NEWS
MITCHELL, STAMPS STAY PERFECT, TAKE DOWN REDBLACKS
CALGARY – Defensive lineman Ja’Gared Davis led the way with six tackles and a sack while Bo Levi Mitchell threw for two touchdowns, as the Stampeders moved to 3-0 with a convincing 24-14 victory over the REDBLACKS on Thursday night.
Defence was the name of the game early, with both offences struggling to find a rhythm in the first quarter.
RB William Powell gave the REDBLACKS offence a boost late in the first quarter, ripping off three consecutive first-down runs to put his team deep into Stampeders territory. K Lewis Ward converted on his first field goal attempt of the night, giving Ottawa an early 3-0 lead.
Stamps’ QB Bo Levi Mitchell, who so effortlessly picked apart the Toronto Argonauts’ defence in week 2, couldn’t find the same success early on Thursday, as the REDBLACKS defence gave him and the Calgary offence no room to breathe.
Meanwhile Powell continued to find success against the typically stingy Stampeders defence, juking his way to another big gain on the REDBLACKS’ first possession of the second quarter. Once again however, the Stamps defence stood tall when it mattered, forcing another Ward field goal. Entering Thursday night’s game, the Stamps D had allowed just two touchdowns on 30 possessions to begin the 2018 season.
After starting the game with five consecutive punts, Calgary’s offence was given a gift by their defence midway through the second quarter, A tipped Trevor Harris pass ended up in the arms of LB Micah Johnson deep in REDBLACKS territory, giving Mitchell and the Stamps prime field position.
It didn’t take long for Mitchell to find his favourite target, WR Eric Rogers, who scored his league-leading third receiving touchdown of the season on a short underneath route. K Rene Parades’ convert attempt was good and the Stamps took their first lead of the game with time winding down in the first half.
The interception by Johnson seemed to wake up the Stamps offence, as Mitchell continued to find success on Calgary’s next possession, tearing off chunks of yards with completions to Rogers and Juwan Brescacin. Mitchell was just centimeters away from doubling his money with another touchdown pass to CFL rushing leader Don Jackson, but the ball tumbled through his outstretched hands and a promising drive for Calgary ended without points.
The Stamps headed to halftime with a narrow 7-6 lead over the visiting REDBLACKS, as both defences were able to shut down the typically potent offences.
REDBLACKS DB Rico Murray made his mark on the game early in the third quarter, tracking down a late pass from Mitchell and nabbing his second interception of the 2018 season, while ending a dangerous Stampeders drive.
A punt single from Ottawa P Richie Leone tied the game at 7 midway through the third quarter.
Once again Mitchell had Jackson streaking down the sideline and Calgary looked to have six points in the books, but Jackson bobbled the pass and the Stampeders settled for a field goal from Parades, taking a 10-7 lead.
After struggling for much of the second half, the REDBLACKS seemed to flip a switch on their next possession, as Harris found SB Greg Ellingson deep down the middle for a 56-yard completion. With a first down inside the 10, it looked certain that the REDBLACKS would at least tie the game, but after moving to the 1 yard line on second down, the Stamps defensive line stood tall and stuffed the sneak attempt.
That defensive stop may have been the turning point, as the Stampeders quickly got to work on offense, and Mitchell tossed his second major of the game, finding WR Kamar Jorden deep down the middle for a 32-yard score.
After the kickoff, the Stamps’ defence made another big play, knocking the ball loose from SB Brad Sinopoli and handing the keys right back to Bo. This time it was Jackson’s turn to score, as he notched his second touchdown of the season.
The REDBLACKS swapped Harris for Dominique Davis late in the fourth and he quickly made his mark on the game, finding Ellingson in the end zone to cut into the Stamps lead. But it was too little too late, and the Stampeders marched away with the victory.
Next week the REDBLACKS will travel to Montreal to take on the Alouettes while the Stampeders head into the bye week before
MITCHELL, STAMPS STAY PERFECT, TAKE DOWN REDBLACKS
CALGARY – Defensive lineman Ja’Gared Davis led the way with six tackles and a sack while Bo Levi Mitchell threw for two touchdowns, as the Stampeders moved to 3-0 with a convincing 24-14 victory over the REDBLACKS on Thursday night.
Defence was the name of the game early, with both offences struggling to find a rhythm in the first quarter.
RB William Powell gave the REDBLACKS offence a boost late in the first quarter, ripping off three consecutive first-down runs to put his team deep into Stampeders territory. K Lewis Ward converted on his first field goal attempt of the night, giving Ottawa an early 3-0 lead.
Stamps’ QB Bo Levi Mitchell, who so effortlessly picked apart the Toronto Argonauts’ defence in week 2, couldn’t find the same success early on Thursday, as the REDBLACKS defence gave him and the Calgary offence no room to breathe.
Meanwhile Powell continued to find success against the typically stingy Stampeders defence, juking his way to another big gain on the REDBLACKS’ first possession of the second quarter. Once again however, the Stamps defence stood tall when it mattered, forcing another Ward field goal. Entering Thursday night’s game, the Stamps D had allowed just two touchdowns on 30 possessions to begin the 2018 season.
After starting the game with five consecutive punts, Calgary’s offence was given a gift by their defence midway through the second quarter, A tipped Trevor Harris pass ended up in the arms of LB Micah Johnson deep in REDBLACKS territory, giving Mitchell and the Stamps prime field position.
It didn’t take long for Mitchell to find his favourite target, WR Eric Rogers, who scored his league-leading third receiving touchdown of the season on a short underneath route. K Rene Parades’ convert attempt was good and the Stamps took their first lead of the game with time winding down in the first half.
The interception by Johnson seemed to wake up the Stamps offence, as Mitchell continued to find success on Calgary’s next possession, tearing off chunks of yards with completions to Rogers and Juwan Brescacin. Mitchell was just centimeters away from doubling his money with another touchdown pass to CFL rushing leader Don Jackson, but the ball tumbled through his outstretched hands and a promising drive for Calgary ended without points.
The Stamps headed to halftime with a narrow 7-6 lead over the visiting REDBLACKS, as both defences were able to shut down the typically potent offences.
REDBLACKS DB Rico Murray made his mark on the game early in the third quarter, tracking down a late pass from Mitchell and nabbing his second interception of the 2018 season, while ending a dangerous Stampeders drive.
A punt single from Ottawa P Richie Leone tied the game at 7 midway through the third quarter.
Once again Mitchell had Jackson streaking down the sideline and Calgary looked to have six points in the books, but Jackson bobbled the pass and the Stampeders settled for a field goal from Parades, taking a 10-7 lead.
After struggling for much of the second half, the REDBLACKS seemed to flip a switch on their next possession, as Harris found SB Greg Ellingson deep down the middle for a 56-yard completion. With a first down inside the 10, it looked certain that the REDBLACKS would at least tie the game, but after moving to the 1 yard line on second down, the Stamps defensive line stood tall and stuffed the sneak attempt.
That defensive stop may have been the turning point, as the Stampeders quickly got to work on offense, and Mitchell tossed his second major of the game, finding WR Kamar Jorden deep down the middle for a 32-yard score.
After the kickoff, the Stamps’ defence made another big play, knocking the ball loose from SB Brad Sinopoli and handing the keys right back to Bo. This time it was Jackson’s turn to score, as he notched his second touchdown of the season.
The REDBLACKS swapped Harris for Dominique Davis late in the fourth and he quickly made his mark on the game, finding Ellingson in the end zone to cut into the Stamps lead. But it was too little too late, and the Stampeders marched away with the victory.
Next week the REDBLACKS will travel to Montreal to take on the Alouettes while the Stampeders head into the bye week before
Canadian Football Record; ( All Picks )
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
06/28/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/23/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
06/22/2018 4-0-0 100.00% +2000
06/21/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
06/16/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
06/15/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/14/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
Totals.............. 10-8-0........55.55%.....+6.00
CFL Best Bets:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
DATE.........................ATS.................. .....UNITS.....................O/U...................UNITS...........TOTAL
06/28/2018...............0 - 1......................-5.50......................1 - 0..................+5.00..............-0.50
06/23/2018...............1 - 0.....................+5.00......................1 - 0.................+5.00..............+10.00
06/22/2018...............2 - 0.....................+10.00....................2 - 0.................+10.00.............+20.00
06/21/2018...............0 - 1......................-5.50......................0 - 1...................-5.50.............-11.00
06/16/2018...............1 - 1......................-0.50......................0 - 2..................-11.00.............-11.50
06/15/2018...............1 - 0 .....................+5.00.....................0 - 1...................-5.50..............-0.50
06/14/2018...............1 - 0......................+5.00.....................0 - 1...................-5.50..............-0.50
Totals.......................6 - 3.....................+13.50.................... 4 - 5..................-7.50............+6.00
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
06/28/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/23/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
06/22/2018 4-0-0 100.00% +2000
06/21/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
06/16/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
06/15/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/14/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
Totals.............. 10-8-0........55.55%.....+6.00
CFL Best Bets:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
DATE.........................ATS.................. .....UNITS.....................O/U...................UNITS...........TOTAL
06/28/2018...............0 - 1......................-5.50......................1 - 0..................+5.00..............-0.50
06/23/2018...............1 - 0.....................+5.00......................1 - 0.................+5.00..............+10.00
06/22/2018...............2 - 0.....................+10.00....................2 - 0.................+10.00.............+20.00
06/21/2018...............0 - 1......................-5.50......................0 - 1...................-5.50.............-11.00
06/16/2018...............1 - 1......................-0.50......................0 - 2..................-11.00.............-11.50
06/15/2018...............1 - 0 .....................+5.00.....................0 - 1...................-5.50..............-0.50
06/14/2018...............1 - 0......................+5.00.....................0 - 1...................-5.50..............-0.50
Totals.......................6 - 3.....................+13.50.................... 4 - 5..................-7.50............+6.00
PREVIEW
LIONS VISIT EDMONTON FOR DATE WITH ESKIMOS
EDMONTON — This week’s late-night edition of Friday Night Football pits the Edmonton Eskimos against the BC Lions at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
The Eskimos are looking for a bounce-back performance following a disappointing 38-21 defeat at the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week, while the Lions have had nearly two weeks off since their season-opening 22-10 win over Montreal on home turf.
Both teams are led by veteran players and coaching staffs, and understand the importance of an early-season divisional contest.
“When you play against people you have familiarity with, teammates and guys you coached, it’s good to see them,” Edmonton head coach Jason Maas told Esks.com. “We know what they’re about, have a ton of respect for them. It’s going to be a great rivalry game and a great Western opponent.”
The BC Lions have been raring to get back onto the field after an early bye left them at home in front of their televisions in Week 2.
“Bye weeks are tough, things get repetitive,” Lions receiver Bryan Burnham told BCLions.com. “There’s things here and there that we’ve seen on the film that we might be able to work. But, we know after (Edmonton’s last) game, they’ll be hungry and ready to win. We can’t make any mistakes.”
The 28-year-old pass catcher had a quiet debut against Montreal, catching six passes for a total of 38 yards, but has cleared the 1,000 mark in each of the last two seasons.
“Right now the West is up for grabs,” continued Burnham. “A lot of good teams, (so) to start off the season on a high note with a win on the road will be big for our confidence and putting the league on notice that we’re here — it’s about time we go into Commonwealth and get a win.”
BC head coach Wally Buono, meanwhile, was having none of the farewell tour narrative that journalists tried to force on him during walkthrough on Thursday.
“No, my last time here is going to be in November,” said Buono directly when asked about his ‘final’ game at Commonwealth. “I’m not talking about ‘last time’ — I’ve had some good memories here and a lot of bad memories here. It’s early in the season, there’s a lot of work to be done, and it’s not the time to get sentimental.”
The grizzled BC coach was on board, however, with questions pertaining to the return of Lions D-end Odell Willis to Edmonton.
“Well there should be a lot of buzz about Odell returning — he’s a great player and great personality,” lauded Buono of Willis, who spent five seasons (2013-17) in green and gold. “He’s been a tremendous warrior (and) he’s a guy that livens up everything, whether it’s a meeting or practice. He’s a pro, a guy who competes.”
Veteran quarterback Travis Lulay is slated to dress this week for the Lions, though he will remain behind QB-1 Jonathon Jennings and QB-2 Cody Fajardo on Jarious Jackson’s offence.
All eyes will be on Jennings early in the 2018 season as the Columbus, Oh. native attempts to return to his 2016 form.
“We scored pretty early (last week,) it’s something we’re going to have to maintain throughout the season with consistency,” said Jennings. “Trying to stay on the field against Edmonton, especially with Mike Reilly over there, will be important.
Explosive plays win football games. They’re going to have a couple plays with Mike and guys like Derel Walker, but we’ll have to match those.”
Roster-wise, David Mackie and offensive lineman David Knevel enter the BC lineup this week; while linebacker Keelan Johnson and defensive back Dominique Termansen both hit the one-game injured list.
On the Eskimos side of the football, Friday night’s contest is a chance to rinse the sour taste of Week 2 from the team’s collective mouth.
“You’ve got to bounce back and learn from it,” Edmonton linebacker J.C. Sherritt, who gave a heated post-game interview following his team’s loss, told Esks.com. “I was upset, because I knew we had a good gameplan, and we just got outplayed. Myself included. It was frustrating, we couldn’t get a stop no matter what we did.”
Despite a number of younger faces on coordinator Mike Benevides’s unit — and the growing pains that come with that — Sherritt believes the Esks have the potential to be a shutdown unit.
“We have the tools to be the best defence, but that comes with hard work and time working together,” said Sherritt. “There’s no doubt that (playing)’s the best thing for them. I remember like it was yesterday, when I was thrown into the fire and vets helped. That’s our job as vets to help them get there.
“It’s not who’s best right now, it’s who’s best at the end of the year.”
The topic of Odell Willis came up in interviews with multiple Eskimos players, and ever-poised quarterback Mike Reilly stated flatly that he won’t play whatever mind games the now-BC D-end will try come Friday.
“Every play (I’ll hear him). There are certain guys in the league that talk a lot during the game, (and) Odell’s one that does,” said Reilly. “I’ve got so much other stuff going on that I don’t hear it, but Odell’s a great guy. He’s one of those guys who makes the game great, gets the fans into it, gets them entertained. (But) once the ball’s kicked off, it’s football.”
With just one lineup change from last week — new signing Samuel Giguere slides in as a backup receiver, with fullback Pascal Lochard sliding out — the biggest roster news in Edmonton will be 2017 first-round draft pick Nate Behar making his first professional start at slotback.
“Getting the texts over the weekend, ‘this is what you’re playing’, it’s exciting,” said Behar, a Carleton product who took just one offensive rep in his 2017 rookie season. “I texted my mom and big brother and said ‘let’s do it’.”
Crunchin’ Numbers:
8 — Eskimos wins in the last 10 meetings between the two teams; Edmonton swept last year’s season series 3-0, but all three contests were decided in the final three minutes of play.
11 — Losses in BC’s last 14 road games against western opponents.
83.3 — Completion percentage for BC quarterback Jonathon Jennings, the best mark in the CFL. Granted, the Lions gunslinger has appeared in one less game than most quarterbacks.
102 — Total yards of second-half offence for Edmonton in last week’s 17-point home loss against Hamilton, an eye-popping number of an offence with so many weapons at its disposal.
Both the Lions and Eskimos could use some momentum right now.
In BC’s case, their 22-10 win on home turf in Week seems; a) very long ago; b) as though it was taken by many with a grain of salt, given their opponents (Montreal).
Edmonton, meanwhile, has only lost the way it did last week — by more than two scores on home turf — one other time since August 2015. Thus, much of the conversation this week around Jason Maas’s team focused on responding.
Two West Division opponents with plenty on the line; early-season jockeying in the standings, the return of Odell Willis, Jonathon Jennings’s quest to become elite.
The storylines are plentiful and the stakes will be high at Commonwealth this Friday, so hang on to your hats, folks.
Kickoff is at 10:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on TSN and ESPN2.
LIONS VISIT EDMONTON FOR DATE WITH ESKIMOS
EDMONTON — This week’s late-night edition of Friday Night Football pits the Edmonton Eskimos against the BC Lions at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
The Eskimos are looking for a bounce-back performance following a disappointing 38-21 defeat at the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week, while the Lions have had nearly two weeks off since their season-opening 22-10 win over Montreal on home turf.
Both teams are led by veteran players and coaching staffs, and understand the importance of an early-season divisional contest.
“When you play against people you have familiarity with, teammates and guys you coached, it’s good to see them,” Edmonton head coach Jason Maas told Esks.com. “We know what they’re about, have a ton of respect for them. It’s going to be a great rivalry game and a great Western opponent.”
The BC Lions have been raring to get back onto the field after an early bye left them at home in front of their televisions in Week 2.
“Bye weeks are tough, things get repetitive,” Lions receiver Bryan Burnham told BCLions.com. “There’s things here and there that we’ve seen on the film that we might be able to work. But, we know after (Edmonton’s last) game, they’ll be hungry and ready to win. We can’t make any mistakes.”
The 28-year-old pass catcher had a quiet debut against Montreal, catching six passes for a total of 38 yards, but has cleared the 1,000 mark in each of the last two seasons.
“Right now the West is up for grabs,” continued Burnham. “A lot of good teams, (so) to start off the season on a high note with a win on the road will be big for our confidence and putting the league on notice that we’re here — it’s about time we go into Commonwealth and get a win.”
BC head coach Wally Buono, meanwhile, was having none of the farewell tour narrative that journalists tried to force on him during walkthrough on Thursday.
“No, my last time here is going to be in November,” said Buono directly when asked about his ‘final’ game at Commonwealth. “I’m not talking about ‘last time’ — I’ve had some good memories here and a lot of bad memories here. It’s early in the season, there’s a lot of work to be done, and it’s not the time to get sentimental.”
The grizzled BC coach was on board, however, with questions pertaining to the return of Lions D-end Odell Willis to Edmonton.
“Well there should be a lot of buzz about Odell returning — he’s a great player and great personality,” lauded Buono of Willis, who spent five seasons (2013-17) in green and gold. “He’s been a tremendous warrior (and) he’s a guy that livens up everything, whether it’s a meeting or practice. He’s a pro, a guy who competes.”
Veteran quarterback Travis Lulay is slated to dress this week for the Lions, though he will remain behind QB-1 Jonathon Jennings and QB-2 Cody Fajardo on Jarious Jackson’s offence.
All eyes will be on Jennings early in the 2018 season as the Columbus, Oh. native attempts to return to his 2016 form.
“We scored pretty early (last week,) it’s something we’re going to have to maintain throughout the season with consistency,” said Jennings. “Trying to stay on the field against Edmonton, especially with Mike Reilly over there, will be important.
Explosive plays win football games. They’re going to have a couple plays with Mike and guys like Derel Walker, but we’ll have to match those.”
Roster-wise, David Mackie and offensive lineman David Knevel enter the BC lineup this week; while linebacker Keelan Johnson and defensive back Dominique Termansen both hit the one-game injured list.
On the Eskimos side of the football, Friday night’s contest is a chance to rinse the sour taste of Week 2 from the team’s collective mouth.
“You’ve got to bounce back and learn from it,” Edmonton linebacker J.C. Sherritt, who gave a heated post-game interview following his team’s loss, told Esks.com. “I was upset, because I knew we had a good gameplan, and we just got outplayed. Myself included. It was frustrating, we couldn’t get a stop no matter what we did.”
Despite a number of younger faces on coordinator Mike Benevides’s unit — and the growing pains that come with that — Sherritt believes the Esks have the potential to be a shutdown unit.
“We have the tools to be the best defence, but that comes with hard work and time working together,” said Sherritt. “There’s no doubt that (playing)’s the best thing for them. I remember like it was yesterday, when I was thrown into the fire and vets helped. That’s our job as vets to help them get there.
“It’s not who’s best right now, it’s who’s best at the end of the year.”
The topic of Odell Willis came up in interviews with multiple Eskimos players, and ever-poised quarterback Mike Reilly stated flatly that he won’t play whatever mind games the now-BC D-end will try come Friday.
“Every play (I’ll hear him). There are certain guys in the league that talk a lot during the game, (and) Odell’s one that does,” said Reilly. “I’ve got so much other stuff going on that I don’t hear it, but Odell’s a great guy. He’s one of those guys who makes the game great, gets the fans into it, gets them entertained. (But) once the ball’s kicked off, it’s football.”
With just one lineup change from last week — new signing Samuel Giguere slides in as a backup receiver, with fullback Pascal Lochard sliding out — the biggest roster news in Edmonton will be 2017 first-round draft pick Nate Behar making his first professional start at slotback.
“Getting the texts over the weekend, ‘this is what you’re playing’, it’s exciting,” said Behar, a Carleton product who took just one offensive rep in his 2017 rookie season. “I texted my mom and big brother and said ‘let’s do it’.”
Crunchin’ Numbers:
8 — Eskimos wins in the last 10 meetings between the two teams; Edmonton swept last year’s season series 3-0, but all three contests were decided in the final three minutes of play.
11 — Losses in BC’s last 14 road games against western opponents.
83.3 — Completion percentage for BC quarterback Jonathon Jennings, the best mark in the CFL. Granted, the Lions gunslinger has appeared in one less game than most quarterbacks.
102 — Total yards of second-half offence for Edmonton in last week’s 17-point home loss against Hamilton, an eye-popping number of an offence with so many weapons at its disposal.
Both the Lions and Eskimos could use some momentum right now.
In BC’s case, their 22-10 win on home turf in Week seems; a) very long ago; b) as though it was taken by many with a grain of salt, given their opponents (Montreal).
Edmonton, meanwhile, has only lost the way it did last week — by more than two scores on home turf — one other time since August 2015. Thus, much of the conversation this week around Jason Maas’s team focused on responding.
Two West Division opponents with plenty on the line; early-season jockeying in the standings, the return of Odell Willis, Jonathon Jennings’s quest to become elite.
The storylines are plentiful and the stakes will be high at Commonwealth this Friday, so hang on to your hats, folks.
Kickoff is at 10:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on TSN and ESPN2.
PREVIEW
TICATS, BOMBERS LOOK TO STAY HOT ON FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
HAMILTON — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers are two teams that have made early statements through the opening weeks of the 2018 CFL season.
Both teams head to Tim Hortons Field in search of back-to-back wins after a pair of impressive performances in Week 2.
After starting their season with two games out in Alberta, Hamilton can expect a warm welcome from Tiger Town in their 2018 home opener.
The Ticats road swing out west was considered a success, finishing with a 1-1 record against two of the top teams in the league. In their most recent matchup, the Black and Gold picked up an impressive 38-21 win over the Edmonton Eskimos.
After needing nine games to get heir first win last season, Hamilton accomplished the same feat in less than a quarter of the time in 2018.
It’s clear after just two games that the Tabbies are a new and improved version of their 2017 selves.
“You have to be able to win some games on the road if you want to be a championship team,” Head Coach June Jones told Ticats.ca after the game. “Winning there had always been difficult. But we pulled it off.”
Jeremiah Masoli was named a CFL Top Performer of the Week after completing 19 of 29 attempts for 332 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. The 29-year-old currently sits second in passing yards in the league after a pair of impressive performances to open the season.
Masoli credited his entire cast on offence for his early success.
“We do have a lot of talented guys over here,” said Masoli. “We’re still trying to get better. Still trying to find our stride. Hit on all levels, which we haven’t yet. We’re still looking to take the next step forward.”
Receiver Brandon Banks was superb in the victory, picking up a game-high 117 receiving yards on six catches, including a touchdown in the third quarter that put more distance between the Ticats and Esks. Luke Tasker was equally as impressive with a pair of touchdown grabs to go along with 103 receiving yards.
The most pleasant surprise of the evening was third-year running back Mercer Timmis, who broke out for 133 rushing yards in the victory. The Burlington, Ont. native also found the end zone twice for the first two majors of his young career, displaying that the Ticats’ run game is still a threat despite the absence of Alex Green.
“It definitely gives you a little bit of confidence,” Timmis said of his breakout performance. “But at the same time, you have to kind of reload. Different week. Different opponent. You can’t look into it too much. We have to focus on Winnipeg. That’s the task at hand.”
While Timmis and Masoli’s performances were a highlight of Week 2, Winnipeg Blue Bombers Chris Streveler has also been turning heads early into the CFL season.
The rookie pivot was dominant in a 56-10 slaying of the Montreal Alouettes last week. The 23-year-old completed 22 of 28 passes for 246 yards with three touchdown passes to go along with one rushing major and 98 yards on the ground.
But rather than rest on his laurels, Streveler is focused at the task at hand this week against the Ticats.
“I’ve done a lot of preparation this week preparing for these guys [Hamilton],” Streveler told BlueBombers.com. “You definitely see the speed and the intensity they play with on defence. It’s going to be a big challenge for us. They’ve got some really good players. It’s a test we’re looking forward to.”
While the Bombers offence racked up a boatload of points on the Als, the defence did not go unnoticed. Winnipeg held Montreal to just 129 passing yards through 60 minutes of play, while defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo picked up two quarterback sacks on the night.
Okpalaugo says that key to beating the Ticats will be slowing down Misoli.
“He’s a special quarterback,” said Okpalaugo. “He’s athletic. A dual threat…..We have to contain him. Get in his face. Make sure he doesn’t scramble as much as he would like to.”
Winnipeg ranks second in fewest points among teams who have played two games with 43, behind only Calgary.
However, the Bombers’ defence will take a hit this week with the absence of Anthony Gaitor, who has been placed on the six-game injured list. The halfback was tied for the fourth most tackles league wide with 12 after two games.
Returning to the defence as a starter is Maurice Leggett, who saw some action in the return game last week after a grueling but determined recovery from a season-ending Achilles injury suffered late last fall.
The Bombers encountered a bit of a scare last week when star running back Andrew Harris left that game near the end of the third quarter after taking a low hit from Alouettes linebacker Jermaine Robinson. Harris also missed the Bombers first two practices of the week. But the four-time CFL all-star made it clear that he is good to go against the Ticats.
“I was ready to go back into the game in Montreal,” said Harris. “We were up by 30 at that point in time. We had a pretty healthy lead….If the score was tighter and in different circumstances, I would have been playing.”
It’s the Blue and Gold against the Black and Gold. Game on.
Crunchin’ Numbers:
6 – Passing touchdowns by Bombers rookie quarterback Chris Streveler this season, tied for the most in the CFL.
7 – Consecutive 300-yard passing games for Jeremiah Masoli. He can tie Mike Reilly (2015-16) and Anthony Calvillo (2012) for the second most 300-plus yard performances in a row in CFL history.
18 – The number of times the Ticats and Bombers have met since 2011. They have split the games evenly at nine wins apiece.
32 – Number of first downs by the Ticats last week, their best total since July 6, 2010.
Masoli and Streveler have been two of the most exciting pivots to watch in the league this season.
However, both quarterbacks realize that two talented players are on their heels; motivating them to play even harder.
