Durham takes their play up a notch and puts us in the dirt... 2-1 at least, back to winning ways. 7-5 on the season with some juicy matchups to this week:

Los Angeles (-2) at El Paso - I don't think many expected the Outlaws to do much this season but a revitalized QB Bailey is spearheading their 3-1 start. Despite a rookie C and WR in the mix, these four games have been Bailey's best to start any season. The 2062 Outlaws present more or less the same look as 2061 and it has been to their benefit. While other teams tweak rosters and lineups, the Outlaws took no time getting back to business.

El Paso might have hit a road bump at ALA but I thought QB Sullivan played well. The normally surehanded WRs Rodriguez and Johnstone dropping 6 passes between them cost the Rockets a nice win on the road though. WR Johnstone had 5 drops all of 2061 and 4 drops in just this last game against ALA. I don't know what happened but you simply can't imagine a repeat this week. This is a quality team that will go far as long as they stay healthy.

I don't know if maybe it's because ELP had a bye and LAS posted a dominant win against MIA but I think these odds should be flipped. The CB duo in LAS is certainly better than the one in ALA that gave ELP a hard time but give me the home dog to win straight up: 36-20.

Seattle (-1) at Death Valley - RB Donaldson and the Copperheads continued their bounce back from a 0-2 start with a smashing at TEX. Not much to take away from this game other than the Inferno might be the worst team in the CFL right now. RB Donaldson was unstoppable in the red zone and seems to approve of the team's acquisition of RG Duffy from OMA. The Copperheads can beat anyone as long as QB Buckley doesn't make any boneheaded mistakes. Their first round rookie is making some contributions too, though it's clear he has a ways to go to reach his full potential.

Seattle was fortunate to encounter a wounded Stampede last week-- QB Allen out with a concussion meant rookie QB Fitzgerald started a second game... and it was far from a convincing win! The Spartans have been trying to recreate the explosive offense of 2059 (2nd in offensive yardage, 3rd in points per game, 6th in yards per carry) but it continues to elude them. SEA has had trouble keeping offensive coordinators-- one year of OC Pillmeier in 2057, two years of OC Norton in 2058 and 2059 before taking the HC job at LVS. OC Corey Gisler was supposed to bring stability... just not stable mediocrity. On paper they have the makings of an excellent offense, it just hasn't panned out.

I haven't spent as much time analyzing SEA games but I don't think their problems can be fixed overnight. DVY knows what they're about and the Spartans will have their hands full trying to contain RB Donaldson. These two teams have basically traded wins over the last few seasons. DVY will win one then SEA will win the next... and so on and so forth. The Copperheads break that pattern this week and win at home: 28-25.

Tennessee at Iowa City (-2) - The Militia's offensive woes continued in their home opener against DET. Despite outgaining the Vampires by over 100 yards, two interceptions (one returned for a TD) were too much to overcome. Defensively, TEN has been good-- they held WR Dole and OMA to just 16 points, QB Marischen and ALA to 12 points the week before... but it's surprising for a QB Porto led team to struggle this much to put points on the board.

As TEN looks for its first win, the Argonauts look to be ripe for the picking. The blowout loss to ELP was expected but losses to NOS and STL aren't the best signs of things to come. QB Joslyn was horrifically inefficient and RB Stewart, a first round pick just 3 years ago, looks lazy and unmotivated. The team is decidedly average in every aspect though more recognizable names ply their trade on the defense. They've been putting more emphasis on that end in recent drafts and could see DT Hanks and rookies LB Francois and CB Kelly being fixtures for a long time to come.

It's not the most glamorous game this week but I think there's some value in taking TEN. They look a little bit more put together and I have to trust the experienced front office to start righting the ship. The Militia start their comeback this week: TEN wins 29-27.

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GL Division Champions: 2057, 2059, 2065
EFC Champions: 2057

I like the way you think Z

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Philadelphia Generals [2057-
NC East 2061 2069

betting the CFL is hard

ELP and TEN what is you doing baby

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GL Division Champions: 2057, 2059, 2065
EFC Champions: 2057