Analyzing Leading Contenders for CFL All-Decade Special Teams Selection

The CFL is marking another superb decade of Canadian football by pulling together the best players of the last ten seasons into one ultimate squad. For the very first time, an All-Decade Team will be created to showcase the best of the best.

Here, we’ll be looking at the nominees for the Special Teams section of the All-Decade Team, focussing on the leading contenders to make the cut from the kicker and punter, special teamer, and returner categories. In the voting, there are 11 kickers, 15 punters, 14 special teamers, and 24 returners to choose from: these are who look to lead the way.

Leading returner contenders

There are several strong claimants for the title of ‘best returner of the decade,’ such as Brandon Banks being a mere 47-yards from standing fifth in career yards. Plus, he’s already recorded the most touchdowns on missed field goal returns with five.

However, the two absolute top contenders look to be Chris Rainey and Stefan Logan. Rainey boasts 6,671 kickoff return yards (3rd overall all-time), ahead of Banks (4th) by nearly 3,000 yards. He made CFL history by becoming the first player to record four 1,000 return yard seasons, which he happened to achieve consecutively.

Logan puts forward an incredibly strong case himself. He stands second all-time in kickoff return yards, trailing ‘Gizmo’ Williams by a mere 671 yards. The Florida-native is also only 254 punt return yards from reaching 5,000 in his career, ranking fifth on the all-time list.

Rainey and Logan actually have a lot in common, having played for a consistently-favoured NFL franchise. They both hail from the Sunshine State and they both played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Still considered to be a top team in the league, the Steelers have long been known for their ability to pluck defensive talents, sometimes out of nowhere, with the joint all-time Super Bowl winners now at 26.00 to win another Lombardi Trophy with Funbet. In 2009, Logan starred for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then, three years later, Rainey debuted for Steelers, so it’s no surprise both players are potential contenders considering their heritage.

It looks set to be a close race between Rainey and Logan, with several other top candidates in the mix.

Leading special team contenders

The two all-time leaders in special team tackles feature on the shortlist for the All-Decade Team. First, there’s Jason Arakgi, who holds the all-time career record at 190 tackles. Arakgi could have extended the record further, but he shockingly retired in 2017, as shown by CBC.

Next on the all-time tackles list, and likely Arakgi’s leading challenger, is Mike Miller. He sits just five tackles behind Arakgi in the all-time list. However, he’s also just shy of all-time greatness in other regards. Miller is riding a four-season streak of 20-plus special team tackles: one more campaign of 20-plus tackles will set a new record.

Miller and Arakgi are going head-to-head, with it being quite remarkable that these exemplary special team tacklers played in the same decade.

Leading kickers and punters contenders

Looking at the best kickers and punters of the last ten years, perhaps the first place to look is at one of the most reliable double-teams in CFL history. As noted by the Calgary Sun, the tandem of Rene Paredes and Rob Maver has dominated for the Stampeders.

Paredes, especially, has a strong claim for a place in the All-Decade team. He boasts an 86.8 per cent kicking accuracy, four seasons with at least 90 per cent efficiency, and 161 career games. Still active in the CFL, the Stamps kicker since 2011 will likely continue to add to his records and accolades, which currently pile up as three All-Star appearances and two Grey Cups.

The voting is now open for the CFL All-Decade Team, so get over to the official CFL website to vote for who you think should make the cut.