Johnny Manziel news has diminished over the past couple of weeks thanks to a pair of impressive games by Masoli. That being said, if the Ticats quarterback for the foreseeable future begins to underperform, there will be no hesitation by Hamilton to give Manziel a go.
Unlike Masoli, Streveler was not the predicted starter for the Bombers. The rookie quarterback was thrust into the job after Matt Nichols was injured in practice earlier this month. With Nichols expected to return in the coming weeks, Streveler is determined to make a statement that the veteran QB is not their only option at quarterback.
As if this matchup wasn’t intriguing enough, this will be the first live mic game of the 2018 season. Coaches and quarterbacks will be wearing mics for the entire game so fans can feel like they are in the huddle.
TICATS, BOMBERS LOOK TO STAY HOT ON FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
HAMILTON — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers are two teams that have made early statements through the opening weeks of the 2018 CFL season.
Both teams head to Tim Hortons Field in search of back-to-back wins after a pair of impressive performances in Week 2.
After starting their season with two games out in Alberta, Hamilton can expect a warm welcome from Tiger Town in their 2018 home opener.
The Ticats road swing out west was considered a success, finishing with a 1-1 record against two of the top teams in the league. In their most recent matchup, the Black and Gold picked up an impressive 38-21 win over the Edmonton Eskimos.
After needing nine games to get heir first win last season, Hamilton accomplished the same feat in less than a quarter of the time in 2018.
It’s clear after just two games that the Tabbies are a new and improved version of their 2017 selves.
“You have to be able to win some games on the road if you want to be a championship team,” Head Coach June Jones told Ticats.ca after the game. “Winning there had always been difficult. But we pulled it off.”
Jeremiah Masoli was named a CFL Top Performer of the Week after completing 19 of 29 attempts for 332 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. The 29-year-old currently sits second in passing yards in the league after a pair of impressive performances to open the season.
Masoli credited his entire cast on offence for his early success.
“We do have a lot of talented guys over here,” said Masoli. “We’re still trying to get better. Still trying to find our stride. Hit on all levels, which we haven’t yet. We’re still looking to take the next step forward.”
Receiver Brandon Banks was superb in the victory, picking up a game-high 117 receiving yards on six catches, including a touchdown in the third quarter that put more distance between the Ticats and Esks. Luke Tasker was equally as impressive with a pair of touchdown grabs to go along with 103 receiving yards.
The most pleasant surprise of the evening was third-year running back Mercer Timmis, who broke out for 133 rushing yards in the victory. The Burlington, Ont. native also found the end zone twice for the first two majors of his young career, displaying that the Ticats’ run game is still a threat despite the absence of Alex Green.
“It definitely gives you a little bit of confidence,” Timmis said of his breakout performance. “But at the same time, you have to kind of reload. Different week. Different opponent. You can’t look into it too much. We have to focus on Winnipeg. That’s the task at hand.”
While Timmis and Masoli’s performances were a highlight of Week 2, Winnipeg Blue Bombers Chris Streveler has also been turning heads early into the CFL season.
The rookie pivot was dominant in a 56-10 slaying of the Montreal Alouettes last week. The 23-year-old completed 22 of 28 passes for 246 yards with three touchdown passes to go along with one rushing major and 98 yards on the ground.
But rather than rest on his laurels, Streveler is focused at the task at hand this week against the Ticats.
“I’ve done a lot of preparation this week preparing for these guys [Hamilton],” Streveler told BlueBombers.com. “You definitely see the speed and the intensity they play with on defence. It’s going to be a big challenge for us. They’ve got some really good players. It’s a test we’re looking forward to.”
While the Bombers offence racked up a boatload of points on the Als, the defence did not go unnoticed. Winnipeg held Montreal to just 129 passing yards through 60 minutes of play, while defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo picked up two quarterback sacks on the night.
Okpalaugo says that key to beating the Ticats will be slowing down Misoli.
“He’s a special quarterback,” said Okpalaugo. “He’s athletic. A dual threat…..We have to contain him. Get in his face. Make sure he doesn’t scramble as much as he would like to.”
Winnipeg ranks second in fewest points among teams who have played two games with 43, behind only Calgary.
However, the Bombers’ defence will take a hit this week with the absence of Anthony Gaitor, who has been placed on the six-game injured list. The halfback was tied for the fourth most tackles league wide with 12 after two games.
Returning to the defence as a starter is Maurice Leggett, who saw some action in the return game last week after a grueling but determined recovery from a season-ending Achilles injury suffered late last fall.
The Bombers encountered a bit of a scare last week when star running back Andrew Harris left that game near the end of the third quarter after taking a low hit from Alouettes linebacker Jermaine Robinson. Harris also missed the Bombers first two practices of the week. But the four-time CFL all-star made it clear that he is good to go against the Ticats.
“I was ready to go back into the game in Montreal,” said Harris. “We were up by 30 at that point in time. We had a pretty healthy lead….If the score was tighter and in different circumstances, I would have been playing.”
It’s the Blue and Gold against the Black and Gold. Game on.
Crunchin’ Numbers:
6 – Passing touchdowns by Bombers rookie quarterback Chris Streveler this season, tied for the most in the CFL.
7 – Consecutive 300-yard passing games for Jeremiah Masoli. He can tie Mike Reilly (2015-16) and Anthony Calvillo (2012) for the second most 300-plus yard performances in a row in CFL history.
18 – The number of times the Ticats and Bombers have met since 2011. They have split the games evenly at nine wins apiece.
32 – Number of first downs by the Ticats last week, their best total since July 6, 2010.
Masoli and Streveler have been two of the most exciting pivots to watch in the league this season.
However, both quarterbacks realize that two talented players are on their heels; motivating them to play even harder.
Johnny Manziel news has diminished over the past couple of weeks thanks to a pair of impressive games by Masoli. That being said, if the Ticats quarterback for the foreseeable future begins to underperform, there will be no hesitation by Hamilton to give Manziel a go.
Unlike Masoli, Streveler was not the predicted starter for the Bombers. The rookie quarterback was thrust into the job after Matt Nichols was injured in practice earlier this month. With Nichols expected to return in the coming weeks, Streveler is determined to make a statement that the veteran QB is not their only option at quarterback.
As if this matchup wasn’t intriguing enough, this will be the first live mic game of the 2018 season. Coaches and quarterbacks will be wearing mics for the entire game so fans can feel like they are in the huddle.
GAME RECAP
TICATS OFFENCE CONTROLS BOMBERS IN HOME OPENER WIN AT THF
HAMILTON — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats dominated both sides of the ball for long stretches on Friday night en route to a 31-17 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Tim Hortons Field.
Ticats quarterback Jeremiah Masoli broke the 300-yard passing mark for the eighth-straight game, Hamilton’s defence largely shut down the Chris Streveler-led Bombers offence — at one point forcing six consecutive two-and-outs — and the Tabbies built an important cushion in the second half.
Masoli finished the night with 31 completions for 369 yards, while three of his receivers eclipsed the 80-yard receiving mark; defensively, the Ticats limited Winnipeg for the better part of three quarters before a late Bomber comeback attempt.
The Bombers defence got off to a hot start, as rookie defensive back Marcus Sayles stepped up and intercepted a Jeremiah Masoli pass intended for Terrence Toliver; Sayles then took off and scampered nearly 40 yards down inside the Hamilton 30-yard line.
Four plays later, Winnipeg found the end zone on a plunging one-yard Andrew Harris touchdown dive. Justin Medlock’s convert then opened up a 7-0 lead for the visitors.
Masoli and co. found their offensive rhythm later in the first quarter; the Ticat pivot found Brandon Banks for 37 yards, then running back Sean Thomas-Erlington battered the ball down to the 1-yard line, setting up a short Mercer Timmis touchdown run. Lirim Hajrullahu’s convert tied the ballgame at seven.
Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea then went into his bag of tricks with a fake-punt run by Jesse Briggs to extend a drive; three plays later, Medlock drilled a 38-yard field goal to retake the lead for Winnipeg.
That lead did not last long, as Hajrullahu nailed a 50-yard boot on the ensuing drive to draw the Ticats level.
A run by Thomas-Erlington — featuring a ridiculous hurdle over a Winnipeg defender — then set up a 17-yard chip shot of a field goal by Hajrullahu.
Another kick from Hajrullahu, this time from 42 yards out as the second-quarter clock expired, sent the Ticats to the locker room with a 16-10 lead at the half.
Masoli came out firing in the third quarter, completing six straight passes to set up Timmis’s second touchdown plunge of the evening from four yards out; the two-point convert fluttered incomplete, and Hamilton led 22-10.
The Ticats continued to stifle Streveler and the Winnipeg offence, and Masoli was more than happy to seize the opportunity to widen the gap: After a Bomber two-and-out, Hamilton’s offence needed just four plays to find the end zone on a pretty 25-yard Masoli-to-Toliver connection.
Coordinator Jerry Glanville’s Hamilton defence forced six straight Winnipeg two-and-outs.
But, there was more than a bit of life left in the Bombers’ rookie quarterback, as he sprinted his way into the end zone with 10 minutes left to cut the deficit — following Medlock’s convert — to 14 points.
Despite running a strong three-minute drill, Streveler and co. were unable to find the end zone late, sealing their fate.
While Mercer Timmis was the story in the Ticat back field in Week 2, it was Sean Thomas-Erlington who stole the show in black and gold with a dazzling 92-yard performance.
Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill registered a game-high 10 tackles in the defeat; veteran Ticat Simoni Lawrence paced his team with six tackles and also recorded a sack.
Streveler finished the night with a 17-for-28, 146-yard line; the 23-year-old did not throw a touchdown or interception in the defeat.
With the win, the Tiger-Cats improved to 2-1 on the young season; June Jones’s team will now travel to Saskatchewan for a date with the Roughriders (1-1) in Week 4’s Thursday Night Football matchup (9 p.m. ET).
The loss dropped the Bombers to 1-2; Mike O’Shea’s group will return home in Week 4 for a date with the BC Lions next Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET).
TICATS OFFENCE CONTROLS BOMBERS IN HOME OPENER WIN AT THF
HAMILTON — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats dominated both sides of the ball for long stretches on Friday night en route to a 31-17 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Tim Hortons Field.
Ticats quarterback Jeremiah Masoli broke the 300-yard passing mark for the eighth-straight game, Hamilton’s defence largely shut down the Chris Streveler-led Bombers offence — at one point forcing six consecutive two-and-outs — and the Tabbies built an important cushion in the second half.
Masoli finished the night with 31 completions for 369 yards, while three of his receivers eclipsed the 80-yard receiving mark; defensively, the Ticats limited Winnipeg for the better part of three quarters before a late Bomber comeback attempt.
The Bombers defence got off to a hot start, as rookie defensive back Marcus Sayles stepped up and intercepted a Jeremiah Masoli pass intended for Terrence Toliver; Sayles then took off and scampered nearly 40 yards down inside the Hamilton 30-yard line.
Four plays later, Winnipeg found the end zone on a plunging one-yard Andrew Harris touchdown dive. Justin Medlock’s convert then opened up a 7-0 lead for the visitors.
Masoli and co. found their offensive rhythm later in the first quarter; the Ticat pivot found Brandon Banks for 37 yards, then running back Sean Thomas-Erlington battered the ball down to the 1-yard line, setting up a short Mercer Timmis touchdown run. Lirim Hajrullahu’s convert tied the ballgame at seven.
Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea then went into his bag of tricks with a fake-punt run by Jesse Briggs to extend a drive; three plays later, Medlock drilled a 38-yard field goal to retake the lead for Winnipeg.
That lead did not last long, as Hajrullahu nailed a 50-yard boot on the ensuing drive to draw the Ticats level.
A run by Thomas-Erlington — featuring a ridiculous hurdle over a Winnipeg defender — then set up a 17-yard chip shot of a field goal by Hajrullahu.
Another kick from Hajrullahu, this time from 42 yards out as the second-quarter clock expired, sent the Ticats to the locker room with a 16-10 lead at the half.
Masoli came out firing in the third quarter, completing six straight passes to set up Timmis’s second touchdown plunge of the evening from four yards out; the two-point convert fluttered incomplete, and Hamilton led 22-10.
The Ticats continued to stifle Streveler and the Winnipeg offence, and Masoli was more than happy to seize the opportunity to widen the gap: After a Bomber two-and-out, Hamilton’s offence needed just four plays to find the end zone on a pretty 25-yard Masoli-to-Toliver connection.
Coordinator Jerry Glanville’s Hamilton defence forced six straight Winnipeg two-and-outs.
But, there was more than a bit of life left in the Bombers’ rookie quarterback, as he sprinted his way into the end zone with 10 minutes left to cut the deficit — following Medlock’s convert — to 14 points.
Despite running a strong three-minute drill, Streveler and co. were unable to find the end zone late, sealing their fate.
While Mercer Timmis was the story in the Ticat back field in Week 2, it was Sean Thomas-Erlington who stole the show in black and gold with a dazzling 92-yard performance.
Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill registered a game-high 10 tackles in the defeat; veteran Ticat Simoni Lawrence paced his team with six tackles and also recorded a sack.
Streveler finished the night with a 17-for-28, 146-yard line; the 23-year-old did not throw a touchdown or interception in the defeat.
With the win, the Tiger-Cats improved to 2-1 on the young season; June Jones’s team will now travel to Saskatchewan for a date with the Roughriders (1-1) in Week 4’s Thursday Night Football matchup (9 p.m. ET).
The loss dropped the Bombers to 1-2; Mike O’Shea’s group will return home in Week 4 for a date with the BC Lions next Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET).
