Understanding The Differences Between CFL Canadian Football And The NFL
In the United States, summertime is when teams get prepared to play football. NFL teams start training camp, and college teams start practice. North of the border in Canada, however, summertime is when their professional football season begins in the form of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Most Americans dont realize that the CFL has a lengthy and storied history. The league itself has been around since'30, and the Canadian Football championship--known as the Grey Cup--has been contended since'09. More recently, American fans are aware that a number of NFL stars got their start in the CFL including Doug Flutie, Jim Kelly, and Jeff Garcia.
The CFL is very high level professional football, but there are some significant differences between it and the NFL game:
First of all, the football itself is bigger--the CFL ball is larger than its American counterpart. If you know anything about rugby, its roughly the same as a #3 rugby ball meaning it is somewhat longer and fatter than the NFL ball. The CFL field is also longer (110 yards) and wider (65 yards vs. the NFLs 53.5 yards), and the CFL end zones are 20 yards deep as opposed to 10 yards in the NFL. The CFL goal posts are on the goal line, while the NFLs are on the end line at the back of the endzone.
CFL teams are allowed an extra offensive player (a wide receiver), and on defense they're allowed an extra defensive back. This means that 12 players can be on the field at one time as opposed to 11 in the NFL. CFL football also differs in that teams only have three downs to gain ten yards, as opposed to four in US football. The phrase "two and out" is as commonplace in CFL football as is "three and out" in the US game.
A major difference in the scoring is the 'single' which awards CFL teams one point for a kick--usually a punt or missed field goal--that lands in the end zone. This will frequently produce partial game scores of 1-0 or 1-1 that are impossible in the US game.
The rule differences don't end there--CFL teams are required to maintain a certain percentage of Canadian born players on their roster. The idea is that this will protect the unique identity of the game, as well as prevent it from becoming little more than a farm system for the NFL. Currently' of the 40 players on a CFL roster must be Canadian natives.
Perhaps the greatest misunderstanding is that the average NFL fan looks at the rules of the Canadian game with more players, a wider field, and fewer downs and concludes that the game is a wide open shootout similar to Arena Football. Thats not really the case--you'll see some offensive battles but most games end up with final score totals in the mid to high 40s. In Arena Football, youll frequently see teams with potent offenses enforcing their will over and over again against teams with porous defenses. You don't see that too often in the CFL. The rules may be different, but as is the case in American pro football you need a solid rushing game and a stout defense to win games and championships.
There's also more parity in the CFL than even the NFL, which is famous for the competitive equality of their teams. The reason is fairly simple--football at the high school and college level in Canada simply isn't as competitive as in the US. That means the mandated ratio of native players also serves to facilitate parity within the CFL.
The CFL isn't in a financial position to draw the top level US players away from the NFL or, in most cases, even a NFL practice or developmental squad. While some US players are uniquely suited to the CFL style of play, most of the US players that end up there are of a similar talent level as to that seen in Arena Football.
Despite the differences between the CFL and American football, at the end of the day its still high level, professional football. Once you understand the unique aspects of the CFL, it'll become second nature much as NFL viewers quickly assimilate rule changes there.
You wont see CFL news on ESPN, since theyre more interested in featuring spelling bees and lumberjack competitions and letting their personalities like Stuart Scott show how clever they are than covering sports. The good news is that the CFL receives extensive coverage in the Canadian press and all you need to do is visit a couple of websites to stay up to date. Each CFL city has their own sports media, and most have pretty good websites. The best one stop shopping can be found at the leagues own and Slam! Sports, which is roughly the Canadian equivalent of ESPNs website and has extensive CFL news, opinions and statistics. - 2361
Most Americans dont realize that the CFL has a lengthy and storied history. The league itself has been around since'30, and the Canadian Football championship--known as the Grey Cup--has been contended since'09. More recently, American fans are aware that a number of NFL stars got their start in the CFL including Doug Flutie, Jim Kelly, and Jeff Garcia.
The CFL is very high level professional football, but there are some significant differences between it and the NFL game:
First of all, the football itself is bigger--the CFL ball is larger than its American counterpart. If you know anything about rugby, its roughly the same as a #3 rugby ball meaning it is somewhat longer and fatter than the NFL ball. The CFL field is also longer (110 yards) and wider (65 yards vs. the NFLs 53.5 yards), and the CFL end zones are 20 yards deep as opposed to 10 yards in the NFL. The CFL goal posts are on the goal line, while the NFLs are on the end line at the back of the endzone.
CFL teams are allowed an extra offensive player (a wide receiver), and on defense they're allowed an extra defensive back. This means that 12 players can be on the field at one time as opposed to 11 in the NFL. CFL football also differs in that teams only have three downs to gain ten yards, as opposed to four in US football. The phrase "two and out" is as commonplace in CFL football as is "three and out" in the US game.
A major difference in the scoring is the 'single' which awards CFL teams one point for a kick--usually a punt or missed field goal--that lands in the end zone. This will frequently produce partial game scores of 1-0 or 1-1 that are impossible in the US game.
The rule differences don't end there--CFL teams are required to maintain a certain percentage of Canadian born players on their roster. The idea is that this will protect the unique identity of the game, as well as prevent it from becoming little more than a farm system for the NFL. Currently' of the 40 players on a CFL roster must be Canadian natives.
Perhaps the greatest misunderstanding is that the average NFL fan looks at the rules of the Canadian game with more players, a wider field, and fewer downs and concludes that the game is a wide open shootout similar to Arena Football. Thats not really the case--you'll see some offensive battles but most games end up with final score totals in the mid to high 40s. In Arena Football, youll frequently see teams with potent offenses enforcing their will over and over again against teams with porous defenses. You don't see that too often in the CFL. The rules may be different, but as is the case in American pro football you need a solid rushing game and a stout defense to win games and championships.
There's also more parity in the CFL than even the NFL, which is famous for the competitive equality of their teams. The reason is fairly simple--football at the high school and college level in Canada simply isn't as competitive as in the US. That means the mandated ratio of native players also serves to facilitate parity within the CFL.
The CFL isn't in a financial position to draw the top level US players away from the NFL or, in most cases, even a NFL practice or developmental squad. While some US players are uniquely suited to the CFL style of play, most of the US players that end up there are of a similar talent level as to that seen in Arena Football.
Despite the differences between the CFL and American football, at the end of the day its still high level, professional football. Once you understand the unique aspects of the CFL, it'll become second nature much as NFL viewers quickly assimilate rule changes there.
You wont see CFL news on ESPN, since theyre more interested in featuring spelling bees and lumberjack competitions and letting their personalities like Stuart Scott show how clever they are than covering sports. The good news is that the CFL receives extensive coverage in the Canadian press and all you need to do is visit a couple of websites to stay up to date. Each CFL city has their own sports media, and most have pretty good websites. The best one stop shopping can be found at the leagues own and Slam! Sports, which is roughly the Canadian equivalent of ESPNs website and has extensive CFL news, opinions and statistics. - 2361
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
posted by Marcondes Allen at 12:43 AM
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