YEAR IN REVIEW SERIES
Ed Tait takes a look back at the 2016 Blue Bombers season with his Top 10 stories of the year…
#4 – Medlock’s Record-Breaking Campaign
Let’s get this out of the way right from the get-go because it absolutely must be broached:
Justin Medlock smashed a lot of Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Canadian Football League records in 2016, but his last kick – a 61-yarder with 36 seconds left in a 32-31 loss to the B.C. Lions in the West Division Semi-Final – fell short.
We know what you may be thinking: thanks for the newsflash, pal.
That last miss was unfortunate for a couple of reasons, the most obvious being it brought to an abrupt end what was a promising Bombers ’16 season. But it also took some of the shine off a spectacular year for Medlock that was arguably the greatest single campaign by any Bombers kicker in their nearly nine decades of existence.
And that’s what we’ll focus on today in the next in our Top 10 stories of the Bomber season series, because what the 33-year-old kicker accomplished in his first season in Winnipeg shouldn’t be overshadowed by that final attempt in Vancouver.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Justin Medlock pumps his fist after kicking the winning field goal during the second half of a CFL football game against the B.C. Lions in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday October 14, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The Bombers made Medlock – the CFL’s most accurate kicker of all-time with an 87.7 field goal percentage – one of their marquee additions in free agency last February, paying top dollar to address one of their biggest needs.
Lirim Hajrullahu was brilliant in 2014, his first as a Bomber, connecting on 87 percent of his tries. But in 2015 he struggled mightily – connecting on just 68.8 per cent while missing six converts – and the mistakes were costly to a Bomber team with a teeny-tiny margin of error.
Enter Medlock, who doesn’t just ooze confidence, but expects to make every kick – including 61-yarders – and missed only eight of 68 tries all year. He set a CFL record with 60 field goals – breaking Dave Ridgway’s record of 59, set in 1990 – did not miss a convert, and connected on five field goals from 50-yards plus, including a 58-yarder that tied Bernie Ruoff’s Bombers record, set in 1975.
In two games this year he hit seven field goals, and hit six in two other games en route to breaking Troy Westwood’s team record for points in a season with 227.
“People asked me a lot this year if this was my best season,” Medlock told bluebombers.com during Grey Cup week. “It’s hard to say, because in 2015 (with Hamilton) I had so many big kicks that could have ended the game really quick if I didn’t make them. Sometimes that means more than what the stats say. I mean, the 37-yarder I hit in the Grey Cup to keep the game going (it pulled Hamilton to within 20-16 with 2:05 left) was probably the biggest because if I don’t make that, the season is over right there.
“I kinda started off a little rough this year (he was 8 of 12 through the first four games) but at the end of the year I hit a good spot where I got into a really good groove and I felt back to normal. It takes time and I feel like next year will be a lot better.”
Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Justin Medlock boots a field goal against the Edmonton Eskimos during first quarter CFL action in Winnipeg on Thursday, July 14, 2016. (CFL PHOTO – Jason Halstead)
That’s a scary-good possibility for the Bombers, who consistently trotted out Medlock for some meaty kicks. He hit a massive kick on the final play to end a long Labour Day Classic drought – the final of seven makes that day – and learned to lean on him more and more to cap off drives with points. He made kicks indoors and out, in rain, in windy conditions and in the heat and cold.
He was also an accurate punter, finishing second in the league with eight punts place inside an opponent’s 10-yard line.
Let’s toss out another stat, just to hammer home how good he was: after his 8 of 12 start Medlock hit 52 of his next 56 – a sparkling 92.9 per cent success rate.
In short, he was worth every penny the Bombers paid him.
As head coach Mike O’Shea said after the Labour Day winner: “He’s clutch.”
That pretty much sums up Medlock in 2016.
And his goals for 2017?
“Not miss… at all,” said Medlock on the night during Grey Cup week when he was honoured as the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. “That’s my goal. I had too many misses this year, especially at the beginning. I plan to come out a little sharper.”
This is the seventh in a series recapping the Top 10 Bomber stories of 2016.
Next: The Seven-Game Win Streak, posted on Dec. 28
