread: Ottawa -1
Total: 50


Game Overview


Ottawa has dropped four of its last five games SU while failing to cover the spread in each of those games. This once potent offense has sputtered to an average of 22.8 points a game during this slide to help keep three of the contests UNDER the closing total line. Chris Williams continues to be a force in the passing game with 900 yards receiving and eight touchdown catches, which are the most in the CFL.


Kevin Glenn threw for 283 yards and one touchdown against Winnipeg last week while completing 76.3 percent of his 38 passes. Unfortunately, four of his errant passes where intercepted with one getting returned for a score. Going back over the Alouettes’ six losses this season, this offense has only manage to score an average of 14.2 points in those games.


Betting Trends


These two have split the first two meetings this season with the road teams winning each time SU and ATS. The total was split 1-1 staying UNDER 54 in Montreal. Ottawa still has a 4-1 edge SU and ATS in the last five meetings.


--------------------------------------

CFL
Dunkel


Week 11


Thursday, September 1


Ottawa @ Montreal


Game 215-216
September 1, 2016 @ 7:30 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Ottawa
113.224
Montreal
108.858
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Ottawa
by 4 1/2
45
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Ottawa
by 2
49
Dunkel Pick:
Ottawa
(-2); Under


----------------------


CFL
Long Sheet


Week 11


Thursday, September 1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


OTTAWA (4 - 4 - 1) at MONTREAL (3 - 6) - 9/1/2016, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.


Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 4-3 against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 4-4 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


------------------


Ottawa (4-4-1) @ Montreal (3-6)– Road team won both meetings this year; Alouettes won 43-19 in Ottawa two weeks ago, after losing first meeting 28-13 at home. RedBlacks won four of last five series games, winning 20-16, 28-13 in last two visits here. Ottawa lost four of last five games, allowing 36 ppg last two weeks- they’re 3-1 on road- this is their first road game since July 22. Montreal is 3-0 if they score 22+ points, 0-6 if they don’t; they’ve lost three of last four games, are 1-4 SU at home. Als covered once in their last eight home games.


— Underdogs 24-13, home teams 11-28-1 vs spread…….Over: 18-20-2
— British Columbia Lions (-3, 54) @ Toronto Argonauts
— Ottawa RedBlacks (-2, 49) @ Montreal Alouettes
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Saskatchewan Roughriders
— Edmonton Eskimos @ Calgary Stampeders
— Toronto Argonauts @ Hamilton Tiger Cats


-------------------

CFL


Week 11


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
-----------------------------


Thursday, September 1


7:30 PM
OTTAWA vs. MONTREAL
Ottawa is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing Montreal
Ottawa is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Montreal
Montreal is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Montreal's last 14 games at home

 

[CNOTES]

PREVIEW


DIVISION RIVALS LOOK TO SETTLE THE SCORE ON THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL


MONTREAL — Coaches around the league always stress the importance of winning divisional games, but this week’s Thursday Night Football matchup between the Montreal Alouettes and Ottawa REDBLACKS in Quebec seems to carry even more weight.


The two teams have split a pair of heated contests; Ottawa beat the Als 28-13 in Montreal back in Week 2, and the Als returned the favour with a 43-19 hammer job on the REDBLACKS in the nation’s capital in Week 9.


Meanwhile, the Duron Carter incident back in Week 2 has come full circle: the Montreal wideout has been suspended for Thursday’s pivotal matchup for his actions after scoring a touchdown against the same REDBLACKS earlier in the season.


It’s been a tale of two halves for the Ottawa REDBLACKS out of the gate in 2016.


The capital club raced out to a 3-0-1 start thanks in large part to the MOP-type start for quarterback Trevor Harris, but has since stumbled to a 1-4 record.


“We need to step up and make plays — it comes down to making plays on the football field, and both teams will be desperate for the win,” Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell told OttawaREDBLACKS.com. “They made plays last time and we didn’t. It’ll be a tough task, but when we line up to play good football we can compete with anybody.”


Penalties have been more than a minor nuisance for the REDBLACKS in recent weeks, both nullifying big plays and setting drives back 10 or 15 yards before they’ve even begun.


“Everybody has (an) understanding that in this league, if you take penalties, you’re making the game about yourself,” said Campbell, whose team racked up a whopping 114 yards in penalties in last week’s loss to BC. “We’re very hopeful that if we clean things up, we can compete with anybody — whether (it’s) offence, defence, special teams. We don’t want any self-inflicted wounds.”


With Harris set to make his second start since returning from a lower-body injury, Ottawa will be hoping to kickstart its once-fearsome offence.


“We’ll try and mix things up on all sides of the ball,” said Campbell on the topic of facing Montreal for the third time this season and second time in three weeks. “We need to get great effort (and) stay away from the self-inflicted wounds; we’re a team that’s good enough (that) when we don’t beat ourselves, we’ll have a chance to win the game.”


Solving Montreal’s complex defence won’t be easy, as the Als’ unit has evolved under coordinator Noel Thorpe throughout the season.


That group has improved to fifth in the league overall this season (340.6 yards per game) and ranking second in the league with 55 sacks.


“They play hard, they’re a good defence. (The) challenge in playing a team a third time is you’ve seen some things they do,” explained REDBLACKS offensive coordinator Jaime Elizondo. “The first game they played us a ton of man, the second game a whole lot less man. It’s going to be a chess match.”


Ottawa will be hoping for a repeat performance from speedy wideout Chris Williams, who broke the 100-yard receiving mark last week for the first time since Week 3.


Following a 393-yard, six-touchdown start in the season’s first three games, the New Mexico State alum had been limited to two touchdown receptions in his last six outings. Now, though, he’s back to threatening the league lead with 900 receiving yards and a league-best eight touchdowns.


On the defensive side of the ball, John Boyett moves into a starting role after the REDBLACKS released linebacker David Hinds earlier this week. The 26 year-old Florida native had registered 34 tackles and one interception through the first nine games of the season.


Inconsistent would be a good adjective to use for the Montreal Alouettes in recent weeks.


After planting a 24-point margin of victory on the REDBLACKS two weeks ago, the Als returned home and sank to a disappointing 32-18 loss to Winnipeg last week.


Montreal’s bread and butter this season has been defence, surrendering the fewest points (218) in the East Division.


Despite his team’s recent success against Ottawa, Thorpe understands the REDBLACKS’ offence visiting Montreal this week is quite different than the one his team limited to 19 points two weeks ago.


“They’ve got some new additions; Trevor Harris at quarterback, he had had an outstanding game last week,” Thorpe told MontrealAlouettes.com. “They do an outstanding job distributing the ball, and (offensive lineman) J’Michael Deane’s come back from injury and solidified them up front.”


