Our special teams are bad

[GOLDMEMBER]

#FreeJamalParker 

I agree McRae has shown he is definitely not the answer.

[dd]

Ya letting the missed field goal bounce sealed it for me. Guys playing JV know you catch it in the air to gain maximum yardage. Move onto someone else, anyone else.

[Pete]

It goes back to McRae's directions, namely it's not about gaining yards it's about not losing yards or the ball. It's why we need a true returner

[Waffler]

We should cut Schmitz at this point if he hasn't shown he could beat out Sheehan. Using a Global kicker is costing us in more ways than one regarding ratio.

This Schmitz is a talented kicker. Considering that since the Leggs disappointment of 2021 we have always had a kicker in town you could do a lot worse than Schmitz.  I have only ever seen him punt live but he can back up field goal and kickoff too.

This is his 70 yard field goal.

https://youtu.be/nEQ7yk6YsAA?t=42

60 yard punt.  I have seen him do this numerous times.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BOGgI9k4PHA

[Sergio105]

Watching the BC Sask game and it's great to see special teams from both teams playing as they should. Punts have distance and hang time, coverage and tackling by both teams is outstanding. Big blue should be taking notice.

[TecnoGenius]

if not I fear McCrea will cough one up at a most inopportune time, he's not a returner....As far as kicking , I thought we had another Aussie kicker on the pr.....Maybe it's time to give him a shot

McCrae has been money for security so far.  Zero FF.  His one whiff he may have known he was running up for a sure no-yards, meaning he had the luxury of whiffing.  He may even be coached to do that: if you're sure your fast run up will catch the other team with no-yards, then just go touch it: a catch is gravy.  (Ya, unorthodox idea, but it's valid.)

If I'm wrong and the whiff is unacceptable then all you Parker People(TM) may get your wish because MOS won't hesitate to bench a guy who fumbles in unacceptable ways.

In any event, I'm happy with the status quo because we know Grant will soon be back, and we're still winning games.

It goes back to McRae's directions, namely it's not about gaining yards it's about not losing yards or the ball. It's why we need a true returner

Yes, you can tell this is his job and MOS/Boudreau don't give him free rein because McCrae gets the ball and runs instantly nothing but north.  Nothing. But. North.  You think he's so useless at returns he doesn't know how to run E/W to look for a potential hole?  No, he's operating under strict instructions and I think he's doing it perfectly.

[TecnoGenius]

He has 9 ST tackles in 6 games. Disappointment?

Ya, Exume has looked great to me.  Last 2 games he's been pretty quiet, but before that he was smashing mouths.  Remember, he's the gunner and it's mostly not their job to make the tackle.  Only if they have contain and are pretty sure they can execute are they to try for a big smash on that first wave.

[TecnoGenius]

Watching the BC Sask game and it's great to see special teams from both teams playing as they should. Punts have distance and hang time, coverage and tackling by both teams is outstanding. Big blue should be taking notice.

Ssshh, we're experimenting, dontchaknow! 

Joking aside, I'm fine with letting this play out.  The placement is pretty good, and penalties fairly rare.  If they can fix the coverage and maybe hang time problems, we should be fine.  And if we can't, we need to do more Oz-style kickery trickery.

[Pete]

if we are going tg use a designated import for special team on the return coverage, we need to find someone like Brunson n Saskatchewan, his hits helped set the tone for the entire game. Also, I hope Miller returns, not only for his tackling ability but for the fact that when other players see how he sacrifices and plays the almost feel obligated to put out a better effort,

[Blue In BC]

This Schmitz is a talented kicker. Considering that since the Leggs disappointment of 2021 we have always had a kicker in town you could do a lot worse than Schmitz.  I have only ever seen him punt live but he can back up field goal and kickoff too.

This is his 70 yard field goal.

https://youtu.be/nEQ7yk6YsAA?t=42

60 yard punt.  I have seen him do this numerous times.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BOGgI9k4PHA

I'd still cut him and find a young import with potential. Keeping a 36 year old global on our PR seems short sighted.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

I'd still cut him and find a young import with potential. Keeping a 36 year old global on our PR seems short sighted.

Makes sense for this year. You aren't going to release a guy who has been good enough to take practice roster money since May and is our only like for like punting backup who could be inserted into the line-up and knows the calls and has been with us since day one.

This off-season, when every job is back under the microscope, would be a more logical time.