GAME RECAP
ESKIMOS OVERCOME EARLY DEFICIT, RUNAWAY WITH WIN OVER LIONS
EDMONTON – Like an aeroplane, it was a gradual take-off for Mike Reilly and the Edmonton Eskimos offence. But once they got some wind under their wings, there was nothing the BC Lions could do to slow them down.
Edmonton defeated the BC Lions and improve to 2-1 on the season after a 41-22 decision. The Lions get handed their first loss of the 2018 season.
Coming off of their Week 2 Bye, the Lions travelled to Alberta’s capital to take on an Edmonton squad in search of a bounce-back after losing to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week.
The Edmonton Eskimos were certainly hoping for a much different start than the one they put forth in the opening quarter of their game Friday night.
On Edmonton’s first offensive drive, TJ Lee found a Mike Reilly pass attempt falling into his mitts after Eskimos’ Nate Behar was unable to handle a jump ball.
Jennings immediately took advantage of the positive field position following the interception by taking a deep shot of his own and drawing a pass interference call in the end zone, setting up a first and short for the Lions offence. Jeremiah Johnson plunged forward for the first touchdown of the game.
The nightmarish start for the Eskimos would continue on the following kick off as BC’s Mitch Barnett forced a fumble on the return. DyShawn Davis recovered the fumble, which resulted in a 14-yard Ty Long field goal to put the Lions ahead 11-0 early in the first quarter.
At the end of the first quarter, Edmonton had only tallied 51 yards of offence. Needless to say, it was a very uncharacteristic quarter of play from the Eskimos that only saw Mike Reilly complete two passes as the Lions held possession for nearly ten minutes.
The offensive struggles would carry over to the second quarter. On a well set up play by the Eskimos, Reilly failed to connect with a wide-open Kenny Stafford who had the potential of taking it the distance.
Ty Long connected on his second field goal of the night on a 39-yard attempt to put the Lions up by 12 halfway through the second quarter.
A challenged-aided drive gave the Eskimos some life nearing the three-minute warning of the second quarter. Reilly connected with Stafford on a crossing route to push Edmonton deep in the Lions end of the field. The drive would conclude with a 14-yard touchdown from Reilly to Natey Adjei.
That was just the start, however.
Reilly and his offence got possession back with less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter, piecing together a scoring drive that was capped off by a touchdown pass to Kenny Stafford and a two-point conversion to D’haquille Williams.
Edmonton headed into halftime overcoming a 12-point deficit and leading the Lions 17-14.
In the third quarter, the Eskimos continued to have their offence rolling on the ground as CJ Gable eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the night, as well as scoring a touchdown with 4:42 remaining in the quarter.
Three minutes later, the Eskimos added to their score after Reilly completed a homerun pass to Duke Williams for 64-yards, only to re-connect for the two-point convert immediately following.
The third quarter came to a close following a pass attempt that initially fell incomplete. Following a challenge by BC’s head coach Wally Buono, it was determined that there was pass interference, giving the Lions a first and goal situation to open the final quarter.
Cody Fajardo, BC’s short-yardage quarterback, plunged the ball in from 1-yard out to bring the Leos within ten following the point-after.
Tallying his fourth of the season, and tied for the league lead at that, Reilly capped the following Eskimo drive with a 1-yard sneak of his own, further extending Edmonton’s lead to 38-22.
Shawn Whyte capped off the Eskimo scoring for the night, kicking a 24-yard field goal and sealing the victory for Edmonton.
Edmonton will hit the road to Toronto, taking on their second team in a row who will be coming off of a Bye Week. That game is scheduled for a 5:30 kick off on Saturday, July 7. As for the Lions, they’ll continue their western road trip against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers following the conclusion of the Edmonton at Toronto game.
ESKIMOS OVERCOME EARLY DEFICIT, RUNAWAY WITH WIN OVER LIONS
EDMONTON – Like an aeroplane, it was a gradual take-off for Mike Reilly and the Edmonton Eskimos offence. But once they got some wind under their wings, there was nothing the BC Lions could do to slow them down.
Edmonton defeated the BC Lions and improve to 2-1 on the season after a 41-22 decision. The Lions get handed their first loss of the 2018 season.
Coming off of their Week 2 Bye, the Lions travelled to Alberta’s capital to take on an Edmonton squad in search of a bounce-back after losing to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week.
The Edmonton Eskimos were certainly hoping for a much different start than the one they put forth in the opening quarter of their game Friday night.
On Edmonton’s first offensive drive, TJ Lee found a Mike Reilly pass attempt falling into his mitts after Eskimos’ Nate Behar was unable to handle a jump ball.
Jennings immediately took advantage of the positive field position following the interception by taking a deep shot of his own and drawing a pass interference call in the end zone, setting up a first and short for the Lions offence. Jeremiah Johnson plunged forward for the first touchdown of the game.
The nightmarish start for the Eskimos would continue on the following kick off as BC’s Mitch Barnett forced a fumble on the return. DyShawn Davis recovered the fumble, which resulted in a 14-yard Ty Long field goal to put the Lions ahead 11-0 early in the first quarter.
At the end of the first quarter, Edmonton had only tallied 51 yards of offence. Needless to say, it was a very uncharacteristic quarter of play from the Eskimos that only saw Mike Reilly complete two passes as the Lions held possession for nearly ten minutes.
The offensive struggles would carry over to the second quarter. On a well set up play by the Eskimos, Reilly failed to connect with a wide-open Kenny Stafford who had the potential of taking it the distance.
Ty Long connected on his second field goal of the night on a 39-yard attempt to put the Lions up by 12 halfway through the second quarter.
A challenged-aided drive gave the Eskimos some life nearing the three-minute warning of the second quarter. Reilly connected with Stafford on a crossing route to push Edmonton deep in the Lions end of the field. The drive would conclude with a 14-yard touchdown from Reilly to Natey Adjei.
That was just the start, however.
Reilly and his offence got possession back with less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter, piecing together a scoring drive that was capped off by a touchdown pass to Kenny Stafford and a two-point conversion to D’haquille Williams.
Edmonton headed into halftime overcoming a 12-point deficit and leading the Lions 17-14.
In the third quarter, the Eskimos continued to have their offence rolling on the ground as CJ Gable eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the night, as well as scoring a touchdown with 4:42 remaining in the quarter.
Three minutes later, the Eskimos added to their score after Reilly completed a homerun pass to Duke Williams for 64-yards, only to re-connect for the two-point convert immediately following.
The third quarter came to a close following a pass attempt that initially fell incomplete. Following a challenge by BC’s head coach Wally Buono, it was determined that there was pass interference, giving the Lions a first and goal situation to open the final quarter.
Cody Fajardo, BC’s short-yardage quarterback, plunged the ball in from 1-yard out to bring the Leos within ten following the point-after.
Tallying his fourth of the season, and tied for the league lead at that, Reilly capped the following Eskimo drive with a 1-yard sneak of his own, further extending Edmonton’s lead to 38-22.
Shawn Whyte capped off the Eskimo scoring for the night, kicking a 24-yard field goal and sealing the victory for Edmonton.
Edmonton will hit the road to Toronto, taking on their second team in a row who will be coming off of a Bye Week. That game is scheduled for a 5:30 kick off on Saturday, July 7. As for the Lions, they’ll continue their western road trip against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers following the conclusion of the Edmonton at Toronto game.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home
9:00 PM Montreal Alouettes Saskatchewan Roughriders
****************************
Canadian Football Record; ( All Picks )
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
06/29/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
06/28/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/23/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
06/22/2018 4-0-0 100.00% +2000
06/21/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
06/16/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
06/15/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/14/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
Totals.......... 12-10-0........54.54%.....+5.00
CFL Best Bets:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
DATE.........................ATS.................. .....UNITS.....................O/U...................UNITS...........TOTAL
06/29/2018...............1 - 1......................-0.50......................1- 1...................-0.50...............-1.00
06/28/2018...............0 - 1......................-5.50......................1 - 0..................+5.00..............-0.50
06/23/2018...............1 - 0.....................+5.00......................1 - 0.................+5.00..............+10.00
06/22/2018...............2 - 0.....................+10.00....................2 - 0.................+10.00.............+20.00
06/21/2018...............0 - 1......................-5.50......................0 - 1...................-5.50.............-11.00
06/16/2018...............1 - 1......................-0.50......................0 - 2..................-11.00.............-11.50
06/15/2018...............1 - 0 .....................+5.00.....................0 - 1...................-5.50..............-0.50
06/14/2018...............1 - 0......................+5.00.....................0 - 1...................-5.50..............-0.50
Totals.......................7 - 4.....................+13.00.................... 5 - 6..................-7.00............+5.00
Time (ET) Away Home
9:00 PM Montreal Alouettes Saskatchewan Roughriders
****************************
Canadian Football Record; ( All Picks )
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
06/29/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
06/28/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/23/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
06/22/2018 4-0-0 100.00% +2000
06/21/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
06/16/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
06/15/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/14/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
Totals.......... 12-10-0........54.54%.....+5.00
CFL Best Bets:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
DATE.........................ATS.................. .....UNITS.....................O/U...................UNITS...........TOTAL
06/29/2018...............1 - 1......................-0.50......................1- 1...................-0.50...............-1.00
06/28/2018...............0 - 1......................-5.50......................1 - 0..................+5.00..............-0.50
06/23/2018...............1 - 0.....................+5.00......................1 - 0.................+5.00..............+10.00
06/22/2018...............2 - 0.....................+10.00....................2 - 0.................+10.00.............+20.00
06/21/2018...............0 - 1......................-5.50......................0 - 1...................-5.50.............-11.00
06/16/2018...............1 - 1......................-0.50......................0 - 2..................-11.00.............-11.50
06/15/2018...............1 - 0 .....................+5.00.....................0 - 1...................-5.50..............-0.50
06/14/2018...............1 - 0......................+5.00.....................0 - 1...................-5.50..............-0.50
Totals.......................7 - 4.....................+13.00.................... 5 - 6..................-7.00............+5.00
PREVIEW
RIDERS, ALS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK IN WEEK 3 FINALE
REGINA — The Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking to get back on track after a pair of disappointing performances in Week 2.
The Als would like to forget last week’s game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Montreal was dominated in all three phases, falling 56-10 in their home opener at Percival Molson Stadium last week.
First-year head coach Mike Sherman made it clear that his team needs to be better going forward.
“There’s accountability, which starts with me,” Sherman told the Montreal Gazette after the game. “If we’re all looking for excuses, we probably won’t get it fixed. If we’re searching for answers and solutions, we can get it fixed.
“It starts with how the head coach handles it. He passes that on to players and coaches. It starts with me.”
The Bombers racked up 24 points in the second quarter alone, running away with the game before halftime.
The Als’ offence struggled to find any momentum as quarterback Drew Willy completed 16 of 25 attempts, throwing for only 111 yards and a touchdown. Willy was pressured by the Bombers defence all night, and was sacked three times in the first half.
It was the same story on the other side of the ball. Montreal’s defence couldn’t solve Bombers rookie quarterback Chris Streveler, who racked up three touchdown passes and a rushing major in just his second CFL game.
“He just made plays on second down,” cornerback Tommie Campbell told the Montreal Gazette. “If you look at it, he just ran around with the ball. We prevent that from happening, that whole game and outcome’s a lot different. We had them in second-and-medium, second-and-long and he was able to extend drives with checkdowns and quarterback scrambles.
“We have to do a better job of tackling.”
Montreal’s defence is expected to get a boost on Saturday with veteran defensive end John Bowman making his 2018 debut. The seemingly ageless two-time CFL all-star is back after recovering from an ankle injury.
After opening their season against the reigning Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts, the Riders took a step back last week after falling 40-17 at the hands of the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
Turnovers proved costly for the Riders, who gave up the ball four times.
But perhaps even more devastating than the lopsided loss was the injury to starting quarterback Zach Collaros. The 29-year-old left last week’s game in the second quarter and has been placed on the six-game injured list with a head injury.
Collaros was one of Saskatchewan’s prized acquisitions during the off-season. The Riders quarterback was looking to reignite his career after a disappointing 2017 season with the Ticats that saw him drop eight straight games before being replaced by Hamilton’s current starter Jeremiah Masoli.
Head coach Chris Jones says he is unsure if Collaros will be back on the field before six games.
“We’ll see,” Jones told Ridervill.com. “You can be optimistic all you want but I’ve seen some guys that didn’t respond well. We will just go with whatever cards we are dealt with.”
Canadian pivot Brandon Bridge has been handed the reigns to the offence for the foreseeable future in Collaros’ absence.
The 26-year-old will make his second start for the Riders on Saturday night, which will be against his former team. Bridge played with the Als in 2015.
Bridge says he uses every game to try and show his potential.
“You just have to make the best of your opportunities so you can start the next game,” said Bridge. “Every game day is like building a resume. The more starts you have, hopefully the more comfortable I will become.”
Dual threat receiver and defensive back Duron Carter will start in the secondary once again this week. Jones says that he plans to keep Carter at defensive back until Nick Marshall returns from injury. This will be the second straight game that Carter has started at corner back.
The Riders say that they do not plan to take the Als lightly despite their 0-2 start.
“We just want to line up and play good football,” said Jones. “It’s pro football. They’ve got good players over there just like we’ve got good players over here. We’ve got to worry about what we do.”
Crunchin’ Numbers:
0 – Number of interceptions thrown by Brandon Bridge as a starter. His last start was on Sept. 5, 2017. He threw three touchdown passes to lead the Riders to a 27-19 win over Hamilton. He is 1-1 in his career as a starter and 1-0 as a starter for Saskatchewan.
