July 31, 2007

CFL Pick 'Em, Week 6: More jostling at the top, plus some big gains at the bottom. This week: some home-and-homes, some not. If I had another cup of coffee this post blurb would be much better. Make your picks inside!

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 11:03 AM - 19 comments

Montreal has staggered back from the grave, and Toronto's vaunted quarterback depth could do nothing to stop it. Hamilton is a classy team, and would not hear of spoiling Milt Stegall's big day with an actual effort to win. I forgot that EDM-SSK was an afternoon game. And finally, B.C. at Calgary.

MTL @ TORHAM @ WPGEDM @ SSKBC @ CGY
ResultMontreal by 13Winnipeg by 18Saskatchewan by 30B.C. by 5
Margin of Error9 to 1713 to 2321 to 394 to 7
The big jumper this week is gspm, picking two margins and two winners for six points. MrFrisby and owlhouse continue their game of leapfrog, with MrFrisby's four-point week being roughly equivalent to six and a half feet of frog leap.
SpoFiteMTL @ TORSHAM @ WPGSEDM @ SSKSBC @ CGYSPointsTotal Points
MrFrisby Winnipeg Saskatchewan21B.C. 418
owlhouse Winnipeg 116
Ying Yang Mafia Winnipeg Saskatchewan 216
Spitztengle Winnipeg B.C. 215
gspmMontreal11Winnipeg20Saskatchewan B.C. 614
DrJohnEvans Saskatchewan21B.C. 313
apoch Winnipeg Saskatchewan B.C.6412
The_Black_HandMontreal Saskatchewan 210
I like the way the schedule's been done this year. A healthy mixture of home-and-homes and fresh faceoffs gives you a different look each week. Well, relatively different, given that there are only eight teams. Note the Thursday doubleheader! Don't pick late! WEEK 6 Toronto @ Montreal (Thursday, August 2) I can't believe I'm actually writing this, especially with Damon Allen the likely starter this week, but: How badly do the Toronto Argonauts miss Michael Bishop right now? Saskatchewan @ B.C. (Thursday, August 2) B.C.'s wins have been getting tighter and tighter, and competitive Saskatchewan must still be hurting from that thrashing they took at home by the Lions a couple weeks ago. Is this the week that B.C. notches its first loss? Winnipeg @ Hamilton (Friday, August 3) Does being the second home team in this home-and-home help Hamilton here? No. Nothing ever helps Hamilton. Calgary @ Edmonton (Saturday, August 4) Coin toss time! Good luck!

posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:04 AM on July 31, 2007

Montreal by 10 British Columbia by 3 Winnipeg by 14 Edmonton by 20

posted by apoch at 11:59 AM on July 31, 2007

I have a friend who grew up as a Mennonite in a rural community just outside Kingston, Ontario. Montreal by 13. We met in Darwin, Australia, but he never forgot his self-sufficient roots. BC by 7. In suburbia, he got on well with his neighbours, mostly. Winnipeg by 21. Until he decided to set up a pig slaughtering operation in the backyard. Edmonton by 9. The bacon was good, though.

posted by owlhouse at 05:04 AM on August 01, 2007

Montreal by 3 (this season for Toronto will get worse before it gets better) Saskatchewan by 10 (SSK firing on all cylinders, BC too hurt) Winnipeg by 18 (sigh) Calgary by 2 (more by luck than anything else)

posted by DrJohnEvans at 03:20 PM on August 01, 2007

Montreal by 12 Saskatchewan by 6 Winnipeg by 20 Calgary by 5

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:03 PM on August 01, 2007

*Note to self: do NOT change picks once made. That made the EE drubbing hurt even more last week. I think this week might be one of those weeks that we'll be reminded of how Damon Allen became the pro football passing leader. Argos in a bigtime upset over the Als ... Toronto by 22. If they want to have that psychological edge of knowing that they could go all the way, they'll have to do it this week against BC. Riders by 6. In my books, Winnipeg looks like the front-running contender for the Cup at the moment. Hamilton is due, but not against this crew. Bombers by 12. Ah, the good old battle of Alberta. These ones are always nasty. I think it's gonna come down to Ricky Ray needing to shake off last week and puttin' some big points on the board. It's not gonna do anything for their points against standings, but they'll squeek a win out in a high-scoring affair. Edmonton by 3.

