Lefko on CFL: Week 2 peerless picks

The favourites took a serious beating in Week 1 of the Canadian Football League season. Not one favourite covered the spread.

Montreal came the closest, leading by seven late in the game and looking as if it could cover the 6½-point spread, but B.C. scored three points inside the final two minutes.

Say what you want about the call by B.C. head coach Wally Buono who figured he could get the ball back with enough time to still score a touchdown and win the game rather than just gambling on third-and-five knowing he’d need a touchdown to tie. Peerless Perry, who picked the Lions and the points, lauded the call, which was about as dumb as Buono’s decision.

Hey, when you’re watching the game with a theoretical bet on the line, it changes everything.

The next day the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who were a 10-point favourite to beat Winnipeg, blew up real good. Peerless loved the Bombers and the points figuring Hamilton was way overrated off a meaningless slaughter of the Als in the final pre-season game.

The Stamps lost to the Argos, which gave Peerless his first loss obecause he picked Calgary to cover the 7½-point spread.

And a day later it was another defeat as the Roughriders were humbled by the Eskimos.

Still, 2-2 is not bad.

May you have all the luck in the world with your selections this week and come out smiling with a bigger grin than Pinball Clemons. “Yes, very nice.”

As usual, we provide the betting lines by Randall the Handle, the Sultan of the Spreads.

Friday

Toronto (1-0) at Winnipeg (1-0)

Who would have guessed these teams would be undefeated after Week 1 and sharing space atop the East Division with Montreal? The Argos won utilizing a simple game plan, which worked well last year: Keep the game close, wait for running back Cory Boyd to bust one open and minimize mistakes. Cleo Lemon showed slight improvement from last year and put the team in position to score late in the game. The Argos are feeling confident now, but have to go back on the road again. The Argos have a solid defensive line with newcomer Claude Wroten destroying his opponents’ interior linemen.

I think the Argos can get to Bombers’ quarterback Buck Pierce if they force him to stay in the pocket. The Bombers didn’t go deep too often last week against Hamilton, but they may try to pick on Argo sophomore cornerback Sean Smalls. One area of concern is the health of return specialist Chad Owens, who had a wonky back after the last game. He’s too valuable to the Argos to not be on the field.

The Bombers are also buoyant after winning and will enjoy the support of the crowd for the final home opener at Canad Inns Stadium. Oh, those wonderful memories of climbing up the stairs to the press box! The Bombers started off 2-0 last year and quarterback Buck Pierce was the reason. He still has yet to show me he’s the same at this point as he was before the injuries took their toll on him last season. He doesn’t appear to be playing with the same fire, which is likely because he is a guy who likes to make plays on the run and isn’t doing it with same fearlessness now. And he’s throwing way too many short balls off quick drops to minimize getting hit.

The Bombers’ receiving corps is banged up, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they try to attack the Argos with the ground game. Running back Fred Reid should be active. And if wind is a factor, which is always a possibility at Canad Inns Stadium, then the Bombers’ kicking game needs to be better. The wind and consistency was a factor for the Bombers in Hamilton. The Bombers are favoured by two.

Perry’s Pick: Argos and the points.

Calgary (0-1) at B.C. (0-1)

Calgary took the better part of the game against Toronto to come to life, kickstarted by the hurry-up offence. But they were burned by inept kicking. The Stamps have a new rookie kicker in the lineup, Rene Paredes. They also have a bunch of roster changes on the offence and defence following key injury losses, including receiver Ken-Yon Rambo, defensive lineman Cory Mace and linebacker Malik Jackson. The Stamps are already using newcomers on the offensive line because of injuries and a bunch of new personnel in the defensive backfield.

The Lions were picked apart in the first half of Week 1 by Anthony Calvillo. Henry Burris may have a tougher time due to all the changes. Loved the way the Lions made a game of it with the Als and the confidence of quarterback Travis Lulay. I would expect the Lions to try to start the running game sooner or, at the very least, find ways to get running back Jamal Robertson some more touches. Receiver Steven Black, who was solid in the second half of last season, will replace Nick Moore, who dropped some key passes and apparently has a bruised shoulder. Black at least provides some experience to take the load off of veteran Geroy Simon, who was solid in the opening week. Simon was the only Lions’ starting receiver last week who had caught a regular-season pass.

This receiving corps is raw, but loaded with talent. Middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian — the Eliminator — took it to the Als last week in the second half. What a stud.

Stamps are favoured by one.

Perry’s Pick: The Lions and the points.

Saturday

Montreal (1-0) at Saskatchewan (0-1)

The Alouettes did what they usually do in Week 1, which is win. They will face a team that is finding itself on defence with a new system, one that is fairly passive compared to the unorthodox one of previous years. The Als offensive line is good enough to match up against the Riders’ defensive line. There are enough weapons for quarterback Anthony Calvillo to use — and it’s not as if he hasn’t seen Richie Hall’s defence before. It’s fairly straightforward. Defensive back De’Audre Dix was added to replace Jerald Brown, who is gone for the season with a broken ankle.

The Riders self-destructed in Week 1 with too many turnovers; most of them by quarterback Darian Durant. That was a problem last year. Durant is adjusting to a new receiving corps and a different offensive line. The team was clearly not focused against Edmonton and you have to figure they will play with more intensity this week or the natives will get restless.

The defence has a key change with Remond Willis in at rush end, supplanting Canadian Luc Mullinder. The Riders want more push off the edges and overall from the front four. Other changes include the return of cornerback Tad Kornegay, defensive halfback Chris McKenzie and linebacker Jerrell Freeman. These are key veterans, but safety James Patrick is likely a game-time decision with a lower-body injury. Rookie Craig Butler, selected 12th overall in the 2011 CFL draft, may start. Simply way too many changes. The Als are favoured by two.

Perry’s Pick: Als to cover.

Hamilton (0-1) at Edmonton (1-0)

You just know Ticats quarterback Kevin Glenn will have a chip on his shoulder after getting pulled in Week 1. It’s up to his teammates to play for him and not make mistakes that contributed to his errant passes and frustration. Arland Bruce can’t drop passes. Avon Cobourne needs to assert himself and make crucial yards. The defence will surely throw even more new looks at the Eskimos than they did against Winnipeg. Expect defensive co-ordinator Corey Chamblin to turn loose rush end Stevie Baggs.

Give credit to the Eskimos for a well-designed game plan in Week 1 and, more important, great execution. But they’ll have to be better because the Ticats will have broken down the game film, which wasn’t as obvious in the pre-season when all the starters weren’t playing. Edmonton will have the hometown crowd behind them, but head coach Kavis Reed won’t be able to play an us-against-the-world philosophy. David has already slain Goliath. The key will be the Eskimos providing added pass protection, which I suggest they do with twin backs. Calvin McCarty can block in addition to his other skills and Daniel Porter could be used on swing passes against the linebackers. If the Eskimos do some of this, Coach Lefko will start sending out his resumes to teams looking for consultants. It’s a pick-em for this one.

Perry’s Pick: Hamilton.

Peerless Perry last week: 2-2

Overall record so far: 2-2