Pending approval by the Board of Governors, related Tsn story. (Video links) It would be rare that the BoG doesn’t approve these changes. It was the coaches and officials who are submitting them.
Highlights:
- On a punt, the 5 interior Offensive Linemen can’t advance past the line of scrimmage until the punt is caught.
- No-Yards, five yard version: to be applied from the end of the play rather than at the point of reception.
- Point After attempt: single convert moved back to the 32 yard line from the 12.
- Two Point After attempt: moved up to the three yard line from the five.
- Defensive contact allowed within five yards of the line of scrimmage.
- Contact beyond five yards will be a penalty if it impedes a player. (less ambiguity)
- Offensive Pass Interference will be reviewable.
- Coach requested measurements are disallowed.
And a bonus for pre-season; Point after attempt: if the scoring team elects to take the ball on the ten for a try they can score three points.
All in all, I really like except for the extra video review. I don’t think the booth in Toronto proved their value last year and I don’t think taking the call from the officials on the field is a good idea.
Restricting the OL’s from initial coverage on a punt is good for both sides. The receiving team has a bit more space for run backs and the OLmen won’t get as tired.
Moving the five yard no-yards penalty to the end of the play is good. It was infuriating to have a foot or back-peddling coverage cost the return team tonnes of yards.
I love the PAT proposals. Here’s hoping for many more two-point tries.
I’m so-so on the secondary/receiver contact rules. I think they’re just to help clarify intent of other rules rather than as a change.
I’m very positive on restricting coach requested measurements. They really slowed the game down. Especially after a 2nd or 3rd and inches pile-up. They stopped the game and never accomplished a thing except give everyone a breather.
I even like the three point convert! That, like the rouge, could be a huge late-game play. I hope we see it used in the preseason.
The offence should not be allowed to have multiple players in motion toward the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. Makes the game look like a track meet with shoulder pads. Ridiculous!
john, you get everything right on the first try?
I like it i think it will make the game even MORE exciting. I love the CFL flat out action to the last second. It is wayyyyyy better than the NFL. i love 3 downs keeps the game rockin and rollin.
These rule changes are flat out dumb. I’m surprised they didn’t ask for score handi-caps for the eastern teams.
‘It is wayyyyyy better than the NFL’
The NFL could improve the way time runs out at the end of the game but to their credit overtime rules have been tweaked.
The CFL rewards failure for a missed field goal and why do we need an American ball and a Canadian ball but both games are great as far as I’m concerned.
Yeah well, if it was not for differences of opinion there never would have been horse races……..
>On a punt, the 5 interior Offensive Linemen can’t advance past the line of scrimmage until the punt is caught.
I am not sure if I like this rule change. It makes it that the O Line has to sit back on its heels and not push off the ball. One step into the neutral zone to meet your opposite number and there is a flag? Needs a rethink.
As for the PAT, right now it is almost automatic that the team gets the one point. How many blocked/missed PAT happened last year? One or Two?
As a whole, I don’t see any great benefits or drawbacks top these rule changes.
BTW, Go Stamps Go
Some these new rules seem ‘gimmicky’ and unnecessary.
CFL games are mostly decided in the last few minutes anyways. Why the need to make the game ‘more exciting’?
Some of these new rules remind me of rules that would be inline with a dorm room drinking game.
I don’t know if TSN screwed it up, but the proposal according to the CFL site is that on punts, the interior linemen are not allowed to advance until after the ball is kicked, not caught, and I’m ok with that.
I like the idea of the up-tempo option, and they can tweak the convert rules, but adding a 3-pointer is getting a little too gimmicky.
I want the CFL to keep its distinctiveness vis-à-vis the NFL!
They don’t “reward failure” on a field-goal try, no matter how many times that old saw is repeated. They reward field position, and give you a bonus for putting the ball through the uprights. See Aussis football, gaelic football and hurling for reference.
Why not make the ball rounder, ban helmets, and call it rugby?
Seriously, too many rules for even the zebras to handle.
How about less commercials???
With all these changes, one more new rule is required. Coaches are not allowed to use calculators on the play before and the play after a touchdown.
‘a bonus for putting the ball through the uprights’
Isn’t that called a field goal worth 3?
‘the interior linemen are not allowed to advance until after the ball is kicked’
Sounds like a good way for your o-line to get run over. I know what I’d be doing if I was playing opposite to a lineman that couldn’t advance.
Nold, so, you’re saying that an OLineman doing his normal job during a pass play is a disadvantage? Because it’s exactly the same thing.
“On a punt, the 5 interior Offensive Linemen can’t advance past the line of scrimmage until the punt is caught.”
Girls’s rules??
“Sounds like a good way for your o-line to get run over. I know what I’d be doing if I was playing opposite to a lineman that couldn’t advance.”
So tell us, what exactly would you be doing?
Your job would be to put pressure on the punter to try to block the kick and/or to engage to prevent a fake, not turn tail and go back to set up the return.
Remember, in addition to the five O-linemen, you have two blocking backs and the punter, so there are still as many as four gunners going downfield on cover.
And I agree with Rick, it’s not a ‘reward for failure’, it’s putting the ball beyond the goal line with the opposing team unable/unwilling to bring it out. A missed field goal that doesn’t make the endzone gets no points.
Very much like the idea of moving the Point after, back to the (held at 32), likely set at the 25. Can the covert be faked then, and a pass thrown for 2 points? or if it’s set there, it’ll always be a kick???
