Not even crossing the border can do the idiot kicker good. In his first game with the Toronto Argonauts, Vandershank missed his first 3 field goals. They were from 32, 39, and 51 yards out. He ended up with making two in a row from 44 and 49. He also had 7 punts for an average of 48.1 yards with one going 60 yards. Maybe he could make it back in the NFL by way of punting, so he could be our “liquored-up idiot punter”. On one of his missed field goals, he scored a “single”. I didn’t know what in God’s name a single was, so I went to the omniscient source of knowledge: Wikipedia. Here’s the definition:
“A single (single point, rouge or UNO), in Canadian football, is awarded when the ball is kicked into the end zone by any legal means, other than a successful field goal, and the receiving team does not return, or kick, the ball out of its end zone. It is also a single if the kick travels through the end zone or goes out of bounds in the end zone without being touched, except on a kickoff. After conceding a single, the receiving team is awarded possession of the ball at the 35-yard line.”
So crappy kicking is rewarded up there. I guess kneeling the ball isn’t common in the CFL. That also makes sense when I saw “Missed Field Goal Returns” as a category in the stats sheet.
The Argonauts did end up winning the game by two, so Vanderjagt didn’t blow this game. Somethings do change.