BlueBombers.com
WINNIPEG — They don’t always grab the headlines or pull down the big dollars of the Canadian Football League’s marquee players.
And yet the numbers scream out the value of these part-time players often doing full-time work.
A year ago Andrew Harris led the CFL in touches with 275 (222 carries and 53 receptions) with rushing leader Tyrell Sutton second at 223 and Jerome Messam, another running back, third at 216.
That’s expected, as tailbacks are regularly fed the ball in an effort to find balance in an attack along the ground and through the air.
But of the CFL’s top 10 leaders in this department – touches being carries, receptions or any kind of kick return – three were men who primarily earned their keep on special teams.
All of which, in a roundabout way, brings us to the kick return battle that is unfolding (sort of) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers training camp.
With Troy Stoudermire gone, the kick return chores for the Bombers is wide open for the taking. And it can mean a huge workload, as Stoudermire last year had 67 punt returns, 47 kickoff returns, and eight receptions for the Bombers for 122 touches.
The three main candidates for the job remain Justin Veltung (who returned 17 kicks a year ago), former Hamilton Tiger-Cat Quincy McDuffie, and Carlos Anderson, who seemed to have a lock on the gig during training camp last year before blowing out his knee.
“I’m definitely looking at (the returner role), that’s my favourite thing to do, to be honest,” said Veltung after another couple of practice sessions at Bombers training camp on Saturday. “I love punt returning and kick returning… being back there and seeing the whole field.
“Every time the ball is in the air you have to return it. There’s no fair catch in this league. It definitely makes it fun to know that on every third down they’re punting, I’m getting the ball.”
McDuffie is an intriguing, if untested, talent. He burned the Bombers for a punt-return score in his one game for the TiCats in 2014, but was blocked on the returner depth chart in Hamilton by the best in the league in Brandon Banks.
“That’s true to a certain extent, but injuries played a role with me as well as did the American/Canadian ratio,” said McDuffie. “But I didn’t get discouraged and continued to work on my craft. I’m looking forward to showing Bomber Nation and the CFL what I’m capable of doing.
“That’s a huge asset I bring to any team. The job’s up for grabs and I’m looking forward to battling it out and may the best man get it.”
But the return gig, perhaps unlike any other position, is almost impossible to secure just in training camp practices. Kick return situations aren’t replicated to match game-like conditions, simply because of the pure violence and the high risk for injury.
“Things open up in the game. In practice you’ve got lanes opened up for you, the tempo’s different,” explained Veltung. “Come game time, someone blocking for you can take someone wide and now that hole is a lot more open for you. Practice everyone is taught to be where they’re supposed to be.”
Bombers Head Coach Mike O’Shea said the coaching staff will study who handles punt returns cleanly in practice and who struggles just to get their mitts on the ball.
The other key factor in determining who earns the gig is who earns their keep at their regular positions: McDuffie and Veltung are receivers; Anderson is a running back.
“They have to differentiate themselves in their own position group,” said O’Shea. “With the roster size, sometimes it can be difficult to keep a guy if he’s not going to play another position, too, or back up another position.”
Ultimately, though, this is a job that won’t be decided until the lights switch on for game night. That’s why Veltung, Anderson and McDuffie already have this Wednesday’s first preseason game against the Montreal Alouettes at Investors Group Field circled on their calendar.
“Of course you want to build your resume and show the fans and everyone else what you are capable of doing,” said McDuffie. “I’m looking forward to Montreal and, by the grace of the man above, taking one to the house.”
