Why only one kicking specialist in Canton?

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KnowItAll
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Toppy Vann wrote:
BC 1988 wrote:It just shows how little importance is placed on the position by the PFHOF. George Blanda (also QB) and Lou Groza (also OT) are the other 2 Kicker inductees but a sizable part of their careers were spent at those other positions.
The value of the kicker in the CFL is much greater due our game's differences, all of which make the CFL the more exciting game it's always been.
Exactly spot on.

When you can kick off and send the ball out the end zone for no return and on the narrower, shorter field it changes the importance of the kicking game (and not to forget the fair catch rule).

The Blanda days - as you rightly note - the players weren't specialist kickers and players often played offense and defense unlike today.

Today our overly cautious coaches don't take chances and you don't see:

> the quick kick on second down
> the pass and punt into the end zone play Calgary's Dunigan pulled off for a winning game play vs the BC Lions at BC Place (wrecked by a bad ref call)
> punts out of the end zone and back in (rarity but I have seen guys like Harvey Wylie for the Stamps punt it out and have it come back.


With Miami leading 14-0 and on the verge of finishing the season 17-0, the Washington Redskins blocked Yepremian's field-goal attempt. He picked up the ball and tried to throw it but fumbled, and the Redskins' Mike Bass ran it 49 yards for a touchdown.

"Every airport you go to, people point to you and say, 'Here's the guy who screwed up in the Super Bowl,'" Yepremian said in a 2007 interview. "After a while it bothers you. If it was anybody else he would go crazy, but fortunately I'm a happy-go-lucky guy."
People are pretty stupid and insensitive to keep bringing that up. It'd be like us bringing up Paul McCallum's miss in BC Place to give the Riders the loss and BC the win. Not very smart and we'd not do it. Well most of us wouldn't.
yet..you just did :wag: :wag: :wink:
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Toppy Vann
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KnowItAll wrote:
Toppy Vann wrote:
BC 1988 wrote:It just shows how little importance is placed on the position by the PFHOF. George Blanda (also QB) and Lou Groza (also OT) are the other 2 Kicker inductees but a sizable part of their careers were spent at those other positions.
The value of the kicker in the CFL is much greater due our game's differences, all of which make the CFL the more exciting game it's always been.
Exactly spot on.

When you can kick off and send the ball out the end zone for no return and on the narrower, shorter field it changes the importance of the kicking game (and not to forget the fair catch rule).

The Blanda days - as you rightly note - the players weren't specialist kickers and players often played offense and defense unlike today.

Today our overly cautious coaches don't take chances and you don't see:

> the quick kick on second down
> the pass and punt into the end zone play Calgary's Dunigan pulled off for a winning game play vs the BC Lions at BC Place (wrecked by a bad ref call)
> punts out of the end zone and back in (rarity but I have seen guys like Harvey Wylie for the Stamps punt it out and have it come back.


With Miami leading 14-0 and on the verge of finishing the season 17-0, the Washington Redskins blocked Yepremian's field-goal attempt. He picked up the ball and tried to throw it but fumbled, and the Redskins' Mike Bass ran it 49 yards for a touchdown.

"Every airport you go to, people point to you and say, 'Here's the guy who screwed up in the Super Bowl,'" Yepremian said in a 2007 interview. "After a while it bothers you. If it was anybody else he would go crazy, but fortunately I'm a happy-go-lucky guy."
People are pretty stupid and insensitive to keep bringing that up. It'd be like us bringing up Paul McCallum's miss in BC Place to give the Riders the loss and BC the win. Not very smart and we'd not do it. Well most of us wouldn't.
yet..you just did :wag: :wag: :wink:
That's funny.... lol....

I meant why would anyone go to their face and say it?

BTW the quick kick. When Bombers FB Charlie Shepherd could punt 70 yards (or whatever it was - maybe wind assisted ) the quick kick was fun to see.

We need football to bring in some of the rugby stuff to keep plays alive BUT coaches refuse to take risks. I agree that risking ball turnovers isn't the best tactic but sometimes you need to go for the win so best have this in the tool kit.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
TheLionKing
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Saskatchewan used the quick kick to great advantage with Alan Ford.
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Toppy Vann
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TheLionKing wrote:Saskatchewan used the quick kick to great advantage with Alan Ford.
Again these were not specialist kickers. DBs, Linemen, RBs etc. The players could do more. I was surprised that Doug Flutie could drop kick (his last game he scored the convert that way).

You have to kicking in FOOTball but they need to keep it meaningful and never, ever go US style with fair catches and short fields so that a kick off out of the end zone is not returned.

Our 1 point for missed FGs is something I have always loved as it forces players on the field to make decisions and some of them are bad and some are great and go all the way back for a TD.

Our deep end zones make our game better and more exciting.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
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