Week 2 of the CFL has finished and the Specialists have come to play! Let's discuss Statistics, Power Rankings, Highlights, and more in this week's breakdown;
Kickers
Kickers faltered a bit this week, dropping 14% in terms of field goals made percentage (95.5% in Week 1 -> 81.8% in Week 2). They also attempted a lot of field goals. 33 of them, in fact. Let's discuss how the players performed with a look at my (un)Official Week 2 CFL Kicker Power Rankings;
Working top-down;
After another perfect week for Rene Paredes (CGY), he will move into the first position in my Power Rankings. He went 4/4 on field goal attempts, with a long from 46 yards out. He also kicked a 35 yard field goal in overtime to win the game for the Stamps this week!
Brett Lauther (SSK) will drop one spot into the second position this week, after completing 4/5 of his field goal attempts. He missed one from 44 yards out but redeemed himself with a nice 50 yard field goal right down the middle.
David Côté (MTL) had a decent night in Toronto this week, but unfortunately, it will all be overshadowed by missing a game-winning 21 yard field goal. Otherwise, David had a really good night. He made 4 of the 5 field goals he attempted, one of those was from 43 yards out. Every great kicker falters once in a while. Côté is going to be one of those great kickers, mark my words.
Lewis Ward (OTT) had an eerily similar week to Côté. He also made 4 of the 5 field goal attempts, however, he only hit a long of 38 yards. He falls below Côté because he hasn't made as many Convert Attempts. Here is a compilation of all his kicks versus Winnipeg on June 17th.
Sergio Castillo (EDM) had another decent night, making 3 of his 4 field goals, but he missed one from 53 yards out, which would have been nice to see him make. He is perfect under 40 yards so far this year so we would like him to hit those 50+ yard field goals. He has shown he can do it in the past.
Michael Domagala (HAM) played decently this past week, making all 3 of his field goal attempts, including a long of 39 yards. Here is a compilation of his attempts this past week.
Sean Whyte (BC) drops a few spots simply because he didn't get an opportunity to play this week. I expect him to climb the rankings in the coming weeks and besides, who doesn't like an underdog?
Liegghio (WPG) will stay in the eighth position after missing another convert attempt this week. He is still 100% on the season but needs to clean up his act quickly if he wants Bombers fans to start supporting him. They act as if he has played more than 5 games for Winnipeg. I say give the guy a chance and I'll die on that hill.
My heart breaks for the first time he plays, I must put Boris Bede (TOR) in the ninth, and final, position. He did not play how I, or any other fan, expected. He only made 3 of his 5 field goal attempts, with a long of just 38 yards. I'm not sure what caused this bump in his road, but I hope that he figures it out quickly and returns to his usual mid-season form soon.
Punters
Quite a bit of movement this week in the rankings ladder. I think some people might be surprised at the top 5, but I can explain myself, I swear. Let's discuss how the players performed with a look at my (un)Official Week 2 CFL Punter Power Rankings;
Working top-down;
Joseph Zema (MTL) will jump three positions and take first in our Power Rankings this week. He has the highest NET Avg. among those who have punted more than 10 times. It's difficult to analyze punters this early in the season but I'm convinced Zema is going to have a break-out season!
James Smith (CGY) will drop out of the first position this week. After soaring in Week 1, he was brought back to earth with 6 punts going for just 181 NET Yards (30.2 NET Avg.). Calgary has listed All-Star punter Cody Grace as "Limited" in their weekly injury reports, so there is buzz starting that we may see him this upcoming week. While I would like to see him take the field, I don't want the Stamps to rush him. Let him heal fully, please!
Stephen Flintoft (BC) will also drop a position this week due to having an early BYE. I leave him in the third position because he was gonna be there if he did play anyways, that's how good he is.
Here's something fun. Matt Mengel (EDM) was promoted to the starting punting position this past week, which you would know if you followed me on Twitter (@NoahBeauso). He made the absolute most of his opportunity, punting 3 times for 155 yards (51.7 Avg.) and pushing the Elks into the Top 5 of our Rankings. He has a league-leading 43.7 NET yards per punt and will look to continue his great work. I'm so stoked he's on a CFL roster you guys don't even know.
Marc Liegghio (WPG) had yet another decent week, though his NET Avg. dropped significantly (33.6 NET yards). He drops out of the Top 3 this week after none of his punts made it within the 20 yard line, or over 50 yards for that matter.
Richie Leone (OTT) did not have a great game this week and so he will drop into the sixth position. He punted just 3 times for an average of 38 yards per punt (34.7 NET Avg.). I want to see him get those Aussie kicks under control moving forward.
Kaare Vedvik (SSK) was in the same boat this week, having a lull in production. I really like Vedvik (Former Baltimore Raven) and want to see him do well. We'll see if he gets more than3 opportunities in Week 3.
John Haggerty (TOR) had an o.k. game. He would have had a great stat line if his NET Avg. wasn't so low (31.3). The positives are there though, as he kicked 75% of his punts over 50 yards and if his Preseason stats are any indication of how he plays, the league will know his name by the end of the season.
Simon Laryea (HAM) will actually drop a position this week, even though he was technically in the last position last week. He had another tough game, punting 4 times for just 154 yards (38.5 Avg.) and a NET Avg. of 32.3 NET yards per punt. It's at this time that I will be calling for punter Joel Whitford to make his comeback. He is no longer listed as injured on the Ti-Cats roster but is listed on the Practice Squad if that means anything to anyone.
New Heights
This section will be used for tracking interesting statistics that I like. It will mostly be 2022 Season Records, such as the longest field goal in 2022, as well as player's personal bests during the Season. I may also track Career statistics here but need to find a better database of old statistics before doing that. Here's who made some PBs this week;
CGY Stampeders Kicker Rene Paredes kicks a 46 yard FG (Season Best)
EDM Elks Punter Matt Mengel kicks an Avg. of 51.7 yards per punt (Season Record)
EDM Elks Punter Matt Mengel kicks a NET Avg. of 43.7 yards per punt (Season Record)
MTL Kicker David Côté kicks a 43 yard FG (Season Best)
MTL Punter Joseph Zema kicks a NET Avg. of 40.6 yards per punt (Season Best)
SSK Kicker Brett Lauther kicks a 50 yard FG (Season Best)
TOR Kicker Boris Bede kicks a 38 yard FG (Season Best)
TOR Punter John Haggerty kicks has 3 punts over 50 yards (Season Best)
WPG Kicker Marc Liegghio kicks a 30 yard FG (Season Best)
Thank you for making it this far in my article! Please let me know what you think about the article through the contact page! Have a good day everyone :)
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