Montreal’s versatile front seven is anchored by league tackle leader Chip Cox (66 tackles) and defensive end John Bowman (four sacks), and understands the challenge in front of it.


“We know who they are and they know who we are: I expect it to be a good fight,” said Als linebacker Kyries Hebert. “Harris is a great field general and doesn’t turn the ball over, (and) No. 80 (Chris Williams) is probably the fastest player in the CFL, so we’ll have to know where he is at all times.”


On the offensive side of the football, Montreal will be hoping for a bounce-back performance from veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn, who threw four interceptions in last week’s loss to Winnipeg.


Glenn will have to be more sure of his throws without Carter. Slotback B.J. Cunningham will likely have to shoulder the brunt of Carter’s targets, while recently-signed national receiver Seydou Junior Haidara could pick up his first reception as an Alouette.

By the Numbers


4 – Sacks recorded by Montreal cornerback Jovon Johnson, the most by any CFL defensive back.


6:13 – Fumbles forced by the REDBLACKS (last) relative to Montreal (tied for second) this season.


30:29 – Sacks allowed by the Alouettes (last) and REDBLACKS (eighth), the two worst marks in the league.


3,274 – League-high passing yards for the REDBLACKS in 2016.


The Skinny


While Thursday’s matchup features the best team in the East, Ottawa, against the worst in Montreal, it’s far from that simple.


The two teams have split the season series, with Montreal winning the aggregate score, and the entire East Division is separated by three points.


One could make the argument that the Als, with the memory of Week 9’s dominant win in Ottawa, are in a better place right now than the REDBLACKS, who cling to first in the East by a single point.


Montreal is 1-4 at home, Ottawa a 3-1 team on the road.


Will the ‘road warriors’ trend continue, or will the Als establish themselves as a playoff contender with a win on home turf?


Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live on TSN or followed online via CFL.ca Game Tracker.

 

[CNOTES]

WEST DIVISION


RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV


1 Calgary 9 7 1 1 15 278 185 4-0-0 3-1-1 6-1-0


2 BC 10 7 3 0 14 280 246 2-2-0 5-1-0 2-2-0


3 Winnipeg 9 5 4 0 10 231 204 1-3-0 4-1-0 1-3-0


4 Edmonton 9 5 4 0 10 272 247 3-3-0 2-1-0 3-1-0


5 Saskatchewan 9 1 8 0 2 170 319 1-3-0 0-5-0 0-5-0


EAST DIVISION


RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV


1 Ottawa 9 4 4 1 9 243 241 1-3-1 3-1-0 2-2-0


2 Hamilton 9 4 5 0 8 263 233 1-2-0 3-3-0 2-0-0


3 Toronto 9 4 5 0 8 201 236 1-5-0 3-0-0 2-2-0


4 Montreal 9 3 6 0 6 191 218 1-4-0 2-2-0 1-3-0




y - Clinched Division
x - Clinched Playoff Berth

 

[CNOTES]

CFL BEST BET RECORD: LAST NIGHTS RESULTS 0- 1 -1


WLT PCT UNITS


ATS Picks 16-24-1 40.00% -5200


O/U Picks 17-22-2 43.59% -3600




THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


OTT at MTL 07:30 PM


OTT -2.5


O 49.0

 

[CNOTES]

GAME RECAP


DEFENCE THE DIFFERENCE AS REDBLACKS DOWN ALOUETTES


MONTREAL – It sure wasn’t pretty, but the REDBLACKS will take it.


The Ottawa REDBLACKS rode a strong defensive effort to defeat the Montreal Alouettes 19-14, taking the season series two games to one and remaining at the top of the East Division.


In his second game since returning to the starter’s role at the helm of the REDBLACKS offence, Trevor Harris threw for 282 yards and a touchdown in the win, while receiver Ernest Jackson stayed hot with another touchdown catch.


Tristan Jackson opened the matchup with a positive play, returning the opening kickoff 42 yards to set up his REDBLACKS with strong field position to start the game. QB Trevor Harris went to his favourite target early and often on Ottawa’s first drive, finding SB Chris Williams on three completions for 31 yards en route to a 13-yard field goal from K Chris Milo.


QB Kevin Glenn and the Alouettes offence took over at the 35 yard line following the field goal, but it wasn’t long before the REDBLACKS were once again knocking at the door. Ottawa LB John Boyett pounced on a tipped ball, recording the interception and giving the REDBLACKS possession in their opponent’s half.


Despite the fortuitous field position, the REDBLACKS came away without points on the drive, as Harris and the offence went two-and-out and Milo’s field goal attempt sailed wide.


The Als recorded a punt-single on their next drive, giving the REDBLACKS a 3-1 edge later in the first quarter.


Harris showed off some of his evasiveness on the next series, squeezing out of a shrinking pocket and finding a wide open Tristan Jackson for a 41-yard gain. Once again Montreal’s defence stood firm in their own half, and Milo kicked home his second field goal of the game for a 6-1 lead.


Glenn got into his groove with a 36-yard bomb to Kenny Stafford on the next drive before finding Nik Lewis for the game’s first major. K Anthony Fera banked the extra point home and the Als took an 8-6 lead nearing halftime.


The REDBLACKS had a chance to re-take the lead late in the half after an upheld defensive pass interference call, but Milo missed his second field goal of the night and KR Stefan Logan returned the kick out of the end zone to prevent the rouge.


Glenn and the Als got possession with under a minute left in the quarter and were unable to add to their lead, heading into halftime up 8-6 in a defensive first half.


Nik Lewis and Chris Williams led their respective teams with five catches apiece in the half, while Harris led both quarterbacks with 151 yards passing. Glenn recorded 88 yards through the air with one touchdown and one interception.


The third quarter was a quiet one offensively, with the two teams mostly trading punts through the first ten minutes with no points scored.


WIth just under six minutes remaining in the quarter, The REDBLACKS were bailed out of yet another two-and-out by an objectionable conduct call against Als DB Winston Venables, and Harris took advantage of the misstep.


Former U of Ottawa Gee Gee RB Brendan Gillanders recorded a pair of seven-yard carries before Harris delivered a 31-yard touchdown strike to Ernest Jackson. With the reception Jackson has now recorded a touchdown in five straight games.


The next series saw the Alouettes cut their opponents’ lead to just 2 points, as Fera nailed a 52-yard field goal to open the fourth quarter scoring.


Down two points early in the fourth quarter, Als head coach Jim Popp decided to gamble, attempting a third-and-short in his own half. That risk paid off after the conversion, as later in the drive Fera kicked home a 21-yard field goal to retake the lead 14-13.


