You did a fantastic job of laying out your reasoning over each argument. Well done. Thank you for the way you celebrate this great game, not because it's Canadian, but because it's good and exciting. I had so much fun watching with the clips during this video... all super entertaining!
Changing the rules to match the NFL would make the CFL just one more run-of-the-mill spring league while erasing a century of tradition. The game evolved from rugby and CFL rules reflect that.
@@Qgreen1005 The NFL certainly has the money... and all that goes with that. However, it's OK being the second best gridiron league in the world... and no, the XFL/USFL=UFL isn't even close. As Canadians, we're certainly OK with and even embrace MLS even though it barely sneaks into the top 10 soccer leagues in the world. Of course, MLS is an American based league... which is a prerequisite for acceptance for many Canadians... just part of our overall inferiority complex.
I agree. I can't watch NFL games anymore because of all the damn commercials. The CFL is bad enough with them but nothing like the NFL tv broadcasts. Our problem with tv commercials is its the same 3 or 4 brands doing our commercials.
I am American, live in the US, and an NFL fan, and i can't bring myself to agree with the writer of the article. I have more fun watching the CFL (the limited number of times i can here in the US) because the difference in rules and the effects they have on the gameplay and strategy make it fun to watch. CFL, please keep being the CFL and don't worry about the calls to become the NFL. Key the wide field, 12 players on each side, rouge, and everything else the way it is, because it is fun football.
When the CFL almost folded in 1997 the NFL gave an interest-free loan to keep it alive. The real reason was that if there were no alternative leagues, i.e. no competition, the NFL might have to face the US Anti-Trust Laws that would break up the league. It seems less of a problem now with the UFL which has different rules from the NFL, for instance, 2 forwarded passes allowed on the same play.
I might watch the NFL if they adopted CFL rules. They may have the most expensive athletes, but dragging their asses after every play for 45 seconds as well as the infinite ads make it boring as watching paint dry. 4 hors for a football game? Bite me.
We arent talking about curling, we are talking about football! is the CFL planning on playing any games outside of Canaduh? London, Berlin? probably just in Nunavut & Greenland, right? LOL
@@inconnu4961So if something is more popular (because it was rammed down peoples throats from high school up) makes it better? Sorry, but seeing a kickoff sail through the end zone because your field is tiny, or after a punt your returners call a "fair catch" like a p***y. Taking 4 tries to go 10 yards. All BS rules.
I like watching both leagues BECAUSE they are different. Both are exciting in their own way. I think the CFL would lose viewership if it became a clone of the NFL. People would just watch the NFL. Thank you for your analysis and the great video clips.
@@inconnu4961 Unfortunately, it's the Canadian way. Went to a pub on Vancouver Island on Saturday. The BC Lions were playing the Riders but they didn't have it on even one TV until I asked them to...
I'm Japanese and I'm from Japan. Canadian identity and traditions must not be allowed to fade away. Tradition sometimes doesn't sit well with reality and rationality, but that's not a big deal. What fascinates people is not always economical or an imitation of what others do. Continuity of tradition and identity is what seeks legitimacy. Although the Bible does not mention tobacco or science, the Bible remains an unshakable foundation of faith for Christians who smoke or study science to this day. I love Canadian football. J'adore le football canadien.
@@teo_heel Thank you for your comment. In fact, Japanese sumo has changed some of its rules and rules for show management many times to suit the times. In the old days, sumo matches started with the wrestlers in sync with their opponents, but now matches start with a time limit. Also, video refereeing was already introduced 60 years ago when television became widespread, but the nature and tradition of the sport of sumo remains unchanged to this day. Baseball is baseball in Canada, but football is Canadian football in Canada. Even if the position of the hash marks is narrowed and the red flag is changed to a yellow flag, Canadian football should be played by 12 people, with a wide field and goal posts on the goal line.
It makes sense. The Bible is what tells us about Jesus, what Christians should apply to their lives and who Christians find their identity in and their love from. If Canadian Football becomes Americanized and fade away, it'll be no different and most likely kill the CFL. If you take away Christ and the ability to have a relationship with God, are there Christians? God bless you, and I hope you keep God close everyday and seek Him diligently everyday in life.
The traditional game is rugby. Both the CFL and the NFL are evolutions of the game of rugby by slowly changing the rules year after year (that's why they are similar but different). That's also why a score is called a "touchdown" even though you don't have to touch the ball down (that's a remnant from rugby).
