Confident Renaud doesn’t fear new rule

Taking shaky start in Hamilton in stride

By: Adam Wazny Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 5, 2011

FOR a moment there, it looked like the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were going to bomb out early in the first game of the season.

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FOR a moment there, it looked like the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were going to bomb out early in the first game of the season.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/07/2011 (5243 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FOR a moment there, it looked like the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were going to bomb out early in the first game of the season.

The man in the middle of the mushroom cloud? None other than punter Mike Renaud.

The Bombers’ trusted leg did not have a great start to Winnipeg’s eventual 24-16 win in Hamilton on Canada Day, flying two punts out of bounds and having a ball blocked in the first half.

His first punt, from the Hamilton 39-yard line, shanked off his foot and carried out of bounds at the 24-yard line. Not a great kick to begin with, but thanks to a change in the rules this season the Tiger-Cats offence took the ball on its own 34-yard line.

The rule: When punts fly out of bounds between the 20-yard lines, teams can either have opponents re-kick the ball from 10 yards back or they can elect to take the ball at the point of exit — plus add an extra 10 yards on a penalty that’s charged to the punter. Before this season, clubs only had the first option.

“I’m not too worried about that; it doesn’t change anything for me,” Renaud said of the new rule and the impact it might have on his game. “I still have to hit the ball. I’ve been doing it quite well, placing the ball outside of the numbers (and inside the sideline).

“Nothing’s changed in terms of the new rule. It’s obviously beneficial for the return team if your punter is not hitting those spots. But that’s something I can do.”

The coaches have asked Renaud to angle his kicks into certain spots on the field to take full advantage of what the kick coverage has planned.

“That certainly is what separates the best of the best in this league — you have to be able to put the ball where your coverage is going,” Renaud said. “That’s something I pride myself in. That’s an area of concern when that’s not happening.”

And what about the block from Hamilton defender Markeith Knowlton? Did that have any effect on his approach the rest of the first half, which saw him average just 36.8 yards with his leg?

“I’d be a liar if I said no,” Renaud said. “It plays with the drop mentally and everything else that’s part of being a punter. You’re focusing on other things rather than what you’re supposed to do, and I think that’s what happened in the first half of that game.”

Renaud, much like the team, regrouped after the break. He averaged 48.6 yards on five punts in the second half.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca

Study that rulebook

THE punting out-of-bounds directive is one of four new wrinkles in the CFL rulebook. Here’s a taste of some other notable changes:

– No blocking below the waist following a completed pass: Player safety is the goal here. This will get you a 10-yard penalty. Blocking below the waist is no longer accepted on passing plays, kickoff returns and turnover returns. You can still throw a low block on a guy on running plays.

– Illegal participation: This one is a slight tweak on an existing rule. If an opponent blocks you out of bounds, you can return to the field of play as an active participant. If you go out on your own, or if a teammate bumps you out, you cannot rejoin the action.

– Instant replay: Last season, when a defence grabbed a loose ball on a borderline completed pass/fumble, the review could only rule the play an incomplete pass. This year, the Toronto command centre can not only reverse the call, it can award the defence the ball even if the whistle blew the play dead.