Since we last looked at the state of the league's kickers and punters in October, there have been even more changes than we normally see at such a fluid position. The most notable changes may have come in Montreal, where the Grey Cup champion Alouettes ditched long-time kicker Damon Duval, opting to trade a 2012 first-round pick for B.C. understudy Sean Whyte. However, Montreal also used a first-round pick to select Montana kicker Brody McKnight (who will be returning to the NCAA's Grizzlies this year), and they signed Sandro DeAngelis after he was released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. DeAngelis struggled in Hamilton, but remains the most accurate kicker in CFL history, so it's going to be fascinating to see how he does against Whyte in training camp, and having McKnight waiting in the wings adds even more intrigue to the Montreal kicking battle.
It's not just the Alouettes that have seen plenty of change at the punting and kicking positions this offseason, though. Since Hamilton chose to part ways with DeAngelis, the Ti-Cats seem likely to go with an import who can handle all three aspects of the kicking game, and they have plenty of options. At one point, they had� DeAngelis, Aaron Ifield, Justin Medlock, Eric Wilbur and Greg Gunderson all in camp; DeAngelis, Ifield and Gunderson have all been released, but the Medlock-Wilbur battle appears to still be going strong. Saskatchewan's kicking game is also in flux thanks to Luca Congi's continuing injury issues; Warren Kean, who filled in last year, has been released. The always-fascinating Eddie Johnson may wind up handling kicking duties as well as punting while Congi's out, but he'll be competing with Canadian draft pick Christopher Milo. The Edmonton Eskimos have their own kicking battle going on, as they've brought in Duval to push incumbent Derek Schiavone, who only a few days earlier appeared to have the job locked up.
Of course, there is some continuity out there. After an offseason of mulling between team MVP and grizzled veteran Paul McCallum and the up-and-coming Whyte, B.C. has elected to stick with McCallum's proven leg (with the recently-drafted Hugh O'Neill as a backup). The Argonauts seem set with another Canadian veteran, Noel Prefontaine, and Winnipeg's punting and kicking duties will likely be handled by Mike Renaud and Justin Palardy again. Calgary also has the same pairing of punter Burke Dales and kicker Rob Maver, and they're looking pretty good at the moment thanks to Maver's strenuous off-season workout program. Still, half the CFL's teams have at least a kicking battle on their hands, and that's quite a change from the days of Lui Passaglia, Dave Ridgway, Paul Osbaldiston, Hank Ilesic and Bob Cameron, when kickers and punters tended to stay in the starting role with one franchise for a decade or more.
Why the drastic turnaround? Well, it could be that there aren't as many top kickers and punters these days. It could also be that teams are more eager to make changes after a bad season or two; the likes of McCallum, Prefontaine, Duval and DeAngelis have all been around for years, but haven't stuck with one team. Perhaps the biggest influence may be the greater supply of high-quality kickers available now, though. The increase in the quality of CIS play means there are plenty of good Canadian kickers and punters coming up through the university ranks every year, and there are also promising ones (like Whyte) taken from junior football. On the import front, just about every NCAA Division I FBS program has a solid kicker, punter or both, and there are plenty of talented guys from lower levels too (like McKnight, from Division I FCS Montana). The kicking and punting game has become more of a science these days, and there's far more time and effort put into coaching it from an early age; there are also many more top-quality kicking camps out there to develop young prospects. With such a substantial supply of potential talented kickers out there, there may be an increased sense that the grass is always greener; if the kicker in hand doesn't work out, there are plenty more in the bush. That trend doesn't seem likely to change any time soon, so half the league shifting kickers and punters may soon be seen as a typical offseason, not an exceptional one.
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