Milo and the REDBLACKS would answer with a field goal of their own on the following drive, as the game tipped ever so slightly back in Ottawa’s favour heading into the game’s final minutes.


A miscommunication between Glenn and receiver BJ Cunningham on the Alouettes next play resulted in Ottawa’s second interception of the game, this time by DB Mitchell White. With possession in Montreal’s half, Harris and the offence was poised to extend their lead, but again would settle for a field goal from Milo.


The REDBLACKS defence continued their strong effort after the game reset, conceding just a three-yard completion before Landon Cohen knifed his way through the Als offensive line, bringing down Glenn for a nine-yard loss and forcing a punt with just over two minutes remaining.


The Alouettes could muster no more, as a first down sack from DL Zack Evans moved Montreal closer to their own end zone. Two plays later the Als watched their hopes at a comeback fall through the hands of Nik Lewis, as they fell to 3-7 on the season.


Next week the Alouettes will travel to the West Coast, taking on the red-hot BC Lions, who are 5-1 against the East Division this season.


With the victory the REDBLACKS become the first East Division team to five wins, and with the tiebreaker guarantee a first-place berth heading into the bye before facing off against the Calgary Stampeders in week 13.

 

[CNOTES]

CFL Betting Notes - Week 11


Sunday, Sept. 4


Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-4 SU, 5-3-1 ATS) vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-8 SU, 3-6 ATS)
Point-spread: Winnipeg -5
Total: 52


Game Overview


This will be the first of a home-and-home series. With the Blue Bombers riding a four-game winning streak both SU and ATS, it could be a golden opportunity to really improve its playoff chances against the worst team in the league. Quarterback Matt Nichols continued to lead this surging offense with a 23-for-30 passing effort against Montreal for 220 yards. The defense did its part with that interception returned for a score.


Give credit to the Roughriders for showing up each week and actually covering in three games, but the end result is becoming pretty predictable with just one SU win in the first half of the season. The fact that they were able to put up 25 points in last week’s loss has to be an encouraging sign after scoring a grand total of just 35 points in their previous four defeats.


Betting Trends


Winnipeg won last year’s three-game series 2-1 (SU and ATS) with the total going OVER in two of the three games. It has gone OVER in four of the last five games in this West Division tilt.


------------------------


CFL
Dunkel


Week 11


Sunday, September 4


Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan


Game 217-218
September 4, 2016 @ 3:00 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Winnipeg
110.783
Saskatchewan
107.848
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Winnipeg
by 3
48
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Winnipeg
by 5 1/2
51 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Saskatchewan
(+5 1/2); Under


------------------------


CFL
Long Sheet


Week 11




Sunday, September 4


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WINNIPEG (5 - 4) at SASKATCHEWAN (1 - 8) - 9/4/2016, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 11-28 ATS (-19.8 Units) in road games in September games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 122-91 ATS (+21.9 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 32-16 ATS (+14.4 Units) in home games in September games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SASKATCHEWAN is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
SASKATCHEWAN is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) off a division game over the last 2 seasons.
SASKATCHEWAN is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in games played on turf over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
SASKATCHEWAN is 3-3 against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
SASKATCHEWAN is 4-2 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CFL


Week 11


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, September 4


3:00 PM
WINNIPEG vs. SASKATCHEWAN
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing Saskatchewan
Winnipeg is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
Saskatchewan is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing Winnipeg

 

[CNOTES]

WEST DIVISION


RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV


1 Calgary 9 7 1 1 15 278 185 4-0-0 3-1-1 6-1-0


2 BC 10 7 3 0 14 280 246 2-2-0 5-1-0 2-2-0


3 Winnipeg 9 5 4 0 10 231 204 1-3-0 4-1-0 1-3-0


4 Edmonton 9 5 4 0 10 272 247 3-3-0 2-1-0 3-1-0


5 Saskatchewan 9 1 8 0 2 170 319 1-3-0 0-5-0 0-5-0




EAST DIVISION


RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV


1 Ottawa 10 5 4 1 11 262 255 1-3-1 4-1-0 3-2-0


2 Hamilton 9 4 5 0 8 263 233 1-2-0 3-3-0 2-0-0


3 Toronto 9 4 5 0 8 201 236 1-5-0 3-0-0 2-2-0


4 Montreal 10 3 7 0 6 205 237 1-5-0 2-2-0 1-4-0

 

[CNOTES]

Canadian Football Best Bets Record:


WLT PCT UNITS


ATS Picks 17-24-1 41.46% -4700


O/U Picks 17-23-2 42.50% -4150



SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


WPG at SSK 03:00 PM


WPG -4.0


O 51.0

 

[CNOTES]

GAME RECAP


FLIPPING THE SCRIPT: BOMBERS END LABOUR DAY WOES WITH WIN OVER RIDERS


REGINA — After surrendering a large lead, Justin Medlock nailed a 42-yard field goal with zeros on the clock to lift the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to their first game on Mark’s Labour Day Weekend in Regina since 2004 with a 28-25 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.


Not only did the victory break a streak of 11 straight losses at Mosaic but it kept another one alive as the Bombers have now won five straight as they continue to surge in the West Division.


Medlock was good on 7 of 8 field goals as the Bombers improved to 6-4 and the Riders fell to 1-9.


Both quarterbacks were solid in this one with Bombers pivot Matt Nichols completing 27 of 39 passes for 341 yards and a touchdown while Darian Durant was 36 of 47 for 399 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions for the Riders.


Sunday’s matchup marked the final Labour Day weekend game at historic Mosaic Stadium, previously known as Taylor Field. With the Winnipeg win, it closes out the all-time record to 34-19 in favour of the Riders (since 1949). A total of 28 of those were decided in the final three minutes which is a testament to the rivalry.


Looking to quiet a boisterous, sold-out Mosaic crowd, the Bombers took the first possession to the ground, giving the ball to the league’s leading rusher in the early going. Andrew Harris racked up 35 combined yards on the opening drive to set up a 43-yard Justin Medlock field goal to get the Bombers going in the right direction.


The Riders looked to counter on their first few possession but any traction gained was denied by penalties, three of which were taken on the first two drives.


As the quarter came to a close, the Bombers put the first major on the board. Nichols rolled to the backside of the formation, squared up and delivered a strike to receiver Quincy McDuffie who shed a would-be tackler and raced 80 yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead.


The headline in the first half was the Bombers’ ability to put points on the board off of Rider miscues on special teams. The McDuffie touchdown followed an average Josh Bartell punt combined with a 15-yard no-yards penalty and Tyler Crapigna’s second missed field goal of the game helped Medlock put another three points on the board from 38 yards out. The damage could have been worse when Bartel and the punting unit failed to execute a fake punt but Medlock hit the upright on a 45-yard field goal attempt.