I have tried to watch NFL games, especially Superbowl games, and you know what? THEY'RE NOT NEARLY AS FUN AS A CFL GAME!!! This Matt Grills has clearly never actually BEEN to a Labour Day game and is just trying to stir up trouble.... You did a great job explaining this dude, well done!
I actually stopped watching NFL games because I often fall asleep during the broadcasts. Going in person can be fun, but I think it depends on who's sitting around you because all those commercial breaks? Yeah, they're happening in real life most of the time...not fun.
When I was 11 or 12, espn carried CFL games. I fell in love with it immediately. I think that every rule difference makes the Canadian game more challenging and fun with ½ exception for the defense on the 3 down rule. I love the 1 point for the punter or kicker on a touchback. If any changes are needed, the NFL should look at the 1 point rule or the bigger end zone or the bigger field, and dont forget the 12th player.
I will not watch another game if the CFL had NFL rules. I think the CFL game is way more entertaining....look at how many CFL games are decided within the last 3 minutes or less. People want to complain about the rouge or getting a point after missing a field goal, but the Canadian game is more wide open, better paced than the NFL and again, is just more enjoyable to watch. His notion that the 12 players aside, wider longer field and having the goalposts in play have to go is beyond ludicrous and short-sided. Spoken like a true NFL fan. If I were to change one rule in the CFL, it's the single point after missing a field goal. Getting a rouge single should really only apply to punts. As for stupid NFL rules....their kick off rule is ridiculous. They may as well get rid of it as the ball sails the entire length of the field, then the offence gets the ball on their own what....25 yard line (sorry, I don't watch the NFL)? That, and the fair catch rule.....don't even get me started on that ridiculous rule. Is the NFL a more watched, perhaps dominate form of football? Sure, but it's American football....and as a Canadian, I find it boring and low scoring. Give me my CFL football and don't fudge with the rules either. I just looked up some stats for punt returns in the CFL vs NFL. In 2023, 11 punts were run back for touchdowns. For the NFL? In 2022......3. The return game in the NFL is meaningless, whereas it is a huge part in the CFL as good returns can massively shift field possession on a dime.
I'll also add that I see dozens of comments from American fans who watch the CFL on a weekly basis and they thoroughly enjoy the games, so while it may not be a huge audience, the CFL is attracting American fans.
The rouge is a thing on FG because a FG is essentially treated as a punt if it misses - returnable, recoverable, etc. At the end of the day, if you let the FG team kick from close enough to clear the 20yd endzone in a tie game then you basically lost the game on field position already and they could have easily punted for a rouge anyway. Field position battle is preserved in Canadian football far more so than the American game. You often need a string of offensive, defensive and Special Teams plays to reliably score unless you're just way better than your opponent. American football has basically become an offensive shootout sim , not true sustained field position battling in at least 90 percent of games.
@rocksandforestquiver959 All you just said are very similar to rugby. Live ball is a live ball, doesn't matter if it is kicked or thrown. As soon as the ball is snapped, you basically have a game of rugby with blockings and forward pass. Heck, even you're allowed to dribble the ball to touchdown!
Just watched the end of Brown-Ravens game. The last 2 minutes had the Browns with no time-outs and Jackson kneed the ball 4 times to run out the clock, while the announcers gave the credits. WOOOWWW what excitement!!!! My heart was racing.
If anything, American football is Canadian football played in the US. Not saying that's historically accurate, but the development of Canadian football, in or similar to its current form, predates that of the American game, and definitely influenced how the American game came to be what it now is.
True for Canadians with inferiority complexes. I guess American roofers, truck drivers and teachers are better than Canadian - just -because-they-are American... right? D'oh.
People like this should be honest with themselves and admit that they're just not interested in the CFL no matter what, rather than make up excuses. Bottom line is that even if the CFL changed to all NFL rules, the ratings/attendance aren't going to go up. There are too many NFL fans and not enough football fans. Look at hockey. Do people not watch Team Canada (any level) when they participate in international hockey? Does anyone complain that it's international rules? PS. As someone once educated me on 15+ years ago, and I now repeat, in the CFL, every (legal) kickoff is an onside kick. Every player on the kicking team has to be behind the ball/kicker when the ball is kicked. What we have here is a short kick. It's the silly NFL that calls it an onside kick, for whatever reason, I have no idea 🙂.
