Falcons Try Out Three Canadian Football League Kickers
by Dave Choate on Feb 3, 2010 8:00 AM EST
in Falcons News
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PrintThere's not much for player news this time of year, so word that three Canadian Football League kickers tried out with the Falcons this week (hand-delivered to The Falcoholic by a rogue Mountie) is enough to make me quirk a magnificent eyebrow or two.
Hat tip to The Montreal Gazette, which reported that Montreal Alouettes kicker Damon Duval joined Calgary Stampeders kicker Sandro DeAngelis and Toronto Argonauts kicker Justin Medlock. Admittedly I've been known to read too much into things, but I believe the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Or the Falcons don't have that much confidence in their current two in-house options, Matt Bryant and Steve Hauschka. Either one.
Medlock is accurate and DeAngelis is known for his leg, but if this Canadian "newspapereh?" is to be believed, the team is impressed enough by Duval in particular that they're considering offering him a contract. This could be an indication that Bryant is not being viewed as a long-term solution and Hauschka's confidence issues aren't something the team sees dissipating rapidly enough. At 29, Duval had a cup of coffee with the Falcons during the off-season back in 2003 and has since moved on into the CFL, but he's reputedly got a strong leg and pretty good accuracy. He's young enough for a kicker that the team could squeeze a few quality years out of him, if they believe his talent level's high enough to justify a roster spot.
It couldn't hurt to bring him aboard if the Falcons are serious about giving him a try, and I welcome anybody who I think might have a shot at improving the team. It doesn't bode particularly well for either Bryant or Hauschka that the team had these guys flown in on wooden helicopters off the glaciers of Canadia, however, and this is a clear sign that there's going to be considerable competition for that job in the off-season. After Jason Elam's struggles in 2009, I don't think it's unfair to welcome that level of competition if it means getting the right man for the job.
Your thoughts, gentle (and therefore not Canadian) readers?
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Good read...
I appreciate ANY news at this point! Competition is a good thing. I sense that kickers are sort of a crapshoot though, because you really don’t know how good they are until you get them in a real game. The pressure to make the kick is a big factor – and that is largely missing in practice.
By the way – are these guys heads separated from the mouth up?
Jeff wolfert was also at tryout
Those Canucks would leave out the one “American” kicker that was present at the work out! LOL
Jeff wolfert, played at mizzou, and is the NCAAs most accurate kicker. He is a college buddy of mine and I have talked to him since the workout. he said he was very pleased with his workout, going 8-8 on field goals, bombing some huge punts, and was very accurate on his kickoff positioning.
Looks like he could really help out the falcons or any other NFL team that struggled with kicking this year!
by Tigerfan86 on Feb 3, 2010 10:54 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
I like the way the Falcons are going about this
Picking guys who are known for their accuracy is a great move. Rec’d.
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Agreed.
8-8 from anywhere is still good, especially when an NFL team calls you up and says, “Hey, we want you to come kick a few field goals for us.”
but NCAAs most accurate kicker? I like the sound of that. Mizzou has had some good teams in recent years, so Wolfert isn’t completely unaccustomed to big kicks, I would assume.
"Ryan, under center. Single receiver set, time on his side. Ryan, gonna throw. First professional pass.....CAUGHT!! Jenkins! 30! 25! 20! 15! 10! 5! He lives in Atlanta!!!" -Wes Durham
Falcon in Toronto
Hey folks, I’m loving this. No reason to look down on the CFL. I watched Duval and Medlock play plenty. They are both NFL caliber. But it should be noted that CFL teams only tend to carry one kicker; meaning these guy both PK and Punt for their current teams. Could prove useful. ATL is taking to right route on this one.
Real shame too, I was a big fan of Elam.
by AErskine on Feb 3, 2010 3:51 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, sorry about all the Canada jokes
I really couldn’t help myself.
I agree. I thought Medlock was NFL-caliber when he was in the NFL, but he whiffed on one field goal and noted overreactive coach Herm Edwards cut him. I’d be happy to see him get another shot.
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No worries my friend. I’m surrounded by Bills fans up here. If I can find Falcon fans out there I’ll take a few jokes.
But the CFL has been home to some prime crossover talent — Doug Flutie, Warren Moon, Jeff Garcia, Ricky Williams, Mike Vanderjagt — to name a few.
Worrisome...
I was hoping we’d be set at the kicker position, but if they’re bringing these guys in for a tryout, they haven’t much confidence in those already on the roster. On the other hand they seem to be after accuracy, which is something this team needs. One missed chip shot field goal could have been the difference between making the playoffs or not.
"Believe me, I carefully calculated the odds of this succeeding vs. the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid and I went ahead anyway."
Medlock was great in college
KC drafted him in the 5th round
In his 1st NFL game he went 1 for 2 on FGs and they cut him
They also got rid of 8 other kickers, including Conner Barth, Jay Feeley, and Lawerence Tynes
None of them could get along with the crazy special teams coach
He’s always open. He catches a lot of balls. He’s un-guardable, no matter how old he is
Medlock
I wanted 2 get him draft day, but we decided 2 go with pickin up Morten Anderson. It would be pretty great if we got him and he panned out 2 be a solid kicker 4 the nxt like 10 yrs+ that would b ideal lol
Medlock
This just in; the Redskins have signed Medlock. I’d rather see Atlanta take Duval anyway. He’s had a better career in the CFL than Medlock by far. That said I am aware the CFL is essentially like AAA football.
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