New CFL rules discussion

CFL Talk
142

I’m fine with balls that sail directly out of bounds, like missed field goals, not resulting in points, but I still think that if a kick lands in the field of play and then goes out of bounds, it should still be a rouge. Goodbye to the kickoff rouge!

My biggest concern is that we’re going to see more returners intentionally let the ball hit the ground in the end zone, waiting to see if it rolls out before conceding a point, instead of fielding the ball. It just seems like it’s going to make things more passive in the end.

They’ll also have to adjust where the ball comes out to. If it’s the 40-yard line, we might never see another rouge again.

I’m also still a bit uneasy about the goalposts being moved to the back of the end zone. I think it’s going to lead to more conservative decisions in plus territory. For example, an offence that stalls around the 35-yard line now has three options: go for it on third down, attempt a low-percentage 57-yard field goal, or have the punter pooch the ball out of bounds near the 10.

I suspect most coaches will choose the option that forces the opponent to drive 90 yards rather than take a risk, and I’m not convinced that’s going to lead to a more exciting game.

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143

Another special-teams gripe, this one tied to the shortened field; what are they going to do with the kickoff?

Right now, kickoffs come from the kicking team’s 30-yard line, which means roughly 80 yards to the end zone, which is honestly a great setup in my opinion.

I can’t see them shortening the field by 10 yards and still keeping kickoffs at the 30, because that would make it just 70 yards to the end zone. Some kickers are already pushing the ball that deep consistently. Guys like Vincent Blanchard are putting more than half of their kickoffs beyond 70 yards.

If kickoffs stay at the 30 on a shortened field, it’s going to force kickers to abandon power and focus almost entirely on placement. You’d see a lot of 55–60 yard kicks landing around the 10-yard line, because if the ball reaches the end zone, it’s an automatic concession by the returner and the return team is gifted amazing field position at the 40 (That is, if the Rouge rules stay the same).

I guess that’s fine from a strategy standpoint, but personally, I’d hate to see it. I want to see huge kickoffs. I love me a good 75-yard kickoff with lots of hang that puts coverage units and return teams on notice.

What I’d rather see is something like the USFL approach in 2023, where kickers lineed up at their own 20-yard line. That preserves the ability to hit those big kicks without turning every kickoff into a touchback or a placement-only exercise.

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In the CFL, we regularly see over 97% of kickoffs returned each season, which is something the league should be proud of. My concern is that, without an adjustment to kickoffs, that number could drop below 90%.

One last thing - I don’t agree that any of these changes are “Americanizing” the league. But I am worried the shortened field will be used as an excuse to adopt the so-called “dynamic” kickoff used in the NFL and UFL. That would be a massive mistake in my opinion, and it would probably make me rethink my stance altogether.

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144

All great points. I don’t like it when teams get the ball so far upfield to start. I like field position being a bigger part of the game. Getting the ball close to midfield reduces that.

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145

I do hope that they take the appropriate time to review this with special teams experts and not have chipgate again.

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146

as much as i love the NFL, their kickoffs are downright ridiculous. just move it back to the 20.

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147

considering hall of fame game GIF

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148

I’m wondering if we see more QB quick/onside punts from those areas as a result. If the ball only needs to go 20-30 yards maybe you catch the other team napping and take the ball back with great field position or worst case a DB picks it up with a full halo of WRs around him after it bounces around for a few seconds.

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149

And a Pandora’s Box shall now open back up with regards to reforms to the onside kick rule, which basically needs only one small revision, which is to have it conform to the rule in the existing rest of Canadian football outside the CFL - the continuity of downs should continue such that any onside recovery of any such kick must take place beyond the first down marker, especially when done on third down.

Short of the distance on recovery, any such kick would then basically be effectively the same as a tackled returner on a shanked punt or a loose ball on a blocked punt and a turnover on downs.

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Other rule changes that you would like to see?
150

Then there is always the
DASTURDLY DECEITFUL DREADED DRIBBLE KICK

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151

And following also @BetweenTheGoalposts ‘s fine post, I’m thinking the same kickoff from the 25-yard line should be at hand for the CFL on the shorter field. It’s simple math to move the kickoff back 10 yards.

This is the most logical solution so as to preserve what is NOT broken and is already another exciting part of Canadian football that is gone from the NFL and to a greater degree than ever also from pro college football, with younger kickers now out of high school having had training like never before and with social media a great help, so as to launch the ball on kickoff solidly into the end zone for common touchbacks or simply having many kickoffs fair caught anywhere inside the 25 for an automatic touchback via NCAA rules.

Note that the Ivy League, which participates as of 2025 in the FCS playoffs, kicks off from the 40-yard line when playing within conference, which is old school for those old schools :smirking_face: .

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152

I think the rules committee should be able to evaluate the kind of player that comes up north (this has changed in the last 20 years) and decide what kind of rules best suit this kind of player to maximize our enjoyment and entertainment value. So I’m sure most people here would disagree with me that I would be okay with whatever makes our game more entertaining. If that is 4 downs then I’m actually good with that. Nothing is sacred anymore for me. But I wouldn’t Americanize our game for the sake of Americanizing it. It should be done independent of what the NFL is doing but we shouldn’t be afraid to copy anything from them that makes it better for us.

As long as:

  1. We have the same teams connected to our current teams along with all the history that entails
  2. We are still competing for the Grey Cup
  3. People across the country still care by attending the games.

Then I’m good with any potential rule change. At the same time, I’d get rid of anything that is not working.

We need to be flexible here to get the best on field product with a more limited resource in player talent.

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153

I am ok with onside kick recoveries anywhere.

The continuity of downs perhaps shouldn’t be reset by merely recovering a kick that crosses the line of scrimmage. The yards required for a first down should be consistent throughout.

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154

Will we see fewer short kickoff attemps if they move the kickoff to the 20? Might not matter as much since the goal posts will be moving back 15 yards.

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155

Excellent article in 3Down about coach’s input cross-linked here…

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156

Now the clock fear mongering can stop.

Can’t say I like it but whatever.

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157

that sucks. they should have stuck with it :face_with_symbols_on_mouth:

that’s it. i’m cancelling my cable and never watching stupid CFL again. how dare they not consult me before reversing a rule change.

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158

Out of the changes being discussed, why are ties being phased out? There are so few of them to begin with. Dealing with something that’s not an issue IMO

It’s a North American thing I guess. They’ll need to change the standings from points to winning percentage.

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159

Lowest hanging fruit

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160

I for one love the clock the way it is.

I also don’t watch any other professional sport regularly and I never watch NFL so, I’m not persuaded by other sports experience.

Personally I love the last three minutes of each half. But I could have lived with the change I wasn’t crying the sky is falling over it.

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161

Wasn’t that the example that Stew used to justify the new clock? Tabbies chewing up 11 minutes in the final three minutes of a game and only runing 40 seconds off the clock?

Many of the reasons for changing some of the rules are just excuses that miss the mark. They should have tried harder to find valid reasons to justify it all.

One thing the clock change might do is eliminate all the celebrating that happens during a game. No more time for rowing exercises or street dancing routines. No fun league version two.

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