The NFL is dull and I identify with Canadian cities and provinces. I don't identify with far off American cities. If Houston beats San Francisco I don't give a shvt
I'm not anti-NFL... I'll watch it if I'm in front of the TV and there's a game on, but like you, there's no team that I'm invested in. If Nathan Rourke got regular playing time in the NFL, I would have followed his team. Bottomline is that I'm a football fan. I'll watch college/university football if it's on.
If anything the NFL should adopt some CFL rules as far as time outs and time clocks. Speed up their game and make it less of a drag. Also, wouldn't allow teams to sit on a relatively small lead near the end and just run out the clock.
Bottom line, the CFL is unapologetically _a different game_ than the NFL. It's not trying to be American Football, and has its own growth lineage from rugby and the early CRFU. It's also worth pointing out that the rouge is not a single point awarded _for missing a field goal_ , but one for kicking the ball through the end-zone...so the idea of "celebrating failure" is actually just a statement made in ignorance of the rule.
TSN is actually the reason younger Canadians are not into the CFL. Anyone without an overpriced cable subscription can't watch. CTV 2 regularly carries NFL games but NEVER any CFL games. You can't miss the NFL or NCAA football, the big 4 (NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX) each have multiple games on every weekend.
Your point is valid, but it has been addressed. In addition to TSN, weekly CFL games ARE on CTV this season... including all playoff games and the Grey Cup.
@@Dexter037S4 they do have a free broadcast for foreigners on CFL+ and I use it to watch games as I'm from Russia and that's the only legit way for me to watch games.
I prefer NFL because of the talent level, not the different rules. Bringing NFL rules to CFL will be the death of Canadian Football. I still like CFL though. It’s a different game and the uniqueness makes it worthwhile. The only thing I’d like to see change would be to have more teams, but that’s unlikely.
@@Dexter037S4 No way. At least give the offense a chance to move the ball. Part of what makes American football exciting IS the run game, which the CFL can hardly afford to have because you have only 2 downs, then punt.
And it's not stupid to punt the ball and watch five idiots surrounding the ball until it rolls to a stop? It's not stupid to start the game with a kick off where the fans are screaming in anticipation only to have the player take a knee in the end zone? It's not stupid for the QB to throw the ball at his feet to stop the clock when it is intentional grounding? It's not stupid to treat kicking a ball that is placed on the ground differently from punting it? They are BOTH kicks and should be fielded by the return team.
The overblown reaction to this game-winning rouge was ridiculous. The point is NOT for missing the kick, it is for getting the ball close enough to the end zone to make the rouge a possibility. Sometimes changing the scoring rules of a game from "all or nothing" to "all or a small consolation prize" results in a more entertaining game. The game in question was not won when the field goal attempt missed. It was won when the winners managed to get the ball far enough up the field so that the rouge was a near certainty, something that happens not terribly often, but when it does both teams know it is a possibility several plays before, and need to actually play football to try to prevent it or make it happen. How many NFL games are lost because the team trailing fails to prevent their opponents from making a first down in the final two minutes and has run out of timeouts? Probably dozens each season, and the principle is the same: a silly rule. The CFL's allows a team to get a point out of a missed field goal, the NFL's says that a team can run out the clock by standing around and kneeling for four downs once the other team has used its timeouts. At least the CFL rouge play is often exciting when the ball doesn't quite clear the end zone and the defense can kick it out to save the point, and the plays leading up to the rouge are exciting because everyone in the place knows that one point will win it. In the NFL, a clock win often sees the coaches shaking hands in the middle of the field with the clock still at 25 seconds to go, and a coach who instructs his players to attack the kneel-down play is crucified.
I like your response. His was an opinion commentary that was way off, CFL playing rules are great. We are Canadians not Americans, it’s our game not his. ❤️🇨🇦🏈
Great job in rebuttal. I have been preaching for years, that the biggest fail to attract younger fans is the fact (that in B.C. at least), high school football changed to the 4 down game many years ago. Having ran my own business and hiring young guys, every single one of them thought that the NFL was superior. Well of course they did because they had never played the 3 down game. So our system is teaching these lads that the 3 down game is inferior at a young age. But, alas, nobody listens. So we fritter away our upcoming fans.
