Can the Als stay hot?

[Lumi]

Can the Als stay hot?
July 23, 2009
By SBGGlobal.com

Hamilton (2-1) at Montreal (3-0)
Thursday, 7:30 pm Eastern ? TSN



SBG Global Opening Line: Montreal - 14, Total 54.5



The Montreal Alouettes will look to extend their winning streak to four as they host the Hamilton Tiger Cats on Thursday. This will be the first divisional opponent of the season for Montreal. The Alouettes have been the most dominant team in the CFL so far this season winning their three games by a combined score of 133-53.



SBG Global reports that early CFL Betting has the public taking Montreal at Home.



The Alouettes routed the Roughriders last week to hand them their first loss of the season. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns while running back Avon Cobourne rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Calvillo?s quarterback rating of 112.3 is a league best so far while his five touchdown passes and 879 yards are a very close second to Toronto?s Kerry Joseph. Cobourne leads the league in rushing yards with 317 and leads the league in TD?s with four.

Last season, the Als went 3-1-0 against Hamilton. This season the Tiger Cats have looked good getting off to a 2-1 start. This is a tough spot for Hamilton though as they will be playing their second game in six days.

"The positives are you line up and play again and your focus gets right to another game, another opponent. You stop wallowing in a loss or lingering after a win and get back to work." head coach Marcel Bellefeuille said.



Here are the CFL Betting stats for Thursday?s game. The Tiger-Cats are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games. The Tiger-Cats are 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight vs. the East. The Tiger-Cats are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 meetings in Montreal.



The Alouettes are 4-1 ATS in their last five games in July. The Alouettes are 6-2 ATS in their last eight home games. The Alouettes are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 vs. the East.



The Over is 5-0 in the Tiger-Cats last five Thursday games. The Over is 8-2 in the Tiger-Cats last 10 road games. The Over is 14-6 in the Tiger-Cats last 20 games overall.



SBG Global Current Line: Montreal - 14, Total 56



The Under is 13-5 in the Alouettes last 18 home games. The Over is 23-9 in the Alouettes last 32 games in July. The Under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings in Montreal between the two teams.

 

[Lumi]

Preview: Als entertain resurgent Ticats

Preview: Als entertain resurgent Ticats

Preview: Als entertain resurgent Ticats

July 23, 2009

THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL -- It's early in the season to talk about a battle for first place, but the unbeaten Montreal Alouettes facing the resurgent Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 4 of the CFL season is certainly an intriguing match-up.

A year ago, the Ticats went 3-15, last in the CFL for a fourth straight season, but they have now won two of their first three games, including last week's 25-13 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

A win over the Alouettes at Percival Molson Stadium on Thursday (TSN, 7:30 p.m. ET) would put them even with Montreal, with a win in their pockets over their top East Division rival.

"They're the best team in the league now, so we just want to put ourselves in a position to have a chance to win the game and compete with them," Ticats slotback Dave Stala, a former Alouette, said Wednesday.

"Whoever wins is first in the east so we want to give them a fight."

It is a formidable challenge for Hamilton despite the strong start. The Alouettes have crushed all three opponents they have faced this season - Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatchewan - by a combined score of 133-53.

They have averaged 44.3 points per game - more than 10 per game ahead of second-place Calgary - while allowing a league low 17.7 per game.

Quarterback Anthony Calvillo has been dominant, completing 72.7 per cent of his passes for five touchdowns. The 16-year veteran has tied former Roughrider Ron Lancaster for second place in career touchdown passes with 333.

But he is more concerned with a suddenly tough Hamilton defence than with passing Lancaster.

"I want to go out and execute our offence," he said. "We have a major opponent - a much-improved Ticat team.

"The film shows they are a lot better team. It'll be a challenge for us, but if we play the game we want to play, the touchdowns will come."

Hamilton's pass defence has been best in the league this season, although they have struggled against the run, while Montreal has been strong on both sides of the ball.

"They have an identity," slotback Ben Cahoon said of the Ticats defence. "They're confident, they're well -coached and they're athletic.

"They're flying around. It is a different Hamilton Ticats team."

