CFL East Division: Despite loss, Als still team to beat

Football Betting Lines

07/08/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Typically, when a team loses, adjustments are made to account for those failings. And although the Montreal Alouettes had many of those in their overtime loss to Saskatchewan, they're likely to win a whole lot of games this year by not changing a thing.

Now, 54 points allowed suggests something different, such as the inability of the Als secondary to keep in check either of the Roughriders' top receivers. It goes without saying Montreal's pass coverage - a relative word if you're Rob Bagg or Weston Dressler - needs to tighten up. The Als' corners allowed Rider receivers too much room for Darian Durant to find them, and then were exposed by some nifty maneuvering from the guys in green for yards after the play.

But when you have Anthony Calvillo on your side, there's a good chance the team will pass its way out of trouble. Calvillo, who turns 40 next month, shook off an early interception en route to a carving of the Riders secondary.

Calvillo found five different receivers five times and, in true Alouette style, did most of his damage on big pass plays.

The 2009 Most Outstanding Player threw for 368 yards on 28-of-42 passing with four touchdowns, with just one of those coming in the Als' second half undoing.

Another thing coach Marc Trestman will want to address prior to Week 2 will be the focus of his defensive line. Perhaps it was more a reflection of their opponent's ability to do it all on the offensive end, but Riders running back Wes Cates found holes in the Als line too often.

Cates broke away from several defenders for a 50-plus-yard gain early in the second quarter while down 14-3 that got Saskatchewan inside the 10 and led to a touchdown.

Montreal will need to limit its opponents' running game in such a pass-happy league if it wants to put away teams earlier, something the team failed to do on opening night.

Now, to hand out some individual honors.

Key offensive performer: Calvillo. The 17-year veteran with a fully-loaded resume had the best statistical opening game of his career ... enough said.

Key defensive/special teams performer: Tim Maypray. The Kentucky-native rookie had to have caught the attention of his team when he ran back a missed Rider field goal 125 yards for a score in the third quarter to stretch the team's lead to 21.

Next up: Edmonton Eskimos (0-1). No reprieve for the Als, who will remain on the road when they travel to Alberta to play the Eskimos. In their only trip to Edmonton last season, the Alouettes were manhandled by quarterback Ricky Ray and the Esks offense, suffering one of only three losses all season.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Bombs away. Pardon the cliche, but how else to describe the 49-29 point drubbing the Bombers handed to a solid Hamilton squad on opening night in Winnipeg?

In a pivotal early game between two teams hoping to improve on mediocre '09 campaigns, the Tiger-Cats had no answers for Bombers receiver Terrence Edwards, who punished the Ti-Cat defense for 191 yards on just five receptions.

Unfortunately for Winnipeg, those stats won't serve much of a purpose moving forward.

Heading into the fourth quarter up 31-15, Winnipeg unraveled a bit, allowing Hamilton to throw up 14 in the final frame to burst a small hole in the Bombers' bubble.

Although the Blue Bombers dominated large portions of the game - evident in their 502 yards of offense compared to the Ti-Cats' 290 - Winnipeg too often allowed Hamilton to put together long drives that resulted in points.

Nonetheless, a solid start for the Bombers and new head coach Paul LaPolice.

Key offensive performer: Terrence Edwards. The 31-year-old slotback had a CFL career-high 191 yards in addition to the longest score of his career on a 90- yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.

Key defensive/special teams performer: Joe Lobendahn. The burly linebacker was a force in midfield and a big reason Hamilton couldn't generate a running game. Lobendahn applied pressure all night on the Ti-Cats' front line, finishing with eight tackles and two sacks.

Next up: Toronto Argonauts (0-1). Within the friendly confines of Canad Inns Stadium, expect explosives when the Bombers host the Argonauts in Week 2. Despite its struggles late in the game, Winnipeg should have little difficulty in applying pressure on a questionable Argo offense, allowing them the opportunity to get off to a great start to the 2010 season.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

For a team with high hopes entering this year, Hamilton did its best to prove the experts wrong. A trendy pick to unseat the Alouettes in the East, the Tiger-Cats' offense looked stale early and often in Week 1.

Although they made a game of it in the second half (in that they actually put up some points), the Cats have to be disappointed with their inability to establish a strong running game.

One of the focal points of the team's offense, Hamilton running back DeAndra Cobb ran for just 22 yards on seven carries against a stingy Winnipeg line.

Cobb, who totaled more than 1200 yards in '09, will need to be better if Hamilton expects to contend, especially if quarterback Kevin Glenn struggles the way he did last week (15-for-31, 197 yards with a touchdown and interception).

Key offensive performer: Marquay McDaniel. The second-year receiver was one of the few bright spots on the Ti-Cats offense, catching seven passes for a career-high 108 yards.

Key defensive/special teams performer: Marcus Thigpen. The rookie running back opened the game with a sensational 93-yard touchdown run before adding another in the fourth quarter when he ran back a missed field-goal attempt 118 yards.

Next up: Calgary Stampeders (1-0). The Tiger-Cats are in tough early, as they will look to rebound at home against a strong Stampeder team. With a difficult schedule looking ahead (Winnipeg, Montreal, Saskatchewan), Hamilton will need to turn things around very quickly if it has dreams of competing for a division title.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

What's left to say about a team that's gone 7-29 over the past two seasons? Well, for starters, how about adding another loss to the right column.

For the Argos, it's the wrong side of the ledger, and if new coach Jim Barker had any aspirations of sneaking into the postseason, his team's going to have to muster up some offense its next time out.

While still trying to acclimate himself to the game up north, former-NFL pivot Cleo Lemon had trouble getting comfortable against last year's second-best defense. Lemon just barely connected on half of his pass attempts, adding a touchdown and a pick in his first game in the CFL.

Barker's club, which many expected to be a better defensive team this season, was unable to stop Calgary's offense, most notably Stamps running back Joffrey Reynolds, who found 116 yards worth of holes in the Boatmen's "defense".

The Argos, who can't be happy with their opening act, will have to be better starting games and halves as they failed to score in either the first or third quarter.

Key offensive performer: Andre Durie. No one really stepped up on offense for the Argos, although the Toronto-native made the most of his three catches, turning them into 58 yards.

Key defensive/special teams performer: Kevin Eiben and Lin-J Shell. The linebacker and defensive back teamed up for a combined 20 tackles and one sack and will be looked upon to help stop the bleeding more often than not this season.

Next up: Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-0). Toronto travels to Winnipeg in Week 2 without much to be optimistic about. After the Bombers steamrolled the Ti-Cats, the Double Blue will need an inspired defense to makeup for an offense not quite there yet. If there's any consolation for Toronto, it's that four of its seven wins since 2008 have come on the road.