CFL APPROVES ALMOST ALL RULE CHANGE PROPOSALS
TORONTO – Significant changes to the convert, passing rules and the pace of the game will be in place when the new Canadian Football League season kicks off this June.
The league’s Board of Governors approved today most of the changes proposed earlier this Spring by the CFL’s Rules Committee.
“The Board endorsed the view that this is a great time for our league to innovate,” said Michael Copeland, the CFL’s President and Chief Operating Officer.
“We’re looking forward to putting in place changes that have the potential to improve an already great game.”
The CFL is modifying the convert that follows a touchdown to make it less predictable.
A kick for a single point, which took place from the 12-yard line in past seasons, will now be kicked from the 32-yard line.
Last year, 99.4 per cent of kicks for a single point following a touchdown were successful. For field goal attempts from between 31 and 33 yards, 81 per cent were successful.
If a team opts to run or pass the ball into the end zone for a two point convert following a touchdown, the ball will be scrimmaged from the three-yard line, instead of the five-yard line, which may entice more coaches to “go for two”.
Last year, there were only 23 two-point convert attempts, and seven, or 30 per cent, were successful.
But the Governors rejected the Committee’s suggestion that the league test a more radical approach during pre-season games: a convert worth three points if a team chose to run or pass the ball over the goal line from the ten-yard-line.
To open up the passing game, the Governors approved a change designed to create more room for a passing offence.
It will allow a defensive player to contact a receiver that is in front of him within five yards of the line of scrimmage, but it will not allow either player to create or initiate contact that impedes or redirects an opponent beyond five yards.
The Board agreed that on a punt play, when the ball bounces on the ground and a five yard no yards penalty is called, the penalty will automatically be added to the end of the return, or from the point the ball was first touched by the return team, whichever is better.
In the past, the receiving team had to choose between the five-yard penalty or the yards gained on the return.
It is believed that making the penalty more punitive could reduce the number of no yards penalties.
To increase the tempo of the game, at any time in the game the offence will now be allowed to signal to the Referee that it doesn’t want to substitute and it wants to use a tempo offence.
The officials will then blow the play in immediately upon the ball and yardsticks being set for play.
This new protocol will be combined with a rule change made last year – which meant the offence no longer had to wait for the defense to substitute before initiating a play if the offence had not substituted.
Together, the changes create an opportunity for the offence to dictate the pace of the game.
Also to improve game flow, the CFL is removing the ability of a coach to request a measurement, leaving it to the Referee to measure when he is unsure if a first down has been made or not.
On punts, a rule change will prohibit the five interior linemen on the kicking team from leaving the line of scrimmage until the ball is kicked.
This should reduce the number of illegal blocking and no yards penalties, while increasing the amount of room the receiving team has to set up a return.
There would be a ten-yard penalty for violating this new rule.
The CFL is maintaining the ability for a coach to challenge Defensive Pass Interference, an innovation introduced last year. But the Board of Governors rejected a proposal that Offensive Pass Interference also be made subject to video review.
It approved no longer giving the receiving team the option of demanding that a team kick again after one of its kick offs goes out of bounds. The receiving team will now either take the ball where it went out of bounds, or at a point 30 yards in advance of where the ball was kicked off, whichever is better.
The Canadian Football League regular season kicks off on Thursday June 25 when the Montreal Alouettes host the Ottawa REDBLACKS. On Friday, June 26, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the Calgary Stampeders for a rematch of last year’s Grey Cup game. On Saturday, June 27, the Toronto Argonauts host the Edmonton Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers travel to Saskatchewan to face the Roughriders.
The CFL pre-season kicks off Monday June 8 when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
The Rules Committee includes several CFL coaches and general managers as well as representatives of the CFL, CFL Players’ Association and CFL Officials.
The CFL Board of Governors includes owners of privately held teams, chairmen of community owned teams, and several team presidents.
Last season there was seven successful two point converts in the whole league. As a quarterback with minimal experience Tino Sunseri engineered four of them CONSECUTIVELY.
That's potential, yet a bunch of the brain surgeons in this province that masquerade as fans want him gone.
Go Figure.
Should be some interesting punt returns this year.
And yet there still is a single point awarded for a failed field goal. So what if the ball goes thru the end zone or the "returner" gets caught there. Field goal made or missed, the play is over. End of story.
PS. So Sunseri managed four 2 point converts, big stinking deal. He was handed the job and failed miserably but hey, those 2 pt converts, those should get him a 3 year deal. Lord have mercy.
Perhaps the changes to the receiving game are an over-reaction to the lack of offense in 2014 caused in large part from two factors: an expansion year for the CFL to nine teams and QB injuries – Lulay, Durant, retirement of AC, Collaris, Mike Reilly. However, the extra point change should be okay if it does in fact lead to more 2 point conversions (a special skill set of Tino/Durant and Dressler). Two pointers are an offensive play that gets the fans to pay attention, (although us old guys with bad prostrates and the beer drinking yute like to use… Read more »
Oskee Wee Wee,
Oskee Waa Waa,
Holy MAKINAW !
Roughriders Eat'EN RAW 2015 !
Go Cats Go ! Go Cats Go ! Go Cats Go !
Oskiee wa wa guy.
It's gotta suck, too lose like that two years in a row…
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
Wonder where Austin will end up after his third year of disappointment…
U of R maybe
He will probably most reluctantly be enticed back to the roughriders franchise in Regina by the big bucks to take over all operations and management to right that ship once again, President/Gm/Head Coaching, one man board of director/trainer/ball boy/etc etc, he knows it all. That franchise surely could use his highly sought after football acumen/high intelligence as they are sinking fast in the CFL West Division after they purchased a grey cup way back in 13.
To the first poster,
I agree, let's pull Darian and put out Tino for every two point convert this year. Sounds like a great coaching move!
Ps. If Tino is a backup so be it. We need to look for the player that will beat Darian out of a job. (tough order)
Rob in Stoon.
how about a giant hoop that would swing back and forth from left to right. kicker would have to time it up perfectly,if it goes through its 5 pts now that would be a convert!
The hoop should also be on fire.
Hang on for the ride folks! In the next 4 days we're going to find out if Darian has healed or we've been hoodwinked.
Speed up the game by calling more PIs that are challengable by the coach. CFL logic. Expect more game delays as the ref huddle up to discuss the new rule changes to reverse some calls and make others that will be immediately challenged. TSN will be out of commercials before the first half.
It seems that the refs do more huddling during the course of the game than the defenses do, can't see the new rule changes helping this.