Matt Nichols sparked a turn-around, Andrew Harris was the offensive workhorse, and Moe Leggett was an absolute force on defence.
Yes, when it came time for the local chapter of The Football Reporters of Canada to scribble a name onto their Winnipeg Blue Bombers Most Outstanding Player ballot, a rational argument could have been made for any of the above.
Ultimately, it was Nichols who earned the Bombers’ MOP honours, guiding the club to a 10-3 record after replacing Drew Willy as the starting quarterback.
Harris was named the top Canadian, you may recall, while Leggett was the best defender.
But a case could be made that kicker Justin Medlock deserved a long, hard look for MOP, too.
And so, as we begin our second annual positional analysis series leading up to the opening of main training camp on May 28th, we thought we’d begin by revisiting the outstanding work Medlock did in 2016 and look ahead at some of the changes to the Bombers’ special teams units for 2017.
First, the obvious for Medlock: his 60 field goals last year set a Canadian Football League record and was a major factor in his being named the loop’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.
Justin Medlock and Chad Rempel during the 104th Grey Cup CFL Players Award at AGO in Toronto, ON. Thursday, November 24, 2016. (Photo: Johany Jutras)
But it’s the numbers inside those numbers that scream out just how important the 33-year-old Californian was to the Bombers.
Consider:
- Medlock twice tied the team record of seven field goals in a game, including hitting the game winner with no time remaining in a Labour Day win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
- He set a new club record for scoring with 227 points and tied the team record for the longest field goal – 58 yards.
- He went 40-for-40 in convert attempts and was a perfect 39-for-39 inside the 40-yard line.
But perhaps the most telling statistic for the CFL’s all-time leader in field goal percentage was this: he was 17 of 18 (94.4 per cent) in the fourth quarter all of last season. And for an emerging team that has had such a small margin for error over the past couple of years, that number is a testament to his value. By comparison, Lirim Hajrullahu and Sergio Castillo combined to go just 7-of-12 (58.3 per cent) in 2015.
It means that as the 2017 camp opens, kicking is the least of the Bombers’ concerns. Even the prospect brought in to push/rest Medlock during camp has some impressive credentials. Félix Ménard-Brière, the Bombers’ fourth-round draft pick and a U Sports All-Canadian punter last year at Montréal, will get a chance to handle some of the kicking chores in the preseason, but also has college eligibility remaining if he doesn’t grab the punting duties from Medlock.
Now, not only does the club have a game-changer in Medlock, they have the league’s best long snapper in Chad Rempel and a collection of foot soldiers – particularly the Canadian crew that added solid pieces in linebacker Thomas Miles and fullback Mike Miller – which makes the kick cover unit as steady as any in the country.
The big change could be in the kick return department. Kevin Fogg more than capably handled the punt return chores last year, leading the league with an average of 14.2 yards per return, and he’ll get a shot at double-duty with Quincy McDuffie – top in the CFL with a 27.7-yard average – having signed in the offseason with the Dallas Cowboys.
But the list of quality return candidates features a pair of impressive possibilities, too. There is Kieran Duncan, the lickety-split fast receiver who joined the club’s practice roster last season, and former North Carolina/Virginia star T.J. Thorpe, who spent time with the Washington Redskins last year and was very impressive in April’s mini-camp.
All of this is to say, the talent level on special teams – which no one values more than the Bombers triumvirate of President & CEO Wade Miller, GM Kyle Walters and head coach Mike O’Shea – has risen exponentially since this crew took control.
And in the CFL, that’s no small thing.
IMPACT NEWCOMER
FB Mike Miller
The Bombers lost their leading special teams tackler Tony Burnett to the B.C. Lions in free agency and replaced him with Miller – who led the CFL in special teams takedowns in 2016. Miller, along with former Toronto Argonauts and University of Manitoba Bisons star Thomas Miles, solidifies a punt-cover unit that was the stingiest in the league last year and should help a kickoff-cover group that surrendered 23.7 yards per return last year – most in the CFL.
X FACTOR
Rec T.J. Thorpe
First thing’s first, Thorpe really jumped out at the team’s mini-camp as a receiver and could get a long look at slotback. The fact that he set a North Carolina single-season kick return yardage record (960) while earning All-ACC honours makes him potentially that much more valuable.
JUICY NUMBER
96.3%
Justin Medlock has hit on 96.3 percent of his field goal attempts from inside 40 yards – including a perfect 39 for 39 last season. Medlock has connected on 100 of his last 102 attempts from that distance, a success rate of 98 per cent. By comparison, Calgary’s Rene Paredes has hit on 91 of 101 (90 per cent) over the same three-year span while Edmonton’s Sean Whyte is 86 of 90 (95.5 percent).
This is the first in a position-by-position training camp preview series by bluebombers.com.
The rest of our camp preview is scheduled as follows:
Defensive backs, May 22
Linebackers, May 23
Defensive line, May 24
Offensive line, May 25
Running backs, May 26
Receivers, May 27
Quarterbacks, May 28
