CFL

• CFL Previews - Week 17 - October 16-18

  
  

  From The Sports Network By Gregg Xenakes, Associate CFL Editor Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - EDMONTON ESKIMOS (6-8) AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS (3-11) DATE & TIME: Friday, October 16, 7:30 p.m. (et).

  GAME NOTES: The Toronto Argonauts try to keep themselves from their second, five-game losing streak of the season on Friday night as they entertain the Edmonton Eskimos at the Rogers Centre.

  Losers of nine of their last 10 outings, with the lone victory coming in overtime against Hamilton at home back on September 11, the Argos are holding down the basement of the East Division with a record of just 3-11 entering play this week.

  The team registered only 261 yards of total offense last week and was flagged nine times for a loss of 76 yards as well, defeating any chance the squad might have had at giving the Roughriders a run for their money in the 32-22 setback on the road. Kerry Joseph and Cody Pickett combined to hit just 13- of-28 passes for 116 yards and an interception, while running back Jamal Robertson tried to keep the team competitive with his game-high 86 yards on 14 carries. Jeff Johnson and Joseph are the ones who finished with rushing TDs.

  As for the Eskimos, they started out slow in their meeting with British Columbia last week, posting just a single point in the first quarter before fighting back and taking a lead in the final frame, only to watch it disappear with a late TD by the Lions in a 34-31 setback at home.

  The Esks ended up with a mere 42 yards rushing on 14 attempts, with Arkee Whitlock handling the majority of the hand-offs with 12 carries for 38 yards. On his only run of the day, quarterback Ricky Ray hit the end zone from a yard out. Ray also connected on 22-of-35 passes for 323 yards and a pair of scores. Receiver Fred Stamps was credited with nine catches for 167 yards and a touchdown, while the other receiving score went to Maurice Mann.

  Kicker Noel Prefontaine, who tossed an interception in the meeting, knocked through three field goals and added a single in the first quarter that began his team's scoring.

  At this point in the season, the only player in the league who has generated at least 1,000 yards receiving is Stamps for Edmonton with his 64 catches for 1,033 yards and seven touchdowns, displaying one of the best averages in the CFL as well with 16.1 yards per grab. Mann (66 catches, 848 yards) and Kamau Peterson (53 rec, 689 yards) both have another six receiving touchdowns to add to the Edmonton passing attack.

  Despite being in just his first year in the CFL, Whitlock has opened quite a few eyes in Edmonton this season, already having carried the ball 151 times for 798 yards and seven touchdowns, not to mention coming up with 39 receptions for another 357 yards and a score as well. Getting the ball off to Whitlock has been Ray who is now second in the league in passing with his 3,927 yards, converting an impressive 67.4 percent of his attempts, en route to almost twice as many TDs (19) as INTs (10).

  Because the offensive stats for the Argos are so weak this season, finding positive aspects to spin for the team are difficult much of the time. Joseph and Pickett have combined to throw for more than 3,100 yards and have 10 TDs between them, but Joseph himself already has 13 interceptions and that sort of inaccuracy is what makes a defense salivate when they prepare for Toronto.

  Robertson might be one of the better runners in the league with his 174 carries for 945 yards and eight touchdowns, but having Joseph as the second- leading rusher says a lot about how weak the team's rushing attack has been in 2009.

  As poorly as the Argonauts have played so far this season, the team has actually performed rather well in recent meetings with Edmonton, winning five of the last six encounters, including a 35-31 triumph at home back in July. With that victory, the Argos are now close to locking up the all-time regular- season series with the Eskimos which currently favors Edmonton by a count of 38-37-1.

  Toronto hasn't had a lot to cheer about this season and even though the squad seems to be overwhelmed almost every week, the Argos have to have a little something left in the tank for this meeting.

  Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Toronto 24, Edmonton 20SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (8-6) AT CALGARY STAMPEDERS (8-6) DATE & TIME: Saturday, October 17, 3:30 p.m. (et).

  GAME NOTES: A battle for first place in the West Division ensues this weekend, as the Calgary Stampeders host the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a crucial contest at McMahon Stadium in Alberta.

  Both teams are showing 8-6 records as they head into the home stretch of the 2009 campaign and try to jockey for postseason positioning. Calgary, which has won four straight games at home, had a two-game win streak snapped by Montreal on Monday in a 32-11 decision on the road.

