Nice to not have to face Anthony Calvillo. Be careful what you wish for. The #3 guy on the Alouettes depth chart, Chris Leak, sounds like a player. More importantly, he is playing in a good system.CFL This Week, Vol. 10
By L. Ullrich Thu, Sep 2 2010
It's Labour Day weekend, which means something across Canada when it comes to football every place but one. Well, two; if you want to get mad about something, cast over our picks for the week.
FRIDAY
B.C. at Montreal, 4:30 p.m.
The thought of facing any quarterback other than 38-year-old legend Anthony Calvillo has to be uplifting to the Lions given their play, but they are not facing a rube who has never before been on stage in backup Chris Leak.
The 25-year-old has been on a considerably bigger stage, in fact, leading Florida to the 2006 NCAA championship over Ohio State. "He's poised and he's got a ton of confidence," Als offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich told the Montreal Gazette.
The Als do have other issues. K Damon Duval has missed seven FGs this season; he only missed eight all year. Montreal has been occasionally victimized on defence by the deep throw. Also out: LB Diamond Ferri.
But with the Lions, Montreal will need only an average pass rush and would figure to cause trouble for the B.C. offensive line, which debuts Joe McGrath as a starter this week.
Province pick: Alouettes
Could the Lions surprise? Sure. If we make some big plays, score some TDs, it could open up the field, slow down the pass rush, give the D some rest, et cetera.
So, can our offensive game planning give our QBs some time to make their reads?
Can we, will we, establish some semblance of a running game to wear down the Als pass rush?
The oddsmakers have the Als favoured by 11.5 ... Ouch ...