The Medlock miss stalled a streak of 22 straight makes which is a Blue Bombers club record.


The Riders finally broke the shutout with 1:15 left in the first half when Durant connected with Ricky Collins Jr. for a big first down to set up a 41-yard Crapigna field goal who cut the Bombers lead to 10 with the make.


The Bombers would restore the lead on the ensuing drive after first down passes from Nichols to Clarence Denmark and Rory Kohlert put Medlock in place to hit a 29-yarder.


The third quarter opened with Winnipeg on top 16-3 and looking to start pulling away. After a failed third-and-three gamble by the Riders, Nichols thread the needle on two first down passes to McDuffie and Weston Dressler to set up an 18-yard Medlock boot.


A longtime Rider, Dressler was making his return to Regina after being cut in the off-season and signing with the Bombers. Dressler was solid in his trip back, making 7 catches for 77 yards on the day.


As the third quarter ticked away, the Riders offence awoke with Durant leading his team off good field position. The veteran pivot led an 8-play, 56-yard drive, finished off with a five-yard touchdown toss to Caleb Holley. Holley would also snag a two-point conversion to cut the Blue Bombers lead to 19-11.


The score was Durant’s first touchdown pass in four games.


The Riders defence held strong on the ensuing possession and Durant took over as Saskatchewan looked to tie the game.


Durant completed passes to Collins Jr., Rob Bagg and Kendial Lawrence as he marched his team inside the Winnipeg five-yard line. One second-and-goal, Durant faked a handoff to Lawrence and split through the teeth of the Bombers defence for a touchdown. He called his own number again a play later as a quarterback draw on a two-point conversion tied the game up at 19 with just over 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter.


With all the momentum leaning in Saskatchewan’s direction, Nichols calmly put two first downs on the board and helped set up a critical Medlock field goal try. He nailed a 52-yarder with distance to spare as Winnipeg restored its lead, 22-19 with 8:35 to go.


Medlock would add another on Winnipeg’s following drive to increase the lead back to six.


The Riders looked poised to take the lead with 2:35 remaining after Durant and Collins Jr. connected on a 55-yard pass. But a risky pass to the flat by Durant was picked off at the Bomber 2-yard line by CJ Roberts to secure the lead.


Lawrence took a punt return for a major to tie things up but a missed extra point kept things tied at 25.


The Bombers, aided by a pass-interference call, put the game away with the Medlock boot shortly thereafter.


These two teams will go back at it again in a week from now when the rivals travel to Winnipeg in the annual ‘Banjo Bowl’

 

[CNOTES]

PREVIEW


BATTLE OF ALBERTA TO REIGNITE FOR FIRST TIME IN 2016 ON LABOUR DAY IN CALGARY


CALGARY — Football and Labour Day. The Battle of Alberta.


Monday afternoon’s matchup in Cowtown between the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos is as classic a matchup on Mark’s Labour Day Weekend as they come.


The Stamps roll into Labour Day winners of six in a row and the undisputed best team during the first half of the 2016 CFL season, while the Esks seem to have sorted themselves out en route to their current three-game winning streak.


Jason Maas and the Edmonton Eskimos appear to have exorcised their first-half demons.


The Esks have followed up their ugly three-game skid of late July with a strong three-game winning streak in August, beating the likes of Toronto, Montreal and Saskatchewan in a trio of solid defensive performances.


The challenge is greater for Edmonton this week, as the Esks will travel to Calgary to face the first-place Stamps in another edition of the Battle of Alberta.


“As a regular-season game, they don’t get much bigger than this,” Edmonton head coach Jason Maas told Esks.com. “In terms of playing the first-place team, that’s 7-1-1, in their building, it’s a big opportunity.”


With his team rolling into the Labour Day matchup on a sustained high, Maas says his team expects to play well and win, regardless of the surroundings.


“It’s just another game in one respect; if we play well for four quarters, we expect to win,” said the former Ottawa offensive coordinator. “I love hyping this game up — it’s big for the province (and) the people of Calgary and Edmonton. I’m more than happy to build it up.”


One of the main objectives for Edmonton’s improved defence this Monday will be creating penetration on Stamps quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.


Calgary’s surrendered a league-low 10 sacks and turned the ball over just 12 times this season — also a league-low figure.


“They’re a well-rounded team,” admitted Esks defensive lineman Eddie Steele. “They’re pretty good at controlling the ball and taking care of their quarterback. It’s going to be tough. Their offensive line is playing real well.”


Edmonton’s D-Line has been led in recent weeks by Almondo Sewell, whose seven sacks pace the Esks. Sewell, a former Akron Zip, has registered three sacks in his last two games and forms a scary pass rush partnership with the likes of Odell Willis and Marcus Howard, each of whom has registered four sacks.


“Bo Levi gets the ball out real quick,” said Steele. “It’s not like he’s sitting back and holding it. We’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ve really got to show up. All we can do is try to get his feet moving a bit and make him feel uncomfortable in the pocket.”


Offensively the Eskimos will be faced with the league’s best statistical defence in Calgary; the Stamps have allowed the fewest points (185) in the CFL while forcing the most fumbles (14) and creating the most pass knockdowns (38) in the league.


“It’s just another opportunity for us to go our and show how we’ve improved on that path toward our end goal,” said Esks quarterback Mike Reilly, who’s thrown for a league-high 3,096 pass yards and 16 TDs in 2016. “They’re at the top of the league for a reason: They’ve been playing the best (and) it’s a chance for us to go down there and show them what we’re capable of.”


Edmonton wideout Adarius Bowman needs just 44 receiving yards on Monday to break the 1,000-yard mark for the third-straight season.


The Calgary Stampeders are a very, very good football team, and at times have made it look easy en route to a 7-1-1 record this season.


Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson insists that it hasn’t been.


“I really believe that in this league any team can beat any other team in any given week,” Dickenson told Stampeders.com. “Yeah, we have a nice record, but every game has been a battle: Our team has a belief that we win close games.”


The Stamps face a unique challenge defensively this week in trying to contain the two-headed Esks receiving monster of Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker.


“With those two guys, it’s all about targets,” explained Calgary safety Josh Bell. “I mean, if I got the ball thrown to me 16 times a game, I should at least catch seven or eight for 70 or 80 yards. They’re dangerous, very dangerous (and if) you let down your guard…”


Stamps secondary coach Kahlil Carter’s memory is a long one. The former Argo defensive back remembers the hurt Edmonton put on Calgary last season, and believes his group is ready to set the record straight.


