CFL proposed rule changes

[Damon]

TORONTO -- The Canadian Football League Rules Committee will recommend to the Board of Governors that all scoring plays be subject to review by the replay official in the Command Centre. This would include all touchdowns, field goals, converts, singles and safety touches.

“Entering our seventh season using replay review and fourth season using the command centre,  we feel it’s a logical step to introduce an automatic review of all scoring plays,” said Tom Higgins, CFL director of officiating.

“Scoring plays have a great impact on the outcome of a game and putting in additional measures to ensure those calls are correct is prudent,” said Higgins. “When considering these types of changes, we also must consider the flow of the game and the duration of any challenge. For the vast majority of scoring plays, we believe that the replay official will confirm the scoring plays before the next play without a delay.”

The Rules Committee also proposes to introduce two new rules to specifically address the issue of helmets coming off players during play;


If a ball carrier’s helmet comes off, the play shall be blown dead immediately.
If a non ball carrier’s helmet comes off, that player can no longer participate in the play. If he does, the player will be penalized 10 yards for illegal participation. If a player hits an opposing player who isn’t participating because he lost his helmet, he will be penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness.
“Every year we task our rules committee to discuss ways to improve our already great game,” said CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon. “The safety of our players is paramount and we continue to challenge ourselves to find new ways within our rule book to make the game safer for our athletes.”

The CFL Rules Committee met yesterday and today as part of CFL Congress in Toronto. The Committee is made up of head coaches, general managers, team presidents, league officials and a representative of the CFL Players’ Association.

The proposed rule changes will be presented to the CFL Board of Governors prior to the start of the season. The Board of Governors is expected to vote on the proposed rule changes in the spring.

[FredFan7]

Looks like some good rule change proposals.

[Deleted]

I'm curious why the CFL doesn't just simply go to NFL rules, change the dimension of the field, and become a minor league for the NFL.

[cj]

Mar 4, 2012 23:03:32 GMT -5 @harrytasker said:

I'm curious why the CFL doesn't just simply go to NFL rules, change the dimension of the field, and become a minor league for the NFL.

Obviously because they don't want to be a minor league to anything. Although, I have read somewhere in the past, NFL television ratings in Canada are higher than CFL; of course their season is long over when December rolls around!

[timdaye]

I am guessing a convert is the same as P.A.T. and a safety touch is equivalent to a safety. What is a single?

[Damon]

Mar 5, 2012 16:23:57 GMT -5 timdaye said:

I am guessing a convert is the same as P.A.T. and a safety touch is equivalent to a safety. What is a single?

Article 4 – Single Point Or Rouge
If the ball is kicked into the Goal Area by an opponent, a rouge is scored:
(1) when the ball becomes dead in possession of a team in its own Goal Area or,
(2) when the ball touches or crosses the Dead Line or a Sideline in Goal, and
touches the ground, a player or some object beyond these lines.
AR: Team A kicks to Team B. B1 attempting to catch the ball on Team B’s 3-yard
line, fumbles it and is tackled with the ball in possession in the Team B Goal Area.
RULING – Rouge (ball deemed to have been kicked into Goal Area by Team A).
AR: Team A kicks to Team B. B1 catches the ball in the Field of Play while moving
towards own Goal Line and, in the judgment of the official, the momentum carries B1
into own Goal Area. RULING – Rouge (possession deemed to have been gained in
the Goal Area).
After a rouge, the team scored against shall next put the ball into play by a scrimmage
as first down at any point between the hash marks on its 35-yard line.
If the single point was scored as the result of an unsuccessful field goal attempt, the
team scored against may elect to scrimmage the ball at any point between the hash
marks on its own 35-yard line or at the previous line of scrimmage.
NOTE: For the purposes of this Article, a drop kick or place kick shall, without
exception, be deemed to be a field goal attempt.
NOTE: If during a kickoff, the kicked ball proceeds through the Goal Area and across
the Dead Line or Sideline in Goal without being touched, there shall be no score and
the ball shall be awarded to the receiving team at any point between the hash marks
on its own 25-yard line.

Article 5 – Convert
A team scoring a touchdown may attempt to add to its score by means of a scrimmage
play from any point between the hash marks on or outside the opponent’s five-yard
line, as follows:
1 point – By kicking a field goal or,
2 points – By scoring a touchdown by means of a ball carrying or passing play.
The ball shall remain in play until a score is made or the play has been terminated.
If Team B legally gains possession during an unsuccessful convert attempt (i.e.
interception of forward pass, recovery of fumble or blocked kick), it may score two
points by advancing the ball across Team A’s Goal Line. If the play terminates with
Team B in possession in its own Goal Area or in the Field of Play, there shall be no
score.
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.

[Deleted]

Mar 6, 2012 15:21:36 GMT -5 Damon said:

Mar 5, 2012 16:23:57 GMT -5 timdaye said:

I am guessing a convert is the same as P.A.T. and a safety touch is equivalent to a safety. What is a single?

Article 4 – Single Point Or Rouge
If the ball is kicked into the Goal Area by an opponent, a rouge is scored:
(1) when the ball becomes dead in possession of a team in its own Goal Area or,
(2) when the ball touches or crosses the Dead Line or a Sideline in Goal, and
touches the ground, a player or some object beyond these lines.
AR: Team A kicks to Team B. B1 attempting to catch the ball on Team B’s 3-yard
line, fumbles it and is tackled with the ball in possession in the Team B Goal Area.
RULING – Rouge (ball deemed to have been kicked into Goal Area by Team A).
AR: Team A kicks to Team B. B1 catches the ball in the Field of Play while moving
towards own Goal Line and, in the judgment of the official, the momentum carries B1
into own Goal Area. RULING – Rouge (possession deemed to have been gained in
the Goal Area).
After a rouge, the team scored against shall next put the ball into play by a scrimmage
as first down at any point between the hash marks on its 35-yard line.
If the single point was scored as the result of an unsuccessful field goal attempt, the
team scored against may elect to scrimmage the ball at any point between the hash
marks on its own 35-yard line or at the previous line of scrimmage.
NOTE: For the purposes of this Article, a drop kick or place kick shall, without
exception, be deemed to be a field goal attempt.
NOTE: If during a kickoff, the kicked ball proceeds through the Goal Area and across
the Dead Line or Sideline in Goal without being touched, there shall be no score and
the ball shall be awarded to the receiving team at any point between the hash marks
on its own 25-yard line.

Article 5 – Convert
A team scoring a touchdown may attempt to add to its score by means of a scrimmage
play from any point between the hash marks on or outside the opponent’s five-yard
line, as follows:
1 point – By kicking a field goal or,
2 points – By scoring a touchdown by means of a ball carrying or passing play.
The ball shall remain in play until a score is made or the play has been terminated.
If Team B legally gains possession during an unsuccessful convert attempt (i.e.
interception of forward pass, recovery of fumble or blocked kick), it may score two
points by advancing the ball across Team A’s Goal Line. If the play terminates with
Team B in possession in its own Goal Area or in the Field of Play, there shall be no
score.
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.

Hey Damon,

Can you simplify the rouge explanation?

[Damon]

A rouge is scored when the ball is kicked into goal and goes dead in goal or goes dead out of bounds in goal. Can be punted, place kicked, or open field kicked. There are a couple exceptions, but that is the gist. In other words a player can have the ball in the open field off a scrimmage play or on a return and punt the ball through the end zone and score a single.

[cj]

Simple explanation......with a much larger end zone, in the CFL, there are no touchbacks for the most part. What would be a touchback in the NFL is a rouge in the CFL and gives the team putting the ball into the end zone and not scoring a touchdown, a single point.

[JugglingReferee]

Great changes, CFL!

Thanks Damon.