@@isador4784 At the Argos game whenever they bring in youth flag football teams to play at halftime they are always sponsored by and named after NFL teams.
this is interesting to me, because i play high school ball right now in calgary, and we play by cfl rules. interestingly enough, a game in our division on wednesday ended 1-0. not sure what the case is in the rest of the country though. also, i watch both nfl and cfl football regularly
I think some people think that the CFL was born as a copy of the NFL, but decided to change some rules. They really don't understand the history of the game, and how different Canadian and American football used to be, and that none of the rules were implemented to differ the game from the American one. In reality the CFL has been only and ever so slowly over the years changing the rules to make the game more similar to the American game, unfortunately.
Actually the truth is that the CFL game and rules were first, PERIOD. McGill went to the US to play and one of their players couldn't go so they only played with 11 men. THAT's the truth. the NFL rules also used to have 3 downs......
@@cflisthebest that's not exactly true. The down system was invented in the US, the forward pass, unlimited interference, and many other things. The basis of the game was from Canada, they diverged with the Americans making significant rule changes, which the Canadian game has slowly but surely tended to adopt. Heck even the 6-point TD was introduced from the US, it was only 5 points in Canada up until the early 50s.
Canadian football is such a cool variant (I can’t say innovative because it predates the No Fun League rule set)… it’s all the best kicking rules of rugby and 19th century football combined with modern strategy.
Amen! I really appreciate your explanation of the rouge as an incentive to bring the ball out. Basically, if you do it right, you will score on the kick as change of possession, so kick the skin off it.
I'm a big fan of both the CFL and NFL. I've been an Alouettes season ticket holder for a long time. The only thing I would change about the rouge would be that on a missed field goal, if the ball goes out of the end zone without being touched, you shouldn't get a point, just like the old kickoff rule before they changed it recently. If the returner can't get the ball out of the end zone, then you should get 1 point. Keep punting rouge rules the same as they are now. Another rule I'd change is the new rule of calling roughing the kicker when you block a punt, like what happened in the Als-Stampeders game a few weeks ago because that's just a dumb rule. Otherwise, I'm all in favour of the differences between the leagues because why should everything be the same just because one league is more popular than the other?
American football uses most of the rules Canadians introduced to them back on May 14 and 15, 1874 in 2 games between McGill University and Harvard. Harvard enjoyed the Canadian innovations (running with the ball, downs and tackling) so much, they introduced them into a match with Yale the following year, college football in America is born using Canadian game rules.The idea of football is to move the ball over the goal line, doing so should be rewarded, how many missed field goals get run back for TDs. NFL gives free yards why?. Kicking game in CFL far more exciting no fair catches, NFL plays Super Bowl indoors, wimps, usually the game is a super bore, last 2 minutes in CFL lots of action, last 2 minutes in NFL nothing much happens. take away gambling and tail gate parties many people wouldn't care as much about the actual NFL games. smaller field easier for TV to show. my 4 cents.
Matthew Grills is a Retro-Eagle-Tiny-Austin-Robert-Dayton that doesn't know that a lot of NFL fans have been HATING the rule changes since Tom Brady got injured that one year! Focusing on the Taylor Swift stuff does more LONG TERM HARM than good since her stupid fanbase will tune out once Kelce retires or breaks up with her. Just another reason I want to see Kelce traded to the Carolina Panthers with that "owner" of theirs! Toronto Argonauts (and their city) would be wise to stay in the CFL than go to cancer infested NFL. If the NFL wants a team in Canada, then it's going to be a city that doesn't have a CFL team. Either Quebec City or Halifax. The question is, would those two Canadian cities support NFL rules? My guess is no. Only way you'll see CFL and NFL teams fight each other is to once again stage exhibition games. I say, take the 9 worst NFL teams at the end of the NFL regular season, and let them fight the 9 CFL teams in exhibition games where the winners will be given bonus checks for winning. And of course, whoever is the home team will be played under that league's rules. I'd love to see the Edmonton Elks crush the Carolina Kittens!
More like the NFL needs to adopt CFL rules. The NFL kicking game is garbage and has been garbage for years. Maybe if they actually adopted the rouge and eliminated fair catch rulings it'd actually encourage these over paid primadonnas to carry the ball out of the endzone instead of just taking a knee or letting it bounce out. CFL has the best running game and the best kicking game of either league, full stop. And the fields in the NFL are so tiny, any quarterback worth his salt in that league should be expected to be able to throw to mid field without issue so even their passing game is 'inflated' as far as I'm concerned.