2 – Number of touchdown scoring drives produced by the Riders this season during 28 possessions.
13 – Consecutive losses for the Als heading into Week 3; a club record. A loss against the Riders would tie for the third longest losing streak in CFL history.
15 – League high tackles by Henoc Muamba after two weeks of play.
History shows that the Riders have an edge while playing against the Als at home.
Saskatchewan is 4-1-0 in its past five home games versus Montreal. However, the two teams have been evenly matched while going head-to-head in recent years.
The Als and Riders have split their last 10 matchups evenly with five wins apiece.
Saturday’s game will be player with heavy hearts as the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League will be honoured before the contest.
Sixteen people died and 13 others were injured back on April 6 when the teams’ bus crashed en route to a playoff game in Nipawin, Sask. Each fan will receive a Humboldt Strong ribbon as they enter the stadium.
Kickoff is at 9:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on TSN, ESPN+ and RDS.
RIDERS, ALS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK IN WEEK 3 FINALE
REGINA — The Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking to get back on track after a pair of disappointing performances in Week 2.
The Als would like to forget last week’s game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Montreal was dominated in all three phases, falling 56-10 in their home opener at Percival Molson Stadium last week.
First-year head coach Mike Sherman made it clear that his team needs to be better going forward.
“There’s accountability, which starts with me,” Sherman told the Montreal Gazette after the game. “If we’re all looking for excuses, we probably won’t get it fixed. If we’re searching for answers and solutions, we can get it fixed.
“It starts with how the head coach handles it. He passes that on to players and coaches. It starts with me.”
The Bombers racked up 24 points in the second quarter alone, running away with the game before halftime.
The Als’ offence struggled to find any momentum as quarterback Drew Willy completed 16 of 25 attempts, throwing for only 111 yards and a touchdown. Willy was pressured by the Bombers defence all night, and was sacked three times in the first half.
It was the same story on the other side of the ball. Montreal’s defence couldn’t solve Bombers rookie quarterback Chris Streveler, who racked up three touchdown passes and a rushing major in just his second CFL game.
“He just made plays on second down,” cornerback Tommie Campbell told the Montreal Gazette. “If you look at it, he just ran around with the ball. We prevent that from happening, that whole game and outcome’s a lot different. We had them in second-and-medium, second-and-long and he was able to extend drives with checkdowns and quarterback scrambles.
“We have to do a better job of tackling.”
Montreal’s defence is expected to get a boost on Saturday with veteran defensive end John Bowman making his 2018 debut. The seemingly ageless two-time CFL all-star is back after recovering from an ankle injury.
After opening their season against the reigning Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts, the Riders took a step back last week after falling 40-17 at the hands of the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
Turnovers proved costly for the Riders, who gave up the ball four times.
But perhaps even more devastating than the lopsided loss was the injury to starting quarterback Zach Collaros. The 29-year-old left last week’s game in the second quarter and has been placed on the six-game injured list with a head injury.
Collaros was one of Saskatchewan’s prized acquisitions during the off-season. The Riders quarterback was looking to reignite his career after a disappointing 2017 season with the Ticats that saw him drop eight straight games before being replaced by Hamilton’s current starter Jeremiah Masoli.
Head coach Chris Jones says he is unsure if Collaros will be back on the field before six games.
“We’ll see,” Jones told Ridervill.com. “You can be optimistic all you want but I’ve seen some guys that didn’t respond well. We will just go with whatever cards we are dealt with.”
Canadian pivot Brandon Bridge has been handed the reigns to the offence for the foreseeable future in Collaros’ absence.
The 26-year-old will make his second start for the Riders on Saturday night, which will be against his former team. Bridge played with the Als in 2015.
Bridge says he uses every game to try and show his potential.
“You just have to make the best of your opportunities so you can start the next game,” said Bridge. “Every game day is like building a resume. The more starts you have, hopefully the more comfortable I will become.”
Dual threat receiver and defensive back Duron Carter will start in the secondary once again this week. Jones says that he plans to keep Carter at defensive back until Nick Marshall returns from injury. This will be the second straight game that Carter has started at corner back.
The Riders say that they do not plan to take the Als lightly despite their 0-2 start.
“We just want to line up and play good football,” said Jones. “It’s pro football. They’ve got good players over there just like we’ve got good players over here. We’ve got to worry about what we do.”
Crunchin’ Numbers:
0 – Number of interceptions thrown by Brandon Bridge as a starter. His last start was on Sept. 5, 2017. He threw three touchdown passes to lead the Riders to a 27-19 win over Hamilton. He is 1-1 in his career as a starter and 1-0 as a starter for Saskatchewan.
2 – Number of touchdown scoring drives produced by the Riders this season during 28 possessions.
13 – Consecutive losses for the Als heading into Week 3; a club record. A loss against the Riders would tie for the third longest losing streak in CFL history.
15 – League high tackles by Henoc Muamba after two weeks of play.
History shows that the Riders have an edge while playing against the Als at home.
Saskatchewan is 4-1-0 in its past five home games versus Montreal. However, the two teams have been evenly matched while going head-to-head in recent years.
The Als and Riders have split their last 10 matchups evenly with five wins apiece.
Saturday’s game will be player with heavy hearts as the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League will be honoured before the contest.
Sixteen people died and 13 others were injured back on April 6 when the teams’ bus crashed en route to a playoff game in Nipawin, Sask. Each fan will receive a Humboldt Strong ribbon as they enter the stadium.
Kickoff is at 9:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on TSN, ESPN+ and RDS.
GAME RECAP
DEFENCE SETS THE TONE AS ALS GRIND OUT WIN OVER RIDERS
REGINA – The Montreal Alouettes defence recorded four interceptions to hold off the Saskatchewan Roughriders and secure a 23-17 win.
Najee Murray’s pick off Riders quarterback David Watford in the final moments of the game locked down the first victory of the year for the Als.
Both teams used two quarterbacks in the game for two different reasons. Watford replaced starter Brandon Bridge at halftime for the Riders while Drew Willy left the game for the Als in the third quarter and Jeff Mathews took over duties under centre.
The game started as a defensive battle with neither team managing much on offence in the first half.
On the Als second drive of the game, Willy stepped out of the pocket and found BJ Cunningham deep downfield for a 47 yard gain. In the red zone, the Als had to settle for a field goal to grab the opening 3-0 lead.
The two teams continued to trade possessions with the defences not allowing much progress. A sack by Willie Jefferson on Willy held the Als on offence and they were forced to punt the ball away. Back to back grabs by Naaman Roosevelt and Shaq Evans pushed the Riders past midfield and into scoring territory. Just when it appeared the Riders would find the end zone at the end of the first quarter, Branden Dozier picked off Bridge and returned it 63 yards to put the Als right back in solid starting position.
It didn’t take long for the Riders to get the football back as Jefferson was back at it again, forcing a Willy fumble and it was recovered by Saskatchewan. They could not take advantage however and failed to move the chains.
The defensive battle continued but the Riders offence started clicking with a 16-yard gain by Tre Mason. Brett Lauther knocked a 39-yard field goal to tie the game.
Willy and the Als responded on the next drive with a 79-yard touchdown grab by Chris Williams who used his speed to break away from the defence and found the end zone with 3:25 left in the first half. The pass tied Willy’s mark for the longest pass in his career.
Montreal continued holding the momentum with a Jermaine Robinson interception on Bridge to instantly get the ball back at midfield. A Boris Bede punt pinned the Riders at the one-yard line and the Als got the ball back with less than a minute remaining in the half. Bede added another field goal to take a 13-3 lead into the halftime break.
Watford slotted in under centre for the Riders to start the second half to make his CFL debut and ended his first drive on a two-and-out. On his next possession, Watford connected with Evans on a 35-yard gain before taking off on a 14-yard rush to get another first down. Saskatchewan kicked another field goal to cut the deficit to 13-6.
The Als defence recorded their third interception of the evening as Joe Burnett picked off Watford. Mathews came in for Willy at quarterback, who did not return to the game. Bede booted another field goal to add another three points to the Als lead, 16-6.
Another big gain by Williams, this one for 47 yards, kept the pressure on the Riders defence. The Als added another point on a rouge.
Christion Jones’ 56-yard kick return put the Riders in great position to make a comeback. It didn’t take long for Watford to find Roosevelt in the end zone for the touchdown but the Riders failed to convert on the two-point conversion.
A costly fumble from Tyrell Sutton gave the football back to the Riders who were still searching for their first lead of the game. Lauther added another field goal to cut the Als lead to 17-15.
Back-to-back first downs by Ernest Jackson and Cunningham moved the chains for the Als and Bede notched his fourth field goal of the night to increase the lead to 20-15 with 4:43 remaining.
Another strong return from Stefan Logan kept the foot on the gas pedal for the Als and led to another Als field goal. Murray picked off Watford in the final minute of the game to secure the win for Montreal. The Riders added a safety with one second left but it was not enough.
Before the game, members of the Humboldt Broncos were honoured in front of the Mosaic Stadium crowd.
Next week, the Riders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats while the Ottawa REDBLACKS visit the Als.
DEFENCE SETS THE TONE AS ALS GRIND OUT WIN OVER RIDERS
REGINA – The Montreal Alouettes defence recorded four interceptions to hold off the Saskatchewan Roughriders and secure a 23-17 win.
Najee Murray’s pick off Riders quarterback David Watford in the final moments of the game locked down the first victory of the year for the Als.
Both teams used two quarterbacks in the game for two different reasons. Watford replaced starter Brandon Bridge at halftime for the Riders while Drew Willy left the game for the Als in the third quarter and Jeff Mathews took over duties under centre.
The game started as a defensive battle with neither team managing much on offence in the first half.
On the Als second drive of the game, Willy stepped out of the pocket and found BJ Cunningham deep downfield for a 47 yard gain. In the red zone, the Als had to settle for a field goal to grab the opening 3-0 lead.
The two teams continued to trade possessions with the defences not allowing much progress. A sack by Willie Jefferson on Willy held the Als on offence and they were forced to punt the ball away. Back to back grabs by Naaman Roosevelt and Shaq Evans pushed the Riders past midfield and into scoring territory. Just when it appeared the Riders would find the end zone at the end of the first quarter, Branden Dozier picked off Bridge and returned it 63 yards to put the Als right back in solid starting position.
It didn’t take long for the Riders to get the football back as Jefferson was back at it again, forcing a Willy fumble and it was recovered by Saskatchewan. They could not take advantage however and failed to move the chains.
The defensive battle continued but the Riders offence started clicking with a 16-yard gain by Tre Mason. Brett Lauther knocked a 39-yard field goal to tie the game.
Willy and the Als responded on the next drive with a 79-yard touchdown grab by Chris Williams who used his speed to break away from the defence and found the end zone with 3:25 left in the first half. The pass tied Willy’s mark for the longest pass in his career.
Montreal continued holding the momentum with a Jermaine Robinson interception on Bridge to instantly get the ball back at midfield. A Boris Bede punt pinned the Riders at the one-yard line and the Als got the ball back with less than a minute remaining in the half. Bede added another field goal to take a 13-3 lead into the halftime break.
Watford slotted in under centre for the Riders to start the second half to make his CFL debut and ended his first drive on a two-and-out. On his next possession, Watford connected with Evans on a 35-yard gain before taking off on a 14-yard rush to get another first down. Saskatchewan kicked another field goal to cut the deficit to 13-6.
The Als defence recorded their third interception of the evening as Joe Burnett picked off Watford. Mathews came in for Willy at quarterback, who did not return to the game. Bede booted another field goal to add another three points to the Als lead, 16-6.
Another big gain by Williams, this one for 47 yards, kept the pressure on the Riders defence. The Als added another point on a rouge.
Christion Jones’ 56-yard kick return put the Riders in great position to make a comeback. It didn’t take long for Watford to find Roosevelt in the end zone for the touchdown but the Riders failed to convert on the two-point conversion.
A costly fumble from Tyrell Sutton gave the football back to the Riders who were still searching for their first lead of the game. Lauther added another field goal to cut the Als lead to 17-15.
Back-to-back first downs by Ernest Jackson and Cunningham moved the chains for the Als and Bede notched his fourth field goal of the night to increase the lead to 20-15 with 4:43 remaining.
Another strong return from Stefan Logan kept the foot on the gas pedal for the Als and led to another Als field goal. Murray picked off Watford in the final minute of the game to secure the win for Montreal. The Riders added a safety with one second left but it was not enough.
Before the game, members of the Humboldt Broncos were honoured in front of the Mosaic Stadium crowd.
Next week, the Riders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats while the Ottawa REDBLACKS visit the Als.
