Paul McCallum asks for a trade

[Big Time]

Guess I'm not surprised. I imagine he'll be released. Happy for the times he was with us but I think Shawn Whyte has shown he's the better kicker for now and for the future.

http://team1040.ca/news/story/?id=2448

[Zarquon]

Long term this is defiantly the right decisions however I am concerned with Whyte's field goal range.

Now if we can get better performance from our long snapper.

[zark]

Can we get anything for him?

[Blue In BC]

Not likely he gets cut since they'd have to pay him. At the very least he's insurance if Whyte gets injured.

[Rammer]

Not likely he gets cut since they'd have to pay him. At the very least he's insurance if Whyte gets injured.

Exactly how I see it, unless another kicker goes down this season, PMc is insurance as the Lions are on the hook for his salary at any rate, it would be silly to release him and have Whyte get hurt and not have any P/K.

[Hambone]

I have no problems with McCallum doing that. Clearly Whyte is the Lions' kicker for the future, and apparently the present. McCallum is at an age where his career is close to over. So you can't blame him for wanting to play somewhere this season to hopefully establish some sort of market for his services in the offseason. However I'm not sure there's anybody in the market for a kicker unless they have an injury. And the trade deadline can't be more than a few days away.

[The_Pauser]

I feel bad for Paul. He gave us a couple good seasons and was a leader on special teams. An unfortunate injury cost him his job, but sometimes those are the breaks.

[Zarquon]

Whether we release him or keep him on the 46 man roster will depend a lot on how we are with regards to the salary cap.

[Belize City Lion]

is any other team really in need of kicker right now? Lions should hold on to him as insurance, or if another team loses a their kicker to injury then we can deal PM from a position of strength.

[Canuck_4_Life]

Edmonton - Prefontaine
Calgary - Dales/DeAngelis
Sask - Boreham/Congi
Winnipeg - Renaud/Serna
Toronto - Medlock
Hamilton - Setta
Montreal - Duval

[Toppy Vann]

is any other team really in need of kicker right now? Lions should hold on to him as insurance, or if another team loses a their kicker to injury then we can deal PM from a position of strength.

You got that right but the trade deadline is imminent (not sure but normally around end of first week of October) so this becomes a real tough situation unless the Lions want to risk losing Whyte who would then become the next great Paul McCallum and have a lot more years to play than Paul might have. I can see Paul's frustration too as he has done nothing to lose his job via injury. He wasn't outgunned by the new young guy at all in TC or in games. It is not a performance issue at all but shelf life. I doubt Wally would want Whyte to be his legacy as the kicker who got away on him as he is so young with a lot more upside in years than Paul could have at his age.

The CFL in size alone makes it awfully hard to make a mid season trade- that combined with the SMS makes it very tough for a Paul McCallum to make a move or these guys to make any moves mid year. Not even a call to

This is not one that even a Tonya Harding could solve as in her case she just had to make sure Nancy Kerrigan didn't get to skate - there was no trade deadline which in this case is the issue.

It is a sad way to end your career (if that were the case for Paul) versus a Lui Passaglia who gets to score a rushing TD in his last celebratory game. Lui had the good fortune to have gunned down all comers and also he had other skills like fake punts and short kick offs that others will never ever duplicate again.

Is there a bad kicker in the CFL?? I don't see one on that list but maybe the Esks might want him.

[Blue In BC]

Whether we release him or keep him on the 46 man roster will depend a lot on how we are with regards to the salary cap.

They'll just leave him on the 9 game IR and extend him. If they did it with Whyte, why wouldn't they do it with McCallum?

[Rammer]

Whether we release him or keep him on the 46 man roster will depend a lot on how we are with regards to the salary cap.

They'll just leave him on the 9 game IR and extend him. If they did it with Whyte, why wouldn't they do it with McCallum?

With no one interested in PM's services, they can just leave him on the practice squad, as insurance and if anyone was to put a claim in on him, they could then place him on the 46 man roster, knowing the expanded roster is coming up in a weeks time. Putting him on the 9 IL may use up their second 9 game IL for this season, if Whyte was to go down.

[Hambone]

Whether we release him or keep him on the 46 man roster will depend a lot on how we are with regards to the salary cap.

They'll just leave him on the 9 game IR and extend him. If they did it with Whyte, why wouldn't they do it with McCallum?

Barrin Simpson and the Bombers helped eliminate that option. The Whyte scenario was a case of trying to stash a promising rookie. In the case of Simpson the Bombers were trying to stash the contract, not the player, to avoid SMS implications. McCallum has already been activated to the 46 man roster so putting him back to the 9 game list would be only for SMS purposes. Obviously McCallum wants to play and if he's already been activated you know, like Simpson, he will refuse to sign off on a return to the 9 game list and will file a grievance. With precedent set in the Simpson grievance it would be futile for the Lions to try the same.

[WestCoastJoe]

He is an asset to the club. He signed the contract. He is getting paid. If Wally deems that Whyte should play, then I would support Wally in not giving McCallum away or releasing him.

If Whyte falters, then McCallum will get his job back, at least temorarily. It's the same for any athlete.

I have blogged in the past about ex-Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson on his attitude to starting positions and injuries re the custom of "a starter cannot lose his job to injury."

A reporter asked him about a player coming off the injury list and would he be getting his starting job back. Johnson said: "Who made up that policy? That is not my rule. I decide who starts." That would be my attitude as well.