Jul
Kicker Sean Whyte about to finally get his chance with Lions
Courtesy Vancouver Province:
Sean Whyte was not so caught up in the moment to recognize the irony.
For three seasons he has been the Lions’ equivalent of the Maytag repairman, buried on the depth chart waiting for the chance to make a contribution to the CFL team.
But when Paul McCallum suffered a torn right MCL in Friday’s loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, all the forgotten 23-year-old could do was serve as a sideline coach to a trio of emergency kickers.
Travis Lulay, Paris Jackson and Tad Crawford hardly wanted to kick under the circumstances, but with Whyte not dressed they had no choice.
Yet that ended the moment the Lions headed to the locker room. And starting with Thursday’s road game against the Edmonton Eskimos, the White Rock kicker will have the job he always wanted. Even if he never wanted the job this way.
“I don’t want to see Paul hurt and down like this,” Whyte said Sunday. “If I ever want his job I want him kicking well and healthy and retire and I just inherit the job.
“But I’m not going to stress myself out about it. Kicking is kicking. If I can do it on the practice field I can do it in a game.”
McCallum will decide today whether he will pass off all the Lions kicking duties for the rest of the season. And off the initial prognosis, the chances of having a lot of free time to use his new B.C. real estate licence and help his wife find work in the Lower Mainland are good.
Trainer Bill Reichelt confirmed the league’s oldest player has a knee injury but will consult today with doctors to determine whether the 39-year-old will attempt rehabilitation or undergo season-ending surgery.
Complicating matters is the possibility of posterior ligament damage and a suspected broken wrist for the punter.
Either way, the Lions will use one of their two exemptions each season to bring Whyte off the nine-game injured list, because the thought of using position players to kick, based on Friday’s 31-28 loss to Hamilton, bordered on comical.
Lulay came in first and punted for 53 yards, but only before game officials realized quarterbacks are not eligible to do so.
“I had no idea about that rule either,” said the quarterback, who was a situational punter for three seasons at Montana State.
Jackson was next, but didn’t look out of place either.
“It just shows that even if it’s out of your limit, you do it anyway,” said the receiver.
Crawford was in charge of placements. Not only did he hammer home two converts effectively, he crossed up the Ticats with a kickoff that forced them to scramble, though Whyte said there was room for improvement.
“Tad didn’t even know how to tee up the damn ball,” said Whyte. Crawford, a former Ontario high school kicker, told coach Wally Buono he could hit a field goal from 37 yards out, but never got the chance.
It’s possible all three could return, as Buono said the club will not reach out to veteran Bret Anderson to serve as a backup, at least not yet.
So for now, all the jobs belong to a White Rock Titans graduate who has been solid in three seasons of exhibition play but never has had the chance when it counted.
“This is where it all begins for me,” Whyte said. “I’m going to relax and soak it all in while I have this. Growing up when you play you’d always wish the stands were packed. Now it’s happening.”
