Special teams kicking butt

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This article was published 01/09/2016 (3325 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An offence that can sustain drives, scoring touchdowns in the air and on the ground. A defence that has made the game personal, picking on opponents with interceptions and heavy hits seemingly at every turn.

There are plenty of reasons behind the recent turnaround of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers; the offensive and defensive contributions being the more popular and obvious conclusions as to how and why a team that started the year 1-4 finds itself 5-4 and near the top of the power rankings at the midway mark of the season. 

While the credit being dished out to the offence and defence through the last five weeks — and a four-game win streak — is well-deserved, there’s another, less obvious, part of the Bombers’ attack that’s been left quietly in the dark: the special teams.

“I don’t think they would be too pleased to hear that,” said head coach Mike O’Shea, who is in charge of the special-teams unit along with assistant Paul Boudreau. “They know how important they are and they take it extremely seriously — as they should.”

For those unaware of just what special teams are — “Let’s be honest, not a lot of fans are paying attention to special teams,” said linebacker Tony Burnett — simply put, they are the 12-man units from each team on the field whenever there is a kicking situation — kickoff, punt, field-goal attempt.

They score points. Bombers kicker Justin Medlock went six-for-six on field goals in a win over Montreal, accounting for 20 of the 32 points scored by the Bombers.

Heading into the season already the league’s most accurate kicker and hitting 87.5 per cent of his kicks, Medlock has made 27 of 31 field-goal attempts this year, including a franchise-record 20 straight.

He’s also a perfect 18-for-18 on one-point converts.

“We have a good set-up here, good formations,” said Medlock. “The biggest thing is everybody is stepping up when they need to and buying in.”

Perhaps most importantly, though, special teams are in charge of battling for field position. When the offence can’t score and needs to punt, it’s special teams that are responsible for making sure the opponent is pinned deep in their zone. When the defence forces a punt, it’s special teams that dictate where the offence will start with the ball, based on how well they return.

“What a lot of people don’t realize about special teams is that we’re the first play of offence, the first play of defence, the last play of offence and the last play of defence,” said Burnett, who leads the Bombers with 10 special-teams tackles this season. “Those are the little things in football that people don’t pay attention to but they’re a big part of the game.”

The Bombers head into Sunday’s Labour Day Classic against the Saskatchewan Roughriders near the top of most special-teams categories, a place they’ve been for most of the year.

The Bombers are second-best in the CFL in average punt return yards with 13.8, behind only the B.C. Lions (15.4). Winnipeg might be first had two big punt returns for touchdowns not been called back due to penalty (both still resulted in solid gains).

Kevin Fogg was the ball returner on both of those plays, robbing him not once but twice of his first CFL touchdown. But he doesn’t hold a grudge. Fogg knows if it weren’t for the 11 men in front of him, creating the holes by pushing bodies out of the way, he wouldn’t have the chances in the first place.

“They don’t get the true recognition they deserve,” said Fogg, whose average of 17.4 yards per punt return is second best in the CFL. “It’s been a blessing being part of a team that takes it so serious and who are competitors. We’re in this together.”

As good as the Bombers have been in pushing the ball up the field, they’ve been even better at stopping the return. Through nine games, Winnipeg is ranked first in the league on punt coverage, averaging just six yards to their opponent for each return.

In what is easily one of the most violent parts of the game, there’s a unique element of sacrifice to special teams, with players putting their bodies at risk whenever they barrel down the field, often subjected to the worst hits that can be given in a game.

“We want to be the difference,” said defensive back Derek Jones, who in August had two blocked punts.

“It’s not a glamorous part of the game but it’s definitely important.”

‘They don’t get the true recognition they deserve. It’s been a blessing being part of a team that takes it so serious and who are competitors. We’re in this together’– Kevin Fogg on Winnipeg’s special teams 

Important to the Bombers and their success. As for the success, it’s become a point of pride among the players on special teams.

In a way, it’s helped unite those who may otherwise feel underutilized in a game. With only a handful of starters on defence and offence included in special teams, it’s a chance for others to shine; to make a big hit, to help shift momentum.

“When you talk about those make-or-break games late in the season, the games that will get you into the playoffs, those are the things that can make the difference,” said Burnett. “In the playoffs, there’s going to be good offences, good defences. So where do you make that difference up? You make it up on special teams. And we’re only getting better.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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