You are also probably forgetting that we can expand the practice roster for 30 days whenever we like, starting on September 5. He can stay and we can still evaluate our NFL cuts.

[Blue In BC]

Makes sense for this year. You aren't going to release a guy who has been good enough to take practice roster money since May and is our only like for like punting backup who could be inserted into the line-up and knows the calls and has been with us since day one.

This off-season, when every job is back under the microscope, would be a more logical time.

You are also probably forgetting that we can expand the practice roster for 30 days whenever we like, starting on September 5. He can stay and we can still evaluate our NFL cuts.

Having been kept on the PR since TC doesn't mean he was good enough. In 2022 we kept Mourtada on the PR all season and he was clearly not good enough.

Punter or kicker is the same as any other players on the PR. Teams should always be looking for better candidates. You want players that have a chance of progressing from the PR to the AR the following season.

When the PR expands is the chance not only to add additional players but replace some of those just taking up space. As players return from the IR some will be deleted in any case. We' e read comments that our current punter is not performing up to expectations. There is no talk about the PR global replacing him though. He'll be 37 tears old in January.

A few other players on the PR have been on the AR and shown potential.

EDIT: Looking at the unofficial roster I only see 7 players under contract for 2024 that are actually still with the team. Yes the team has been good at re-signing veterans in the past. However we have an aging roster. That and SMS giving others a chance to move in free agency exists. The unofficial roster is not up to date so that's a bit misleading.

Developing good players on the PR for 2024 is a continuing process all season. It shouldn't stagnate.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Having been kept on the PR since TC doesn't mean he was good enough. In 2022 we kept Mourtada on the PR all season and he was clearly not good enough.

Punter or kicker is the same as any other players on the PR. Teams should always be looking for better candidates. You want players that have a chance of progressing from the PR to the AR the following season.

When the PR expands is the chance not only to add additional players but replace some of those just taking up space. As players return from the IR some will be deleted in any case. We' e read comments that our current punter is not performing up to expectations. There is no talk about the PR global replacing him though.

A few other players on the PR have been on the AR and shown potential.

...who is this magical Canadian punter you'd like to bring in that's better than Schmitz, but hasn't been signed by any team all season and isn't going to play CIS ball in a few weeks?

Schmitz is just fine for now and should Sheahan pull a hamstring I'm sure we'll all be glad he's on the roster. We're heading into the most important stretch of the season. The Bombers don't make roster decisions on a whim.

Just because you woke up today and decided Schmitz is too old doesn't mean it makes a modicum of sense to make a change. Have you even been to a single practice? Is there anything you're basing this off of other than his age? The things you grab ahold of are confounding at times. It makes no sense.

[Blue In BC]

...who is this magical Canadian punter you'd like to bring in that's better than Schmitz, but hasn't been signed by any team all season and isn't going to play CIS ball in a few weeks?

Schmitz is just fine for now and should Sheahan pull a hamstring I'm sure we'll all be glad he's on the roster. We're heading into the most important stretch of the season. The Bombers don't make roster decisions on a whim.

Just because you woke up today and decided Schmitz is too old doesn't mean it makes a modicum of sense to make a change. Have you even been to a single practice? Is there anything you're basing this off of other than his age?

Who said he has to be a Canadian? There are probably quite a few players from either the XFL or USFL that we have considerable film on that might be available.  The NFL will be making cuts in about a week. In the entire world of globals as a subset this is what we've got?

I'm not saying anything I didn't say or suggest during and after TC ws completed.

I've also questioned why we've kept Machino on the PR for another year. He seems to be a G and we have 2 Canadian back ups for that spot. He wouldn't be a good ratio fit in 99.9999% of the time due to already having used the 2nd global spot on a punter on the roster.  He's a pending free agent on top of all that.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Who said he has to be a Canadian? There are probably quite a few players from either the XFL or USFL that we have considerable film on that might be available.  The NFL will be making cuts in about a week. In the entire world of globals as a subset this is what we've got?

I'm not saying anything I didn't say or suggest during and after TC ws completed.

I've also questioned why we've kept Machino on the PR for another year. He seems to be a G and we have 2 Canadian back ups for that spot. He wouldn't be a good ratio fit in 99.9999% of the time due to already having used the 2nd global spot on a punter on the roster.  He's a pending free agent on top of all that.

There is zero chance we roster an American punter AND Castillo. Makes even less sense.