@@scottryall Hilarious. Spoken like someone whose probably watched all of one CFL game in his life if any at all. Receivers having more space because the field is large doesn't actually make it easier for them to catch the ball, because they still literally have to CATCH THE BALL and often on the run when the passes are longer. Defenders in CFL are smaller and run faster and have an equal amount of opportunity to catch longer passes requiring greater accuracy from the QB. Far higher number of interceptions in the CFL because of this. The rouge isn't a 'pity point'. The fair catch is a PITIFUL baby rule for babies. And your last point is just ridiculous. You see maybe a rouge a game if you're lucky; they way you make it sound, teams are literally winning games left and right on the one point. Try harder buddy.
@@scottryall Well, even if it does happen 'regularly' as you claim (it doesn't, but whatever, lets just go with that BS narrative anyway) at least its better than a tie being decided by a bloody coin flip. And yes DBs have been WAAAAY faster in the CFL historically; it's only been in the last few season where NFL DBs have 'sized down' to the point where they can actually decently keep pace with an RB much less catch up to him. Collapsing a particular route on a tiny field doesn't mean 'faster'. And plus, when a formation practically stretches from sideline to sideline because the field's about as wide as my thumb, its not like they ever had far to run anyway. And that doesn't even take into account the piss-poor NFL passing games where forward pass completions over 10-yards is treated like someone just committed a miracle on the field.
@@SJReid82 Why? We aint trying to impress any Canucks! You speak like a butthurt Canadian! We are entitled to think Canuck football is silly, and you are entitled to like it! On Super Bowl Sunday, when millions of fans across the globe are watching American football, we will remember that on Grey Cup sunday, a few thousand watched that game. it doesnt matter how often one does or doesnt see it, in our opinion we dont want to see it even once!
@@SJReid82 wow you are a grouchy one arent you! You must be a maple Leafs fan! The NFL game changes. so certain things are popular for a while, then defenses adapt (or rules change) so the game changes along with it. NFL used to be a very run heavy game, hence no need to make the field 7 miles long and 2 miles wide! LOL Americans LIKE the physical contact that the smaller field ensures, while im sure Canadians dont want to touch each other! Cant say id blame you!
This debate makes my blood boil. Our rules are bad because anybody can kick the ball at anytime? It's called FOOTball. The ball is even designed to be kicked. Throwing it was an afterthought and I'm still amazed at how far it can be thrown. More people watch NFL than CFL, is that an argument? There are 86 games in a CFL season and 285 games in the NFL with over 1000 college games. Could that be why? I watched the NFL once. It seemed that anything less than a touchdown was a failure. There is lots of ways to get 6 points in the CFL and they all can be used in the last two minutes, or even less. Very exciting. The NFL seems to stop playing in the last two minutes. They're out of time. Game over. I think the reason this keeps getting brought up is that the journalists and football analysts could demand higher paychecks. And finally, if it did become integrated, can you imagine going to a game on the prairies in January? YIKES!
3Dn (Canadian) football is just how I'd expect a nation of hockey lovers to play the gridiron game! Free flowing! Risky! Fast! (btw - I'm laughing at the fact that some pple can't comprehend The Single/Rouge: 1 Pt for kicking across the goal line! Doesn't seem complicated.) NFL should quit playing on 'arena size' leagues and move up to big boy football! ;-) Good job with this rebuttal.
Single is awarded not just for kicking the ball across the end line, but also for keeping the ball inside end zone as well. But I agree, CFL is WAY MORE exciting.
Hey guys, I'm an American from the states who loves watching the NFL and CFL highlights. I personally love the rouge when it comes the punts and kickoff returns, but I don't like it for missed field goals. That being said, I'm not gonna stop watching the CFL over that, just like I won't stop watching the NFL due to my disagreeing with their touch backs on punts & kickoffs without getting a rouge point.
Single point is awarded not for missing, but for being close enough to the end line that you can kick the ball out of bounds and make sure that there will be no return.
