During the 2015 Calgary Stampeder season, there were more than a few games that came down to a field goal, and the Stamps had to rely on their kicker Rene Paredes for a win. With new changes on the field and on the sidelines, will Parades be the secret to success in 2016 for Calgary? How long can he repeatedly, successfully produce for the Stamps?
Rene Paredes Secret to Success in 2016
Success from Year One
Currently 30 years old, the Concordia product was signed by the Stamps as a free agent in 2011. He started making a name for himself almost immediately that year by kicking a 50-yard field goal on his first CFL attempt. He completed 35 of 45 field goals and finished fifth in the league with 158 kicking points.
In 2012, according to the Calgary Stampeders official website, “Paredes earned West Division, CFL and CFL Players’ Association all-star honours as he converted 93.0 per cent of his field goal attempts to set a new franchise record and establish the second-best single-season success rate in CFL history.” But 2013 proved to be Parades’ best year. He was good on 54 out of 57 attempts and even passed B.C. Paul McCallum’s record of 30 consecutive field goals. Paredes broke two CFL records that year with 39 consecutive field goals and a 94.7% accuracy rate.
Paredes continued to produce for the Stamps in 2014 and especially in 2015 when he kicked three game-winning field goals. So you can say he has gotten Calgary out of a few jams and has been a secret to their success.
Success in 2016
Stats and accolades aside, one could argue that Paredes is reaching his peak. Since 2013, his stats have decreased somewhat. But let’s take that with a grain of salt. He may not have topped his 2013 performance but he is still one of the league’s top kickers, if not the best. Even though he surprisingly did not receive CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in 2015, which I noted in a previous article.
With new changes to coaching staff and the offensive team, Paredes’ power-kicking leg is going to be put to the test. Calgary’s offence, as it looks today, is missing a couple of its top receivers, including last year’s top producer, Eric Rogers. With new players and without Bo Levi Mitchell’s normal targets, Calgary may have to rely on field goals to win games, at least until the team finds its footing among all the changes.
But how long can Calgary rely on Paredes to save the game? Let’s take, for example, McCallum; one could argue that his last year in the CFL for the Saskatchewan Roughriders was clearly not his best. The 46-year-old recent retiree even attempted to call it quits after the 2014 season while still in B.C. Should he have retired earlier and left after a final good year? Maybe. But Paredes is a long way away from the retirement stage that McCallum was and he’s still physically strong. He has played all 18 games in the last three years and 17 games in the one before that. So there’s something to be said for his remaining viability.
Will Paredes continue to be the secret weapon that Calgary needs to win games in 2016? There’s no reason he shouldn’t. History tends to repeat itself and while his numbers may never again match his top 2013 season, there’s still a lot of talent and focus in Paredes to win games, not to mention to be the secret of Calgary’s success.
Main Photo.
