Boreham getting to boot

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This article was published 20/10/2011 (5158 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jamie Boreham is now under the microscope.

On Wednesday, the newest Winnipeg Blue Bombers punter spoke to the media for the first time since getting bumped up to the starting spot for the game against the Montreal Alouettes Saturday afternoon.

Boreham, 33, not only replaces Mike Renaud, who has struggled with his punting over the last few weeks, but he’ll also take over for Justin Palardy in the kickoff department.

The former Manitoba Bison said he’s more than ready to get on the Canad Inns Stadium turf and show people that he can still hit it, but when the subject of the famous wind came up — a breeze that probably will come up again and again given the 2 o’clock start time — he wasn’t so eager to engage.

“Shhhhh, we don’t talk about that,” he said.

Kidding or not, the truth is Boreham is quite comfortable punting at Canad Inns Stadium. He saw some action there as a Bison and has been in Winnipeg a few times as a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Toronto Argonauts.

“It’s wind — you get it in most stadiums,” said Boreham, who carries a 41-yard punting average through seven CFL seasons into the contest. “Here and Saskatchewan it tends to be a little different… a little worse.”

The veteran hasn’t punted in a CFL game since Oct. 9, 2010 and he enters an environment that has been proven to be quite difficult on kickers in recent months. Not only has Renaud — whose 42.1- yard average this season masks the struggles he’s had with hang time and direction over the last six weeks — felt the wrath of the boo-birds, but those same fowl have given Palardy the raspberry a few times as well.

The expectation is on Boreham to produce, but he doesn’t view it like that. “It’s a great opportunity to be great and succeed and help this team win a game,” he said.

Renaud, meanwhile, has handled the demotion with class. He’s been upfront through his poor play and hasn’t shied away from any of the responsibility regarding the punting issues.

“It is what it is,” he said, letting out a big sigh and dubbing himself “the biggest cheerleader” as he watches from the sideline. “It’s all about the team now. Coaches make decisions and it’s not easy at times, but you have to stand behind them and help the team out any way you can.”

Though he managed to beat off Boreham’s challenge with a strong effort in Hamilton (seven punts for a 47-yard average), Renaud’s fate was sealed when he shanked a punt out of bounds at midfield in the late stages of the third quarter in Winnipeg’s 24-10 loss in Edmonton last Saturday.

His boot went just 22 yards, and when the officials walked off 10 yards against the Bombers for an illegal punt, the Eskimos offence set up at the Bombers’ 29-yard line. Four plays later, Edmonton scored a touchdown to put the Bombers 11 points down with a quarter to play.

“I answered the call in Hamilton, I probably had my best game of my season, and last week (in Edmonton) I hit one bad ball,” Renaud said. “When you’re under the microscope, that’s all it takes — one bad thing.”

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Renaud didn’t want to admit this, but taking a break from active duty might be the best thing for the 28-year-old at this point. He’s appeared a lot more relaxed at practice this week, joking around with Boreham, Palardy and long snapper Chris Cvetkovic as the specialty foursome carves out a section of the field to work on.

Renaud said he’s turned to teammates and former Bomber punting legend Bob Cameron for support over the last couple weeks, but he’s not sure what his future holds. The club doesn’t want to release him, so he might be on the sidelines for the rest of the year or he might be given a second opportunity to compete for the spot should Boreham struggle.

Either way, Renaud would like another chance under the microscope.

“In my mind, it’s still my job,” he said.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @wazoowazny