As an American who enjoys the CFL, the reason I watch it is the gameplay is a bit more exciting. 3 downs force more risks, and with rouges makes the field position worth something. One thing I am aware of is it's between Rugby League and the old NFL... the posession rules, the offside rules, I wish the NFL would adopt the open kicking rules. Can't forget the interesting endzones... There is no disadvantage from being at the 1, unlike the NFL. The history stems from the Harvard-McGill game. The Harvard Bowl had a limited field, while McGill had a rugby field. That why the CFL field. The Grey Cup was formerly a rugby trophy. The kicking rules are right from rugby (including the fair catch/mark, free kick, and field goals). I think the NFL should have drop goals. The CFL rules have been around longer than the NFL, and the NFL had adapted their game so it's hardly recognizable from 80 years prior. They did a lot of things for safety. One of the big things that has disappeared from America is the Punt, Pass, and Kick competitions. The winners used to be honored during the 3rd quarter of the Super Bowl. Another problem with the NFL is the evolution of bigger people. The field is smaller, so bigger people have more impact... you're either big, or fast. CFL you need both. That increases the injuries, and the lingering problems that alumni from the NFL have. Many teams have taken the weather out of the equation.
You mangled the history so badly, it's hard to un-mangle from it. I think what you mean is that in 1906, when there was consideration being given by the football rules committee (US) to widening the field, the cement was poured for Soldiers' Field (Harvard), so they kept the width at 160 feet and legalized the forward pass instead. The Harvard-McGill series was in 1873-4, nothing to do with that; the width of the American football field hadn't even been determined yet! Punt, Pass, and Kick competitions are still held -- I've helped administer them -- but no longer associated with the NFL.
I love both the CFL and the NFL and I love the CFL because it is unique. When someone questions ... why should a team get a point for missing a field goal in the CFL .... my response is why should the ball be moved to the 30 yard line for taking a knee in the end zone, in the NFL?
Okay, you've done a good job. That journalist has been brainwashed by this attitude that things American are somehow better. In point of fact, it is the NFL that has stupid rules: FAIR CATCH: Really exciting play - kinda like watching paint dry. NO ROUGE: A team advances all the way to the 12 as an example, and ONE player, the fg kicker, screws up, and the team gets nothing!!! At least in the CFL, the team's successful march down the field is partially acknowledged. Also, punting back and forth to avoid the single point is EXCITING. FUMBLE INTO THE END ZONE: The defense gets the ball!? WTF!!! If they didn't jump on the ball, why should they get it? CFL gives the ball back to the offence from where they fumbled - much more logical and fair. Defense must jump on or touch the ball before it goes out of bounds to get possession. Much more logical and fair. OFFSETTING PENALTIES: A simple false start equals a roughing the passer in the NFL - simply insane and unfair. CFL subtracts 5 yard false start from 15 yard roughing to net 10 yards for offence. Again, more logical and fair. Also NFL only enforces 1 penalty if 2 penalties are committed. Again, not logical or fair. All penalties should be enforced, like the CFL does. LAST MINUTE TIME: NFL allows time to run out if defense has no timeouts left. Really exciting play - paint dry mode again. 2 FEET IN BOUNDS: Dumb rule that encourages injuries and takes away offence. Even the NCAA doesn't do this. ONLY 1 IN MOTION ALLOWED: Paint dry mode again. ON SIDE KICKOFF: Almost impossible in NFL to succeed as kicking team must possess ball. CFL much more exciting as last touch is more easily accomplished, leading to more success and excitement. NO CHALLENGE ON PASS INTERFERENCE: Need I say more? Games have been unfairly decided on FREQUENT blown calls. Simply put, the CFL is a better game than the NFL and I wish more Canadians would realize this. The only rule I consider the NFL superior is the 1 yard required on the line of scrimmage. Makes 3rd and 1 almost impossible to stop. NFL is more exciting with 4th and 1, as success is much harder to achieve which leads to more excitement when it's tried.
GREAT COMMENT. Some corrections though... CFL doesn't enforce 2 penalties on the same team if it's not objectional conduct that is added to other penalties. And 3rd and 1 on the 1 yard line in CFL are not that easy... so many times teams are failing to get that last yard... sometimes even fumble the ball and lose possession that way.
We got CBC outta Toronto in Detroit. Hockey Night in Canada, news, and CFL. Yeah, some rules were dumb, but we liked the variation. They even had two teams with the same name. Ottawa Rough Riders and Saskatchewan Roughriders. I never thought it equal to the NFL, it was just different.
