Dave Campbell
CFL.ca
Just because Eskimos general manager Eric Tillman resides in Regina and has spent little time in Edmonton since taking the job, the fact remains that he has been extremely active on the football scene while putting his stamp on the club.
The CFL trade deadline came and went on Wednesday but Tillman did his work on Tuesday. He dealt veteran kicker Noel Prefontaine back to the Toronto Argonauts in exchange for non-import defensive lineman Etienne Legare (2nd overall selection in the 2009 Canadian Draft) and import linebacker Damaso Munoz.
“It’s never easy to make a trade, particularly with a well established and respected veteran,” explained Tillman. “We got younger; we believe we may have gotten more athletic in terms of adding Etienne and Damaso to our team. And we created very valuable cap space that will help us as we towards the 2011 season.”
The reigns of the kicking game will now be handed to 25-year-old Derek Schiavone who has been with the Eskimos since 2008, the same year Prefontaine was originally acquired by Edmonton from Toronto. Prefontaine was gracious to put Schiavone under his wing when he arrived in Edmonton, but now Schiavone will take what he has learned from his mentor to the field starting Saturday at Empire Field in Vancouver.
“It’s a bit of mixed emotions you know,” explained Schiavone. “Excited, nervous, anxious, all of it is just kicking in.”
It’s not like Schiavone is completely unfamiliar with playing in the CFL. He’s made three appearances in his young career.
The product of Western Ontario has been successful on 13 field goals on 14 attempts. In his first two appearances Schiavone’s punt average was around 36 yards. This season, Schiavone kicked in the second week of the season because of an injury to Prefontaine. His punt average that day versus the Alouettes was a stellar 45 yards.
This week’s trade was not really a big surprise when you consider the factors surrounding Prefontaine. First, he is 37-years-old and making in the area of $150,000. He is still one of the most effective kickers in the Canadian Football League, but the chance to go younger and cheaper for a club on the verge of rebuilding was just too appealing for Tillman to pass up. Prefontaine, however, was very disappointed to be traded during the season.
“I really wanted to finish the year out with the club up there,” lamented Prefontaine. “I felt that I was part of the reason the club struggled and I wanted to be with the team and see if we could make the playoffs.”
The other side of the coin is Prefontaine is afforded the chance to head back to where his CFL career started and where he and his wife and child reside in the off-season.
According to Prefontaine, the move is also a better fit for him in regards to performing comfortably in his job. In Edmonton, special teams coordinator Noel Thorpe asked Prefontaine to one-step punt instead of the more traditional two-step punting. Prefontaine says the scheme was extremely difficult for him to execute.
“Its something I’ve been fighting for the last couple of years,” Prefontaine explained. “I think this year was kind of my breaking point because we did more of it. It’s just something I wasn’t accustomed to. It was just something I didn’t want to deal with anymore.”
Despite his concerns, Prefontaine still ripped off a 43-yard punt average in 2010 and the scheme clearly worked, which at the end of the day is what matters. But you have to give him credit for the way he kept the frustrations to himself until after the trade when he let almost three seasons of frustration spew out.
Prefontaine proved to be a very good Eskimo during his time in green and gold. The Eskimos needed a kicker following the retirement of Sean Fleming and Prefontaine provided some much needed stability to the kicking game and gave the organization enough time to groom its successor.
Holder Jason Maas will now be able to go back and hold right handed for Derek Schiavone. Because Prefontaine is a left footed kicker, Maas had to learn to hold left-handed. Prefontaine was never really comfortable with the situation, even though he appreciated the work Maas put in.
Prefontaine is known to be picky about a number of aspects of the kicking game, like where the ball should be placed on the kicking tee.
When asked if Schiavone is more laid back, Maas responded, “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
Happy one-step punting, too.
Notes: The Eskimos claimed kicker Justin Medlock off waivers from the Toronto Argonauts this week … The Eskimos also added veteran wide receiver Derick Armstrong after claiming the 31-year-old off of the Saskatchewan Roughriders practice roster. He is expected to play on Saturday in Vancouver … Slotback Jason Barnes is likely out for the season with a ruptured spleen. He remains in a Hamilton hospital where doctors are still monitoring Barnes and determining if surgery is needed to remove his spleen … Middle linebacker Maurice Lloyd will be out Saturday with bruised ribs, so Rod Davis will take Lloyd’s spot and Mark Restelli will play his first game in more than three months after recovering from a knee injury … Slotback Kelly Campbell is back in the lineup after missing the last three games with an injured ankle … Defensive end Kai Ellis will sit out again this week because of leg injury, which means Kenny Pettway will draw back into the lineup … Defensive halfback Lawrence Gordon returns after a two-game absence due to an elbow injury so Randee Drew comes out of the lineup … The Eskimos also signed quarterback Matt Nichols this week. He was a four-year starter at Eastern Washington and threw 96 touchdown passes during his NCAA career. He was released by the Dallas Cowboys during training camp in August.