  In that contest, the Stamps scored 10 points in the second quarter but were held scoreless in both the first and fourth frames as they watched Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo carve them up for four touchdowns. Henry Burris tried to keep the visitors alive by converting 16-of-32 passes for 228 yards, but he was intercepted twice as the offense failed to score.

  Joffrey Reynolds was handed the ball 11 times, gaining just 43 yards, while Romby Bryant hauled in six passes for a game-high 118 yards yet still failed to get into the end zone.

  If not for three field goals by Sandro DeAngelis and a couple of one-point efforts by Burke Dales, the final result would have been even more bleak for Calgary.

  As for the Roughriders, they did the majority of their scoring against Toronto last Saturday in the first half, posting 28 of their 32 points as they cruised to the 10-point win at home over the worst team in the CFL this season. Darian Durant connected on 14-of-23 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns for the hosts, tossing scoring strikes to Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf and Gerran Walker.

  Wes Cates, who caught a pass for 20 yards, led the way on the ground for Saskatchewan with 80 yards on 17 carries.

  However, even though the Roughriders won the meeting against Toronto, the team lost a crucial piece of their squad as Dressler went down with a fractured fibula and a sprained ankle, injuries that will probably sideline the receiver for the rest of the season. Heading into play this week, Dressler was fifth in the league with his 62 receptions for 941 yards and four touchdowns. Needless to say, someone on the team will have to step up and fill the void left by Dressler, easily the top down-field threat for the Roughriders here in 2009.

  The pressure will now be on Durant to begin getting comfortable with another receiver who can stretch the field and make the plays that used to go to Dressler.

  Durant is certainly talented enough to make that happen seeing as how he is fourth in the league in passing with 3,243 yards and he has 18 touchdowns. Now if only he could limit his mistakes and keep his interceptions (18) from growing too quickly.

  Perhaps Cates will become a bigger option in the Roughrider offense now, having produced 771 yards and five TDs on 155 carries this season. Durant might also be calling his own number a little more often, seeing as how he is the second-leading rusher for Saskatchewan with his 382 yards on just 46 attempts.

  Over on the Calgary side, Burris continues to be the driving force for that group, having completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 3,673 yards, third-most in the CFL after 15 weeks of action. Burris is also among the league leaders in TD passes with 18, although it is still hard to overlook the fact that he has tossed 14 interceptions as well.

  Providing offensive balance for the team is Reynolds who is one of four players to have already reached the 1,000-yard plateau this season, putting up 1,086 yards and six TDs on 173 attempts.

  With Bryant's arrival in Calgary, following his trade from Winnipeg just a few months ago, Jeremaine Copeland may not be the focal point of the passing attack any longer, or at least he will have someone else on the field to take the pressure off of him from time to time. Although, shifting attention away from Copeland might not be that easy considering the receiver is second in the league with 63 catches for 998 yards and leads all pass catchers with 12 touchdowns.

  The all-time regular-season series between these two clubs currently favors Calgary at 96-82-8, although the Roughriders are the ones who have won two of the last three meetings and four of six heading into this weekend's bout. The teams clashed most recently on August 1 with Saskatchewan squeezing out a 24-23 win on the road.

  The teams will complete their season series on November 7 when they meet in Saskatchewan.

  The addition of Bryant will go far in making this Calgary team one of the favorites to get back to the Grey Cup title game again this season. Even though Montreal might have something to say about the outcome this time around, expect the Stampeders to make a strong push to close out the regular season starting now.

  Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Calgary 38, Saskatchewan 20HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (6-8) AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES (12-2) DATE & TIME: Sunday, October 18, 2:00 p.m. (et).

  GAME NOTES: Already with the East Division title secured, the Montreal Alouettes continue to play out the regular season this weekend as they entertain the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Percival Molson Stadium.

  Montreal has cruised through the 2009 campaign thus far, suffering just two losses in 14 outings. On Monday, the squad posted a 32-11 win over Calgary, the team's fifth straight victory and the eighth in the last nine contests overall.

  Week 15 action saw quarterback Anthony Calvillo connect on 26-of-37 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns, without a single interception, in the romp over the Stampeders at home. Jamel Richardson reeled in seven of those passes for 70 yards and three touchdowns, the other score going to Andrew Hawkins on a six-yard effort in the fourth quarter. The last Als player to post three touchdowns in a single game was, ironically enough, Richardson who turned the trick against Hamilton almost one year ago to the day.