“They beat us three times last year, that’s all I remember: A great Edmonton team that stopped us from getting a Grey Cup ring,” said Carter. “I know my guys will be up for the challenge this week as we try to duplicate their success of last year.”


The coach is confident in his secondary group.


“Thing is, they have two (Walker and Bowman) and we have six,” said Carter. “I’ll take my six against anybody. Jerry Rice. You name it. Doesn’t matter.”


Calgary’s offensive line — one of its biggest strengths in the first half — will be without centre Pierre Lavertu. Spencer Wilson will move over to centre, with rookie Ucambre Williams sliding onto the line at right tackle.


“It’s not the position he’s most comfortable with, but we’ve got (Roman) Groz(man) there as well. We’ll try to keep communication at the best possible levels,” said Coach Dickenson. “For Ucambre, he’s a good young player and we want to see him play more: He’ll get a huge test this week.”


While receiver Joe West appeared ready to make his return from the Stamps’ injured list, Dickenson and his staff opted to stick with Davaris Daniels.


The rookie out of Notre Dame hauled in 108 receiving yards and a touchdown in Calgary’s win over Hamilton last week.

By the Numbers


5 – League-high rush touchdowns for Calgary power back Jerome Messam.


24 – Seconds that Calgary has trailed out of 180 minutes in its last three games.


26 – Total sacks allowed by Edmonton (16) and Calgary (10), the two lowest figures in the league, combined. Talk about dominant offensive lines.


1,000 – Career points for Edmonton kicker Sean Whyte, who became the 22nd player in league history to hit the mark when he went 3-for-3 last week.

The Skinny


The Edmonton Eskimos have rounded into form, while the seemingly-impregnable Stamps are looking a little bruised and battered on the offensive line.


With that said, the Stamps are 4-0 at home and 7-1-1 overall for a reason.


Will Reilly and the Esks air it out on the Stamps, or will Calgary come through for win no. five at McMahon this season?


Kickoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. ET and can be seen live on TSN or followed online via CFL.ca Game Tracker.

 

[CNOTES]

Monday, Sept. 5


Edmonton Eskimos (5-4 SU, 3-5-1) vs. Calgary Stampeders (7-1-1 SU, 7-2 ATS)
Point-spread: Calgary -6 ½
Total: 54 ½


Game Overview


Edmonton is slowly returning to the form that carried this team to a Grey Cup title last year. It has now won its last three games SU while averaging 34 points a game. However, there are is still some big concerns with a defense that has allowed an average of 27.4 points to its opponents. The combination of Mike Reilly throwing the ball to Adarius Bowman has led to 956 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 63 receptions.


The Stampeders are building up some serious steam towards a possible West Division title behind a SU six-game winning streak. They have been able to cover ATS in their last four games with the total staying UNDER in all four contests. Bo Levi Mitchell added 323 more yards to his passing yards total (2,857), which is the second-most in the CFL. He is also second in the league in touchdown throws with 15. Jerome Messam is second in the league in rushing with 542 total yards.


Betting Trends


Edmonton has won the last three games between these two bitter West Division rivals SU and ATS including a 45-31 victory as a three-point home favorite in last year’s playoffs. The total has stayed UNDER in seven of the last 10 meetings.






Toronto Argonauts (4-4 SU, 4-4 ATS) vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-5 SU, 4-5 ATS)
Point-spread: Hamilton -7 ½
Total: 54 ½


Game Overview


Toronto will be back in action this Monday against an East Division rival that should be well-rested for this game. The Argonauts have shown good balance on offense with 338.5 passing yards a game complementing a rushing attack that is averaging 81.9 yards. Running back Brandon Whitaker has rushed for 432 yards this season, which is the third-highest total in the league.


The Tiger-Cats will try and once again even their mark to .500 on the year both SU and ATS. They are thrilled to have quarterback Zach Collaros back in the starting lineup and despite last Sunday’s loss, he looked pretty impressive throwing the ball with 439 yards passing and three touchdowns while going 34-for-53. Terrence Toliver and Luke Tasker combined for 19 receptions for 283 yards and all three scores.


Betting Trends


The Tiger-Cats drew first blood in the season series with a 42-20 victory in Week 1 as five-point road underdogs. They have now won the last five meetings SU and they are a perfect 7-0 ATS in the last seven games. The total has stayed UNDER in four of the last six meetings, but it went OVER 52 in that opening day win.




-----------------------------

Monday, September 5


Edmonton @ Calgary


Game 219-220
September 5, 2016 @ 3:00 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Edmonton
114.950
Calgary
123.977
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Calgary
by 9
58
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Calgary
by 6 1/2
54 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Calgary
(-6 1/2); Over





Toronto @ Hamilton


Game 221-222


September 5, 2016 @ 6:30 pm


Dunkel Rating: Toronto
106.248
Hamilton
113.235
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total: Hamilton
by 7
58
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total: Hamilton
by 9 1/2
53
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+9 1/2); Over


-------------------------


Monday, September 5


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


EDMONTON (5 - 4) at CALGARY (7 - 1 - 1) - 9/5/2016, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 35-55 ATS (-25.5 Units) after 2 or more consecutive straight up wins since 1996.


Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 5-3 against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 5-3 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TORONTO (4 - 4) at HAMILTON (4 - 5) - 9/5/2016, 6:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.


Head-to-Head Series History
HAMILTON is 7-1 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
HAMILTON is 6-2 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, September 5


3:00 PM
EDMONTON vs. CALGARY
Edmonton is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Edmonton is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games
Calgary is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Calgary's last 10 games when playing Edmonton


6:30 PM
TORONTO vs. HAMILTON
Toronto is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Hamilton
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing Hamilton
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Hamilton's last 6 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Hamilton's last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto




-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edmonton (5-4) @ Calgary (7-1)– Stampeders had won 12 in row in this Alberta rivalry, but Eskimos won last three meetings LY, by 11-4-14 points; Edmonton lost five of last six visits here- home side won four of last five series games. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Eskimos scored 34 ppg in winning last three games; they’re 2-1 SU on road, covering all three games. Calgary won its last six games, scoring 30+ points in five of those games; Stamps are 3-1 as home favorites this year. Last four Stampeder games stayed under the total.


Toronto (4-5) @ Hamilton (4-5)– Argonauts lost 16-13 at home to BC Wednesday; quick turnaround here. TiCats (+5) opened season with 42-20 win in Toronto, its 5th win in row over Argonauts, who’ve lost last four visits to Hamilton, by 1-16-30-3 points (under 4-0). Toronto lost last three games after a 4-2 start, allowing 32 ppg; they’re 3-0 SU on road (under 3-0), but their last road game was July 31. Hamilton lost three of last four games but all three losses were on road; TiCats are 1-2 at home; five of their last six games were on the road.

