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All Canadian trench warfare

All Canadian trench warfare

By Rob Longley

With the return to practice this week of New England Patriots lineman Nick Kaczur, there exists the possibility of an all-Canadian battle in the trenches on Saturday night.

The Patriots play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC divisional round playoff contest at Foxboro as the Pats continue to work on an undefeated season.

Assuming Kaczur, who started every game but the season finale for the Patriots, returns from a foot injury, every time New England lines up on offence he could lock horns with Meier, the Vancouver native and starting defensive tackle for the Jags.

The pressure applied by the Jacksonville D-line was a key factor in the team’s defeat of the Steelers last week in Pittsburgh.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked six times in that contest, including once by Meier.

As well, Big Ben was picked off three times, in part due to pressure applied by the Jacksonville front.

Now in his eighth year in the league, Meier has become a fixture on the underrated Jags defence.

Kaczur, meanwhile, returned to practice this week after nursing a sore foot that kept him out of the lineup two weeks ago against the New York Giants, the final win in the Patriots 16-0 season. Kaczur and the rest of the Patriots line protected quarterback Tom Brady to a league-low 21 sacks.

The pair of big men won’t be the only Canadians in action in today’s four big games. Here’s a look at some of the others:

Jon Ryan, punter, Green Bay:

The Regina native and former punter for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers has had a solid season with the Packers.

The No. 2 seed in the NFC hosts Seattle in Saturday’s early game.

It will be the first NFL playoff appearance for Ryan, who admits the prospect of such a meaningful contest at Lambeau Field is huge.

“The most exciting part is the buildup,” Ryan told the Regina Leader Post this week. “Everything’s a little more intense, there’s more attention to detail and there’s more of a buzz in the air around here.”

L.P. Ladouceur, long snapper, Dallas

Montreal native is one of the most reliable in the league at the skill position and will be in action as the Cowboys face division-rival New York Giants.

Nate Burleson, receiver Seattle

Return of Deion Branch likely will result in less opportunities for the Calgary native but Burleson had six catches for 64 yards in wildcard win over Washington.

Dan Federkeil, offensive tackle, Indianapolis

The Calgary native, who has played special teams for the Super Bowl champs for most of the season, is unlikely to play Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. Federkeil has been sidelined since suffering a concussion earlier in the season.

Clifton Dawson, running back, Indianapolis The Toronto native saw action in a handful of games this season but with a healthy Colts roster is likely to be inactive this weekend.