A key for Montreal will be stopping quarterback Quinton Porter, who is sixth in the league in rushing this season behind his running back DeAndra Cobb.

"We know the damage that Quinton Porter can do - he did it too us in our second game against them last year here," said Montreal coach Marc Trestman. "When he's playing at that level, he's unstoppable, and plus he can run."

The Alouettes' quick start has their more enthusiastic fans talking of an 18-0 season, which Cahoon called "foolish."

But after going 3-5 against West Division clubs last season, they are 3-0 this year, including wins in Calgary and Regina, and have clearly been the better team in all three games. The challenge now is to avoid overconfidence.

"We came out strong early and caught some teams that had not jelled yet," he said. "It was good timing for us.

"Calgary, for whatever reason, is taking a while to come together and Saskatchewan as well. We've got off to very good starts before and teams always improve and try to figure us out. It balances out in the second half of the season.

"We had a great training camp. That got us ready to play mid-season-form football right from Week 1, from the first drive of our season. That drive alone in the first game against Calgary is as good of football as I've ever been part of."

Trestman said the Alouettes games thus far have been closer than they appeared and that "scores are like fairy tales, they're not true."

In Montreal, the talk is still of the remarkable catch Cahoon made last week against the Roughriders, when he reached around linebacker Tad Kornegay's helmet, snared a pass and held on as both tumbled to the ground.

Cahoon has made many spectacular catches in his 12-year career - his one-handed, diving grab in the 2003 Grey Cup game is a classic - and even he rates this one in his top 5.

"I had a good view of the ball and got a good clean catch on it," he said. "I don't know how his head got in there.

"I just remember thinking 'hold onto this beast, hold on,' and I was happy it didn't get knocked out. To him, it must have looked like I just jumped on him and tackled him."

The 37-year-old Cahoon, the league's all-time catch leader for a Canadian player, is seventh in receiving this season with 17 for 221 yards and second on the team behind Kerry Watkins, who has 251 yards and three touchdowns.

They will have big receiver Jamel Richardson back with them this week after missing two weeks with an injury. He'll replace S.J. Green.

The Ticats will be missing receiver Airsee Currie (foot) and linebacker Otis Floyd (concussion), while receiver David Ball and fullback Darcy Brown come into the lineup.

 

[Lumi]

Stein's thoughts from Week #3

Stein's thoughts from Week #3

Stein's thoughts from Week #3

July 22, 2009

Jaime Stein
CFL.ca

TSN?s Chris Cuthbert has been following the CFL a long time. Even he had to hesitate several times on Saturday's broadcast before tossing out the possibility that Montreal could go undefeated in 2009. It is hard to argue with Cuthbert?s point. Montreal has been dominating teams on offence (Calvillo has been unstoppable), on defence (Anwar Stewart and company keep getting better) and on special teams (Larry Taylor may be the best return man in the league). CFL.ca?s Matt Cauz is also sitting pretty close to the Cuthbert camp ? he feels the Alouettes may lose one or two games at most this year. Barring some sort of major disaster, it is hard not to pick the Montreal Alouettes as the early Grey Cup favourites.

I can hear the football purists shouting out: ?The real CFL season starts after Labour Day.?

I understand that mantra, but the Alouettes could easily be 8-0 by the time summer unofficially comes to a close. Back-to-back games against the BC Lions to kickoff September may be a challenge for Montreal, but what a story it would make for Calvillo and Co. to go undefeated in 2009.

For the record, the Edmonton Eskimos hold the best record in an 18-game season. The Green and Gold were 16-2-0 in 1989.

Stewart?s Helping Hand

Anwar Stewart recorded his ninth career interception on Saturday in Regina. This wouldn?t be news except for the fact that Stewart is a defensive end. He is supposed to be sacking quarterbacks, not picking off passes. He attributes some of his success in 2009 to a new yoga routine, while Glen Suitor mentioned that Stewart was listening to Luther Vandross prior to the game. I guess that represents the calm before the storm.

