The CFL rules because of the CFL’s rules

I started my newspaper career covering a high school football game in Ashland, Ala., in 1987. The last game I wrote about as a credential-carrying member of the media was Clemson’s victory over Wake Forest last fall at Memorial Stadium.

Out of Left Field is written by Scott Adamson. It appears when he feels like writing sportsball columns. Follow him on Twitter @adamsonsl

In between I had “beat” duties for Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Clemson in the college ranks, as well as the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.

But I guess after all this time I’m finally free to admit that my favorite brand of outdoor tackle football isn’t even played in the United States.

Thursday starting at 8:30 p.m., I’ll be situated on the far right corner of the futon watching the Edmonton Eskimos go head-to-head with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

A day later, at 9 p.m., I’ll take in the Toronto Argonauts vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders game.

And on Saturday, it’ll be a six-hour marathon for me, beginning with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats challenging the Calgary Stampeders and ending with the Montreal Alouettes trying their luck against the BC Lions.

Yep, it’s a new season of the Canadian Football League, and for me, it’s the most wonderful time of the gridiron year.

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve been enamored with the Canadian game for more than 40 years, so I won’t waste your time with an origin story.

I will tell you, however, that I started rooting for the Ti-Cats back in the 1970s, and last season adopted the Alouettes as my “backup” team.*

* I cheered for the Birmingham Barracudas in 1995 during the CFL’s brief stop in the southeastern United States (and still miss them).

And after all these years it’s funny to me that so many people seem gobsmacked that I dare take the CFL “seriously.”

Not only do I take it seriously, but I’ll take it over every other brand of tackle football that exists.

Why?

The answer is simple: I like the rules better.

Teams have 12 players to a side (an extra back on offense and an additional secondary player on defense).

The field is 110 yards long and 65 yards wide, and end zones are 20 yards deep with goalposts located on the goal line. So you might actually hear the announcer say, “Hamilton has first down at the Calgary 53.”
Teams have only three downs to make a first down, so you don’t see a lot of line plunges to test the opposing “D.”
If a ball is fumbled out of bounds, it becomes the possession of the last team to touch it.
Then there’s the rouge … the beautiful, quirky rouge.

It’s a 1-point score (also called a single) awarded to a team that kicks a ball into the end zone that isn’t returned (except on an extra point, or in CFL terminology, a “convert”).
Even if a kicker misses a field goal, his team still gets a point if the ball goes out of the end zone or if a kick returner takes a knee.

Yet my favorite play – albeit a rarity – is the “onside punt.”

Yep, any player who lines up behind the punter is considered “onside” and can recover a punted ball. Oh, and no fair catches are allowed on punts, either.

If you don’t follow the CFL, you may see these rules as gimmicks.

Not me … I view them as upgrades, and they make the game faster and more wide-open.

That translates to a more enjoyable experience for me.

This isn’t to say that I don’t also love “traditional” football.

On Saturdays in the fall I’ll watch an American college game, and on Sundays I’ll make room for the NFL.

As a graduate of UAB, I’m extremely interested in the Blazers’ revived program, and I’ve been a New York Jets fan since their American Football League days.

But nine times out of 10 – if I have to choose between the NCAA, NFL or CFL – I’m going to watch the game played north of the border.

It might not feature the world’s best football players, but I think it features some of the world’s best football games.

7 thoughts on “The CFL rules because of the CFL’s rules”

  1. Awesome , great read ! Enjoy Americans enjoying our brand of football , one thing I might add with your correct comment that the CFL might not have the best players in the world , to me CFL also has the best players in the world too !
    But at their height and weight ! Which is smaller in CFL by few inches and 20 to 40 lbs , needed for Canadian style of football !
    Also you forgot to mention how fast the game flow is to NFL , because of the 20 second game clock between plays, and the game is truly isn’t over until it’s over. NFL , 4 plays is 3 minutes off clock , make a 1st down or 2 , forget about any comeback. The CFL is team usually gets the ball 3 times each in last 3 minutes !
    With the wide field, from hash mark , a pass to wide side of field , a 5 yard gain , QB throws ball , 40 to 50 yards, and wide field and the multi players in motion , means less gang tackling , one missed tackle turns into big play , and because of this with kicking game rules , means alot of big plays ! Keep spreading the luv of CFL Football , real football fans , will love CFL , like more and more do already !😍

  2. You don’t have to post this but my one thing I like to add turned into a few things , couldn’t help myself , when talking CFL Football and trying to get new converts , which I hope happens from your great article about CFL !

  3. Great synopsis.
    One other item in terms of players not being “the world’s best football players”, is the salaries. As of 2019, the salary cap for all CFL teams is $5.2M CDN. As you well know, there are individual NFL players making in excess of multiples of an entire team’s payroll.
    It’s often said, that those that play in the CFL often play more for a love of the game rather than a huge salary (not that they don’t get a comparably large portion of the bank or that they don’t deserve the large pay).

    Keep on keeping on.
    Thanks for the endorsement. Go Riders!

  4. I live in Calgary and am a diehard Calgary Stampeders fan since we moved here in 1967! The CFL games are way more exciting to watch. The field is longer and wider, 12 players are allowed on the field as opposed to 11 in the NFL, there are 3 downs, the goalposts are at the front of the end zones. I have watched the odd NFL games and find them not as exciting as the CFL games because of their different rules; i.e., shorter field, 4 downs instead of 3, the goalposts being in the back of the end zone, etc. Long live the CFL.

  5. Scott, I agree with you 100%. The CFL games are more exciting to watch than the NFL games, no question! And that’s because of the different rules.

    LONG LIVE THE CFL!

  6. The CFL games are way more exciting to watch than the NFL games. The 3-downs vs the 4-downs is one of the top reasons. Yes, I’m a Canadian (from Calgary, Alberta), but I have watched the Super Bowl and the odd NFL game that Pat Brady’s in (my favorite NFL player).

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