posted by Spitztengle at 08:45 AM on August 02, 2007

Monty by 10 Sassy by 7 Peggy by 15 Eddy by 8 Bonus: Weedy gets 0 points this week.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 10:14 AM on August 02, 2007

Montreal by 16 Saskatchewan by 3 Winnipeg by 21 Calgary by 5

posted by MrFrisby at 04:07 PM on August 02, 2007

Note to pick'em players: right now I'm watching my first CFL game this season. If this year follows last year's pattern, I will now start my slide toward the basement.

posted by MrFrisby at 11:56 PM on August 02, 2007

Oh good. I could use the company.

posted by apoch at 02:24 AM on August 03, 2007

I missed nailing both of last night's game by one point each. Flar!

posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:06 AM on August 03, 2007

I will now start my slide toward the basement. Good. Me and apoch are tired of having to restock the damn fridge all the time.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 06:52 PM on August 03, 2007

Well, if you wouldn't drink so much we wouldn't have to make twice a day trips to the corner store.

posted by apoch at 07:38 PM on August 03, 2007

I'll tell you what. If Lumsden and the TiCats could actually make the playoffs (which is doubtful that they even could), he's the kind of runner that could single-handedly win football games in the fall. After a performance like that, especially by a Canadian kid, I don't mind missin' my pick on that game. Maybe I'm just funny that way???

posted by Spitztengle at 02:37 AM on August 04, 2007

Eskimos by 12 There, I didn't totally miss this week.

posted by gspm at 11:10 AM on August 04, 2007

DJE, are you psychic? That Calgary-Edmonton game was ALL luck for Calgary. Well, that and a disgraceful defensive performance by Edmonton, especially on that last drive. Two things that still stand out for me though: 1. two EE players ejected compared to none for the Stamps??? I haven't seen the game stats, but the number of flags thrown this game again makes me wonder if the refs have forgotten who this game is played for. 2. Higgins challenging the reception by Gaylor when there was a pass interference call on the play AND a roughing the passer. Can there be a bigger tool than Higgins?

posted by Spitztengle at 12:16 AM on August 05, 2007

1. two EE players ejected compared to none for the Stamps??? I haven't seen the game stats, but the number of flags thrown this game again makes me wonder if the refs have forgotten who this game is played for. CBC didn't show a decent replay of the fight— they just showed Gass throwing the helmet over and over and over again—so I didn't really get a good sense of who did what. But yeah, there were a lot more flags after the fight, which was probably just the refs trying to keep things squeaky-clean. I think it hurt both teams, though. For instance, on that last Edmonton drive, the roughing-the-passer flag wasn't a must-call, and the roughing-the-kicker flag was not a good call at all. 2. Higgins challenging the reception by Gaylor when there was a pass interference call on the play AND a roughing the passer. Can there be a bigger tool than Higgins? Yeah, I don't even know what was going on here. There must've been some breakdown in communication here, like the defensive captain not bothering to mention to his coach what the two flags were about. But the game as a whole was still a nice piece of entertainment. I'll definitely be tuning in for the next BoA.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:27 AM on August 05, 2007

I think it hurt both teams, though. For instance, on that last Edmonton drive, the roughing-the-passer flag wasn't a must-call, and the roughing-the-kicker flag was not a good call at all. That's my point exactly. I try very hard not to sound like a p'd off Eskies fan and blame the refs. Overall, I've been hyper-critical of the quality of officiating in this league for a long time. I chuckle that Higgins would even challenge that play in question (although he was correct, it wasn't a completed pass), but I shake my head even more for the referee not managing the game better and telling him that the flags made it a non-issue. Perhaps the NFL-CFL relationship could be fostered through the officials? There are some side judges in the NFL who are there simply because they know how to effectively manage the coaches/benches. CFLers could learn more than a thing or two from some of those guys. 'kay, I'm done with this rant. From an entertainment perspective though ... once again, the fans (sh)couldn't leave their seats 'til it was all over. That's one thing that the CFL rules definitely have over the NFL.

posted by Spitztengle at 12:25 PM on August 05, 2007

For what it's worth ... Jim Lang's Sportsnet Power Rankings

posted by Spitztengle at 06:37 PM on August 06, 2007

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