Argos bring a bag of tricks

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This article was published 22/10/2010 (5813 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Anticipate the unexpected play.

That’s the dilemma facing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers special teams unit when they take on the Toronto Argonauts at Canad Inns Stadium Saturday afternoon at 3. The secret is out — and has been out for months now — regarding Toronto’s affinity this season for rolling the dice when in punt formation, but yet they continue to run it.

According to the Argos, since Bryan Crawford broke out a 42-yard run off a fake punt in an Aug. 14 game against Montreal (the first time they tried one this season), the Argos have been unstoppable when attempting the ruse.

Five fake-punt plays, five successful first downs, and success in the standings to boot. In the four games the Boatmen have brought out the smoke and mirrors, they are 3-1. Two fakes came in a 24-19 win at Regina a couple of weeks ago.

“On two of those, the defences were in decent positions; they just didn’t make the tackle,” Bombers special teams coach Kyle Walters said after practice Thursday. “Sometimes you have a sprinkling of guys from all areas on the field playing in that unit and they don’t have the experience making tackles. But that’s no excuse — you have to make a play.”

The Bombers were victimized by the Argos earlier this year when Crawford, in a third-and-16 situation, ran a fake for 30 yards. Winnipeg had it read perfectly, but Scott McHenry whiffed on the tackle, allowing the Argos to extend the drive and kick a field goal.

“Missed tackles… yeah,” offered Brandon Stewart, a Winnipeg special teamer who was beaten by Montreal’s Matthieu Proulx on a fake punt last weekend. “You have to wrap up and get everybody to the ball. That’s the best way to stop those plays.”

Stewart, who has been on the receiving end of a Bombers fake punt (he caught a 27-yard pass on a fake in the Labour Day Classic), says Toronto has one of the best special teams groups in the league. Film study can help dissect what they like to do, but he says Toronto special teams coach Mike O’Shea has his unit believing in the reward before even considering the risk.

He also has them walking around with some big cojones. Look back to the fake safety/behind-the-back hand-off the Argos successfully called in their own end zone against the Riders earlier this month and try to recall the last time you saw guts like that.

That’s what makes expecting the unexpected so difficult. Sometimes you can’t believe what’s happening on the field.

“There is some stuff you can see, there’s some stuff you can’t see,” Stewart said. “We just have to be ready and pay attention. Be aware where certain guys are and play with our eyes. Trust your eyes.”

The perfect time for a fake punt is when the defence is in position to set up a max-protect return, Walters feels. On occasion, players will bail off the line early to find their blocking positions down field, leaving plenty of room for the punt team to look for the first down.

Recognizing that is one of the keys to the Argos’ fake-punt game. Another is having the right personnel on the field. Walters says Crawford, who has 102 yards on three fake-punt touches, and fellow back Jeff Johnson, who often calls the plays at the line of scrimmage, are the big reason for Toronto’s element of surprise.

“They’re given the freedom to find a weakness in the defence and call the play,” Walters said.

The Bombers coach says preventative measures against fakes — different formations, watching a player shift into position too early, or designating a spy — are usually enough to prevent a club from attempting the sleight of hand, but the harm in preparing for the unexpected is that it limits the opportunities for a big return.

“We can’t just go out there and play it safe the whole game and watch Jovon (Johnson) get whacked out there for no field position,” he said. “That’s the tough spot in all this. That’s how these plays work — they keep teams off-balance.”

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca