Paul McCallum to sign with Lions

[Belize City Lion]

I wonder if the Lions are bringing PM as a coach but decided why not put him on the roster, just in case?

[CardiacKid]

Great move by Wally. He can see how much McCallum has left at age 46, but the Lions have nothing to lose by signing him. I didn't think Wally would stand pat after last weeks performance and risk an early playoff exit on the erratic kicking leg of Leone.

Desperation move at this time, but necessary. A Nat FG kicker should have been brought in ages ago.

This is a hopeful move with one game left prior to the playoffs. If he is in shape to kick, then all is good.

It is not as if Paul needs to learn a playbook.

This fan supports this move, but suggests it, or a similar move, should have been made a number of games ago.

As noted, it could bring a sigh of relief to Leone.

One assumes Wally and Paul have talked about conditioning. Is Paul's leg in shape for FG kicking? If he has not been working out, I would expect some weakness and vulnerability in the old muscles.

Well, I am thinking Paul would be highly motivated to not miss any FGs....I don't think he wants to use those old muscles to chase down guys returning missed kicks. He was game but not fleet of foot.

[Robbie]

Wow, it's not April 1. I'm reminded when Duncan O'Mahony and his two bad seasons as a Lion before Paul McCallum came to the rescue. Is it deja vu again?

[Hambone]

Some numbers on McCallum over the past few seasons:

FGs:
2013: 0-39 yds - 22/23, 40-49 - 6/10, 50+ 0/0
2014: 0-39 yds - 30/31, 40-49 - 8/11, 50+ 0/0
2015: 0-29 yds - 12/13, 30-39 - 9/12, 40-49 - 6/8 50+ - 2/3.
That adds up to 73.9% on FGs from 30 and beyond in 2015. He was good on 18 of 21 converts last year.

[Hambone]

Wow, it's not April 1. I'm reminded when Duncan O'Mahony and his two bad seasons as a Lion before Paul McCallum came to the rescue. Is it deja vu again?

Bit of a difference. O'Mahoney was erratic as hell in all three disciplines. Leone is arguably the best punter and kickoff guy the Lions have ever had.

[DanoT]

I wonder if the Lions are bringing PM as a coach but decided why not put him on the roster, just in case?

McCallum was never the mentoring type so I'm thinking he is not interested in anything but FG kicking.

[Lionheart]

I love going back in time.

When do I start feeling younger?

[aklawitter]

Leone will be in NFL camps (as a punter) next year.

High priority will be finding a NAT to do all 3 kicking duties, as Wally is loathe to use 2 roster spots

[Blitz]

Wow, it's not April 1. I'm reminded when Duncan O'Mahony and his two bad seasons as a Lion before Paul McCallum came to the rescue. Is it deja vu again?

Bit of a difference. O'Mahoney was erratic as hell in all three disciplines. Leone is arguably the best punter and kickoff guy the Lions have ever had.

There is....but one thing is similar. O'Mahoney was a punter (even if he was an erratic) that Wally tried to convert into a field goal kicker. If history is a past teacher, Wally didn't learn the lesson.

McCallum hit 38 of his 42 field goals for a league best 90.5% average in his last season (2014) with our Leos. He was a West All-Star.

He was released after refusing Wally's attempts to have him retire, 5 days into last year's training camp.

"I don't usually do this but I want it to be very clear! I did not ask to be released! I was told to retire or I would be cut," said McCallum

"Paul and I have had ongoing discussions over the past number of seasons regarding his future with the club," Lions' GM Wally Buono said in a release. "In keeping with what Paul and I discussed, the club will grant his request for a release at this time.
"We appreciate his many contributions to our organization and we wish him the best moving forward."

I'm guessing that McCallum is going to get a decent pay check from our Leos and also enjoyed having Wally ask him back, after telling McCallum to retire or be cut during the 2014 training camp.

McCallum believed at the time, that Buono had signed him and waited until training camp to pressure him to retire, so that other teams would not be interested, with their kickers already in training camp.

I think this is a wonderful story of redemption. I would love McCallum to really play well and then retire from a Leos uniform the way it should have happened the first time around. He is our best Leo field goal kicker ever.

He was the best Canadian in the 2006 Grey Cup game, when he kicked 6/6 field goals, he holds the Leos record for 30 field goals in a row, he had some great seasons for us as a field goal kicker, and he was ice cold deadly in the playoffs for us.

[JohnHenry]

McCallum was also very good at directional punting. Not sure if he still has the leg, but if so he could perhaps do the punting/kicking from 50 yds in, with Leone's big leg punting/kicking the long ones where accuracy isn't as important? The next question would keeping Leone as one of our four designated internationals just to do the punting make sense...or would the Lions be better served to dress another international DL, RB or DB instead?

I'll answer that with another question. Would it make sense to give up 10 yards in possible field position on every punt and kickoff to get another DI on the field? McCallum hasn't handled regular punting duties since 2013 when he finished last in th league amongst regular punters with a 40.6 ave.

Leone had 3 punting singles last game. If he could have pinned the Riders inside the 5-yd line instead, that would have gained the Lions nearly 100 yds in field position (with the ball coming out to the 35 after the rouge.) Josh Bartel also out-kicked Leone in the game gaining 2 yds more per punt. The Lions had a net 29 yds per punt in that game.

[Blitz]

Interesting to go back to previous posts on our field goal kicking

I believe Blitz, that the tangible difference in the Lions greater success in the win column has been help immensely by the consistent great field position a la Rainey's speed and athleticism and Leone's great season Punting the ball.

I am excited to see Rainey get more and more touches on offence and I look to Sinkfield to have a breakout game soon with his speed an versatility. If BC can sweep the home and home series in the next two weeks, it will essentially solidify the WSF at BC Place.

squishy35
Legend

I agree squishy with you on the field position battle we win most games due to Leone's punting . Seems to me many have started to take 50+ yd punts with tremendous hang time for granted and long forgotten Paul Macallum and his 30 yd punts. When was the last time we had to concede a safety when inside our own 20 ? Now we just ask Leone if he can put one 60 yds down field , ok , no problem .

How can anyone forget all the shanked punts Mcallum gave us when ever we were inside our 20 ? And then those usually ended up with a no yards penalty giving our opponent the ball inside our 30. Yes the guy has missed a few FGs and converts but he is still a better FG kicker than Lui Passaglis was , or many of the"greats" of the past , and by far the best punter in the league who has gotten us out of trouble all season long when we have been pinned deep . Soon he will be in the NFL and then will we go back to another sub 40 yard punter again

penw

HUH, SAY WHAT,BETTER THAN LUI ?
Not in this life time or the next, not on a CFL feild,an NFL feild, or a wheat feild.

Lui played this game for 25 years , and in his prime( and I don't think you relize how long that prime was) was simply the best.To compare him to todays kickers, a flash in the pan would be 5 years. When one off today's kickers can put up the numbers he did for 20 of those 25 yrs we'l talk. penw

by Blitz » Sat Oct 08, 2016 8:48 am
I don't take Leone's punting for granted. When a punter is averaging 50.1 yds. per punt, its not something one should take for granted. Leone will likely be in the NFL next season as a punter.

But Leone's punting and the field position average he gives us per game is not as great as some may think. Leone's high, booming punts impress but the field advantage is not as much as some may think it is.

For example, Fera is averaging 47.3 yd. per punt, and Maver (47.1 yds.), Maher (46.7) also have good punting averages. The overall CFL punting average this season is 46 yds.

Leone averages about 5 punts per game. Leone gives us an advantage of approximately 20 yds. per game of field position over the CFL average.

But when it comes to net punting the field position advantage of Leone is reduced. Our net punting is 38.6 yds. per game (best in CFL). Maher has a 36.5 net punt average and Medlock has a Maher a 36.3 net punt average. The CFL overall net punt average is around 36.0 net yards. Based on CFL punt averages, Leone gives us an advantage of 3.6 yds. per net punt or approximately 18 total yards advantage of field position per game.

Leone is not a good directional punter. He leads the CFL in singles by a wide margin, with many of those punts being attempts to pin the opposition inside its own 20 yard line and not being successful. Those also add to Leone's average, because directional punting reduces a punter's average per punt, sometimes significantly.

Leone is the worst percentage field goal kicker in the CFL at 71.4%. (and it only went over 70% after our last game). No other CFL field goal kicker is averaging less than 82%. Sean White has hit 92.5% of his field goals this season and Paredes (88.5%) and Hajrullahu , Crapigna, and Medlock have all hit over 85% of their field goals. The CFL average field goal percentage this season is approximately 85%.

Leone has the worst field goal percentage in the CFL inside the 40 yd. line, from 40-49 yds and outside the 50, where he has been unsuccessful. Every other starting CFL kicker has hit at least one outside of 50. Maher has kicked 6 field goals this season longer than 50 yards and Medlock, Milo, and Hajrullahu have hit 3 or more field goals outside of 50. Leone has 0 field goals outside of 50.

In terms of lost points from field goal attempts, those missed attempts have cost us 30 points. If we take his two missed attempts outside of 50 yards, its 24 points lost. Leone only has 9 attempts in the 40-49 yd. range.

Paul McCallum joined our Leos in 2006 and played to 2014. He was a West All-Star in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2014. He was a CFL All-Star in 2010 and 2011, the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian in 2006, and won the CFL Special Team Award in 2011. McCallum held the record for longest CFL field goal (62 yds) up to 2012. He was an incredible field goal kicker for our Leos at playoff time. McCallum was 6/6 in the 2006 Grey Cup game and only missed one field goal in all the playoffs games he kicked for us.

McCallum connected on 28 field goals in a row from 2009-2010. In 2010 McCallum was named our Leos Most Outstanding Player, the first time a kicker was given that honor in Leos history. In 2011 McCallum set a record of kicking 30 field goals in a row, only broken b Paredes 31 in a row two years later. In 2011 McCallum made 50 of 53 field goal attempts, for 94.3% accuracy.

In 2012 McCallum hit 44 of 52 field goal attempts and in 2013 he connected on 28 of his 33 attempts. In 2014, McCallum's last season with our Leos hit 38 of 42 attempts (90.5%) to lead the league. Not a bad way for a kicker to retire in his 40's.

We've had some very close games this season and in some of those games, it would not have been so close that Leone been more accurate. Wally also has chosen to punt between the 45-49 yard line, in some games, rather than have Leone attempt a field goal.

As for McCallum's punting he was a good punter and an incredible directional punter into his 40's. In 2013 our Leos, with McCallum's advancing age, wanted McCallum to only kick field goals. We tried O'Neil as our punter and then Ricky Schmitt mostly punted for us in 2014. McCallum only punted 18 times in 2014 and he should not have been punting at all at the age of 44.

So I don't believe that "the tangible difference in the Lions greater success in the win column has been helped immensely by the consistent great field position due to Leone's punts. It's helped but his field goal kicking has almost cost us some close games.

But I certainly do agree that Rainey's punt returning, combined with his additions on offence have made a very tangible difference.

Blitz

by pennw Sat Oct 08

Sorry dude , check the stats . And I mean so far , not for a career. Lui in his early years had a much lower FG% than Leone , as did many of the "greats" . Most years Lui's FG percentage was in the 60% range Or 70% . His Last year was far better than his career and that was a 90% year only one time ,which brought his overall up to into the 70% range , where Leone sits after only his second year kick field goals .

Both Lui and Paul were rarely asked to kick longer FGs that are expected today . Paul was frequently asked to punt if it was much beyond 40 yds. And then he was a good punter, when it was form the opponents side of the field, not so good when it was from our end. Lui frequently had some one else do the Kick offs because he could not kick far enough. Guys who weren't even kickers did those for us during the Passaglia era.

Guys like Jan Carinci or the guy who was also a firefighter , his name slips my mind right now, did them for years. It's just that the standards have gotten higher , I don't think many "greats" from the past would make the team now in the CFL. Back in the 70's a guy named Dave Cutler was a legend with the the ESKs with a career FG average of 54 % .

I suggest you read fellow CFL kicker , (a guy who is certainly qualified to assess kickers ) Justin Medlock's opinion on Leone that was featured in a Province article .

[WestCoastJoe]

It seems Wally got fixated on Leone's powerful leg. This, despite Leone never showing any inclination to be even an adequate FG kicker.

As a punter, Leone has not demonstrated anything like McCallum's ability to pin the opponent inside their own twenty. (Directional kicking)

This is about Wally's decision making, not seeking to pillory Leone.

McCallum's kicking has been instrumental in many of our wins over the years. One could not say that for the kicking of Richie Leone.

Let's get it right, even at this late stage. This fan supports Wally considering using McCallum for our FG kicker. We need a dependable FG kicker.

[Blitz]

It seems Wally got fixated on Leone's powerful leg. This, despite Leone never showing any inclination to be even an adequate FG kicker.

As a punter, Leone has not demonstrated anything like McCallum's ability to pin the opponent inside their own twenty. (Directional kicking)

This is about Wally's decision making, not seeking to pillory Leone.

I think Blitz made the case that Leone's kicking may have cost us some games this year. One has a hard time thinking of when McCallum's kicking might ever have cost us a game. Just the opposite in fact.

Let's get it right. We need a dependable FG kicker.

As you know, WCJ, I wanted us to choose Fera over Leone last year. I don't blame Leone for this. I blame Wally. Last year I pointed out Wally's failed experiment with O'Mahoney and that its not wise to take a punter in college, as Leone was and who only kicked some field goals in the latter half of his final college season, and turn him into a field goal kicker.

Its not just about having a strong leg or even learning the mechanics. Its the pressure. Its very hard to learn how to deal with that kind of pressure, when the first time you get it, its in your first pro season.

