EDDIE JOHNSON MEET THE MIGHTY PRAIRIE WIND

Saskatchewan Roughriders kicker and punter Eddie Johnson.
Photograph by: Roy Antal, Leader-Post files
REGINA — The whistling of Tuesday's wind was music to Eddie Johnson's ears.

Tuesday was the first time that the Saskatchewan Roughriders import punter and kicker had heard the province's legendary winds blow. Johnson joined the CFL team July 21 and since then it has been relatively wind-free.

"So far we've had great game days, so I was waiting for this to happen,'' Johnson said after Tuesday's wind-blown practice at Mosaic Stadium. "I heard a little bit of a breeze coming through my window (Tuesday morning) and I thought it would be a good day to work on some stuff.''

The steady north wind blew at 30 km/h and featured gusts of 55 km/h. The Riders set up their special teams practice so Johnson would have an opportunity to kick into the teeth of the wind.
"I know that I started off a little rough,'' Johnson said. "I was hitting a normal, hang-time ball into a very stiff wind. We went into the wind on purpose so we could work on me.''

Johnson talked to Riders special teams co-ordinator Jim Daley and veteran placekicker Luca Congi about the conditions.

"I made an adjustment and some corrections and I felt that I did better job after that,'' Johnson said.

Among the adjustments Johnson made was reducing the hang time on his punts. He worked on driving the ball through the wind.

"I feel better driving the ball like that,'' Johnson said. "I will take a ball like that, which doesn't have as much hang time but it does a better job of getting downfield.''
There is more to adjusting to the wind than simply punting the ball. Johnson also worked holding onto the ball longer before kicking it.

"The more time the ball has to fall before it hits your foot, the more the wind can move it,'' Johnson said. "The less time the ball is in the air, the less time there is for error.''

Similar wind conditions on July 17 may have contributed to Johnson landing a position with the Riders. Incumbent Louie Sakoda struggled in the challenging conditions as the Riders beat the visiting Edmonton Eskimos 24-20. The Riders are to play the Eskimos in Edmonton on Saturday.

Sakoda's struggles prompted the Riders to bring in Johnson in for a tryout July 20. Johnson eventually beat out Sakoda for the starting position. Since then, Johnson has averaged 43.5 yards on 19 punts in three games. Mind you, Tuesday's conditions kept Johnson from reaching that mark while kicking into the wind.

"He mishit a couple of balls and he just needs to relax,'' said Riders head coach Ken Miller. "He's getting a lot of coaching from a lot of different areas and he has even coached himself pretty harshly. I tried to not get into the mix too much but I told him to take a nice, smooth stroke. He was trying to kill the ball. Just use the same stroke and keep calm. It's like using your driver ... try to keep it in the same groove.''

Meanwhile, starting cornerbacks Omarr Morgan and Tad Kornegay missed Tuesday's practice. Miller said that Morgan wasn't feeling well and Kornegay was nursing some muscle soreness. Both are expected to be on the active roster for Saturday's game.

Their absences allowed non-imports Donovan Alexander and Leron Mitchell an opportunity to work with the first-team defence. Alexander (hamstring) has been sidelined for two games while Mitchell (knee) has missed three games. Alexander was the starting wide-side cornerback before being injured.
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