 

[CNOTES]

CFL BEST BET RECORD:


09/04 RECORD 1 - 1


WLT PCT UNITS


ATS Picks 17-25-1 40.48% -5250


O/U Picks 18-23-2 43.90% -3650




MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


EDM at CGY 03:00 PM


CGY -6.5


U 54.5




TOR at HAM 06:30 PM


HAM -9.0


O 53.0

 

[CNOTES]

CFL Betting Recap - Week 11
September 6, 2016




League Betting Notes


-- Favorites went 5-0 SU in Week 11


-- Favorites went 4-1 ATS in Week 11


-- Road teams posted a 3-2 SU record in Week 11


-- Home teams posted a 3-2 ATS record in Week 11


-- The 'Over' went 3-2 in Week 11





Team Betting Notes


-- Toronto (4-6) continued their slide, dropping a pair of games in the past week. They lost Wednesday at home against the BC Lions (7-3), and then they fell 49-36 down the QEW in Hamilton (5-5). The Argonauts have dropped four in a row after a 4-2 start, and they have also failed to cover in each of the outings.


-- BC narrowly covered their road outing in Toronto Wednesday, improving to 8-2 ATS in 10 outings this season. After the low-scoring 16-13 victory, the 'under' has connected in three in a row for the Lions.


-- The Tiger Cats are a hard team to figure. They topped Toronto, but have won back-to-back games just once this season. That doesn't bode well for the second half of the home-and-home Sunday in Toronto.


-- Winnipeg (6-4) continued their upward ascent with a 28-25 road win at Saskatchewan (1-9). The Blue Bombers have won five in a row, although Sunday's three-point win marked the first time they haven't covered during the win streak. The 'over' was the third straight for the Blue Bombers. They have scored 28 or more points in each of the five victories.


-- The Roughriders have been improving, averaging 25.0 points per game over the past two, both covers. It is the first time all season Saskatchewan has covered back-to-back games this season. The 'over' has connected in three in a row for the Roughriders heading into the second half of the home-and-home with the Bombers Saturday night.


-- Calgary (8-1-1) won for the seventh consecutive game, topping Edmonton (5-5) by a 45-24 score in the latest installment of the Battle for Alberta. The Stampeders have covered in each of the past five games, and they're an impressive 8-2 ATS in 10 games this season. Their 'over' result was the first in five games for the Stamps.


-- The 'over' has connected in three in a row for the Eskimos heading into Saturday's rematch in Edmonton.

 

[CNOTES]

CFL Betting Notes - Week 12
September 6, 2016


The Toronto Argonauts pulled double duty in Week 11 of the CFL season with two games in six days. They got off to a rough start last Wednesday with 16-13 loss to British Columbia at home as 2 ½-point underdogs. Last Thursday night, Ottawa got past Montreal 19-14 while covering as a 2 ½-point favorite on the road.


In Sunday’s CFL action, Winnipeg kept its current winning streak alive by squeezing past Saskatchewan 28-25, but it could not cover against the spread as a four-point road favorite. In the first of two games on Monday’s Labor Day Holiday, Calgary ran past Edmonton 45-24 as a 6 ½-point home favorite followed by Hamilton’s 49-36 victory against Toronto as a 10-point favorite at home. Here is a look at this week’s lineup of games.


Friday, Sept. 9


Montreal Alouettes (3-7 SU, 3-7 ATS) vs. British Columbia Lions (7-3 SU, 8-2 ATS)
Point-spread: BC -9 ½
Total: 48 ½


Game Overview


Montreal is rapidly fading into the depths of the East Division standings with just one win in its last five games both straight-up and ATS. The Alouettes’ season scoring average of 20.5 points a game drops off to just 14.1 points over the course of their seven losses. Montreal quarterback Kevin Glenn has almost at many interceptions (11) as touchdown throws (13) this year prompting the team to turn to Rakeem Cato as its starter for Friday night.


The Lions remain a game and a half off the pace in the West Division with their fourth SU win in their last five games and they come into this interdivision matchup with a 6-1 record ATS in their last seven games. BC quarterback Jonathon Jennings put the ball up 31 times in last Wednesday’s win at Toronto and he completed 21 passes for 199 yards. He is now third in the CFL in total passing yards this season with 2,689.


Betting Trends


These two met in early August with BC coming away with a 38-18 victory as a two-point road favorite. The road team in this matchup has now won the last three meetings both SU and ATS while the total has stayed UNDER in six of the last eight meetings.




Saturday, Sept. 10


Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-9 SU, 4-6 ATS) vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-4 SU, 5-4-1 ATS)
Point-spread: Winnipeg -7 ½
Total: 52 ½


Game Overview


You got to give credit to the Roughriders for keeping their last two games close enough to cover in light of such a dismal season overall, but with just one win in 10 games they are now officially riding out the string in these next eight contests. Darian Durant continues to put up some big numbers with 399 yards passing and a completion rate of 76.6 percent on 47 passing attempts in the first game of this home-and-home, but Saskatchewan’s defense continues to show why it is the worst in the league in points allowed (347).


The Blue Bombers’ SU winning streak has reached five games and this last win was the first time they closed as actual favorites. Matt Nichols has made his way into the discussion for this season’s CFL Most Outstanding Player with how well he has thrown the ball during this current run. He went 27-for-39 in last week’s game against the Roughriders for 341 yards and a score.

Betting Trends

With last week’s win, the Blue Bombers have now won three of the last four meetings SU with the series tied 2-2 ATS. The total has gone OVER in five of the last six meetings.




Calgary Stampeders (8-1-1 SU, 8-2 ATS) vs. Edmonton Eskimos (5-5 SU, 3-6-1)
Point-spread: Calgary – 2 ½
Total: 55


Game Overview


Calgary can really take a big step towards the West Division title with a sweep in this home-and-home matchup. The Stampers’ current SU winning streak now stands at seven games and they have covered ATS in their last five games on the strength of a combined margin of victory of 82 points. Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 380 yards and two scores and Jerome Messam added 110 yards and two more scores on the ground in last week’s win.


The Eskimos took a big step backwards with last week’s loss after stringing together a trio of SU wins in their previous three games. Mike Reilly still leads the CFL in total passing yards with 3,315 and he also leads the way in touchdown throws with 17. Most of Edmonton’s problems this season have been on the other side of the ball with a defense that is allowing an average of 29.2 points a game.


Betting Trends

Calgary beat Edmonton SU for the first time in the past four matchups with last week’s win and it is now 11-4 ATS in the last 15 meetings. The total has now gone OVER in four of the last seven games between these two division rivals.