Watch it on Canada Day, and you can hear canadians wondering: what does it mean to be canadian? ha ha ha After ALL these years, you guys still dont know what you are! Love you Canaduh, thanks for the laughs!
I'm Australian so I don't get to see a lot of CFL but I started getting into it last year and I have to say I much prefer the ruleset of the Canadian game. It seems to make for a faster and more offensive game and imo has more of a "flow" to it which is way more like what I'm used to in sports. I was a little bemused at the concept of the Rouge when I first learned of it but its just one of the quirks of the rules you get used to, most sports have at least one or two of those kinds of rules that fans aren't thrilled about when they decide a game but it makes it unique. Personally I'd love it if it went the other way and the NFL adopted CFL rules, I'd love to see what the Canadian game could be with that kind of money and exposure.
Also... about size of the field and more players per each side... why is that considered bad? Quarterbacks need to have really strong hands to use the whole 65 yards-wide field. And guys like Zach Collaros, Cody Fajardo and Bo Levi Mitchell are great at it. What was not mentioned but what is really great about CFL is the waggle. Receivers can move towards the line of scrimmage before the snap and it makes defense work very different from how it works in American Football. Canadian Football has 1 yard of neutral zone between offensive and defensive linemen before the snap and it also matters in how plays work. And NFL players still consider CFL as a great option to continue their career. Just ask Chad Ochocinco Johnson on what he thinks about CFL. He will tell you all you need to know about how great CFL really is.
Yup, as in an interview with Flutie, he sighted the waggle as making the game more about QB's having more decision making put into their hands. Whereas in the NFL, it is more about timing and sticking to the structure of the OC's game plan.
New Zealander here. We have a similar situation between Rugby Union and Rugby League. Look like the same game but have their own rules but there is no call for the minor sport - Rugby League - to adopt the rules of the major sport - Rugby Union. Team sizes are different - 15 for union and 13 for league, scoring is different - a try (think touchdown) is 5 points for union , 2 points for a conversion (extra point - always kicked) . 3 points for a field goal and drop goal , league equivalent is 4 for a try, 2 for conversion and field goal , 1 for a drop goal. Also a sort of similarity is that in union you can keep the ball almost non stop whereas in league a team has 6 "tackles" and then has to give it to the other side. Sort of the same as downs and almost always there is a punt on the 5th tackle Just started watching the CFL after years of watching NFL but I agree that the Canadian version appears to be offense inclined
Rugby Union/Rugby league can co-exist happily, even while occasionally taking rule ideas from eachother, so no reason NFL/CFL can't either. Similar to Gaelic/Australian football too (With the 'compromise rules' games between the international teams too...'rouge'/behind rule included!) Nobody would suggest rugby should introduce the forward pass, just to appeal to USA fans. Yes, Starbucks is 'bigger' than Tim's, but it is better to have both, rather than to all just fit the one
@@IusedtohaveausernameIliked because Canadian Football is all about fun. American Football... especially if NFL or should I say no fun league is all about money. And no, international competitions won't work in gridiron football. There's a HUGE gap in talent between USA, Canada and maybe Japan and anyone else. Gridiron football isn't an international game like soccer or basketball.
@@teo_heel Canada football is about fun? ha ha ha oh dear, these Canadians are so upset they are about to cry! Are you guys still mad because we caught up to you in hockey? is that what this is REALLY about?
I wonder what the author thinks of the NFL fair catch field goal rule? It is my under standing that the NFL is the only rule set with in the Rugby-Gridiron Football family of sports to use it. It used to be in both Rugby Union and League as a scoring method. However, in modern Rugby Union a mark/fair catch can only be called from the in goal area upto the 22 meter line, and a field goal can not be made with this mark. This rule seems like something that would be in the CFL, and not the NFL lol
No, a free kick that can score from a fair catch is also in the National Federation of State High School Associations football rules, Australian, and Gaelic football. Canadian football (before the CFL existed as such) abolished the fair catch in the late 1940s; then the NCAA abolished the fair catch in 1950, only to reinstate it in 1951 without the free kick option. Rugby Union allowed a kick from the mark of a fair catch to score a goal until 1972, and Rugby League until some time in the 1960s. Soccer abolished the fair catch some time in the 1860s.
American here, I was really surprised learning about early gridiron football, and originally started with Canadians sharing their version of rugby to Americans (and the rules splitting that early). Thanks Canada!
