How do the Lions get Fera on the roster?

[DanoT]

One thing I am wondering with having Fera do the place kicking, is Jennings his holder from practice? I am assuming the holder is the same for both kickers during practice but with Jennings being the 1st string QB for several weeks now, will that have any impact on their time working together? And by extension, their familiarity with each other....

IMO, Leone needs the reps, so don't dress Fera unless the plan is to play him and not Leone in the WSF.

Lions will need Leone's punting in the WSF but might want to try 2 point converts if they score TDs, something that the Stamps have been very successful at this year.

[David]

I agree. I feel badly for Fera, who should have been activated earlier at some point this year as he's a very good kicker. However, to play him now could open up a Pandora's Box - unless they plan to play Fera in the WSF.

If Fera is "light's out" on field goals and converts, you more or less have to play him going forward. The "kicker controversy" will get inside Richie's head and make things even worse.


DH

[B.C.FAN]

IMO, Leone needs the reps, so don't dress Fera unless the plan is to play him and not Leone in the WSF.

Lions will need Leone's punting in the WSF but might want to try 2 point converts if they score TDs, something that the Stamps have been very successful at this year.

Good points (no pun intended). Playoff weather on the Prairies usually means wind and cold and often snow. I don't want Leone to even attempt 32-yard converts in those conditions, especially if the Stamps go for 2 points on their first TD of the game, as they often do.

The Stamps lead the league with 13 2-point converts on 17 attempts (76% success rate) but of all playoff teams the Lions have the best success rate at 86% (6 of 7). That's much better than Leone's 71% success rate at 1-point converts, most of which have been either indoors or in good weather.

[Lions4ever]

The league says it's trying to bring more "excitement" to the game. Well, they can start by using better discretion on all these ticky-tack special teams holding penalties away from the play that have absolutely zero effect on the return. And before someone shouts "homer!," I'd be saying these words if the Argos had a return touchdown on a borderline (or even incorrect) call.

Huddle up and decide first if it even was holding or blocking from behind. If yes, then did it help in any way spring the returner or was it 20 yards away from the play? If it didn't affect the play, then let the play stand. Touchdown. I could live a few of these calls going against us every year if it means fewer penalties and more exciting plays.


DH

I agree with all of this. Or just bring in the (now suspended) crew from the Miami-Duke 8 lateral game. Those guys are loathe to call any block "illegal".

[B.C.FAN]

According to Jeff Tedford, Leone and Fera will compete this week for the kicking job on Saturday.

When asked if dual-purpose backup Anthony Fera might replace Leone in the lineup on Saturday, Tedford said: “It’s possible. It’s a position where we will compete through the week and see what goes on there. If it happens, it would be to take a look at him and take it from there.”

Fera and Leone are roommates, and Fera said afterwards both know what’s at stake.

“We’re good buddies and we just try and help each other every day in practice,” Fera said.

When told that Tedford had used the word “compete” to frame the week of practice, Fera responded: “A competition’s a competition. I’ve got to earn it this week.”

Province article

[TheLionKing]

I thought practice roster players compete every day to oust the incumbent to get on the active roster.

[B.C.FAN]

Paul McCallum, who was punted at the start of the season to make way for the younger, stronger legs of Leone and Fera, had some interesting comments about the Lions' use of Leone in an interview with Mike Beamish.

Beamish also raises the bizarre spectre of the Lions bringing in McCallum, who is on Saskatchewan's 1-game injured list, as their FG kicker for the playoffs.

“To me, that’s (using Fera) not just desperate, it’s asinine,” McCallum said in a telephone interview. “Why not stick Richie in a game where there’s no pressure, where he can just relax, calm down and get out of his funk? I think, this way, you’re just creating more problems. Kicking well in a game with no pressure means nothing. To my way of thinking, it would be smarter to have Richie punt and Anthony do field goals (Fera is a field-goal specialist), if you could work out the ratio thing (both players are internationals).”

“In all fairness, I believe they put Richie in a bad position to start with, with a rookie holder (Jon Jennings), too,” McCallum said. “If you don’t have the right comfort level with your holder and centre, you’re setting yourself up for failure. It’s not all Richie’s fault.”

If GM Wally Buono thought McCallum was available and could still be useful to a team struggling with his replacement, would he consider reaching out to him again?

Absolutely.

“It’s got nothing to do with what’s personal or not personal,” Buono said Tuesday, speaking hypothetically. “If you believe a player can help your team, or win a game for your team, why wouldn’t you do it? You don’t make those choices based on personal feeling. You have to do what’s best for the team.”

