I miss all the snarly posts about our kicking game
that we have had for the last few years so here goes..
What a shame
A local boy [Brantford] who could have been
the answer to our kicking woes even last year
is being chained to the bench out west again
by B.C.'s stingy G.M. and Head Coach Wally Bouno.
The Vancouver Sun Wed 06 Jun 2007
Byline: Mike Beamish
Waiting game not Pikula's preference;
Lions' backup kicker willing to play second fiddle,
to a point
Wally Buono has no timetable for strong-legged Rob Pikula
to succeed the B.C. Lions' top foot soldier --
veteran kicker/punter Paul McCallum.
But Pikula does.
Going toe-to-toe with McCallum in training camp,
for a 48.2-yard average in his first pro game
June 25 last year against Saskatchewan,
for the second straight season, Pikula is willing
to bide his time, work on his craft and set 2008
as his launch date.
If not right away, Pikula expects to be the punter
and kicker of choice somewhere in the CFL before very long.
"We could start a big controversy in the paper --
like the one with the quarterbacks --
and get people thinking," Pikula says, in jest.
"For me, 2007 is still another year of learning.
Either way, whether I get a chance in games,
or just during the week in practice, I'm going to benefit.
But, if I'm not starting by my third year of pro ['08],
for me it's better to go somewhere where I can."
In line to replace a veteran, Pikula is aware that
at least one CFL team -- the Winnipeg Blue Bombers --
would like to give him a chance to push 40-year-old
Troy Westwood and, eventually, punt him out the door.
Pikula, then 23, sailed six punts into the ether
for a 48.2-yard average in his first pro game
June 25 last year against Saskatchewan,
the team which released him. In seven attempts,
he made six field goals against the Roughriders
and Toronto Argonauts, the only other time he
saw the field in '06. All he seems to be missing
is a lack of seasoning, the same quibble
that gives Dave Dickenson a decided edge
over backup Buck Pierce at quarterback.
Of course, pitting Pierce against Dickenson
only serves to speed the younger player's development.
And coach Wally Buono expects McCallum's polish
will continue to rub against Pikula
and produce a coin flip at the kicking position.
Heads or tails? Either way, he can't lose.
"Is Rob Pikula the Buck Pierce of kickers?" Buono says.
"The analogy is very apt. That's what the expanded
[46-man] roster has allowed us to do.
Good kickers are hard to find.
We felt the investment in keeping Rob was well worth it.
Today, he's a stronger kicker than he was last year."
The best news for Pikula is that Buono knows he has
an asset, and the Blue Bombers know it, too.
GM Brendan Taman has said so publicly.
"I'm not like Brendan.
I don't tell the media who I want," Buono says.
"I don't think it's good business."
Buono says Pikula isn't going anywhere.
Besides, the coach likes the kid's swagger,
the same air of confidence that envelops Pierce
when he settles in behind centre.
"We control his contract," Buono says.
"Whether Rob likes his role or not,
that's not up for discussion.
He's a great fallback for us."
A rehab specialist with a kinesiology degree from Western,
Pikula was employed at McMaster University's
David Braley Athletic Centre over the winter,
getting dinged-up athletes whole again.
His caseload included linebacker
Jason Pottinger, the second-year Lion
who underwent offseason shoulder repair.
Making people sweat is Pikula's other job,
but as Buono's backup kicker
he gives the boss
no reason to.
