July 5, 2017

Notebook: Tyler Crapigna appreciates the support

The Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in CFL action on July 1st, 2017 at New Mosaic Stadium in Regina, SK.. Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella

Tyler Crapigna heard what he needed to hear.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ placekicker got a vote of confidence after Saturday’s CFL game at Mosaic Stadium, where his teammates backed him despite his missed field-goal try in double overtime during a 43-40 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Then on Tuesday, Crapigna got the full support of Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones, who said Crapigna would remain the team’s kicker.

“It means a lot to me,” Crapigna said after Wednesday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “That’s who you hope to have your back is your coach, the coaching staff and your players. So far, I’ve had nothing but support from all of them, so I’m pretty happy about that.”

Jones reiterated his support for Crapigna on Wednesday — and offered a challenge to the kicker’s detractors in the process.

“He’s just like everybody else: He’s human,” Jones said. “Anybody who said something this week about Tyler Crapigna, I’d like to see them do something at an 86- or 87-per-cent completion rate, whether it be shooting free throws or doing anything … That’s what he has done for his career.

“Nobody has ever been more critical of himself than him. He’s hard on himself and he really just needs to relax and do what he has always done.”

Crapigna missed a potential game-winning, 45-yard attempt on June 22 in Saskatchewan’s 17-16 season-opening loss to the host Montreal Alouettes. That was his lone miss in four field-goal tries that night.

On Saturday, he hit his first four field-goal tries and all four of his convert attempts. With the score tied 40-40, Crapigna trotted out to try a 33-yard field goal — but his kick hit the left upright. Four plays later, Justin Medlock kicked a 28-yarder to give Winnipeg the victory.

After the game, players around the Roughriders’ locker room offered their support for Crapigna. Some, including quarterback Kevin Glenn, went so far as to point fingers at themselves instead of the third-year kicker.

“I don’t really like it when other guys try and take blame for stuff that ultimately was my doing, but it is what it is,” Crapigna said. “These guys are really supportive of me and I’m likewise supportive of them. We’re just trying to get it all together.”

Crapigna is 7-for-9 on field-goal tries this season, but he stressed pressure isn’t a factor. He kicked three game-winning field goals last season and this season has made kicks that gave the Roughriders the lead or — in the case of his fourth kick Saturday — extended the game.

His confidence isn’t shaken and his form isn’t changing.

“I felt like last week was probably the best week and, without that miss in that game, I think it was the best kicking game I’ve had so far in the pros,” Crapigna said. “I’m pretty happy with what I’m doing. I’ve just got to keep going forward and eventually those are going to start going through.”

•••

The CFL has a new commissioner.

Randy Ambrosie, who played nine seasons as an offensive lineman in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts, was introduced Wednesday as the new man at the top.

He replaces Jeffrey Orridge, whose time at the CFL’s helm ended June 30.

Jones said he has heard of Ambrosie, but has never met him. The Roughriders and their bench boss had run-ins with the league office during the 2016 season, but Jones expects things will go smoothly in the future.

“I know how things were governed in the past and how they were governed last year was a little bit different,” he said. “I know how we’re going to operate now.

“There’s no grey area with anything, so we make sure when we’re talking to the league office that everything has to come in email or we don’t do it. They’ve got to give us email permission to do anything or we just don’t do it.”

•••

The Roughriders’ running game didn’t do much against Winnipeg, generating just 20 yards on 10 carries.

Jones hopes Saskatchewan can be more productive during Saturday’s game against the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“Even if we don’t have success early — and some plays were there and we missed a block — (the linemen) are not going to always miss (their blocks), so we’ve got to continue to hand it off and our running back’s got to get behind his pads and get us two or three even when there’s no blocking …,” Jones said. “We’ve just got to stick with the game plan and continue to hand it off.”

Tailback Cameron Marshall carried the ball seven times for 11 yards against the Bombers with a long of seven yards. With their run game stifled, the Roughriders used short passes to gain yards on first down to try to get some production.

“You’ve got to be able to get to second-and-medium some way,” Jones said. “It’s frustrating as a co-ordinator when you call a play and you end up in second-and-13 because there’s no good play on his play-call sheet for second-and-13 or second-and-12.

“You’ve got to try to find ways to get in that second-and-medium.”

•••

The CFL announced Wednesday that it had fined Roughriders receiver Duron Carter for his actions during Saturday’s game.

Carter was fined for grabbing the facemask of Bombers linebacker Sam Hurl in what the league called “a reckless and unsafe manner.”

The amount of the fine was not disclosed.