McCallum, still being paid by the Saskatchewan Roughriders but inactive (he’s been placed on the injured list, though he’s healthy and selling real estate in Maple Ridge), could bail the Lions out of the predicament many predicted when the veteran kicker was released in training camp.

Since McCallum technically is not a free agent, the Lions would have to appeal to the commissioner’s office for his release, a scenario that seems unlikely though appealing, given the wobbly state of the team’s kicking game heading into post-season.

Vancouver Sun article

[DanoT]

I agree with McCallum, let Leone work on his FG kicking game. There is no point playing Fera unless the plan is to play him in the WSF.

[maxlion]

“To me, that’s (using Fera) not just desperate, it’s asinine,” McCallum said in a telephone interview. “Why not stick Richie in a game where there’s no pressure, where he can just relax, calm down and get out of his funk? I think, this way, you’re just creating more problems. Kicking well in a game with no pressure means nothing. To my way of thinking, it would be smarter to have Richie punt and Anthony do field goals (Fera is a field-goal specialist), if you could work out the ratio thing (both players are internationals).”

“In all fairness, I believe they put Richie in a bad position to start with, with a rookie holder (Jon Jennings), too,” McCallum said. “If you don’t have the right comfort level with your holder and centre, you’re setting yourself up for failure. It’s not all Richie’s fault.”

If GM Wally Buono thought McCallum was available and could still be useful to a team struggling with his replacement, would he consider reaching out to him again?

Absolutely.

“It’s got nothing to do with what’s personal or not personal,” Buono said Tuesday, speaking hypothetically. “If you believe a player can help your team, or win a game for your team, why wouldn’t you do it? You don’t make those choices based on personal feeling. You have to do what’s best for the team.”

McCallum, still being paid by the Saskatchewan Roughriders but inactive (he’s been placed on the injured list, though he’s healthy and selling real estate in Maple Ridge), could bail the Lions out of the predicament many predicted when the veteran kicker was released in training camp.

Desperate? Yes. Asinine? No way. Leone has demonstrated frustration at Jennings more than once, and I've wondered how big of a factor the holder has been in the placekicking follies. How much time does Jennings have to practice placekicking while learning to be the #1 QB? However, I do suspect that Leone's mental/mechanical shortcomings are more at fault. And even on the blocked punts, while blocking is the main problem, Leone needs to have a bit more situational awareness and pull the ball down rather than kick straight into an oncoming opponent. All in all, too many screwups from Leone over too long a period. Fera should have been given a shot weeks ago.

McCallum would be a nice addition about this time.

[The_Pauser]

Let's not act as if McCallum has been much better than Leone on FG's because he hasn't been. On converts he has though, but we can simplify that situation by going for 2 every time. Kinda like what Calgary does.

[pennw]

Let's not act as if McCallum has been much better than Leone on FG's because he hasn't been. On converts he has though, but we can simplify that situation by going for 2 every time. Kinda like what Calgary does.

I agree , just go for two each time. While Leone's place kicking has not been great , comparing Macallum's convert % from last year is meaningless as converts are from much further out this year . And do we really want to lose Leone's punting ability ? He's out punting our opponents every game and some games by a pretty good margin . How many times have we been inside our own 20 and he's put our opponent beyond their 45 or so ? I still got many bad memories of all the Macallum shanks from deep in our own side and having them starting inside our 40 .
Of course if Fera can punt better than a 45 yard average and be a great FG kicker that may change things .

[Blitz]

I agree with McCallum that we put Leone in a difficult position to use him as both our punter and field goal kicker for this season, considering Leone only kicked firld goals for the last 7 games of his final college season.

I believe the best choice for our remaining few games (low of 2, maximum of 4 if we played in the Grey Cup) we should use them both. That has impact in that both are imports but we could drop an import linebacker, Curran, who is mainly used on special teams out of the lineup.

We then would have the advantage of Leone's punting and Fera's field goal kicking. Field goals are so important going into the playoffs and converts too. I don't think we can just blow off Leone's missed converts and field goal misses in recent weeks nor find comfort if Leone started on Sunday and was accurate on field goals and converts again. He has just been too off recently to take the chance of a playoff game relying on his kicking a convert or field goal.

I also see the Leone/Fera situation as a bit of a deflection this week of what ails our special teams most and that is McMann. He is dodging the spot light again as the media/press focus on our field goal kicker.

McMann's lack of preparation of our special teams last week cost us a touchdown on a blocked punt and cost us a potential field goal.

Over the season, McMann's poor coaching of our special teams has cost us more than any kicker's performance and his ineptitude dates back well before this football season.