I'm back from Toronto and ready to talk Special Teams! Let's discuss a 3-game-week, statistics, Power Rankings, and more in this week's write-up;
Kickers
Despite only 3 games being played this week, Kickers throughout the CFL managed to attempt 22 field goals. They were successful on 18 of those attempts (82%). They also managed to complete 100% of their PATs, which has only happened 5 times this season (Weeks 3, 7, 8, 13, and 15). Let's discuss how the players performed with a look at my (un)Official Week 15 CFL Kicker Power Rankings;
Working top-down;
Rene Paredes (CGY) had a good game this week, completing 3 of his 4 field goal attempts. That being said, he has now slipped below 90% for the second time this season. His miss came from 40+ yards out which is mildly concerning. He has been solid from short range (0-39 yards) and the most consistent from 50+ (5/6, 83%) but will look to improve his accuracy from 40-49 yards out (6/9, 66%).
Marc Liegghio (WPG) matches his longest streak of 100% games in the 2022 CFL Season. This all comes after his devastating game-losing miss back in Week 10. Since he has made all 8 of his field goal attempts. This week all 3 of his field goals from the 30 yard range and he also made all 3 of his convert attempts. He will climb into the Second Position because while he may not be in the 90% category, he has been one of the most consistent kickers over 40 yards.
Sean Whyte (BC) helped propel the Lions over the Stampeders in their 31-29 win this week with 3 field goal attempts (100%) and 2 Converts (100%). While I know he has the leg to hit from more than 40 yards, we just haven't seen much of it this year. He has only attempted 5 kicks from that distance and has made 4 of them. His long this week was only 38 yards, so we will have to wait another week to see if he gets more chances.
David Côté (MTL) had a Bye Week this week but will jump into the Fourth Position due to other Specialists performing poorly.
Seth Small (HAM) has certainly found a home in Hamilton. He continues to impress after taking over starting duties in Week 6. This week he goes 2/2 on field goals and an impressive 6/6 on Point After Attempts. He's definitely got a big leg on him too! He completed another 50+ yarder this week after a 52 yard BOMB! While I don't like the Tiger-Cats, I can't help but smile whenever Seth comes out onto the field. I'm looking forward to seeing where he ends up on the Power Rankings at the end of the season. His 12 points pushed the Cats to victory over the 12-1 Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Brett Lauther (SSK) had a bad week, plain and simple. He only completed 3 of his 5 attempts but managed to hit both his PATs. This week, his 2 misses were the reason the Roughriders lost to the Elks. His misses came from 36 and 38 yards out where he, of all people, should be automatic. I'm not impressed with Lauther at the moment, which is why he will slide down the Power Rankings to the Sixth Spot. He does manage to raise another 600$ for the KidSport program! This means that he has officially raised 7,200$ by completing his 36 field goals. He should be proud!
Boris Bede (TOR) had a Bye Week, but I wanted to mention something that has been on my mind for a few weeks. For a while now, I've been keeping Brett Lauther inside the Top 5 while Bede has not had the same good favour. I considered moving Bede up in the Rankings a couple of weeks ago because he and Lauther actually have very similar stats. After this past week, I decided it was more appropriate to move Lauther down, instead of the opposite.
Sergio Castillo (EDM) played really well, though he did have a few hiccups this week. He completes 4/5 of his field goals and both of his PATs. He started the game by making a field goal from 23 yards out before missing a 51 yard attempt (he actually hit the left upright). He managed to shake off the jitters and came back after the half to make a 13 and 43 yard field goal. After an impressive drive from the Riders, where Fajardo and Lauther took the lead back 24-23 the Elks offence took to the field with 01:08 left in the game. Corn-Dog pushed down the field and Chris Jones let Sergio attempt a 47 yard field goal, WHICH HE STRUCK TRUE! The Elks sneak away with a victory off the foot of Sergio Castillo. If he continues down this road, he may jump up the Power Rankings in the coming weeks.
Lewis Ward (OTT) had a Bye Week this week.
Punters
In my opinion, almost every Punter had a good game this week. Some more than others, which account for the movement in the top half of the Power Rankings. Let's discuss how the players performed with a look at my (un)Official Week 15 CFL Punter Power Rankings;
Working top-down;
Richie Leone (OTT) had a Bye Week this week but will stay in the First Position for the 11th Week in a row! Not an easy Feat.
Cody Grace (CGY) will jump into the Second Position after another extremely impressive showing. He punted 7 times for an Avg. of 50 yards and a Net Avg. of 43.6 yards. He now leads the CFL in Net Yards and is tied for first in the Inside 20 yard percentage (27%). He is so, so good and if it weren't for his low number of punts (Due to injury) he would probably be a contender for #1.
Stefan Flintoft (BC) had a decent game, punting 6 times for 277 yards (46.2 Avg.) and 232 Net yards (38.7 Net Avg.) While he definitely has a huge leg, I need to see him land more punts inside the 20 yard line before he breaks back into the top 2.
Marc Liegghio (WPG) had a statistically bad week. He punted 2 times for a Net Avg. of just 19 yards. His first punt went for 50 yards and scored a single but his second punt was where the issues happened. A short 40 yard punt was returned for 12 yards. This in conjunction with the Single, pushed him short of 20 Net yards per punt. Yikes.
John Haggerty (TOR) had a Bye Week this week but will slide down the Power Rankings due to his overall statistics just not being up to par with Liegghio. Maybe after another game, he will jump back up. That game may not be in Week 16 though, as he was listed as injured throughout practice before the game against Ottawa.
Joseph Zema (MTL) had a Bye Week this week.
Kaare Vedvik (SSK) punted 5 times for 238 yards (47.6 Avg.) and 195 Net yards (39 Net Avg.). He represents a distinct drop-off in punting abilities in the CFL. If he has a couple more good games, I expect he will rise in the Power Rankings. Here is an interesting article on him by the Leader Post!
Michael Domagala (HAM) did not impress me with his 2 punts this week. acquiring 93 yards (46.5 Avg.) and 73 Net yards (36.5 Net Avg.). At this point, I'm surprised he is still on the roster considering guys like Simon Laryea (36.7 Net Avg.), James Smith (36.1 Net Avg.), and Matt Mengel (36.6 Net Avg.) are all still available and showed they can play better.
Jonathan Ryan (EDM) had a solid game. He punted 6 times for 283 yards (47.2 Avg.) and 230 Net yards (38.3 Net Avg.). He planted one of those kicks inside the 20 yard line and also planted one on Sergio Castillo when he kicked a game-winner!
Thank you for making it this far in my article! Please make sure to let me know what you think. -Big Ups to everyone on Twitter who continues to post great Specialist content. I couldn't do it without you :)