While football in the United States is associated with crisp autumn days and cool nights, in Canada professional football begins in the summer time. While NFL training camps won't open until mid-summer by then the Canadian Football League (CFL) will be well into their regular season schedule.
Most Americans don't 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:
The most obvious difference is the football itself--the CFL football is longer and fatter than the NFL ball. The CFL still has their goal posts on the goal line, which the NFL moved to the back of the end zone years ago. The field is 10 yards longer and 12 yards wider than the NFL field, and the CFL end zones are 20 yards deep instead of the NFL's 10 yards.
Teams have 12 players on the field at once as opposed to 11 in the NFL. On offense, the extra player is a receiver, on defense a defensive back. And unlike the American game, where teams have 4 downs to move the ball ten yards the CFL has only 3. Maybe the hardest thing to get used to when listening to CFL broadcasts is the frequently references to teams going two and out. There are a few other subtle differences as well"teams only have 1 time out per half, only 20 seconds between plays, and all backfield players can be in motion prior to the snap (as opposed to only one in the NFL).
There's also a significant difference in the way the game is scored. The first time many US fans see a CFL score update reflecting a 1-0 game they're usually left scratching their head in confusion. CFL teams are able to score a single point, known as a "single" for a kick that lands in the end zone such as a punt or missed field goal.
The rule differences also extend into the front office, where teams are required to have a certain quota of their roster be Canadian born. In an effort to prevent the CFL from becoming an NFL farm system, and to protect the unique identity of Canadian football' of the 40 players on the roster must be natives.
Despite the rule differences that suggest a higher scoring, more wide open style of play than in the NFL it really doesn't work out that way. Most games end up with a final score in the 40's and have a similar pace to their NFL counterparts. There may be a few individual rule differences, but a strong rushing game and defense are tickets to success in the CFL as in the NFL.
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.
Most Americans don't 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:
The most obvious difference is the football itself--the CFL football is longer and fatter than the NFL ball. The CFL still has their goal posts on the goal line, which the NFL moved to the back of the end zone years ago. The field is 10 yards longer and 12 yards wider than the NFL field, and the CFL end zones are 20 yards deep instead of the NFL's 10 yards.
Teams have 12 players on the field at once as opposed to 11 in the NFL. On offense, the extra player is a receiver, on defense a defensive back. And unlike the American game, where teams have 4 downs to move the ball ten yards the CFL has only 3. Maybe the hardest thing to get used to when listening to CFL broadcasts is the frequently references to teams going two and out. There are a few other subtle differences as well"teams only have 1 time out per half, only 20 seconds between plays, and all backfield players can be in motion prior to the snap (as opposed to only one in the NFL).
There's also a significant difference in the way the game is scored. The first time many US fans see a CFL score update reflecting a 1-0 game they're usually left scratching their head in confusion. CFL teams are able to score a single point, known as a "single" for a kick that lands in the end zone such as a punt or missed field goal.
The rule differences also extend into the front office, where teams are required to have a certain quota of their roster be Canadian born. In an effort to prevent the CFL from becoming an NFL farm system, and to protect the unique identity of Canadian football' of the 40 players on the roster must be natives.
Despite the rule differences that suggest a higher scoring, more wide open style of play than in the NFL it really doesn't work out that way. Most games end up with a final score in the 40's and have a similar pace to their NFL counterparts. There may be a few individual rule differences, but a strong rushing game and defense are tickets to success in the CFL as in the NFL.
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.
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 sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