  Also having a strong outing for the Als was Ben Cahoon who caught six balls for 76 yards, moving him into sixth place on the CFL's all-time list for receiving yards in the process.

  On defense, Anwar Stewart picked up his 53rd career sack for the Alouettes, moving him past Elfrid Payton for first place on the all-time club list in that department.

  As for the Tiger-Cats, they too played on Monday like Montreal, but in their case they came up on the short end of a 38-28 final versus Winnipeg at home.

  Kevin Glenn converted 21-of-34 passes for 273 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the double-digit setback. Fellow quarterback Adam Tafralis was given a single rushing attempt for the squad and made it count with a one-yard touchdown run.

  Drisan James and Corey Grant combined for five catches, 86 yards and two TDs in the losing effort, while DeAndra' Cobb accounted for all but two of the unit's 55 rushing yards as the team tried to storm back after being held scoreless in the first half.

  Glenn has had to split time with Quinton Porter at quarterback this season for the Tiger-Cats, but while the latter has converted a better percentage of his passes, he has issued more interceptions (eight) than touchdowns (six). For Glenn the numbers are just the opposite with his 12 TDs and five picks, earning him one of the better ratings in the league at 90.1 to this point in the campaign.

  Over on the other side Calvillo is in a class all by himself, throwing for a league-best 4,102 yards and 22 touchdowns, against a mere six interceptions which has his efficiency rating going through the roof at 106.4. Last season, Calvillo threw for a stunning 5,633 yards and 43 TDs, numbers that provided him with the second-highest QB rating (107.2) of his long and storied career in the Canadian Football League.

  A former member of the Tiger-Cats himself back in the 1990's, Calvillo now has 350 passing TDs for his career to go along with nearly 63,000 yards.

  In terms of the series between these two clubs, Montreal maintains an 82-74-7 advantage in regular-season meetings, winning three in a row and 11 of the last 12 encounters. Last month, the Als picked up a 42-8 triumph at Hamilton.

  The Alouettes have won seven straight home games leading up to this weekend, while Hamilton has dropped five in a row on the road, which sounds like a prescription for yet another Montreal win.

  Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Montreal 31, Hamilton 13BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS (7-7) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (6-8) DATE & TIME: Sunday, October 18, 5:00 p.m. (et).

  GAME NOTES: In an effort to keep pace in the West Division with the likes of Saskatchewan and Calgary, the British Columbia Lions hit the field at Canad Inns Stadium this Sunday versus the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

  The Lions have gotten their record back to .500 at 7-7 thanks to back-to-back wins and victories in three of the last four outings. With those triumphs, BC has moved to within a game of first place in the division, trailing only the Stampeders and Roughriders entering play this week.

  Last week, the Lions needed a late touchdown to pull out a 34-31 win over the Edmonton Eskimos on the road. Buck Pierce and Geroy Simon combined on a 62- yard TD pass play, the only score of the period for the Lions, as they slipped by for another victory.

  Pierce carried much of the load for British Columbia as he converted 23-of-38 passes for 301 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the decision, while Martell Mallett chipped in with a game-high 41 yards rushing and a TD on 11 carries. Simon ended up as the game's top receiver with nine grabs for 170 yards and two scores, with Ryan Grice-Mullen accounting for the other TD thrown by Pierce.

  As for the Blue Bombers, currently tied for second place in the East Division with Hamilton at 6-8, far behind league-leading Montreal, they too ended up in the win column on Monday as they recorded a 38-28 decision over the Tiger-Cats on the road.

  The victory was the third in a row for a team that had dropped three straight and five of six heading into the final week of September.

  Winnipeg scored in every quarter, using three field goals and a couple of singles by Alexis Serna to hold off the competition. Michael Bishop managed to overcome a pair of interceptions by converting 21-of-38 passes for 356 yards and three touchdowns for the visitors, with Adarius Bowman having a career day with 10 catches for a staggering 213 yards and two TDs, all of which were game highs.

  Additionally, Brock Ralph also put together a strong effort with his five receptions for 98 yards and a score as well.

  Although he has a total of just 47 catches, Bowman has one of the top yards- per-catch averages in the league at the moment with 16.6 yards per catch. The receiver has six TD grabs on the season.

  Providing more than ample balance on the ground for the Blue Bombers is Fred Reid who has carried the ball 188 times for a league-leading 1,135 yards, averaging six yards per attempt, en route to seven touchdowns of his own.

  Bishop may be an exciting