OPINION: THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH CANADIAN FOOTBALL

By: Dan Ralph, Canadian Press Columnist

There is nothing wrong with the game of Canadian football.

The three-down version of football played with 12 players aside on a field measuring 110 yards long by 65 yards wide with 20-yard end zones is a big part of what makes the game uniquely Canadian. There are certainly other elements, like unlimited motion, a yard off the ball, and giving returners five yards on punts but the key components, indeed, are three downs on a longer, wider field.

Last week, Rogers Sportsnet reported that Genius Sports, a data and technology firm that became a minority CFL stakeholder in December, was making a push for the league to play four-down football. Now, Genius was quick to come out publicly and deny the claim but the same can’t be said for commissioner Randy Ambrosie.

Ambosie has started his annual tour of CFL cities with stops in Calgary and Regina. During both visits, he was asked about the possibility of the league moving to four downs and neither time did Ambrosie provide a swift and emphatic denial.

And that’s a concern because no one should understand the uniqueness of Canadian football better than Ambrosie. A Winnipeg native, Ambosie played collegiately at Manitoba before spending eight years in the CFL as an offensive lineman with Calgary (1985-87), Toronto (1987-88) and Edmonton (1989-93), winning a Grey Cup with the Elks in his final season as a pro.

Three downs and the field dimensions are at the heart of what makes football here Canadian. It’s a game that’s unique to Canada and played this way only north of the border.

When the Canadian game is played well, it’s wide open, it’s exciting, it’s a lot of fun to watch. With three downs, teams can have many opportunities to get the ball and therefore score.

Just ask the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Last year, the Ticats had double-digit leads in the fourth quarter of regular-season home games against the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts but still lost close decisions.

And even in the ’21 Grey Cup game, Hamilton led 22-10 in the fourth quarter at Tim Hortons Field versus the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, only to drop a heart-breaking 33-25 overtime decision.

It should also be mentioned the NFL and CFL are different games played by different types of players. There’ve been former NFL players who’ve come up to Canada and struggled while others who’ve either had a cup of coffee south of the border or not even been given a chance have found a home playing the Canadian game.

The truth is each year, there’s only one franchise, and thus only one fan base, that will be truly happy with each season. For the other eight clubs, it’s back to the drawing board in the quest to win a championship.

The CFL resumed play in 2021 after being forced to shelve the ’20 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the return wasn’t fully embraced by fans as the average attendance last year just 19,164, down from 22,917 two years ago and 27,767 in 2011.

There were complaints the level of play had fallen off. In 2021, Winnipeg (23 offensive points per game) was the top-scoring team while the Montreal Alouettes (371.8 yards per game) boasted the top-gaining offence.

In 2019, Hamilton led the CFL in scoring (26.1 points per game) and offence (393.7 yards per game).

However, if teams aren’t scoring enough points to win games in the CFL, the onus is on GMs to improve their talent base with better players. And if the general manager accomplishes that, then it’s up to head coaches and their staffs to do the best job they can to put those players in a position to succeed playing a game that’s unique to the country they’re playing in.

And Marc Trestman, who won three Grey Cups as a CFL head coach, doesn’t want to see the game in Canada fundamentally change.

“I am hopeful @CFL @CFL_News will remain a 3 Down League,” Trestman tweeted Saturday. “It is a brilliantly conceived game.

“Going 4 downs will takeaway it’s beauty and nuance that makes it so special! Let’s find a better solution! Together!”

Trestman came to Canada in 2008 after a long stint as an NFL assistant coach. He led the Montreal Alouettes to consecutive Grey Cups (2009-10) before serving as the Chicago Bears head coach (2013-14) and Baltimore Ravens offensive co-ordinator (2015).

Trestman returned to the CFL in 2017 as the Toronto Argonauts head coach and won a Grey Cup in his first season with the club. He remained with the Argos through the 2018 campaign.

A key element of all three of Trestman’s Grey Cup-winning teams was the presence of a veteran quarterback. Hall of Famer Anthony Calvillo was Trestman’s starter in Montreal while four-time champion Ricky Ray, a future Hall of Famer, was at the helm in Toronto in 2017.

And it’s no coincidence that veteran Zach Collaros has been under centre for Winnipeg’s consecutive Grey Cup victories (2019, ’21).

There’s no doubt the CFL is trying to appeal to a younger demographic, and that’s understandable. But the biggest problem the league faces currently is how it markets its product, not the game it plays.

Should it examine and potentially change the game-day experience for fans? Sure.

Will an open and legalized single-game sports gambling market in Canada enhance/increase fan engagement? Certainly, examine that.

Look at some rules, specifically eliminating the single off a missed field goal? By all means.

Why not look at how to better promote/market current CFL players? They’re by far the league’s best and most recognized commodity and while many are already solid ambassadors, examine ways of getting more involved.

But leave the key elements of Canadian football alone, most notably the field dimensions and three downs. If people in Canada want to watch four-down football, they already have that option with either the NCAA or NFL.

The game of Canadian football isn’t the problem here.