ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
SCARBOROUGH – Newly re-acquired kicker Justin Medlock didn’t surprise anyone at Argos practice when he hit his first two field goals in warm up, just minutes before the team commenced its usual drills.
Kicker Justin Medlock and defensive tackle Walter Curry met with members of the media this week upon returning to the Boatmen.
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Medlock himself was surprised however, not at his ability to still kick the ball after taking a brief hiatus from football, but rather how flawless the chemistry between he and veteran linebacker, and holder, Kevin Eiben was.
Eiben was Medlock’s holder for all of a 2009 campaign which saw him go 40 of 46. The former UCLA product never underestimated Eiben’s ability as a holder but now he appreciates it more since they have been apart.
“We tried two field goals today and right after I kicked the first one I was like, wow,” Medlock said. “The coaches asked me why? I said, because the holder was amazing.”
Medlock, who spent the majority of his off-season trying to crack the Washington Redskins’ lineup, admitted he had challenges working with holders that were used to pinning the ball for right-footed kickers and it may have hindered his performances.
“Let’s just say it is really hard as a lefty,” Medlock stated. “A lot of guys are used to holding for a righty.”
10-year veteran, Kevin Eiben, has been holding for most of his career and has had the unique opportunity of holding for left-footed kickers for the majority of his career. Eiben is left handed which makes him the perfect candidate.
Prior to Medlock’s arrival, Eiben held for Noel Prefontaine for years and the Edmonton Eskimo kicker still sits among the Argos’ all-time leaders in numerous field goal kicking categories.
Now that he has shaken some of the rust off and survived his first practice back, Medlock turns his focus to Sunday.
“I pride myself on that first field goal. I really want to get myself off to a good start and get the team believing. If you miss that field goal then you have the (rest of) the team thinking, ‘hey, now we have to go a hundred yards’.”