Despite the continuous beeatchen, I’m glad they’ve kept the single point. Makes for scoring strategy throughout the game, plus as mentioned above, it rewards field position.
I always though receivers could be “bumped” in the first 5 yds. Not held, not face masked, not tripped, but bumped or checked.
Like the addition of OPI being reviewed, as long as coaches are held to the same number of challenges.
Not sure about moving a 2 point covert to the 3yd line. Seems like it might favor rushing over passing. Will it be too congested to pass with everyone in so close? Changing the yd line for converts will take away any fake or even any last second setup surprise.
Hope your wrong about the O Linemen not being able to rush down field, if so, we’ll just end up with 350-400 lb blobs who will be used, rather than the athletes we see now.
I would like to see a penalty against receivers or running backs that face mask defensive players, nothing against straight arming, but when it’s up in the face of D player then rules aren’t balanced. Feel the same about O players leading with the helmet, D can no longer do that(Safety reasons) why should O players.
Does anyone know where the CFL rules can be read online? Is there a rule book for the public? Does the rider store retail a rule book, I’ve never seen one?
No new rules regarding the pressure and/or handling of footballs prior to a game??? BTW, keep the ball size and shape as is, you need man hands to throw the CFL ball, lets keep it that way!
How about no video reviews period! The on-field officials are being paid to make (or not make) the calls and should not be reversed upon review even if the technology is available. Nothing slows down the game more than the long delay required to review a play. On-field conferences by officials if they are uncertain as to what just took place are acceptable. By my way of thinking, the odd bad call is simply a part of the game just like bad bounces or bad coaching decisions.
You engage the man opposite you in a way that will provide an effective advantage and sometimes that means the offensive player has to encroach on the line after snap. With the rule change it seems to me that the advantage would go to the defensive player since the offensive player couldn’t meet his charge by stepping accross.
If someone here could provide a logical reason why we require this change I would be willing to consider it.
how about once per game you can field a 13 th player . make it retroactive for 5 years.
Carl, http://www.cfl.ca/page/game_rule_rule1
It’s the 2013 book, though. You used to be able to buy them, I’m not sure now. Give the Rider Store a call, or email the CFL. I have a couple around from the 90’s. Way back (like 94 or so) I transcribed the rules into a text file on what was then Fido-net.
Special teams are mostly made up of the O/D teams with a few dedicated players looking to work their way into their normal spot, so you shouldn’t have a fear of teams dedicating a roster spot to an over-size S/T lineman. The CFL roster and salary cap dissuade that kind of tinkering.
Another great addition to the single PAT, if the kick misses, the defending team can run it back for 2 pts. That’s big too.
I wouldn’t worry too much about teams prioritizing 2 pt converts as a run from the three vs. screens, etc. It isn’t that easy to get three yards in the CFL on the ground near the goal line. I think options and hitches are probably more effective for that yardage at that place on the field.
Also another great addition is the option for the offensive coach to waive off substitutions which will cause the officials to whistle in the play immediately.
These rule changes tell me the coaches and officials decided to up fan excitement to 11.
Scar, the point is to remove 5 people from the coverage near the kick reception, not to remove big hits.
The illegal block penalty against Hamilton in the GC last year that negated the would be winning TD opened up some eyes.
Canada is metric. Let’s convert to a 100 METER field. This would add about a meter/3 feet to the length of the field. Stay with 10 meters and 3 downs.
Some of these do seem gimmicky, but taken together this could be quite exciting.
They need to re-think some of the details. For example, converts used to be simple. Kick it and score one point. Run an offensive play to get it in and score two.
So what happens now? If you scrimmage the convert from the 10, and the other team takes an offside penalty, do you have to decline so you still try for 3 points? If you botch the kicked convert scrimmaging from the 25, but score anyways, do you get 2 points? 3 points? 4 points? 🙂 If you scrimmage from the 3 and drop-kick a convert through, does it count for 1, 2, or 3 points?
Why don’t we try this: kick for one, run for two, pass for three. Scrimmage everything from the 10.
I’m not sure that having 1500 pounds of offensive line with their hands in their pockets is any better than the NFL fair catch or CFL 5 yard rule. Having people play at less than all out is never a great idea so why add more?
lance, if a team chooses to kick a convert(from the 30 whatever) after scoring a TD, can that play be faked, with a pass and run play, to score 2 points ?
Still a point for a missed FG? If they move the convert to the 32 yard line, do teams get 1/2 point for a missed convert?
Carl, Current rule, Rule 3 Scoring, Article 5 Converts:
“If the play terminates with Team A legally in possession in Team B’s Goal Area,
Team A shall be awarded two points if the ball had been carried or passed
across the line of scrimmage, but no points if the ball had been kicked across the
line of scrimmage.”
This doesn’t change as far as I know so in the preseason where the 10 yard 3 point convert is available, it’ll be 3 points, in the regular season it’ll be 2 points.
My 2 cents:
1. Make the end zone only 10 yards in depth.
2. Move the goal posts to the end of the field.
3. Maybe to complicate things, but give a 4th down if running is only used on previous 3?
Reason for 1 is too much empty space in end zone
Reason for 2 is goal posts block a lot of good plays
Reason for 3 is too boring, run, pass, kick.
CFL will always be bush league football. We always find it amusing how teams are awarded points, sometimes seemingly just for being on the field.
Hard to watch, bores us to tears.