Changes are coming to the Canadian Football League, and the announcement of the new rules has led to a range of opinions — from players, coaches, broadcasters and fans.
The CFL’s two-part, phased plan, which kicks off next season, is bringing significant changes to some of the league’s staples, including a shortened field, restrictions on how single points are awarded, and an automatic 35-second restriction on the play clock.
While some have praised the league’s announcement as forward-thinking, others — like Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea — think the uniquely Canadian game didn’t need tweaking in the first place.
“I’m Canadian. I love Canadian football, I love the CFL and I’m a purist. I like the game the way it is,” said O’Shea — a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and winner of multiple Grey Cups as both a player and coach.
“It’s exciting, it’s stood the test of time. There are things about our game that are so unique that make it so special.”
Some observers, however, say the changes will likely serve to enhance the sport’s uniqueness while adding more excitement for viewers.
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Football analyst and retired CFL all-star Doug Brown, who spent a decade as a defensive tackle for the Bombers, says the new rules will make the CFL game closer to that of the National Football League in the U.S., while retaining its Canadianness.
“There’s still obviously going to be a very pronounced Canadian flair to the CFL game,” Brown told 680 CJOB on Monday.
“There’s still going to be 12 players, the field’s still going to be wide, still only going to be three downs…. There’s lots of stuff that is remaining in the game that keeps the CFL very unique.
“Some level of standardization is good for the league as long as the CFL retains that Canadian flair and the ability to differentiate itself from what happens south of the border.”
The changes, Brown said, are a lot to take in all at once, but the phased approach — beginning next year and continuing through the 2027 season — should help ease the transition for many fans.
Brown’s fellow Bombers legend, kicker Troy Westwood, said he feels the changes will make the CFL game more exciting to watch — particularly the addition of the 35-second auto-reset on the play clock.
“I know there’s a whole bunch of folks out there that don’t want any change and consider everything that’s in place right now to be kind of sacred, but this is forward thinking here by the league,” Westwood said.
“It’ll be neat to see the added stress — if there is any — on offences as far as … as soon as the play is done, you have 35 seconds to get everything going. But if you can get the boys out there and the plays in and everything rolling faster and quicker, that in itself should lead to more entertaining.”
Bombers president Wade Miller told 680 CJOB’s The Start that when rule changes like this are made, there’s always going to be a debate — but that ultimately the goal is to improve the CFL experience for fans.
“There’s going to be the purists that love the game the way it is, and others that see it that things need to change and move,” Miller said.
“This is taking a step forward in trying to make the game with more touchdowns and change the flow of the game and the pace of it a little bit, and modernize it.”
Miller said while the changes have sparked comparisons to other leagues, he feels like new rules will retain the CFL’s identity.
“To me, keeping the width of the field 65 yards, keeping the waggle, the 12 players, the Canadians, everything else — that’s what the CFL’s about.
“The rest of these changes, they’re about the flow … and about making a game that’s already exciting even more exciting.”
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