Argos acquire rights to Steve Christie

In the CFL, a league where every yard counts, a reliable kicking game is a must.

That's why the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers made key roster moves Saturday with the Argos picking up negotiating rights to former NFL kicker Steve Christie and the Blue Bombers acquiring punter/kicker Rob Pikula from the B.C. Lions.

Noel Prefontaine, who does all of Toronto's kicking duties, suffered an apparent head injury during the first quarter of Thursday's 24-22 loss to the B.C. Lions at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

He attempted a field goal later in the half, but missed.Argos head coach Michael (Pinball) Clemons kept Prefontaine on the sidelines as a precaution.

It's not known if Prefontaine will miss any time with the injury.

Christie, a 39-year-old native of Hamilton, played 15 seasons in the NFL, beginning his career with Tampa Bay.

He's best known for his time with the Buffalo Bills, however, where he played from 1992-2000, helping the Bills to two Super Bowls.In Super Bowl XXVIII, he set a record with a 54-yard field goal.

Christie also played for the San Diego Chargers from 2001-2003. He last played in the NFL in 2004 with the New York Giants.

Christie, a college teammate of Clemons, was most recently on Winnipeg's negotiation list, but Christie did not want to play outside of the Toronto-Hamilton area because he lives in Buffalo.

Over his career, Christie made 336 of 431 field goals for a 77 per cent average.

Pikula plucked from Lions

The Blue Bombers traded away a mid-round draft pick to the Lions for Pikula, whose playing time was limited behind veteran punter/kicker Paul McCallum.

Pikula, a 26-year-old native of Brantford, Ont., comes to Winnipeg as insurance because both incumbent kicker Troy Westwood and punter Pat Fleming are struggling.

Westwood made just 1-of-4 field goals in Thursday's 39-39 tie with the Edmonton Eskimos.

While Pikula can do place kicking, his expertise is punting.