Sunday, Sept. 11


Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-5 SU, 5-5 ATS) vs. Toronto Argonauts (4-6 SU, 4-6 ATS)
Point-spread: Hamilton -4
Total: 56


Game Overview

This home-and-home series features two teams headed in opposite directions. Fortunately for Tiger-Cats’ fans their team has some upward momentum at 5-5 with two wins in their last three games both SU and ATS. Zach Collaros continued to shake off the rust from a long layoff with 359 yards passing and four touchdown strikes in Monday’s win while completing 28-of-35 passing attempts.


Toronto is clearly headed in the wrong direction with four losses in a row both SU and ATS. It returns home for Sunday’s game with an unexpected 1-5 record at brand new BMO Field this season both SU and ATS. Ricky Ray still put on a show in Monday’s loss with 386 yards passing and three scores behind a completion rate of 75.6 percent on 41 attempts.


Betting Trends


Hamilton ran its record to 11-1 ATS against Toronto in the last 12 meetings. The Tiger-Cats have also covered ATS in the last eight games of this division tilt and the total has gone OVER in three of the last four meetings.

 

[CNOTES]

WEST DIVISION

RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV


1 Calgary 10 8 1 1 17 323 209 5-0-0 3-1-1 7-1-0


2 BC 10 7 3 0 14 280 246 2-2-0 5-1-0 2-2-0


3 Winnipeg 10 6 4 0 12 259 229 1-3-0 5-1-0 2-3-0


4 Edmonton 10 5 5 0 10 296 292 3-3-0 2-2-0 3-2-0


5 Saskatchewan 10 1 9 0 2 195 347 1-4-0 0-5-0 0-6-0






EAST DIVISION


RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV


1 Ottawa 10 5 4 1 11 262 255 1-3-1 4-1-0 3-2-0


2 Hamilton 10 5 5 0 10 312 269 2-2-0 3-3-0 3-0-0


3 Toronto 10 4 6 0 8 237 285 1-5-0 3-1-0 2-3-0


4 Montreal 10 3 7 0 6 205 237 1-5-0 2-2-0 1-4-0




y - Clinched Division
x - Clinched Playoff Berth

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack


— Penn State is 0-8 vs spread on the road under James Franklin.


— Since Eagles traded Sam Bradford, they went from -7.5 to -4 this weekend against the Browns. Total dropped from 45 to 41.5.


— Detroit’s Justin Upton has 8 homers in his last fifteen games.


— Astros’ Marwin Gonzalez has 36 career HRs; 32 have come with the bases empty.


— Giants were 57-33 at the All-Star break; they’re 17-31 since.


— As a Rams fan, when I see them cut players who immediately get picked up by other teams, I smile. Our talent base has improved.


**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings……..


13) Showtime has a reality show on Florida State football this season; FSU trailed 28-13 at halftime of their opener Monday nite, and alumnus Jameis Winston let loose in the locker room at halftime, reaming out the offensive line. Showtime’s cameras captured the whole thing.


Winston is 22 years old, the Tampa Bay Bucs’ starting QB; surprising that in a halftime that doesn’t allow that much time for adjustments, he felt free enough to lash out at his former teammates. No cursing that I remember (I saw the clip on Twitter); it was emotional and actually it was a decent coach’s speech and obviously, it worked.


12) Speaking of Florida State, reminds me of Winston’s last year with the Seminoles two years ago. I’m in Las Vegas the weekend FSU is playing Miami; I’m sitting in the sportsbook with a buddy and he knew I liked Florida State to win.


“Aren’t you going to bet on Florida State?” he asked.
“No, I’m waiting until they fall behind by 10 points, then I’ll bet them.”


Florida State had a weird habit that year of falling behind early, then rallying from behind to win, much like they did against Ole Miss Monday.


Sure enough once Miami got ahead (17-7, I think) I went up to the window and bet on Florida State and they won, I collected and looked smart for a few minutes (even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then).


In-game wagering is great fun; if you’re out in Las Vegas, it gives you a chance to put money on your opinion, even after the game has started.


11) NFL players who get put on the practice squad (I think it is 10 per team) make $7,000 a week, $119,000 if they last the whole year there.


10) Twins’ 2B Brian Dozier is on fire; he has 22 HRs since July 31; no one else in the big leagues has more than 12.


9) When Arizona Diamondbacks fire GM Dave Stewart after this season, keep in mind he traded Dansby Swanson, the first pick in LY’s draft, for pitcher Shelby Miller, who is 2-11, 6.59 this year. Arizona also sent OF Ender Inciarte to Atlanta and he’s having a good year for the Braves.


Just an awful trade, the Diamondbacks are having a depressing season and it is hard to imagine Stewart getting a new contract, which is too bad, as Stewart was a really good pitcher who helped the Oakland A’s win the ’89 World Series. But good lord, he has had a terrible time as Arizona’s GM.


8) Tennessee-Virginia Tech play football at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend; 150,000 fans are expected. Bristol is 122 miles from Blacksburg, 113 miles from Knoxville. Someone’s making a boatload of money on this deal.


7) Astros’ OF George Springer was a 48th-round draft pick of the Twins as a high school senior, so he went to college at UConn instead. Three years later, he was the 11th pick in the whole draft.


First pick of the 48th round would be the 1,411th player taken, so Springer did an amazing job of improving his stock over a three-year period.


6) We talked last weekend about Houston Cougars coach Tom Herman and the $5M bonus he gets if Houston joins a Power 5 league. Herman’s agent is former NFL player Trace Armstrong, who was a defensive end for 15 years in the NFL. Pretty interesting career change there, player to agent.


5) Back to Florida State football for a second; coach Jimbo Fisher makes $5.1M a year!!!! LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron took a pay cut this year, from $1.5M to $1.2M and he’s not even the head coach.


4) Random college football thoughts, as far as college teams developing talent for the NFL:


— College coach’s job is to win games, to justify his $1M+ salary, not to develop pro players.
— That said, if Jameis Winston is an NFL star, it sure as hell helps Jimbo Fisher’s recruiting efforts.
— Players who play well on winning teams will get drafted; hell, guys who play well on lousy teams will get drafted.
— Not that long ago, Gus Malzahn, Art Briles, Hugh Freeze were high school coaches. Their heads have to be spinning at how much cash they are making.


3) Major league games and minor league games use different baseballs; this is completely stupid. I get that our big leagues and Japanese leagues use different baseballs (their baseballs are smaller) but for minor leaguers to have to adjust to a different (smoother surface, pitchers say) baseball is just plain dumb.


2) Topic of discussion on Mets’ games at various times this year has been whether or not modern players work too hard BEFORE THE GAME, which is why they get fatigued (mentally?) and need to be given “recovery days”, as the Marlins call them, during the season.


