BEST FOOT FORWARD
Riders’ placekicker is Mr. Dependable
Brett Lauther could very well dominate the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ list of CFL award nominees.
The 27-year-old placekicker, a first-year Roughrider, has certainly put his best foot forward for multiple season-ending honours.
His field-goal accuracy rate of 92.9 per cent is among the reasons why the Riders have an 8-5 record and are in sole possession of second place in the CFL’S West Division heading into Sunday’s game in Montreal against the Alouettes.
Lauther leads the Riders’ special teams and is the top-performing Canadian on the team, taking care of two nominations. He should also be included when talk turns to the Riders’ nominee for most outstanding player.
The latter award is traditionally presented to quarterbacks, running backs or receivers, with some exceptions made for a defensive player. But a kicker?
Since 1953, when the awards were first presented, no Riders placekicker has been nominated for most outstanding player.
That could soon change if Lauther maintains his excellence.
The Riders have hit the 13-game mark of the regular season, so there is still time remaining for other players to emerge as candidates for the individual awards.
Until then, here are one man’s thoughts on who the nominees should be:
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER
The CFL doesn’t hand out awards for its best stories. If it did, Lauther’s dream season would be included.
Lauther finally landed a job with the Riders after spending five years kicking around the CFL.
He kept working on his craft, often recruiting family members and friends to shag footballs while he practised.
His opportunity to be a fulltime kicker arrived when Tyler Crapigna was sidelined in June and season-ending hip surgery was prescribed.
Lauther was 5-for-5 in the preseason, during which he kicked a 55-yarder, a performance that allayed some concerns about replacing Crapigna, who had an 86.4 per cent accuracy rate in 2017.
Lauther missed his first regular-season attempt, from 32 yards, but has been unsuccessful only twice since then.
He has also been uncannily accurate from 41 yards and beyond, having made all 14 of his attempts from that range, including boots of 52, 56 and 56 yards.
According to CFL stats guru Steve Daniel, Lauther is the only placekicker in CFL history to have made two field goals of at least 56 yards in the same season.
Saskatchewan’s offence has struggled to score touchdowns, which remains a concern.
Imagine where the Riders would be if Lauther wasn’t so dependable.
It would be remiss not to laud the contributions of holder Josh Bartel and long-snapper Jorgen Hus while writing about Lauther. That three-man unit has worked together to help the three-pointers become virtually automatic.
Lauther, who is 39-for-42, is on pace to break the Riders’ record for field-goal accuracy: 90.6, set by Dave Ridgway in 1993.
When someone can threaten a hall of famer’s record, that is certainly a case for a kicker becoming an MOP nominee.
Also worthy of consideration: defensive ends Charleston Hughes and Willie Jefferson, weakside linebacker Samuel Eguavoen and tailback/returner Marcus Thigpen.
MOST OUTSTANDING CANADIAN
Lauther is the leading contender for this nomination, based on the aforementioned accomplishments.
He has also connected on 25 of 27 converts, which are attempted from 32 yards away.
As well, Lauther has had two games in which he has gone 6-for-6 on field-goal attempts, along with one 5-for-5 performance.
Defensive tackle Zack Evans and guard Brendon Labatte are also worthy candidates.
Evans (who has 11 defensive tackles, a sack and three fumble recoveries) doesn’t have eyepopping stats, but he has been solid. Labatte is the anchor of an offensive line that has allowed the fewest sacks in the league.
MOST OUTSTANDING SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER
If the season ended today, the nomination would be Lauther’s, although there have been many strong contributors on special teams.
Kyran Moore has two puntreturn TDS over the last four games. Thigpen (kickoff ) and Christion Jones (punt) have also scored on returns.
Alexandre Gagne is also among the league’s top special-teams tacklers, with a team-high 14.
MOST OUTSTANDING OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
Saskatchewan’s offensive linemen need an introduction, and that is meant in a flattering way.
That’s because when an offensive line is performing well, the players’ names are rarely mentioned. For the record, the offensive line consists of Labatte (left guard), Takoby Cofield
(left tackle), Dan Clark (centre), Thaddeus Coleman (right tackle) and Dariusz Bladek.
A key stat is that the Roughriders have allowed only 14 sacks, five fewer than the secondranked Calgary Stampeders.
It’s a group effort to accomplish that, but only one player can be nominated.
The nod goes to Labatte, who has been consistent as always.
Labatte is also the Riders’ unquestioned leader. He plays through injuries and is the voice of the team when something needs to be said.
Although the line as a whole is strong, Labatte is a cut above for a variety of reasons.
MOST OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER
At one point, Hughes — who has a league-high 13 sacks — was thought to be the front-runner.
However, Hughes has gone three consecutive games without a sack, while Eguavoen continues to make impactful plays.
Eguavoen leads the Riders with 61 defensive tackles and is third with three sacks.
He returned his lone interception 103 yards for a touchdown and also has returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.
Jefferson (seven sacks, and an interception return for a touchdown) and cornerback Nick Marshall (two interception returns for touchdowns) are also strong candidates.
But, right now, Eguavoen gets the nod due to his consistency and big-play ability.
MOST OUTSTANDING ROOKIE
Slotback Jordan Williamslambert leads all CFL rookies in catches (48), targets (66), receiving yards (568) and touchdowns (four).
Moore is certainly in the mix, with two returns for touchdowns, and he could also make a push for the award down the stretch.
The nomination still goes to Williams-lambert, who has been among the Riders’ top receivers.