Alouettes head to Edmonton to take on Eskimos

Football Betting Lines

07/07/2010 - Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The lone meeting between winless teams in week two of the 2010 CFL season takes place at Commonwealth Stadium as the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes square off.

The defending Grey Cup champion Alouettes, who ran the table in all nine of their regular season home games last season and lost just three times on the road, were immediately challenged in this year's opening game when they replayed last year's title game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina. In what eventually turned into the third-highest scoring game in CFL history, the Als found themselves on the outside looking in at a 54-51 double- overtime loss.

Now a three-time winner of the league's most valuable offensive player award, Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo refused to let his team go quietly as he completed 28-of-42 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns, yet even he could not stop a determined Roughriders group that nearly relived the drama that cost them the trophy last year when they were flagged for having too many men on the field during a crucial point in the title game. Receiver Kerry Watkins emerged as the primary go-to guy down the field for Calvillo and the Als, catching five balls for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while S.J. Green also recorded a pair of receiving scores in the decision.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the offense for the Als was that of their rushing attack, a facet of the game which had been a strong suit of Montreal last season when it placed second in the league with an average of 119.9 ypg on the ground. The opener saw Avon Cobourne, one of the most aggressive and exciting running backs in the league, post just 39 total yards and a score on 10 attempts. In 2009, Cobourne not only finished sixth in the league in rushing with 1,214 yards, he also led all players during the regular season with 13 rushing scores. The team as a whole managed just 91 yards on 18 carries in the first game of the season.

As for the other half of this meeting, the Eskimos had the weakest opening to the season of any program, falling to British Columbia at home by a final of 25-10. If not for a four-yard touchdown run by Arkee Whitlock in the second quarter, the offensive effort for the Eskimos would have appeared even more dire. Whitlock finished with 116 yards on 16 carries, responsible for the lion's share of the unit's 139 rushing yards, while quarterback Ricky Ray managed to convert 27-of-40 passes for another 229 yards, yet he was sacked five times and failed to record a single passing score.

On a positive note, Edmonton's defense didn't exactly roll over versus the Lions, instead limiting BC to just a single touchdown and forcing the visitors to kick their way to a victory with six field goals. Permitting BC to generate a lofty 395 yards of offense might appear to be a bit unsightly for the Eskimos, but at least the Lions were held out of the end zone for almost the entire outing.

However, with just a single sack of Casey Printers, Edmonton showed the same form at the line of scrimmage that it did in 2009 when it ranked last in the league in sacks with a mere 32 during the regular season. Failure to get to the opposing QB left the Eskimos exposed in the secondary at times last season, resulting in 26 passing touchdowns allowed.

Montreal was an offensive beast last season and again showed that same prowess in the 2010 opener, so expecting the Eskimos to grind the Als to a halt would be asking quite a bit. Calvillo threw a league-best 26 touchdowns last year and could have easily done even more damage had the team not called off the dogs in several lopsided decisions. Chances are Cobourne is going to come out of his shell for this meeting as well, which means the matchup between he and Whitlock (1,293 yards, 12 TDs in 2009) should be something of great interest.

Considering how dominant Calvillo has been in the last couple of seasons, it is easy to see how Ray might get lost in the shuffle, even at home in front of a favorable crowd. In the last two seasons, Ray has thrown for more than 10,000 yards and has connected on 48 TDs, yet it seems like forever since he tossed a remarkable 35 touchdowns for the Eskimos in 2003. Staying in the pocket and getting the job done will be paramount for Ray, having already been tabbed for a pair of fumbles thus far.

These teams met twice last season, with both meetings coming before the end of July. At Montreal on July 9 the Als completely crushed Edmonton in a 50-16 final, yet three weeks later the Eskimos made things more respectable and in fact handed Montreal one of only three losses on the season in a 33-19 final. As a result of those two outcomes, the all-time regular season series between the clubs now stands at 37-21-2 in favor of Edmonton, dating back to the 1961 campaign.

The passing defense for the Eskimos is going to be put to the test by Calvillo and Montreal, a test that Edmonton is almost certain to lose given that the Als are having to play from behind just to keep up in the division standings.