High marks for hoofers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/09/2012 (5000 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If it seems like Winnipeg Blue Bombers placekicker Justin Palardy and punter Mike Renaud have mostly flown under the radar this season, that’s because they mostly have.

And given all the calamities that have befallen this 3-9 Bombers team, the relative anonymity of the club’s two kickers in 2012 has been a good thing .

Like referees (hello, NFL) and offensive linemen, the only time you generally notice a kicker or punter in the CFL is when they have failed to do their job — and such instances have been few and far between for both Palardy and Renaud this season.

Consider the numbers:

Through 12 games this season, Palardy has made 29 of his 34 field goal attempts, a cool 85.3 per cent success rate that included a 4-for-4 night in a 34-12 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Friday night.

That percentage is within reach of the 86.7 per cent of field goals Palardy made in an outstanding rookie season in 2010 — and almost 10 points ahead of last year’s disappointing 76.9 success rate. However, it should be mentioned that, thanks to an offence that has sputtered in the red zone this season, Palardy’s field goal attempts have averaged just 26.5 yards in 2012, compared to 33.5 yards in 2010 and 31.3 yards last season.

But still… “A field goal is a field goal — whether it’s shorter or longer,” said Palardy. “I’m just focused on making them from wherever they come. And fortunately, I’ve been making a lot more than I’ve been missing this season.”

And Renaud has also been solid. While his average of 42.1 yards per punt ties him with B.C.’s Paul McCallum for the lowest average in the league, Renaud has been especially adept at pinning opponents deep in their own zone. He has kicked singles just twice all season despite having already punted 93 times — far and away the most punts by any kicker in the CFL this season, also thanks to the sputtering Winnipeg offence.

Unfortunately for Renaud, one of those singles was highly memorable and very costly, coming in the final minute of the Banjo Bowl when head coach Tim Burke controversially elected to punt and have Renaud pin the Saskatchewan Roughriders deep in their own zone instead of having Palardy kick a 43-yard field goal.

The strategy backfired when Renaud kicked the ball through the Riders’ end zone instead and Saskatchewan promptly took over the ball in great field position and marched for the game-winning field goal.

“I’m leading the league in punts and I only have two touchbacks. I think that’s a feat in itself,” said Renaud. “One of them was costly, yes. But it happens.”

The performance of the club’s two kickers comes in a season in which both men were challenged in training camp for their jobs by import kicker Eric Wilbur. Wilbur had a good camp — especially punting — but he didn’t out-kick Palardy and Renaud enough to justify taking away the kicking duties from two Canadians.

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But while it was their Canadian passports that helped save their jobs coming out of training camp, Palardy and Renaud have clearly earned the jobs with their play on the field this season.

“I think they’re doing a really good job,” Bombers head coach Tim Burke said Wednesday. “I thought this last game (against Hamilton), they both did really well. I thought Mike punted really well into the wind.”

With the leaves falling and a chill in the air, the punting and placekicking will only become more important as the regular season winds down. Renaud says the challenge now is for both himself and Palardy to just keep doing what they’ve been doing. “(Palardy) has been amazing. He’s just gotten better and better every year. He’s done more than the coaches have asked of him,” said Renaud.

“Him and I have great chemistry. And I think that’s reflected in his performance. We’re a package deal — that’s what we keep preaching. That we want to do this here for many, many years to come.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca