Understanding the CFL a little better

 

The CFL and NFL have a few differences. Here are a few to help you understand the CFL better 

Size of the field 

• An NFL field is 100 by 53 1/3 yards with a midfield line at 50 yards. A CFL field is 110 by 65 yards with the midfield line at 55 yards.
• The end zones are different lengths as well. The CFL has an end zone that is 20 yards deep. The NFL end zones are only 10 yards deep. This means that the total length of the entire field in the NFL is 120 yards while the CFL field is 150 yards.

Since the field is bigger and there are fewer downs in the CFL, teams usually have a more passing-oriented offense than in the NFL. Offense in the NFL usually has a greater balance between passes and runs.

3 downs vs 4 downs 

The NFL offers four downs for a team to advance the ball 10 yards. The CFL only offers three downs. Supporters of the CFL say that this, along with other rule differences, creates a more exciting game to watch.

Three downs were actually the norm for football in the early days of the sport. Football was created in the 19th century and was very similar to the sport that inspired it, rugby. Downs were implemented to prevent the stalling of the possession of the ball. Three downs were the initial standard, but Americans added a fourth down in 1912. There were talks in Canada about adding the fourth down, but the start of World War I halted all professional games for two years. When games began to be played again, discussions on changing the rules did not continue.

The rules in the CFL actually creates a scenario where three downs can help balance a game more evenly between offense and defense. The CFL requires that the defensive team is one yard away from the line of scrimmage; in the NFL, the defense can get right on the line. This allows running plays to be more effective in the CFL since they have more space to react to the defense. This, combined with a larger field, can create an advantage for the offense. Having only three downs offers some leverage to the defense.

Time Outs and Time Stoppage 

• In American football, each team has three timeouts per half. There is also a two-minute warning given at the end of each half.
• In Canadian football, each team gets two timeouts per game. They can only use one timeout during the three-minute warning in the second half.
• Both the two and three-minute warnings automatically stop the clock after each play without charging a time out to either team.

Another difference is the play clock.

• In the CFL, after the play is over, the referee whistles for the next play to start and the offense has 20 seconds to snap the football.
• Players in the NFL have 40 seconds to run an offensive play after the whistle.

Scoring 

The scoring is essentially the same in both leagues. A safety is two points, a field goal is three points, a touchdown is six points, a kicked extra point is one point, and a conversion run is two points.

A notable exception is the single point, or rouge, which is only in the CFL. A single point is awarded to the kicking team when:

• The kicking team misses a field goal or punts the football and the receiving team does not return the ball out of their end zone. The kicking team then receives one point.
• The kicking team misses a field goal or punts the football and the ball goes through the end zone and out of bounds without being touched.

Goal Posts

Another difference between the two leagues is the location of the field goal posts.

• In the NFL, the field goal posts are located at the back of the end zone.
• The CFL has its field goal posts at the front of the end zone.

The difference in location is due to the size differences of the field. The distance for a kicker would be similar between the two leagues, but the field goal needs to be at the front of the end zone in the CFL since the length of the field is larger.

Fair Catch and Punt Returns 

In the NFL, after the kicking team punts the football, the punt returner can do one of the following:

• Catch and run with the ball until he is tackled, pushed out of bounds, or scores a touchdown.
• Wave his hand in the air to signal a fair catch, meaning the opposition can't tackle or make contact with the punter. They must let the punt returner catch the football after the punt, but the returner may not advance the football.
• Let the ball bounce into the field of play where the kicking team can touch the football, but possession still remains with the punt-return team, or the punt returner can let the football bounce out of bounds and possession is taken where the football goes out of bounds.

In the CFL, however:

• There is no fair catch rule and the punting team must give a cushion of about five yards to allow the punt returner to either catch the football in mid-air, catch the football after it bounces, or pick up the football and run after the ball has stopped bouncing. If the kicking team does not allow the five-yard cushion, the punt return team will be assigned a 10-yard penalty.