They watch film of that night’s pitcher, they lift weights, they hit in the indoor cage during the day. Keith Hernandez is adamant that players get to the ballpark too early each day and work too hard before the game


1– Monday night, I watched the Jon Gruden coaching session with Jared Goff for the first time on ESPN– it was done before the NFL Draft. Half hour show; Gruden was impressed with Goff, but he KILLED THE CAL OFFENSE and how many times they allowed the quarterback to get whacked by pass rushers.


Cal coaches couldn’t have been too excited by the show. Bears have several plays that are designed runs, but the QB has the option, if he sees LBs playing the run too aggressively, to keep the ball and throw a pass.


Problem is linemen are blocking for a running play and the QB is left open to getting his butt kicked if he decides to throw the ball. They showed some big plays Goff hit LY but he was on his back at the end of all of them.

 

[CNOTES]

WNBA
Dunkel


Wednesday, September 7


Seattle @ New York


Game 651-652
September 7, 2016 @ 7:00 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
111.200
New York
114.795
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 3 1/2
164
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York
by 7 1/2
158 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(+7 1/2); Over


Chicago @ Washington


Game 653-654
September 7, 2016 @ 7:00 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
114.246
Washington
109.716
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 4 1/2
170
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
by 2
166 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(-2); Over








WNBA


Wednesday, September 7


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


7:00 PM
SEATTLE vs. NEW YORK
Seattle is 5-20 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing on the road against New York
New York is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle


7:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games on the road
Chicago is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games
Washington is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games

 

[CNOTES]

WNBA
Long Sheet


Wednesday, September 7


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SEATTLE (12 - 17) at NEW YORK (20 - 9) - 9/7/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 8-23 ATS (-17.3 Units) in road games on Wednesday since 1997.
SEATTLE is 34-57 ATS (-28.7 Units) off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.
SEATTLE is 109-80 ATS (+21.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.
NEW YORK is 1-7 ATS (-6.7 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record this season.


Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 3-2 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 6-0 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO (15 - 13) at WASHINGTON (11 - 17) - 9/7/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 9-18 ATS (-10.8 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 19-30 ATS (-14.0 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 26-13 ATS (+11.7 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) as a road favorite of 3 points or less over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 293-347 ATS (-88.7 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 55-78 ATS (-30.8 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 182-224 ATS (-64.4 Units) vs. division opponents since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 1-7 ATS (-6.7 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 6-5 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 9-3 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Storm (12-17) at Liberty (20-9)
Date: September 07, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The New York Liberty will honor one of their all-time greats and look to lock up a top-three seed in the playoffs on Wednesday night, when rookie star Breanna Stewart leads the Seattle Storm into Madison Square Garden.


With a win over the Storm, the Liberty (20-9) can finish no worse than third in the league standings. New York is coming off a bounce-back win against the Phoenix Mercury after absorbing a disappointing 98-77 loss to the Indiana Fever on Sept. 1.


Tina Charles scored 23 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and hit a career milestone in the Liberty's 92-70 blowout of the Mercury on Saturday. Charles reached 4,000 career points in the win and drew emphatic praise from her coach.


"We talk about inside that she's the best post player in the world, men or women," Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said after Saturday's win. "She's that consistent and that dominant. There's more to her that we're waiting to see."


The Storm (12-17) also are coming off an impressive win, 91-82 over the Dream at Atlanta on Sunday. Sue Bird scored 23 points and Stewart had 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists, continuing her standout rookie campaign. The leading Rookie of the Year candidate leads the Storm in scoring (18.2 points per game), rebounds (9.3 per game) and blocks (57).


Stewart will need to have another big game against the Liberty, who have won the last eight meetings with Seattle. The Storm's last win over New York came in August 2012.


Charles had 18 points in the Liberty's 78-74 win over the Storm on July 6 in New York. The Liberty jumped out to an 18-point lead but had to hold off a late charge from Seattle to secure the victory.


New York also won at Seattle this season, 86-78 on June 5.


The Liberty will hold a retirement ceremony for veteran Swin Cash after Wednesday's game. Cash, who was named one of the WNBA's 20 greatest and most influential players, has won three league championships and two NCAA titles during her illustrious career, which will conclude at the end of the season. The ceremony will take place on the court after the game.


Cash is averaging 5.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD


Jul 6, 2016 Score ATS Results
SEA 74 Cover: 5.5
NEW « 78 Under: 152
Tools: Recaps


Jun 5, 2016 Score ATS Results
NEW « 86 Cover: 6
SEA 78 Over: 164

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Sky (15-13) at Mystics (11-17)
Date: September 07, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Two teams headed in opposite directions collide Wednesday, when the struggling Washington Mystics host Elena Delle Donne and the surging Chicago Sky at Verizon Center.


The Mystics (11-17) snapped a two-game slide with an 88-83 road win over the Dallas Wings on Sunday. But Washington has lost nine of 11 games overall to fall into ninth place in the league standings.


The top eight teams in the league standings, regardless of conference, qualify for the playoffs. Washington trails the Seattle Storm by 1/2 game heading into Wednesday for the eighth and final playoff berth, but will have its hands full with Delle Donne and the Sky.


Chicago (15-13) has won four straight games and seven of eight overall to move into fourth place in the league standings with six games remaining in the regular season.


Delle Donne, the reigning MVP, is having another banner season. She leads the league in scoring, averaging 22.1 points per game, and is coming off a 35-point performance in a blowout win over the San Antonio Stars on Sunday.


The Sky have won the last seven meetings with the Mystics, including all three games this season and a two-game sweep in last year's postseason.


Washington's last win against Chicago came in June, 2015.


The teams battled in an overtime thriller in their last meeting, with Chicago guard Courtney Vandersloot hitting the game-winner with 4.6 seconds left. Delle Donne finished with 28 points in the 86-84 win. Washington guard Taylor Hill had a career-high 28 points in the loss.


Hill had 25 points in the Mystics' win over Dallas on Sunday. Washington trailed by two heading into the fourth quarter, but outscored the Wings 26-19 in the fourth quarter. Hill leads the team in scoring (15.7 points per game) and assists (2.8).



WNBA HEAD TO HEAD


Jul 1, 2016 Score ATS Results
WAS 84 Cover: 2
CHI « 86 Over: 170
Tools: Recaps


Jun 3, 2016 Score ATS Results
WAS 72 Over: 170
CHI « 98 Cover: 15.5
Tools: Recaps


Jun 1, 2016 Score ATS Results
CHI « 86 Cover: 4
WAS 78 Over: 164
Tools: Recaps