Bert Faibish
Ticats.ca
Training Camp Primer: Special Teams
One of the first areas addressed this off-season was the kicker.
Ticats General Manager Bob O’Billovich needed a reliable kicker that had proven himself in clutch situations and that could be relied upon. Enter Sandro DeAngelis.
The veteran DeAngelis has been named a West Division All-Star every season since he entered the league in 2005. He’s the most accurate kicker in Canadian Football League history with an outstanding career 84% field goal success rate and was named Calgary’s Most Outstanding Canadian in their Grey Cup victory over Montreal.
Special teams were also addressed in May’s CFL Canadian Draft. In the fifth round, the Black and Gold selected Saint Mary’s kicker/punter Justin Palardy, with the belief that the talented rookie will be capable of the punting duties for the Ticats. Palardy product handled kicking and punting duties in college and can be a reliable option at either position.
Jordan Matechuk enters camp as the team’s primary option at long snapper, although he will be pushed by off-season addition Steve Schmidt, a tight end acquired in a trade with the Argonauts who snapped for the Boatmen in 2009. Defensive lineman Matt Kirk is also an option at long snapper.
While no clear-cut returner exists yet for the Ticats, a number of players were brought into camp to audition for the job. Among those who practiced returning punts at rookie camp were RB Brian Calhoun, WR Reggie Fish, RB Andrew Hamilton, DB LaRoche Jackson, WR Damon McDaniel, WR Rodgeriqus Smith and WR Burl Toler. The list of potential kick returners will likely grow on Sunday once the veterans hit the field for the first time.
