The Canadian Football League: A Brief Breakdown for American Football Fans
Truth be told, I’m not much of a fan of Canadian football. The CFL, Canada’s professional football league, gets going and I generally fail to tune in.
Given all of the efforts to (re)create an alternative professional league in the States – the AAF, the XFL, the USFL – I still thought it best to offer a short piece explaining some of the differences between Canadian and American football. After all, the CFL’s regular season has just begun.
The sense I have is that Americans mostly just know about the difference in downs: 3 up north, 4 down south. The subtracted down means there can sometimes be a greater emphasis on passing the football. A drive’s rhythm can easily be disrupted if the initial run produces a modest gain. A single modest run instantly puts an offense into the equivalent of 3rd and long in the US.
Sensibly enough, the strategy gets adjusted.
Some other differences, though, are also important to keep in mind. Take a look at some:
- A punt returner must be given a 5-yard cushion when catching the ball. As a result, the fair catch is taken out of play but so too are bone-crushing hits when some poor shmuck can’t even prepare for contact. Overall, a good rule.
- The football itself is larger.
- In the CFL, a team can score a single point. It’s called a rouge. So, in theory, a CFL game could finish with a 1-0 score.
- The field’s length and width are greater than in the NFL.
- Receivers are allowed to have extra movement before the ball is snapped.
- The field goal uprights are – very oddly – placed at the front of the end zone. Field goals are easier to kick. It’s also easier for a receiver to be pursuing a football and run directly into the post. D’oh!
- The end zone, like the field itself, is also larger. That’s a disadvantage for the defense since there’s so much more real estate to guard. Skill excels in green grass, not defense.
- Football in Canada is played with 12 players, not 11.
The CFL is made up of 9 teams, a reasonably robust number considering how much smaller Canada is than the States. A pair of divisions house the 9 teams in the league.
The West boasts:
- BC Lions
- Calgary Stampeders
- Edmonton Elks
- Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Meanwhile, the Easts sends along:
- Hamilton Tiger Cats
- Montreal Alouettes
- Ottawa Redblacks
- Toronto Argonauts
Obviously, there’s no Lombardi Trophy. Instead, there is the Grey Cup, a hulking trophy that’s more akin to the Stanley Cup. In fact, the Grey Cup is considerably older than the Lombardi Trophy.
Former Vikings QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson played in the CFL for a while.
Earlier in the week, the CFL officially began its new season. If given the chance to see a game, you’ll likely notice some significant differences, but don’t forget that the basic strategy is the same. Throw the ball effectively, bring physicality, wrap-up the ball carrier, and offer great effort while blocking.
Every so often, CFL standouts make the jump the NFL. Perhaps the game you watch will have a future Viking.
