Sports Betting
CFL Wagering - Grey Cup Clashing in the Grey Cup is becoming old hat for the Edmonton Eskimos and Montreal Alouettes. For the third time in four years, the two storied franchises will go to head-to-head in the Canadian Classic.
The Eskimos came out on top in their last Grey Cup matchup, in 2003, defeating the Als 34-22 as a 3-point favorite. The Alouettes hoisted the Grey Cup one year earlier, when they defeated the Eskimos 25-16 as a 1.5-point dog in 2002. In this, the 93rd edition of the Grey Cup, the oddsmakers expect the Eskimos to win a tight battle in the rubber match after setting them as a 2-point favorite. No matter which team is the victor at BC Place in Vancouver on Sunday, both had interesting journeys to get there with a couple of bench players coming through in the clutch. The Alouettes defeated the Toronto Argonauts 33-17 in the East Final, but early on it looked like Montreal was going to be on the other end of a rout. The Als fell behind 14-0 early and lost the services of starting running back Robert Edwards, who suffered two cracked ribs on a punishing hit by linebacker Mike O'Shea. The loss of Edwards turned out to be a blessing in disguise though, as backup Eric Lapointe had a career day with 112 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo failed to throw a touchdown pass in the win, but he effectively moved the Montreal offense while completing 19-of-33 passes for 190 yards without throwing an interception. The Alouettes' defense also stepped up after faltering in the first quarter. The D only allowed three points during the rest of the game while forcing the Argos to turn the ball over six times. The Eskimos didn't exactly cruise to their 28-23 victory over BC in the West Final, and once again needed second-string QB Jason Maas to step in and save the day. Starting pivot Ricky Ray had a fine first half with a pair of one-yard TD plunges but the Edmonton offense went cold in the second half, as they failed to score in the third quarter and lost the lead. Maas entered the game in the fourth quarter and for the second straight week led the Eskimos down the field before tossing the game-winning touchdown pass to Trevor Gaylor. Maas went 4-of-6 for 47 yards with the touchdown in another impressive relief appearance. Despite Ray's recent struggles, Edmonton head coach Danny Maciocia named him the starter for this Sunday's game immediately after last week's win. Ray hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in seven games and will need to return to his early-season form if Edmonton hopes to take advantage of Montreal's weak pass defense. The Als finished second-last in the league in that category, allowing 301.9 passing yards per game during the regular season. Ray was able to exploit that weakness during the Eskimos' win over the Alouettes back in August, when he threw for 438 yards and two touchdowns. Ray and receiver Jason Tucker had a field day in that game, as the pair hooked up nine times for 217 yards and a touchdown. The Eskimos' offense should be even better and more balanced since that win after adding star running back Troy Davis in a September trade. Davis gives the Eskimos another solid option on offense after rushing for 1151 yards on 240 carries during the regular season. If Ray and Davis don't get the offense fired up early, expect Maas to make his third straight appearance off the bench. It looks like the Alouettes' offense will have to make do without Edwards this Sunday, but if Lapointe can fill in as well as he did during the East Final then Montreal will effectively move the chains. If the running game stumbles early, Calvillo will need to step up and play a more active role than he did last week. Calvillo drove the Alouettes to the goal-line on a couple of occasions last week, before handing the end-zone glory off to Lapointe. But, against a tough Edmonton defense that held opponents to a league low 79.2 rushing yards per game during the regular season, Calvillo may need to air it out more this week. Two of Calvillo's best targets, Dave Stalla and Thyron Anderson, were nursing injuries heading into last week's game which may have hampered the passing attack. Both players should be healthier this week and should give the passing attack the added strength it will need to compete against Edmonton
http://www.sport-betting-links.com
The Eskimos came out on top in their last Grey Cup matchup, in 2003, defeating the Als 34-22 as a 3-point favorite. The Alouettes hoisted the Grey Cup one year earlier, when they defeated the Eskimos 25-16 as a 1.5-point dog in 2002. In this, the 93rd edition of the Grey Cup, the oddsmakers expect the Eskimos to win a tight battle in the rubber match after setting them as a 2-point favorite. No matter which team is the victor at BC Place in Vancouver on Sunday, both had interesting journeys to get there with a couple of bench players coming through in the clutch. The Alouettes defeated the Toronto Argonauts 33-17 in the East Final, but early on it looked like Montreal was going to be on the other end of a rout. The Als fell behind 14-0 early and lost the services of starting running back Robert Edwards, who suffered two cracked ribs on a punishing hit by linebacker Mike O'Shea. The loss of Edwards turned out to be a blessing in disguise though, as backup Eric Lapointe had a career day with 112 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo failed to throw a touchdown pass in the win, but he effectively moved the Montreal offense while completing 19-of-33 passes for 190 yards without throwing an interception. The Alouettes' defense also stepped up after faltering in the first quarter. The D only allowed three points during the rest of the game while forcing the Argos to turn the ball over six times. The Eskimos didn't exactly cruise to their 28-23 victory over BC in the West Final, and once again needed second-string QB Jason Maas to step in and save the day. Starting pivot Ricky Ray had a fine first half with a pair of one-yard TD plunges but the Edmonton offense went cold in the second half, as they failed to score in the third quarter and lost the lead. Maas entered the game in the fourth quarter and for the second straight week led the Eskimos down the field before tossing the game-winning touchdown pass to Trevor Gaylor. Maas went 4-of-6 for 47 yards with the touchdown in another impressive relief appearance. Despite Ray's recent struggles, Edmonton head coach Danny Maciocia named him the starter for this Sunday's game immediately after last week's win. Ray hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in seven games and will need to return to his early-season form if Edmonton hopes to take advantage of Montreal's weak pass defense. The Als finished second-last in the league in that category, allowing 301.9 passing yards per game during the regular season. Ray was able to exploit that weakness during the Eskimos' win over the Alouettes back in August, when he threw for 438 yards and two touchdowns. Ray and receiver Jason Tucker had a field day in that game, as the pair hooked up nine times for 217 yards and a touchdown. The Eskimos' offense should be even better and more balanced since that win after adding star running back Troy Davis in a September trade. Davis gives the Eskimos another solid option on offense after rushing for 1151 yards on 240 carries during the regular season. If Ray and Davis don't get the offense fired up early, expect Maas to make his third straight appearance off the bench. It looks like the Alouettes' offense will have to make do without Edwards this Sunday, but if Lapointe can fill in as well as he did during the East Final then Montreal will effectively move the chains. If the running game stumbles early, Calvillo will need to step up and play a more active role than he did last week. Calvillo drove the Alouettes to the goal-line on a couple of occasions last week, before handing the end-zone glory off to Lapointe. But, against a tough Edmonton defense that held opponents to a league low 79.2 rushing yards per game during the regular season, Calvillo may need to air it out more this week. Two of Calvillo's best targets, Dave Stalla and Thyron Anderson, were nursing injuries heading into last week's game which may have hampered the passing attack. Both players should be healthier this week and should give the passing attack the added strength it will need to compete against Edmonton
http://www.sport-betting-links.com
posted by adairk at
5:49 p.m.
|
1 comments