WEST DIVISION
RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV
1 Calgary 3 3 0 0 6 93 35 2-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0
2 Edmonton 3 2 1 0 4 95 90 1-1-0 1-0-0 2-0-0
3 BC 2 1 1 0 2 44 51 1-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0
4 Saskatchewan 3 1 2 0 2 61 82 1-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
5 Winnipeg 3 1 2 0 2 103 74 0-1-0 1-1-0 0-1-0
EAST DIVISION
RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV
1 Hamilton 3 2 1 0 4 83 66 1-0-0 1-1-0 0-0-0
2 Ottawa 2 1 1 0 2 54 41 1-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
3 Montreal 3 1 2 0 2 43 95 0-1-0 1-1-0 0-0-0
4 Toronto 2 0 2 0 0 26 68 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV
1 Calgary 3 3 0 0 6 93 35 2-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0
2 Edmonton 3 2 1 0 4 95 90 1-1-0 1-0-0 2-0-0
3 BC 2 1 1 0 2 44 51 1-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0
4 Saskatchewan 3 1 2 0 2 61 82 1-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
5 Winnipeg 3 1 2 0 2 103 74 0-1-0 1-1-0 0-1-0
EAST DIVISION
RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV
1 Hamilton 3 2 1 0 4 83 66 1-0-0 1-1-0 0-0-0
2 Ottawa 2 1 1 0 2 54 41 1-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
3 Montreal 3 1 2 0 2 43 95 0-1-0 1-1-0 0-0-0
4 Toronto 2 0 2 0 0 26 68 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
WEEK 4
Thursday, July 5, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home
9:00 PM Hamilton Tiger Cats Saskatchewan Roughriders
Friday, July 6, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home
7:30 PM Ottawa Redblacks Montreal Alouettes
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home
5:30 PM Edmonton Eskimos Toronto Argonauts
8:30 PM British Columbia Lions Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Thursday, July 5, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home
9:00 PM Hamilton Tiger Cats Saskatchewan Roughriders
Friday, July 6, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home
7:30 PM Ottawa Redblacks Montreal Alouettes
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home
5:30 PM Edmonton Eskimos Toronto Argonauts
8:30 PM British Columbia Lions Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Sunday’s 6-pack
Nevada casinos’ net profit in May:
Sports betting $20.4M
Craps $31.4M
Roulette $31.6M
Blackjack $102.6M
Baccarat $120.8M
Penny slots $287.8M
Tweet of the Day
“I pulled it slightly on 15th and might have dropped the F-Bomb.. Sorry if anyone was offended. Can’t say oh dear that was frightfully unfortunate.. I tried but it doesn’t sound the same or get rid of any frustration. Sorry anyway. I will oppolgise next time as well.”
Pro golfer Ian Poulter
Sunday’s quiz
On the old TV show Magnum PI, what were the names of Higgins’ two Doberman pinscher dogs?
Saturday’s quiz
Bruce Bochy, Clint Hurdle are the two current major league managers who have managed 1,000+ games for two different teams.
Friday’s quiz
Charlie Manuel managed the Phillies when they won the 2008 World Series.
***********************
Sunday’s List of 13; Happy Canada Day, everyone!!!
13) Modern baseball; Friday night in Oakland, the Indians brought in lefty Oliver Perez to face a lefty hitter with a man on second. Predictably, the A’s sent up a righty hitter instead and Terry Francona ordered the righty hitter intentionally walked.
With another righty up next, Francona took Perez out and brought a righty in, creating the unique situation where a pitcher is removed from the game without throwing a pitch or even a pickoff throw— technically, the intentional walk counts as a batter faced.
12) As the owner of a fantasy baseball team, I try and find players wherever/whenever; Marlins brought up a pitcher named Pablo Lopez to make his MLB debut Saturday.
Lopez starts the game by striking out Brandon Nimmo on three pitches; I scramble to get to MILB.com to look up his minor league history. Before I find his page, Jose Bautista homers to left field, then Michael Conforto gets a hit. My enthusiasm wanes.
11) Lopez is 22 years old. looks like he was rushed to the majors; this was his first season in AA, and he was really good, going 1-2, 0.62 in eight starts in the AA Southern League.
So the Marlins promoted him to AAA and he was 1-1, 3.38 in four starts there. 62.1 IP above A ball is a little bit fast to get to the big leagues.
Lopez wound up throwing six innings, allowing only two solo homers; a solid debut for the kid.
10) Hunter Wendelstedt umpired the plate at Wrigley Field Saturday; not to say it was hot in Chicago, but he umpired with a wet towel draped around his neck. Never saw that before, but it seems like it was the smart thing to do.
9) Astros are 10-15 in one-run games, 45-15 in their other games.
Mariners are 25-11 in one-run games, 28-20 in their other games.
8) Kansas City Royals are 13-15 vs lefty starting pitchers, 12-42 vs righty starters.
Toronto Blue Jays are 11-21 vs lefty starters, 28-22 vs righthanders.
7) Enes Kanter has played seven years in the NBA, scoring 11.7 ppg; last three years, he scored 12.7, 14.3, 14.1 ppg, all while playing 21.0, 21.3, 25.8 mpg.
Kanter has earned $72,889,846 in his NBA career, will tack on an additional $18,622,514 this coming season. In his last two seasons with the Thunder (2015-16, 20-16-17), he started one freaking game!!!
Kanter shot at least 54.5% from the floor the last four years. He must be a good teammate.
6) Colorado Rockies called up OF Raimel Tapia, optioned their Opening Day starting pitcher Jon Gray, to AAA Albuquerque. Tapia is a leadoff-type hitter; will they give him a chance to play every day? Hope so, I’ve had him stashed on my fantasy team for three years now.
5) Star pitchers Jacob deGrom and Corey Kluber both played college baseball at Stetson.
deGrom played shortstop his first two years for the Hatters; he hit .243 and .258, then added pitching to his resume, going 4-5, 4.48 in 17 games (82.1 IP), while hitting .263. He pitched one inning in those first two seasons.
4) Mets’ TV guy Gary Cohen is very good at calling games and he wants the Mets to win but he is fair and questions why certain things happen.
Mets have a 22-year old 1B named Dominic Smith who hasn’t started the last three games against righty starters, even though Smith bats lefty. Cohen openly asked on the air why Smith wasn’t starting— “If he isn’t starting, then why is he here?”
You don’t get stuff like that on most local baseball broadcasts.
Smith is hitting .203 in his first 230 major league PA; he went to Juniper Serra HS in California, same high school that Tom Brady and Barry Bonds went to.
3) Lakers’ G Lonzo Ball has a torn meniscus in his left knee, is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in September.
2) Reds’ pitcher Michael Lorenzen homered again Saturday, now has three pinch-hit HRs in his career. The only other pitcher to do that in the last 60 years: Gary Peters, who hit four from 1964-71, playing in the pre-DH era for the White Sox, Red Sox.
1) Happy Canada Day to all our friends north of the border!!!
Nevada casinos’ net profit in May:
Sports betting $20.4M
Craps $31.4M
Roulette $31.6M
Blackjack $102.6M
Baccarat $120.8M
Penny slots $287.8M
Tweet of the Day
“I pulled it slightly on 15th and might have dropped the F-Bomb.. Sorry if anyone was offended. Can’t say oh dear that was frightfully unfortunate.. I tried but it doesn’t sound the same or get rid of any frustration. Sorry anyway. I will oppolgise next time as well.”
Pro golfer Ian Poulter
Sunday’s quiz
On the old TV show Magnum PI, what were the names of Higgins’ two Doberman pinscher dogs?
Saturday’s quiz
Bruce Bochy, Clint Hurdle are the two current major league managers who have managed 1,000+ games for two different teams.
Friday’s quiz
Charlie Manuel managed the Phillies when they won the 2008 World Series.
***********************
Sunday’s List of 13; Happy Canada Day, everyone!!!
13) Modern baseball; Friday night in Oakland, the Indians brought in lefty Oliver Perez to face a lefty hitter with a man on second. Predictably, the A’s sent up a righty hitter instead and Terry Francona ordered the righty hitter intentionally walked.
With another righty up next, Francona took Perez out and brought a righty in, creating the unique situation where a pitcher is removed from the game without throwing a pitch or even a pickoff throw— technically, the intentional walk counts as a batter faced.
12) As the owner of a fantasy baseball team, I try and find players wherever/whenever; Marlins brought up a pitcher named Pablo Lopez to make his MLB debut Saturday.
Lopez starts the game by striking out Brandon Nimmo on three pitches; I scramble to get to MILB.com to look up his minor league history. Before I find his page, Jose Bautista homers to left field, then Michael Conforto gets a hit. My enthusiasm wanes.
11) Lopez is 22 years old. looks like he was rushed to the majors; this was his first season in AA, and he was really good, going 1-2, 0.62 in eight starts in the AA Southern League.
So the Marlins promoted him to AAA and he was 1-1, 3.38 in four starts there. 62.1 IP above A ball is a little bit fast to get to the big leagues.
Lopez wound up throwing six innings, allowing only two solo homers; a solid debut for the kid.
10) Hunter Wendelstedt umpired the plate at Wrigley Field Saturday; not to say it was hot in Chicago, but he umpired with a wet towel draped around his neck. Never saw that before, but it seems like it was the smart thing to do.
9) Astros are 10-15 in one-run games, 45-15 in their other games.
Mariners are 25-11 in one-run games, 28-20 in their other games.
8) Kansas City Royals are 13-15 vs lefty starting pitchers, 12-42 vs righty starters.
Toronto Blue Jays are 11-21 vs lefty starters, 28-22 vs righthanders.
7) Enes Kanter has played seven years in the NBA, scoring 11.7 ppg; last three years, he scored 12.7, 14.3, 14.1 ppg, all while playing 21.0, 21.3, 25.8 mpg.
Kanter has earned $72,889,846 in his NBA career, will tack on an additional $18,622,514 this coming season. In his last two seasons with the Thunder (2015-16, 20-16-17), he started one freaking game!!!
Kanter shot at least 54.5% from the floor the last four years. He must be a good teammate.
6) Colorado Rockies called up OF Raimel Tapia, optioned their Opening Day starting pitcher Jon Gray, to AAA Albuquerque. Tapia is a leadoff-type hitter; will they give him a chance to play every day? Hope so, I’ve had him stashed on my fantasy team for three years now.
5) Star pitchers Jacob deGrom and Corey Kluber both played college baseball at Stetson.
deGrom played shortstop his first two years for the Hatters; he hit .243 and .258, then added pitching to his resume, going 4-5, 4.48 in 17 games (82.1 IP), while hitting .263. He pitched one inning in those first two seasons.
4) Mets’ TV guy Gary Cohen is very good at calling games and he wants the Mets to win but he is fair and questions why certain things happen.
Mets have a 22-year old 1B named Dominic Smith who hasn’t started the last three games against righty starters, even though Smith bats lefty. Cohen openly asked on the air why Smith wasn’t starting— “If he isn’t starting, then why is he here?”
You don’t get stuff like that on most local baseball broadcasts.
Smith is hitting .203 in his first 230 major league PA; he went to Juniper Serra HS in California, same high school that Tom Brady and Barry Bonds went to.
3) Lakers’ G Lonzo Ball has a torn meniscus in his left knee, is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in September.
2) Reds’ pitcher Michael Lorenzen homered again Saturday, now has three pinch-hit HRs in his career. The only other pitcher to do that in the last 60 years: Gary Peters, who hit four from 1964-71, playing in the pre-DH era for the White Sox, Red Sox.
1) Happy Canada Day to all our friends north of the border!!!
CFL Betting Recap - Week 3
July 2, 2018
League Betting Notes
-- Favorites went 3-1 SU in Week 3
-- Favorites went 3-1 ATS in Week 3
-- Home teams posted a 3-1 SU record in Week 3
-- Home teams posted a 3-1 ATS record in Week 3
-- The 'Under' went 3-1 in Week 3
Analysis
The games on Thursday and Friday nights were pretty cut and dry. The favorites and the home teams each covered, rather handily in the Friday contests, and there was a good amount of defense with the exception of one game.
Calgary (3-0) is off to its usual solid start, humbling Ottawa (1-1) in a 2016 Grey Cup rematch by a 24-14 margin to cover seven and a hook. The two teams played a defensive battle which saw just one quarter with more than 10 points, the final stanza. As such, the 'over' (56.5) was never seriously threatened. The RedBlacks are 0-4-2 SU in the past five regular-season meetings (yep, two ties), and 2-4 ATS in the past six. The RedBlacks do have that win in the Grey Cup against the Stamps, however.
Hamilton (2-1) is off to a solid start, winning and covering for a second straight game in a 31-17 victory over Winnipeg (1-2) behind QB Jeremiah Masoli. The former standout at Oregon has recorded eight straight 300-yard games, just in case you were wondering why Johnny Manziel isn't playing.
Edmonton (2-1) got off to a sluggish start in their divisional battle with BC Lions (1-1). In fact, the visitors fired out to an 11-0 lead thanks to some early miscues by the Eskimos. However, the Esks outscored the Lions 15-3 in the second quarter, and 24-8 in the second half to run away from the visitors and easily cover a 6 1/2-point number. Edmonton is having no problem putting points on the board, averaging 31.7 PPG through three outings. As you would imagine, the 'over' is a perfect 3-0.
The surprise of the weekend was in Regina, as Montreal (1-2) surprised Saskatchewan (1-2) by a 23-17, winning straight up as 10 1/2-point underdogs to make any moneyline bettors (+425) very happy.
Team Betting Notes and A Look Ahead
-- The red-hot Ti-Cats hit the road for Regina to try and keep the Roughriders down. Hamilton hasn't had luck against the Mean Green lately, getting swept in two non-covers last season. They have dropped three in a row in the series dating back to a 53-7 win in the Hammer back on Aug. 20, 2016. Hamilton's last win in Saskatchewan came in a 31-21 victory July 26, 2015 as 1 1/2-point road 'dogs.
-- The RedBlacks and Alouettes will play their first divisional games of the season in Week 4. Ottawa had its way with Montreal last season, sweeping all three meetings while also going 3-0 ATS. The 'under' cashed in each of the three contests, too. Montreal has dropped four in a row and went 0-4 ATS against Ottawa dating back to Aug. 19, 2016. The 'under' is also 5-1 in the past six meetings.
-- The Esks catch Toronto (0-2) coming off a bye. The Argos hope the rest does them some good. They're 0-2 SU/ATS so far, with an average of just 13.0 PPG on the board while allowing 34.0 PPG. The 'under' has hit in both contests. These sides split a pair of regular-season meetings last season, with both teams protecting their home field. The Argos are 1-4 SU/2-3 ATS across the past five in this series.
