2009 CFL Western Preview - Calgary Stampeders
Football Betting Lines
06/23/2009 - Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & FIGURES: Division - West. 2008 Record - 15-5. Playoff Result: Defeated Montreal, 22-14, in the Grey Cup Championship. Stadium - McMahon Stadium. Capacity - 35,650. Colors - Red, white and black
Sixty years after winning their first Grey Cup, the 2008 version of the Stampeders turned the trick yet again, the first time since 2001 and just the sixth time since a football club from Calgary first appeared on the scene nearly a century ago.
Head coach and general manager John Hufnagel has his work cut out for him this season as the rest of the league places a bullseye on him and his Stamps.
What Hufnagel does have working in his favor is the 2008 Grey Cup MVP in Henry Burris. A product of Temple University more than a decade ago, Burris started every game for Calgary in 2008 and set personal highs for pass attempts (591), completions (381), passing yards (5,094) and touchdowns (39), all of which also represented the top totals for the squad since 1994.
More than just a passer, Burris also ranked second on the team in rushing with 595 yards, which means defenses have to be ready for almost anything when he takes the snap from center.
Stretching the field for Burris heading into the new season are wideouts Ken- Yon Rambo and Brett Ralph, while Titus Ryan and Ryan Thelwell will confound defenses as the second string of receivers.
Rambo backed up a career-best season in 2007 by drastically improving his numbers. A selection of the Oakland Raiders during the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft, Rambo logged 100 catches and a league-leading 1,473 yards a season ago, both sets of numbers marking the highest for the club since the 1995 campaign.
Ralph is a Canadian native who tallied 49 catches for 683 yards and five touchdowns in 2008, making him the most productive non-import for the Stampeders, even though he did attend both the University of Wyoming and Boise State before making his way to the University of Alberta in 2004.
Making his way out of the backfield for the Stamps will be Joffrey Reynolds, attempting to continue his growth as a running back who went from placing second in the league in rushing twice to the top of the list in 2008 with his 1,310 yards. Despite the style of play in the CFL leaning more heavily on the pass, Reynolds who has now posted four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, is expected to make another major impact.
Over on the defensive side of the ball, the line has lost a couple of players to the NFL (Charleston Hughes and Pat MacDonald), but that still leaves Mike Labinjo and Miguel Robede who will try to reprise their performances as the co-sack leaders for the Stampeders. With a total of 10 new faces in the mix there will be constant pressure to perform at a high level, which might bring a mixed bag of success depending on how the coaching staff deals with the ups and downs.
The middle of the field will be dominated by Shannon James, the linebacker who last season was regarded as the top defender for the Stampeders. This is the group that seems to be the most stable as both JoJuan Armour and Dwaine Carpenter were also considered regular starters for the unit a year ago. Having released Saleem Rasheed, the move could move Armour into the middle linebacker spot and/or give a handful of gifted additions a shot at plenty of playing time.
The secondary might be a work in progress as the coaches figure out how to fill voids left by a few key performers who helped the group place second in the league in the percentage of completed passes allowed. Brandon Browner stands as the top defensive back, having been named the only defender for the Stamps to make the CFL's All-Star team in 2008. Dwight Anderson, Brandon Smith and Wes Lysack have also shown starting ability and will be pushed by some talented additions.
Given that the majority of the primary pieces to the Calgary puzzle are back in place for another go, there's no reason to think this group can't retrace its steps and end up as the team that everyone else chases in the West Division yet again.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Finish: First
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro was an easy first-round winner Tuesday at Wimbledon. The 6-foot-6 del Potro blasted speedy Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 to set-up a second-rounde
<< Rolling Rockies shoot for another win over Angels
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ubaldo Jimenez goes for a fourth straight winning start as
the Colorado Rockies continue a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels
of Anaheim tonight.
Jimenez is 6-6 with a 3.73 earned run average on the season and h
<< Wang gets another try as Yanks battle Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chien-Ming Wang takes another crack at his first win of the
season this evening, when the New York Yankees open a three-game series with
the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.
Wang has been absolutely miserable in his six sta
<< It's worst vs. first as Nationals host Red Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A suddenly-thin rotation might mean Boston Red Sox hurler
Brad Penny isn't going anywhere. It doesn't hurt that he has been pitching
well either.
Penny and his current team kick off a three-game set with Washington tonight
<< Hot Seat in South Bend
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlie Weis took over the Notre Dame
program in 2005, and in his first two seasons at the helm, set coaching
records with a combined 19 victories and two BCS bowl appearances.
Of course, that all seems li
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & FIGURES: Division - West. 2008 Record - 10-8. Playoff Result: Lost, 36-26, to Montreal in division final. Stadium - Commonwealth Stadium. Capacity - 60,081. Colors - Green, gold, black and white De
2009 CFL Western Preview - Saskatchewan Roughriders >>
Regina, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & FIGURES: Division - West. 2008 Record -
12-6. Playoff Result: Lost, 33-12, to British Columbia in the West Division
semifinals. Stadium - Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field. Capacity - 30,945.
Colors - Gree
Roddick, del Potro reach second round at Big W >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time runner-up Andy Roddick and
fifth-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro were a pair of first-round
winners Tuesday at Wimbledon.
The sixth-seeded Roddick hiccupped in the third set in an othe
2009 CFL Western Preview - British Columbia Lions >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & FIGURES: Division - West. 2008 Record
- 12-8. Playoff Result: Lost, 22-18, to Calgary in divison finals. Stadium -
B.C. Place. Capacity - 29,706. Colors - Orange, black and silver
Last season, had
2009 CFL Eastern Preview - Hamilton Tigercats >>
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & FIGURES: Division - East. 2008 Record:
3-15. Playoff Result: None. Stadium - Ivor Wynne Stadium. Capacity - 29,600.
Colors: Black and Gold
The 2008 season was one to forget for the Hamilton Tigerca
FOOTBALL BETTING
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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