I also agree with you WCJ, that Leone is nowhere near the directional punter that McCallum for most of his career as a Leo. Leone sure can boom them and lately his directional punting has improved.

Wally waited too long. This move was needed mid-season at least, even though Leone should never have been our field goal kicker in the first place. If Wally really wanted Leone's punting leg, he needed to bite a roster spot and have a National field goal kicker.

Not good timing either - McCallum has this week, one regular season game, and be ready for the playoffs, and he has been retired now for over a year. We could have signed McCallum part way through last season, afer he left Saskatchewan.

Leone's punting gives us an average of approximately 15 - 20 yards of net punting advantage per game. Those booming punts look great but overall, they are not as much of an advantage as some assume. But they are an advantage.

So, with Leone punting for us the rest of the way, giving us a powerful leg if we need to attempt a long distance field goal, and letting McCallum attempt the ones from inside 40, we are in a much better position.

How old is McCallum now? I think he is 47 years old but correct me if I'm wrong.

[WestCoastJoe]

It seems Wally got fixated on Leone's powerful leg. This, despite Leone never showing any inclination to be even an adequate FG kicker.

As a punter, Leone has not demonstrated anything like McCallum's ability to pin the opponent inside their own twenty. (Directional kicking)

This is about Wally's decision making, not seeking to pillory Leone.

I think Blitz made the case that Leone's kicking may have cost us some games this year. One has a hard time thinking of when McCallum's kicking might ever have cost us a game. Just the opposite in fact.

Let's get it right. We need a dependable FG kicker.

As you know, WCJ, I wanted us to choose Fera over Leone last year. I don't blame Leone for this. I blame Wally. Last year I pointed out Wally's failed experiment with O'Mahoney and that its not wise to take a punter in college, as Leone was and who only kicked some field goals in the latter half of his final college season, and turn him into a field goal kicker.

Its not just about having a strong leg or even learning the mechanics. Its the pressure. Its very hard to learn how to deal with that kind of pressure, when the first time you get it, its in your first pro season.

I also agree with you WCJ, that Leone is nowhere near the directional punter that McCallum for most of his career as a Leo. Leone sure can boom them and lately his directional punting has improved.

Wally waited too long. This move was needed mid-season at least, even though Leone should never have been our field goal kicker in the first place. If Wally really wanted Leone's punting leg, he needed to bite a roster spot and have a National field goal kicker.

Not good timing either - McCallum has this week, one regular season game, and be ready for the playoffs, and he has been retired now for over a year. We could have signed McCallum part way through last season, afer he left Saskatchewan.

Leone's punting gives us an average of approximately 15 - 20 yards of net punting advantage per game. Those booming punts look great but overall, they are not as much of an advantage as some assume. But they are an advantage.

So, with Leone punting for us the rest of the way, giving us a powerful leg if we need to attempt a long distance field goal, and letting McCallum attempt the ones from inside 40, we are in a much better position.

How old is McCallum now? I think he is 47 years old but correct me if I'm wrong.

It seems we see this situation in the same light, Blitz.

I removed my comment about won or lost games due to Leone's kicking. I do not have a handle on the stats or the situations.

Not knocking Leone. Just considering the management and coaching decisions regarding our kicking game.

As noted, we need dependable FG kicking, even moreso in the playoffs. If McCallum is physically fit for the job, having been retired, we have a chance to get it right, even at this late date.

[Hambone]

HUH, SAY WHAT,BETTER THAN LUI ?
Not in this life time or the next, not on a CFL feild,an NFL feild, or a wheat feild.

Lui played this game for 25 years , and in his prime( and I don't think you relize how long that prime was) was simply the best.To compare him to todays kickers, a flash in the pan would be 5 years. When one off today's kickers can put up the numbers he did for 20 of those 25 yrs we'l talk. penw

The interesting part of that statement is that by today's standards Lui's FG numbers through most of his career would've probably made him a 5 year flash in the pan at least as far as being a FG kicker. That's not a knock on Lui the Legend as much as it is recognition that today's placekickers are as a whole much, much better than placekickers of his era. Today it seems that 80% is a barely acceptable number. If a kicker today can't get to 80% his team will be looking for someone else. Conversely in Lui's era 80% was considered all-star worthy. Lui was able to crack the 80% mark only 3 times in his 25 years; 1978, 1999 and 2000. Leone's current pace of 68.6% was better than Lui put up in 7 of his 25 years. His 76.9% average of last year was one that Lui bettered only 7 times in his career. Career wise Leone is at 72.2%. Passaglia's career average was 72.6%. Times and expectations of kickers have definitely changed.