February 13 - Free Agency Opens

[ArgoRavi]

No CFL teams went with one dual kicker handling both jobs last season as their main roster thinking. As i've harped on before here - IMO - it's a huge risk and dumb roster management to rely on just one kicker to do 3 jobs (including KOs where the guy can get clobbered trying to cover); you lose that one kicker early in a game to injury and unless you have another roster player dressed who has decent kicking ability (say a Dave Stala), you can pretty well kiss winning that game good-bye (unless you had a Doug Flutie at QB against a $hite defence) - and every game is important (usually) in an 18 game season. ZERO NFL teams in modern days have ever relied on just one dual kicker. Has been done in recent CFL history some and a guy like Bede (or Liam H) are certainly quite capable of doing both jobs very well.
An injury and no time to find a decent replacement for next game could happen; but a team could always use a PR spot for a kicker, or have a guy hanging around town.

I hope the Argos are not dumb enough to take this gamble and roll with Liam H. doing both jobs - and Haggerty is an outstanding punter; maybe if they could not find an even below average punter.

Jones in EE land might be dumb enough to go with just Bede dressed as his only kicker.

Some CFL teams dress just one back-up O-lineman still.

I agree with OV about having two kickers dressed. I would imagine that Haggerty has practised placekicking at least a little in case something happens to Hajrullahu during a game.

[OV Argo]

I agree with OV about having two kickers dressed. I would imagine that Haggerty has practised placekicking at least a little in case something happens to Hajrullahu during a game.

Yeah; let's say you dress just one kicker to do all jobs, and on the opening kick-off of the game, the guy gets hurt trying to make a TD saving tackle - then what? - horrid field position from shank punts and no 25 yard FG possibility the rest of the game?

Most place-kickers only surely have some punt ability and vice versa for punters - they can practice both skills every day.

There are rarely any good to decent position players these days who have experience as a punter & place-kicker (like a Dave Stala - 1000 yard receiver but also can do both kicking jobs pretty well).

However - this CFL draft does feature one such guy - Alberta Bears Jon Giuistini was 2nd team all- Canadian at safety this past season AND has also been the Bears regular punter and place kicker (with some decent stats there) - nice versatile guy to have on the roster - safety prospect/capability; can likely play STs as well - and could be the emergency kicker for a team that thought their roster was better served dressing one do it all kicker. Wouldn't mind seeing the Argos draft this guy - might be there in the mid to late rounds