The first week of the NFL season won’t kick off until Thursday, September 10th when the New England Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s three months away. For those of you wanting live football action, why not watch the Canadian Football League (CFL)? They started their season on Thursday when the Ottawa Redblacks beat the Montreal Alouettes 20-16. ESPN2 will televise 20 games this year on Thursdays and Fridays.
The CFL has nine teams in two divisions. The divisions are the East and the West. Teams in the East are the Ottawa Redblacks, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Toronto Argonauts, and the Montreal Alouettes. The West division includes the BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. All of them play 18 games with two bye weeks. The top team from each division has a bye in the playoffs. The other four teams in the playoffs are the ones with the best records. The two teams left will play for the Gray Cup which is the CFL’s Super Bowl. That will be played on November 29th in Winnipeg. The reigning champ is the Calgary Stampeders.
The rules are a little different than the NFL. A standard CFL field is 110 yards long and 65 yards wide. An NFL field is 100 yards long and 53 ½ yards wide. The end zones are ten yards deeper than the NFL. When watching a regular NFL game, only 11 players from each team are allowed to be on the field. The Canadian football league has 12 players from each team in the game during play.
A first down is still ten yards but they only have three downs as opposed to four to get a first down. Scoring in the CFL is very similar to the NFL. 6 points for a touchdown, 3 points for a field goal, two points for a two-point conversion and safety, one point for a PAT. The difference is a team can be awarded one point. This occurs for touchbacks anytime the ball is kicked into the end zone and is downed by the other team.
The CFL has four 15-minute quarters, the same as the NFL. The offense has 20 seconds to run a play otherwise they will be penalized for delay of game. The penalties from the NFL are basically the same in the CFL. Delay of game is ten yards, face masking is 15 yards, and holding is ten yards. CFL teams only have two timeouts per game.
In the NFL, only one receiver may be in motion before the ball is snapped. They can only go parallel to the line of scrimmage. They can’t go towards the line otherwise it’s a penalty. In the CFL more than one player can be in motion and can go towards the line. A completed catch is the same as high school or college football. An athlete only needs to have one foot inbounds and possession of the ball.
The CFL has Instant Replay Review. It’s the same as the NFL. Coaches throw a flag to ask for a challenge. They have two per game. If their first challenge is unsuccessful they will not lose a timeout. If their second challenge failed, they will lose a timeout. However, if both challenges are successful, they will gain an extra challenge.
The overtime resembles the college game. Both teams start at the 35-yard line. Teams can score touchdowns or field goals. If they score a touchdown, they must go for two. The opponent has a chance to match it and keep going until there is a winner.
The salaries in the CFL are not as high as the NFL. The average player makes $80,000. A rookie can earn up to $50,000. A participant in the CFL can earn as much as $400,000 a year.
Enjoy watching the CFL. You will be able to view it until August 30 on ESPN2. Be sure to catch all the action of the CFL to get you ready for the NFL!
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