Mike Vanderjagt Returns To Argos

Mike Vanderjagt’s kicking career has officially come full-circle.

The Oakville, Ont., native took part in the first Toronto Argonauts practice of the season Sunday, one day after signing with the team that helped propel him to stardom in 1996. Vanderjagt returns to the CFL following a successful — and at times controversial — NFL career which saw him become the most accurate field-goal kicker in league history.

More than a decade after leaving the Argos for the fame and fortune of the NFL, Vanderjagt said he was thrilled to be back in the double blue.

“Toronto was the front-runner, regardless of what NFL team called,” said Vanderjagt, who led the Argos to back-to-back Grey Cup championships in his only two full CFL seasons. “I really wanted to come to Toronto, more than anything else.”

Vanderjagt wasn’t ready to leave the sport despite an ignominious departure from the NFL in November 2006, where he was cut from the Dallas Cowboys after missing a pair of field goals against his former team, the Indianapolis Colts. He said he always believed he could return to the CFL at any time — and decided to follow through on it after spending the entire 2007 season on the sidelines.

“(Returning to the Argos) came about in the last six months,” said Vanderjagt. “When you fish and golf enough and you’re only 38 years old and you feel you can still do it…

“I miss the area and I miss my family and friends. It became a good opportunity, assuming Toronto wanted me, to be able to kick for a few more years.”

Vanderjagt enjoyed a sensational NFL career with the Colts, leading the league in scoring in 1999 and putting together a streak of 42 consecutive field goals in 2003-04, the longest in league history. Vanderjagt completed 86.5 per cent of his field goals — tops in the NFL among kickers with at least 100 attempts — and made the Pro Bowl in 2004.

Vanderjagt’s NFL tenure was also notable for headlines he made off the field. Vanderjagt lashed out at head coach Tony Dungy and quarterback Peyton Manning on all-sports network The Score following a 41-0 playoff loss to the New York Jets in 2002. Manning fired back at Vanderjagt, calling him “our idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off a lot.”

Vanderjagt laughed off the notion that his outspoken nature may have played a role in NFL teams declining to offer him a contract.

“I don’t know what reason I would be blackballed,” said Vanderjagt, who recently worked out for the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. “If they’re going to blackball somebody, then we’ve got some issues in society.

“I’ve never been arrested, I’ve never (had) DUIs … I would think there would be more guys ready to be blackballed than me. The fact that I’ve had workouts means that `Don’t Touch Vanderjagt’ isn’t necessarily the situation.”

While Vanderjagt is happy to escape the turmoil generated by some of his comments in the NFL, his return to the CFL isn’t without its own controversy. Vanderjagt’s arrival created a logjam at the kicking position, signalling the end of Noel Prefontaine’s tenure with the team. Vanderjagt said he felt badly for Prefontaine, who was wildly popular among Toronto media and Argos fans alike.

“As the process went on, I felt for him,” said Vanderjagt. “I’m not here because I wanted to get rid of Prefontaine. It just happened to be in a situation where I was in Toronto, and I won two Grey Cups, and I’m from here, and this is the place I wanted to be.

“Unfortunately that’s the nature of the business. You certainly have to move on, and I wish him all the best. Edmonton’s lucky to have him.”

New head coach Rich Stubler acknowledged the Argos are getting one of the best kickers in the history of the sport, but was quick to point out that Prefontaine wasn’t so bad, either.

“(Vanderjagt) brings a great resume, but the guy we traded came with a great resume,” said Stubler. “We’ve been blessed with great kickers all along.

“From our standpoint, it was time for us to (rely on) somebody else and I’m excited about Vandy being the guy.”

Vanderjagt joins a revamped Argos offence which includes quarterback Kerry Joseph, the reigning CFL most oustanding player, and wide receiver Bethel Johnson, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots. The acquisitions will undoubtedly bolster Toronto’s bid for its first Grey Cup championship since 2004.

Vanderjagt said adding a third Grey Cup ring would be the perfect bookend to a sensational career — one which has left the lanky kicker with few regrets.

“Years ago if you were to say `you had nine great years in the NFL and you’re the most accurate kicker,’ I would take that in a heartbeat,” said Vanderjagt. “Certainly I feel like I can kick in the NFL, but I am in no means using Toronto as a stepping stone there.

“From an NFL standpoint, sure, I wish I was there. But from a life standpoint, I feel this is the place I should be.”

Photo Credit: Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images