-- In Saturday's late game, the Lions and Bombers square off. Winnipeg has dominated this series of late, at least against the number, going 5-2 SU and 6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings. That includes a 3-1 SU/ATS mark in their past four home meetings with BC. The 'over' is an impressive 6-2 in the past eight in this series, too.
July 2, 2018
League Betting Notes
-- Favorites went 3-1 SU in Week 3
-- Favorites went 3-1 ATS in Week 3
-- Home teams posted a 3-1 SU record in Week 3
-- Home teams posted a 3-1 ATS record in Week 3
-- The 'Under' went 3-1 in Week 3
Analysis
The games on Thursday and Friday nights were pretty cut and dry. The favorites and the home teams each covered, rather handily in the Friday contests, and there was a good amount of defense with the exception of one game.
Calgary (3-0) is off to its usual solid start, humbling Ottawa (1-1) in a 2016 Grey Cup rematch by a 24-14 margin to cover seven and a hook. The two teams played a defensive battle which saw just one quarter with more than 10 points, the final stanza. As such, the 'over' (56.5) was never seriously threatened. The RedBlacks are 0-4-2 SU in the past five regular-season meetings (yep, two ties), and 2-4 ATS in the past six. The RedBlacks do have that win in the Grey Cup against the Stamps, however.
Hamilton (2-1) is off to a solid start, winning and covering for a second straight game in a 31-17 victory over Winnipeg (1-2) behind QB Jeremiah Masoli. The former standout at Oregon has recorded eight straight 300-yard games, just in case you were wondering why Johnny Manziel isn't playing.
Edmonton (2-1) got off to a sluggish start in their divisional battle with BC Lions (1-1). In fact, the visitors fired out to an 11-0 lead thanks to some early miscues by the Eskimos. However, the Esks outscored the Lions 15-3 in the second quarter, and 24-8 in the second half to run away from the visitors and easily cover a 6 1/2-point number. Edmonton is having no problem putting points on the board, averaging 31.7 PPG through three outings. As you would imagine, the 'over' is a perfect 3-0.
The surprise of the weekend was in Regina, as Montreal (1-2) surprised Saskatchewan (1-2) by a 23-17, winning straight up as 10 1/2-point underdogs to make any moneyline bettors (+425) very happy.
Team Betting Notes and A Look Ahead
-- The red-hot Ti-Cats hit the road for Regina to try and keep the Roughriders down. Hamilton hasn't had luck against the Mean Green lately, getting swept in two non-covers last season. They have dropped three in a row in the series dating back to a 53-7 win in the Hammer back on Aug. 20, 2016. Hamilton's last win in Saskatchewan came in a 31-21 victory July 26, 2015 as 1 1/2-point road 'dogs.
-- The RedBlacks and Alouettes will play their first divisional games of the season in Week 4. Ottawa had its way with Montreal last season, sweeping all three meetings while also going 3-0 ATS. The 'under' cashed in each of the three contests, too. Montreal has dropped four in a row and went 0-4 ATS against Ottawa dating back to Aug. 19, 2016. The 'under' is also 5-1 in the past six meetings.
-- The Esks catch Toronto (0-2) coming off a bye. The Argos hope the rest does them some good. They're 0-2 SU/ATS so far, with an average of just 13.0 PPG on the board while allowing 34.0 PPG. The 'under' has hit in both contests. These sides split a pair of regular-season meetings last season, with both teams protecting their home field. The Argos are 1-4 SU/2-3 ATS across the past five in this series.
-- In Saturday's late game, the Lions and Bombers square off. Winnipeg has dominated this series of late, at least against the number, going 5-2 SU and 6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings. That includes a 3-1 SU/ATS mark in their past four home meetings with BC. The 'over' is an impressive 6-2 in the past eight in this series, too.
Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack
— Texas OF Shin-Soo Choo has now reached base in 44 straight games; the record is 84.
— Astros 5, Rangers 4— Houston beats Texas for the 8th time in a row.
— Rockies 1, Giants 0— Chris Iannetta’s homer was the only run in this game.
— Brewers 3, Twins 2— Nate Orf’s first major league hit was a homer.
— Reds 7, White Sox 4— Cincinnati won 16 of its last 22 games.
— Mets are 13-23 (.361) this season when their pitcher has a quality start, which would be worst record by any such team since 1916.
**********
Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud……
13) Bad news on the rumor mill for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves; star Jimmy Butler apparently has no intention of signing an extension with Minnesota- he is not very happy with “…..the nonchalant attitude of his younger teammates.” Uh-oh.
12) Tuesday night, Rays beat Miami 9-6 in 16 innings. Tampa Bay TV guy Dewayne Staats called it the strangest baseball game he’d ever seen. Here are some highlights:
— As they often do, Tampa Bay started a relief pitcher; he threw three innings, then eight other relievers plus their backup catcher pitched in the game.
— Leading 9-3 in the 16th, Rays put backup catcher Jesus Sucre in to pitch; he faced four batters, got one of them out, before Alvarado came in and got his third save when things almost dicey.
— Rays’ reliever Vidal Nuno had two hits and also got the win, but he pulled a hamstring in the 16th inning and went on the DL, which is why Sucre was put in to pitch. The two hits were his first since 2015.
— Wilson Ramos caught all 16 innings for Tampa Bay; he didn’t play in Wednesday’s game.
— Tampa Bay had 20 hits but hit into four double plays.
— Total of 510 pitches were thrown; game took 5:31 to play in front of an announced crowd of 6,259.
11) No idea how this was established, but the Phoenix Suns are 8-1 favorites to win the Las Vegas Summer League, which starts Friday at UNLV. Charlotte/Sacramento are both 10-1. Denver and Minnesota are the longshots, at 50-1.
10) Guy named Richard Henry Lee was the original draftee of the Declaration of Independence, but when his wife got sick, he stopped writing it and Thomas Jefferson took over.
Jefferson and John Adams both passed away on July 4, 1826, fifty years to the day after the Declaration was signed.
9) Houston Astros are little thin behind plate right now; Brian McCann is done for a while after he had knee surgery. Backup Max Stassi got hit on the wrist by a pitch, was out Wednesday but is expected back Thursday.
Astros brought Tim Federowicz up from AAA to catch; in a pinch, Evan Gattis could also catch- he’s appeared behind the plate in two games this season.
8) Some genius climbed onto the Statue of Liberty Wednesday; seven other protestors were arrested on Liberty Island. Not only could the person get killed/maimed, now they’re going to spend some time in jail. Go have some hot dogs and a few drinks. Whats the point?
7) Georgia Bulldogs’ QB Jake Fromm broke his left (non-throwing) hand in a lake accident, but is expected to be fine for the start of the Dawgs’ season.
6) Michigan QB Shea Patterson, who played the last couple years at Ole Miss, signed a 2019 contract to play baseball in the Texas Rangers organization after he exhausts his football eligibility at Michigan.
If Patterson plays real well for Michigan this fall, he’d have a shot at an NFL roster, which makes the baseball thing a curious decision, seeing how Texas drafted him in the 39th round.
5) Bronx Bombers put 2B Gleyber Torres (hip) on the DL.
4) Pretty big rule change in college football this fall: Players will be able to fair catch a kickoff inside the 25-yard line and have it result in a touchback, with the ball placed on the 25-yard line.
Last year, 47.2% of kickoffs weren’t returnable, meaning they were touchbacks, kicks out of bounds or onside kicks. Rules makers are trying to greatly reduce the number of kickoffs without totally taking it out of the game.
3) Last two years, Ivy League experimented with kicking off at the 40-yard line instead of the 35: in 2016, 44.1% of kickoffs were touchbacks, and in 2017, 36.1%. In 2015, before the rule was put in, only 12.4% of Ivy kickoffs were touchbacks.
2) Oakland A’s are the only team in major leagues that has not had a single international free agent signed and developed by that team appear in a major league game this season. They only had one (Renato Nunez) last year.
1) Joey Chestnut ate 74 hot dogs (and rolls) to win the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island in Brooklyn. 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes; I had three the other night and that was more than enough for a while, but I also had macaroni salad with it.
Hot dog contest was more fun when Kobiyashi was involved; he gave Joey Chestnut a run for his money. Competition makes all sports better, even competitive eating.
— Texas OF Shin-Soo Choo has now reached base in 44 straight games; the record is 84.
— Astros 5, Rangers 4— Houston beats Texas for the 8th time in a row.
— Rockies 1, Giants 0— Chris Iannetta’s homer was the only run in this game.
— Brewers 3, Twins 2— Nate Orf’s first major league hit was a homer.
— Reds 7, White Sox 4— Cincinnati won 16 of its last 22 games.
— Mets are 13-23 (.361) this season when their pitcher has a quality start, which would be worst record by any such team since 1916.
**********
Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud……
13) Bad news on the rumor mill for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves; star Jimmy Butler apparently has no intention of signing an extension with Minnesota- he is not very happy with “…..the nonchalant attitude of his younger teammates.” Uh-oh.
12) Tuesday night, Rays beat Miami 9-6 in 16 innings. Tampa Bay TV guy Dewayne Staats called it the strangest baseball game he’d ever seen. Here are some highlights:
— As they often do, Tampa Bay started a relief pitcher; he threw three innings, then eight other relievers plus their backup catcher pitched in the game.
— Leading 9-3 in the 16th, Rays put backup catcher Jesus Sucre in to pitch; he faced four batters, got one of them out, before Alvarado came in and got his third save when things almost dicey.
— Rays’ reliever Vidal Nuno had two hits and also got the win, but he pulled a hamstring in the 16th inning and went on the DL, which is why Sucre was put in to pitch. The two hits were his first since 2015.
— Wilson Ramos caught all 16 innings for Tampa Bay; he didn’t play in Wednesday’s game.
— Tampa Bay had 20 hits but hit into four double plays.
— Total of 510 pitches were thrown; game took 5:31 to play in front of an announced crowd of 6,259.
11) No idea how this was established, but the Phoenix Suns are 8-1 favorites to win the Las Vegas Summer League, which starts Friday at UNLV. Charlotte/Sacramento are both 10-1. Denver and Minnesota are the longshots, at 50-1.
10) Guy named Richard Henry Lee was the original draftee of the Declaration of Independence, but when his wife got sick, he stopped writing it and Thomas Jefferson took over.
Jefferson and John Adams both passed away on July 4, 1826, fifty years to the day after the Declaration was signed.
9) Houston Astros are little thin behind plate right now; Brian McCann is done for a while after he had knee surgery. Backup Max Stassi got hit on the wrist by a pitch, was out Wednesday but is expected back Thursday.
Astros brought Tim Federowicz up from AAA to catch; in a pinch, Evan Gattis could also catch- he’s appeared behind the plate in two games this season.
8) Some genius climbed onto the Statue of Liberty Wednesday; seven other protestors were arrested on Liberty Island. Not only could the person get killed/maimed, now they’re going to spend some time in jail. Go have some hot dogs and a few drinks. Whats the point?
7) Georgia Bulldogs’ QB Jake Fromm broke his left (non-throwing) hand in a lake accident, but is expected to be fine for the start of the Dawgs’ season.
6) Michigan QB Shea Patterson, who played the last couple years at Ole Miss, signed a 2019 contract to play baseball in the Texas Rangers organization after he exhausts his football eligibility at Michigan.
If Patterson plays real well for Michigan this fall, he’d have a shot at an NFL roster, which makes the baseball thing a curious decision, seeing how Texas drafted him in the 39th round.
5) Bronx Bombers put 2B Gleyber Torres (hip) on the DL.
4) Pretty big rule change in college football this fall: Players will be able to fair catch a kickoff inside the 25-yard line and have it result in a touchback, with the ball placed on the 25-yard line.
Last year, 47.2% of kickoffs weren’t returnable, meaning they were touchbacks, kicks out of bounds or onside kicks. Rules makers are trying to greatly reduce the number of kickoffs without totally taking it out of the game.
3) Last two years, Ivy League experimented with kicking off at the 40-yard line instead of the 35: in 2016, 44.1% of kickoffs were touchbacks, and in 2017, 36.1%. In 2015, before the rule was put in, only 12.4% of Ivy kickoffs were touchbacks.
2) Oakland A’s are the only team in major leagues that has not had a single international free agent signed and developed by that team appear in a major league game this season. They only had one (Renato Nunez) last year.
1) Joey Chestnut ate 74 hot dogs (and rolls) to win the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island in Brooklyn. 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes; I had three the other night and that was more than enough for a while, but I also had macaroni salad with it.
Hot dog contest was more fun when Kobiyashi was involved; he gave Joey Chestnut a run for his money. Competition makes all sports better, even competitive eating.
CFL Betting Notes - Week 4
David Schwab
Thursday, July 5
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS)
Point-spread: Hamilton -5 ½
Total: 49
Game Overview
Hamilton has won its last two games by a combined 31 points after a tough loss to Calgary in Week 1 that was much closer than the 28-14 final score as a 7 ½-point road underdog. The total has stayed UNDER in two of its first three games after closing at 55 points or higher in all three contests. The Tiger-Cats’ offense has been successfully led by Jeremiah Masoli at quarterback. He threw for 369 yards and a score in Friday’s win against Winnipeg.
Saskatchewan had a rough night against Montreal last week, especially when it came to throwing the ball. Brandon Bridge and David Watford combined for four interceptions filling in for an injured Zach Collaros. The Roughriders ended the game with just 279 yards of total offense. This was the second game in a row where they failed to score more than 17 points. Saskatchewan quarterbacks have now thrown a total of seven interceptions in those two loses.