Compare Stewart to veteran linebackers Otis Floyd (2 career INTs) and Kevin Eiben (6 career INTs). He trails safety Wes Lysack (10 career INTs) by one. A look at Stewart?s teammates indicates that he has more career picks than Stanford Samuels (8 career INTs), Chip Cox (6 career INTs), Etienne Boulay (6 career INTs), Mark Estelle (5 career INTs) and Matthieu Proulx (4 career INTs).

Shell Game

One of the players who caught my eye through the early part of the season is the Argos? Lin-J Shell. He plays hard on the field and by all accounts he is a decent person off the field as well. Shell had a bit of a tough debut when he was fined for a late hit in his second CFL game, but he bounced back with two massive sacks against the Calgary Stampeders in Week 3. I like how the Argos are using him to blitz from the secondary ? his speed and toughness make him a threat to all the quarterbacks in the league.

We need ?Mo Mann

Maurice Mann may be the breakout receiver of 2009. In addition to leading the league with 277-yards receiving through three weeks of play, he has been doing it in spectacular fashion. Witness his outstretched touchdown grab on Thursday night as just one example of his outstanding athleticism.

Simon Says

Geroy Simon is back! His two TD performance against the Eskimos was smooth and there is nothing better than watching his slick, but toned down, Superman celebration following a major. Many people will argue that Paris Jackson had the better game amongst the Lions? receiving core, but I must admit my bias towards Simon as one of my favourite receivers.

Bombs Away

Sticking with the BC Lions, Jarious Jackson may rival Ricky Ray as the best deep ball thrower in the CFL. Watching Jackson chuck rainbows with ease against the Eskimos was a treat. And I?m sure the BC receivers were equally happy to collect the pot of gold on the other end.

Duck and Cover

Milton Collins is quickly making a name for himself as one of the hardest hitting defenders in the league. He wallpapered Tyler Scott on Friday night and put fear into the Argo receiving core with a couple of other big hits. Collins is taking the reins from Wes Lysack, Kenny Wheaton and Rob Hitchcock as the CFL?s hardest hitting defensive back.

The Human Missile

Watching Siddeeq Shabazz launch himself into tackles on the field makes me glad I can watch games from the comfort of my couch. He throws bone crushing hits, but he has also evolved into a game breaker in 2009. He has two interceptions for touchdowns after three games. It is unlikely he can keep up the pace, but he is playing great football and deserves to be recognized. I can?t help but wonder if Edmonton wished they still had him patrolling their secondary.

Discipline Part II

Calgary is still taking too many penalties. Last week we told you that the Stamps and Argos had combined for 273 yards on 31 penalties entering Friday night?s contest. The Stamps racked up 141 yards on 16 penalties in the game. Coach Huff needs to get a hold of his boys soon before it spirals out of control. The record for penalty yards in a season is held by Hamilton (2096 yards in 2004). The Stamps are on pace for 2058 yards through three games.

Klondike Bowl

Was there a better name for the Winnipeg-Hamilton Retro game on Saturday? With all that gold in the uniforms it resembled the Yukon circa 1898.

Otis Floyd Part II

Kevin Glenn takes home the Otis Floyd award in Week #3 for returning to haunt his former team.

STARS OF WEEK #3

***** Kitwana Jones: Think about this for a moment ? you steal a bag and are making a get-away. The last person you want to see chasing you is probably a hybrid DE/LB. Not only can the guy run, but he can hit and tackle as well. We?re glad that the streets of Edmonton are just a little bit safer today thanks to KJ. BTW, his comments following the incident are gold: Check them out.

**** Ben Cahoon: I can hardly put his performance into words. I leave it to: What a catch!

*** Dorian Smith: He had one sack and was in the face of the Hamilton quarterbacks all night long including some outstanding pressure on Quinton Porter late in the second quarter. A solid addition to an already strong Winnipeg defensive line.

** Jeff Perrett: He made several key blocks to spring Avon Cobourne in the Als win over the Riders and is establishing himself as one of the top young Canadian offensive linemen in the league.

* Marcel Bellefeuille: The former CIS coach has his team over .500 for the first time in 1,823 days. The last time the Ticats were over .500 was under another coach with CIS experience, Greg Marshall.