So after the Hall of Fame Game debacle earlier this week, I guess I was wrong – real football’s return was premature. At any rate, maybe it will give you pause to pay more attention to this week’s matchups in the meantime, even with preseason games finally beginning tonight! I promise that it’s more exciting than preseason NFL ball, if only because everyone playing still gives a shit in these games.

WEEK 7 RECAPS

Hamilton 11 vs. Winnipeg 37, Wednesday, August 3rd, 8:30 PM EST: see last week’s beat for the recap!

PICK: Hamilton

RESULT: Winnipeg

BC 38 vs. Montreal 18: a strong defensive effort allowed the BC offence to get back to work, and allowed QB Jon Jennings to redeem himself for the the overtime INT he threw that cost the Lions the game in Week 6 against Calgary. The offence was balanced, with Jennings throwing for 331 yards a, touchdown, and a pick on 27-33 passing for an 81.8% completion percentage. On the other side of the ball, though, the Leos managed to sack Kevin Glenn six times and force two fumbles; Montreal had little rhythm going all night with pressure sustained so ferociously. Once again, a disappointing effort for an Alouettes offence that had much higher expectations at the beginning of this season.

PICK: BC

RESULT: BC

Saskatchewan 15 vs. Calgary 35: Bo Levi Mitchell went 25/36 for 312 yards and a touchdown, while Rene Paredes kicked five field goals, and the Stampeders won decisively in the first half of a home-and-home series with the Roughriders. Darian Durant made his return to the lineup for the first time after getting hurt in Week 4; despite the loss, Durant played well enough for Saskatchewan coming back from a high ankle sprain, going for 247 yards and a touchdown on 17-28 passing. Once again, the Riders’ league-worst defence was the team’s Achilles’ heel, and fans are starting to grow restless with the inability to stop the offence. The Riders kept it close until the fourth quarter, when the Stamps finally pulled away for good to end up winning handily.

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Calgary

Edmonton 20 vs. Ottawa 23: It wasn’t supposed to be a defensive struggle; on paper, it was a matchup of two high-octane offences with premium aerial attacks and excellent receiving corps. However, the REDBLACKS managed to hold Eskies QB Mike Reilly to under 300 yards passing for the first time this season. Both teams combined for 27 penalties for over 300 yards, which also contributed to this game’s glacial pace. Ottawa pulled out the win late in the 4th quarter; a Chris Williams touchdown tied the game at 20, and on the first play of Edmonton’s next drive, Reilly was picked off by DB Jermaine Robinson, who returned the pass 48 yards and set up the game-winning 25-yard field goal from Chris Milo with 94 seconds left. This game also featured one of the weirdest pick-sixes I’ve ever seen courtesy of a lucky bounce off a shoe into the arms of Edmonton LB JC Sherritt.

PICK: Ottawa

RESULT: Ottawa

BYE: Toronto (4-2)

WEEK 8 PREVIEWS

Montreal (2-4) vs. Edmonton (2-4), Thursday, August 11th, 9:00 PM EST: Edmonton have now lost three in a row, and fans are getting very worried indeed. Montreal, on the other hand, were thoroughly outclassed against BC and their offence had no rhythm. While Mike Reilly was held to under 300 yards for the first time this season last week, expect that he’ll be able to get himself back on track if the line can get him some good pocket protection. Shitty defence aside, Edmonton can hopefully rebound at home after a last-minute loss on the road to the REDBLACKS.

PICK: Edmonton

Winnipeg (3-4) vs. Toronto (4-2), Friday, August 12th, 7:30 PM EST: After swapping out Drew Willy for Matt Nichols at quarterback, the Bombers have won two in a row; Toronto is coming off a bye week, but beat Ottawa on the road to temporarily take the lead in the East Division back in Week 6. Logan Kilgore is still under centre for the Argos, with Ricky Ray out until likely the end of the month with a knee injury, but the coaching staff is betting he can be better than his first-ever start that saw him toss two picks. Winnipeg is unfortunately missing top receivers Weston Dressler and Darvin Adams, so much of the offence will have to be routed through Andrew Harris; Toronto’s secondary is aggressive and loves to jump routes early, which paid off greatly in picking off REDBLACKS QB Henry Burris twice (and almost twice more!) in their previous matchup. Winnipeg is on the right track after a tough start to the year, but the injuries to Dressler and Adams remain a big dent in their lineup currently.

PICK: Toronto

Calgary (4-1-1) vs. Saskatchewan (1-5), Saturday, August 13th, 7:00 PM EST: The second half of a home-and-home series between these teams, the Riders are hoping the home crowd will be a difference-maker as they look to rebound from a game where the team fell apart in the late stages. With Darian Durant having more practise time available to him after coming back from injury last week, he’ll hopefully be able to continue to improve, despite looking very capable in an earlier-than-expected return. However, all the same, Calgary remains the team to beat in the CFL, and Saskatchewan, with by far the league’s worst defence, will be hard-pressed to pull out a win after the Stampeders stepped on the gas in the fourth quarter.

PICK: Calgary

Hamilton (3-3) vs. BC (4-2), Saturday, August 13th, 10:00 PM EST: In the biggest news of the week in the CFL, Zach Collaros is back in action for the first time in almost a year after tearing his ACL last season. He’ll big a big step up for the Ti-Cats from Jeremiah Masoli, who’s had a very up-and-down time as the starting quarterback. At one point, Masoli threw three picks in a game, while against the Eskimos a few weeks ago set a new CFL record for consecutive completions with 23; Hamilton fans are looking forward to having a steadier presence under centre, especially one with the strong arm and excellent vision that Collaros has. That said, with only a limited amount of time to practise as the number one, and with the Lions absolutely dismantling Montreal, not to mention having some home crowd momentum behind them, I’m calling BC in this one. At any rate, this will be a fantastic game, with Hamilton angry after being smoked at home against BC in Week 2, and with their top passer back in the lineup, while BC has one of the best defences in the league and a young quarterback who’s improved every week he’s started in Jon Jennings.

PICK: BC

BYE: Ottawa (4-2-1)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards

1. Reilly, EDM – 2181
2. Mitchell, CGY – 1896
3. Masoli, HAM – 1867

Passing TDs

1. Mitchell, CGY – 12
2. Rielly, EDM – 11
3. Ray, TOR – 9

Rushing Yards

1. Messam, CGY – 404
2. Harris, WPG – 295
3. Whitaker, TOR – 281

Receiving Yards

1. Williams, OTT – 687
2. Bowman, EDM – 682
3. Walker, EDM – 668

Sacks

1. Bazzie, BC – 6
2. Westerman, MTL – 4
3. Chick, HAM – 4

Interceptions

1. Heath, TOR – 3
2. Parker, MTL – 2
3. Jefferson, TOR – 2

Field Goals

1. Milo, OTT – 20
2. Paredes, CGY – 20
3. Medlock, WPG – 19

Game picks this week: 3-1

Game picks this season: 11-17