Betting Trends
-- Saskatchewan has covered in five of its last six home games against Hamilton and the total has stayed UNDER in four of those six games.
Friday, July 6
Ottawa RedBlacks (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) at Montreal Alouettes (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS)
Point-spread: Ottawa -5 ½
Total: 48 ½
Game Overview
The RedBlacks blasted Saskatchewan in their season opener in Week 2 with Trevor Harris completing 26-of-36 passes for 345 yards and two scores. Against the best team in the CFL last Thursday night, Harris came back down to earth with 135 passing yards and one interception. He completed a dismal 44.8 percent of his 29 passing attempts. The lone bright spot was William Powell’s 123 yards rushing the ball on 13 carries. He has gained 217 yards on 32 carries in his first two games.
Montreal’s defense came to life in that Week 2 upset over the Roughriders after allowing a combined 78 points in the first two games this season. Quarterback Drew Willy left that game in the third quarter due to injury and his status for this game remains unknown. In his place, Jeff Mathews completed 8-of-12 passes for 98 yards. The Alouettes’ ground game was not a factor in the stunning upset with 32 yards on 16 rushing attempts.
Betting Trends
-- Ottawa has a SU 8-1 edge in the last nine meetings and it has covered the spread in its last five road games against the Alouettes. The total has stayed UNDER in all five of those games.
Saturday, July 7
Edmonton Eskimos (2-1 SU, 1-2 ATS) at Toronto Argonauts (0-2 SU, 0-2 ATS)
Point-spread: Edmonton -4 ½
Total: 52 ½
Game Overview
Edmonton looked a bit shaky in its SU 1-1 start (0-2 ATS), but it quickly returned to form in Week 3 with that convincing victory against BC. The total has gone OVER in all three of its games with a scoring average of 31.7 points per game. Mike Reilly is once again one of the top quarterbacks in the CFL when it comes to passing yards with 1,020 in his first three starts. He is tied for the lead in passing touchdowns with six and he has completed 69.8 percent of his 106 attempts.
Toronto needed last week’s bye to try and regroup following losses to Saskatchewan on the road and Calgary at home in the first two weeks of the new season. The bigger loss could be veteran quarterback Ricky Ray, who appears to be out for the season with a neck injury. In his place against Calgary in that 41-7 loss was James Franklin. He completed eight of his 13 passing attempts for 65 yards. The Argonauts gained another 76 yards running the ball on 15 attempts.
Betting Trends
-- Edmonton has the 6-3 edge ATS in the last nine meetings in Toronto, but the Argonauts are 5-1 SU in their last six home games against the Eskimos. The total gone OVER in five of those six home games.
British Columbia Lions (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-2 SU, 2-1 ATS)
Point-spread: Winnipeg -3 ½
Total: 53
Game Overview
The Lions got past Montreal at home in Week 1, but they are going to have to play much better than they did last week against Edmonton to compete in the West Division this season. Jonathon Jennings has completed 68.8 percent of his 48 passing attempts for 382 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. Emmanuel Arceneaux has been his top target with seven receptions for 106 yards in the first two games. The ground game has been led by Jeremiah Johnson with 116 yards and one score on 21 rushing attempts.
Winnipeg had its hands full against the Tiger-Cats’ defense last week after a promising start by rookie quarterback Chris Streveler. He continues to fill in for an injured Matt Nichols and last week he looked like he was making his third start in the CFL with 146 yards passing, while completing 17 of his 30 passing attempts. The Blue Bombers were able to move the ball on the ground behind Andrew Harris and Streveler with a combined 121 yards rushing.
Betting Trends
-- The Blue Bombers have covered ATS in seven of the last eight meetings overall and the total has gone OVER in four of the last six meetings in Winnipeg.
David Schwab
Thursday, July 5
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS)
Point-spread: Hamilton -5 ½
Total: 49
Game Overview
Hamilton has won its last two games by a combined 31 points after a tough loss to Calgary in Week 1 that was much closer than the 28-14 final score as a 7 ½-point road underdog. The total has stayed UNDER in two of its first three games after closing at 55 points or higher in all three contests. The Tiger-Cats’ offense has been successfully led by Jeremiah Masoli at quarterback. He threw for 369 yards and a score in Friday’s win against Winnipeg.
Saskatchewan had a rough night against Montreal last week, especially when it came to throwing the ball. Brandon Bridge and David Watford combined for four interceptions filling in for an injured Zach Collaros. The Roughriders ended the game with just 279 yards of total offense. This was the second game in a row where they failed to score more than 17 points. Saskatchewan quarterbacks have now thrown a total of seven interceptions in those two loses.
Betting Trends
-- Saskatchewan has covered in five of its last six home games against Hamilton and the total has stayed UNDER in four of those six games.
Friday, July 6
Ottawa RedBlacks (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) at Montreal Alouettes (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS)
Point-spread: Ottawa -5 ½
Total: 48 ½
Game Overview
The RedBlacks blasted Saskatchewan in their season opener in Week 2 with Trevor Harris completing 26-of-36 passes for 345 yards and two scores. Against the best team in the CFL last Thursday night, Harris came back down to earth with 135 passing yards and one interception. He completed a dismal 44.8 percent of his 29 passing attempts. The lone bright spot was William Powell’s 123 yards rushing the ball on 13 carries. He has gained 217 yards on 32 carries in his first two games.
Montreal’s defense came to life in that Week 2 upset over the Roughriders after allowing a combined 78 points in the first two games this season. Quarterback Drew Willy left that game in the third quarter due to injury and his status for this game remains unknown. In his place, Jeff Mathews completed 8-of-12 passes for 98 yards. The Alouettes’ ground game was not a factor in the stunning upset with 32 yards on 16 rushing attempts.
Betting Trends
-- Ottawa has a SU 8-1 edge in the last nine meetings and it has covered the spread in its last five road games against the Alouettes. The total has stayed UNDER in all five of those games.
Saturday, July 7
Edmonton Eskimos (2-1 SU, 1-2 ATS) at Toronto Argonauts (0-2 SU, 0-2 ATS)
Point-spread: Edmonton -4 ½
Total: 52 ½
Game Overview
Edmonton looked a bit shaky in its SU 1-1 start (0-2 ATS), but it quickly returned to form in Week 3 with that convincing victory against BC. The total has gone OVER in all three of its games with a scoring average of 31.7 points per game. Mike Reilly is once again one of the top quarterbacks in the CFL when it comes to passing yards with 1,020 in his first three starts. He is tied for the lead in passing touchdowns with six and he has completed 69.8 percent of his 106 attempts.
Toronto needed last week’s bye to try and regroup following losses to Saskatchewan on the road and Calgary at home in the first two weeks of the new season. The bigger loss could be veteran quarterback Ricky Ray, who appears to be out for the season with a neck injury. In his place against Calgary in that 41-7 loss was James Franklin. He completed eight of his 13 passing attempts for 65 yards. The Argonauts gained another 76 yards running the ball on 15 attempts.
Betting Trends
-- Edmonton has the 6-3 edge ATS in the last nine meetings in Toronto, but the Argonauts are 5-1 SU in their last six home games against the Eskimos. The total gone OVER in five of those six home games.
British Columbia Lions (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-2 SU, 2-1 ATS)
Point-spread: Winnipeg -3 ½
Total: 53
Game Overview
The Lions got past Montreal at home in Week 1, but they are going to have to play much better than they did last week against Edmonton to compete in the West Division this season. Jonathon Jennings has completed 68.8 percent of his 48 passing attempts for 382 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. Emmanuel Arceneaux has been his top target with seven receptions for 106 yards in the first two games. The ground game has been led by Jeremiah Johnson with 116 yards and one score on 21 rushing attempts.
Winnipeg had its hands full against the Tiger-Cats’ defense last week after a promising start by rookie quarterback Chris Streveler. He continues to fill in for an injured Matt Nichols and last week he looked like he was making his third start in the CFL with 146 yards passing, while completing 17 of his 30 passing attempts. The Blue Bombers were able to move the ball on the ground behind Andrew Harris and Streveler with a combined 121 yards rushing.
Betting Trends
-- The Blue Bombers have covered ATS in seven of the last eight meetings overall and the total has gone OVER in four of the last six meetings in Winnipeg.
CFL
Dunkel
Week 4
Thursday, July 5
Hamilton @ Saskatchewan
Game 351-352
July 5, 2018 @ 9:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Hamilton
121.097
Saskatchewan
102.614
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Hamilton
by 18 1/2
45
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Hamilton
by 6
49
Dunkel Pick:
Hamilton
(-6); Under
Friday, July 6
Ottawa @ Montreal
Game 353-354
July 6, 2018 @ 7:30 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Ottawa
116.662
Montreal
95.775
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Ottawa
by 21
44
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Ottawa
by 6
48 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Ottawa
(-6); Under
Saturday, July 7
Edmonton @ Toronto
Game 355-356
July 7, 2018 @ 5:30 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Edmonton
112.575
Toronto
110.633
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Edmonton
by 2
57
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Edmonton
by 5
52 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+5); Over
BC Lions @ Winnipeg
Game 357-358
July 7, 2018 @ 8:30 pm
Dunkel Rating:
BC Lions
109.328
Winnipeg
111.274
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Winnipeg
by 2
56
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Winnipeg
by 4
53
Dunkel Pick:
BC Lions
(+4); Over
Dunkel
Week 4
Thursday, July 5
Hamilton @ Saskatchewan
Game 351-352
July 5, 2018 @ 9:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Hamilton
121.097
Saskatchewan
102.614
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Hamilton
by 18 1/2
45
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Hamilton
by 6
49
Dunkel Pick:
Hamilton
(-6); Under
Friday, July 6
Ottawa @ Montreal
Game 353-354
July 6, 2018 @ 7:30 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Ottawa
116.662
Montreal
95.775
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Ottawa
by 21
44
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Ottawa
by 6
48 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Ottawa
(-6); Under
Saturday, July 7
Edmonton @ Toronto
Game 355-356
July 7, 2018 @ 5:30 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Edmonton
112.575
Toronto
110.633
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Edmonton
by 2
57
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Edmonton
by 5
52 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+5); Over
BC Lions @ Winnipeg
Game 357-358
July 7, 2018 @ 8:30 pm
Dunkel Rating:
BC Lions
109.328
Winnipeg
111.274
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Winnipeg
by 2
56
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Winnipeg
by 4
53
Dunkel Pick:
BC Lions
(+4); Over
CFL
Long Sheet
Week 4
Thursday, July 5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HAMILTON (2 - 1) at SASKATCHEWAN (1 - 2) - 7/5/2018, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 81-57 ATS (+18.3 Units) as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 135-99 ATS (+26.1 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 54-35 ATS (+15.5 Units) in July games since 1996.
HAMILTON is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
SASKATCHEWAN is 3-1 against the spread versus HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
SASKATCHEWAN is 3-1 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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Friday, July 6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTTAWA (1 - 1) at MONTREAL (1 - 2) - 7/6/2018, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in road lined games over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) in road games versus division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-16 ATS (-12.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-16 ATS (-12.6 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) in home lined games over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 0-9 ATS (-9.9 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) in games played on turf over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 5-1 against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 5-1 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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Saturday, July 7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDMONTON (2 - 1) at TORONTO (0 - 2) - 7/7/2018, 5:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points over the last 3 seasons.
TORONTO is 21-42 ATS (-25.2 Units) in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 52 since 1996.
TORONTO is 15-29 ATS (-16.9 Units) in a home game where the total is between 52.5 and 56 since 1996.
TORONTO is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 2-2 against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 3-1 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BRITISH COLUMBIA (1 - 1) at WINNIPEG (1 - 2) - 7/7/2018, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) versus division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 56-32 ATS (+20.8 Units) as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points since 1996.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 38-20 ATS (+16.0 Units) as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points since 1996.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 70-48 ATS (+17.2 Units) in road games off a division game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 5-1 against the spread versus BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 3-3 straight up against BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
Long Sheet
Week 4
Thursday, July 5
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HAMILTON (2 - 1) at SASKATCHEWAN (1 - 2) - 7/5/2018, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 81-57 ATS (+18.3 Units) as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 135-99 ATS (+26.1 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 54-35 ATS (+15.5 Units) in July games since 1996.
HAMILTON is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
SASKATCHEWAN is 3-1 against the spread versus HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
SASKATCHEWAN is 3-1 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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Friday, July 6
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OTTAWA (1 - 1) at MONTREAL (1 - 2) - 7/6/2018, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in road lined games over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) in road games versus division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-16 ATS (-12.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-16 ATS (-12.6 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) in home lined games over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 0-9 ATS (-9.9 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) in games played on turf over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 5-1 against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 5-1 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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Saturday, July 7
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EDMONTON (2 - 1) at TORONTO (0 - 2) - 7/7/2018, 5:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points over the last 3 seasons.
TORONTO is 21-42 ATS (-25.2 Units) in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 52 since 1996.
TORONTO is 15-29 ATS (-16.9 Units) in a home game where the total is between 52.5 and 56 since 1996.
TORONTO is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 2-2 against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 3-1 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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BRITISH COLUMBIA (1 - 1) at WINNIPEG (1 - 2) - 7/7/2018, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) versus division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 56-32 ATS (+20.8 Units) as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points since 1996.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 38-20 ATS (+16.0 Units) as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points since 1996.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 70-48 ATS (+17.2 Units) in road games off a division game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 5-1 against the spread versus BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 3-3 straight up against BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