If anything, the NFL should be copying some of the CFL's rules, particularly the overtime procedure and the way refs announce penalties, using the team's region identifier rather than which side of the ball they're on. The NCAA should also adopt the two-OT procedure limit for regular season games, and only using third and subsequent possessions for postseason.
The workd would be better If sports fans could understand that every rules in every sport is man made, arbitrary, and can seems silly for people outside of it
As an American who grew up on the border and was familiar with both codes, I’m surprised you didn’t mention the significantly wider neutral zone as another factor why 3 downs is sufficient. Also, the motion rules allows offenses to throw defenses into chaos. The codes are significantly different, but can be understood in terms of one another. Let them be.
Fantastic job of explaining the nuances, plus the pros and cons of each rule. All that said, I would still tweak the rouge rule while keeping it in the game. If a kicker misses the FG then there is no rouge. However, if a punter kicks the ball through the end zone and/or the receiving team is tackled and/or concedes in the end zone then the rouge remains intact. Beyond that one item, I love the CFL rules as is and have never found any other instance in my soul where I thought the change to the foundational rule of the Canadian game could benefit the Canadian game. This means I would expressly want to keep the other foundational rules in the game such as 12 players per team, the size of the field, the onside recoveries from a punter, the drop kick FGs and so forth, as is. Let me be clear. Both the American and Canadian game have their roots in "mob football" in the UK. Mob football essentially gave birth to all codes soccer, North American football and rugby. The video podcaster also acknowledges / suggests that mob football might have given rise to all or at the very least elements of Gaelic and Aussie rules football as well. This means the modern games of football in Canada or the US or elsewhere have evolved significantly. Of course, those rules that have been there since the inception of the game have withstood the test of time. They are robust and solid in every way imaginable. They mean that the game is better, enthralling, authentic and the best that it can be when those rules are in place. Those rules must stay unchanged and those rules are the foundational rules. In conclusion, the Canadian game is a polished and professional product and must be given a chance to stay alive. Yes, the American game has also echoed with a polish and professionalism too. So keep both games alive and flourishing. Don't do away with one and consume only the other. Of course, both games may continue to evolve but they will at the margins, not at the foundations. The essence of both must be allowed to stay as is and flourish. Yes, I want to treasure Da Vinci's work but I want to treasure Picasso's as well. Life is better with the diversity of more works of art.
No. Mob football was an aberration. Most of the football played in the British Isles for centuries was not like that, it's just that the mob games were most notorious.
Natural-born American with 400 year-old roots here: the CFL is great. If Canada embraced American rules, the NFL would would put a team in Toronto tomorrow and demolish the native league, leaving places like Regina, Winnipeg, and Calgary without a pro football team. Terrible idea. My only lament is that common rules would allow us to have an annual Canada vs. US game, which would be an absolute blast.
Toronto HAS a football team! Its in buffalo, NY Buffalo has to be the tiniest market to STILL have a team. If CFL went to NFL rules, the CFL would officially become what it has kind have been for awhile: a minor league for the NFL. toronto could handle 2 football teams. Its a big city, right?
Adopting NFL rules would be a terrible idea for the many reasons you've listed. I'm going to assume the writer of the original article was just another troll dumping on the CFL. We are, unfortunately, used to it at this point. These clowns show up every single season blathering about how the CFL is going to fold if we don't embrace the NFL and then they die and the CFL keeps on entertaining fans.
It's a drum they've been beating since the early 80's and yet somehow the CFL is still here. Of the 4 games this Thanksgiving weekend, 2 games, Toronto @ Winnipeg and Ottawa @ Montreal are sold out a week in advance..
@@TheJhn924 They almost folded in 1997, but thanks to an infusion of cash from the NFL, the CFL got to trod on a while longer! You are welcome, again, Canada!
@@inconnu4961 Yes, the NFL provided a US$3-million interest-free loan to the CFL which was later paid back in full. In return, the NFL was granted access to CFL players in the option year of their contract immediately following the CFL season rather than waiting until free agency in February. Part of that agreement also provided for a friendly game to be played between the Grey Cup Champions and the NFL Europe winners... although for logistical reasons never went beyond the discussion stages.
American football used to have Goalposts, but years ago, they decided to move them to the back of the endzone. So technically they're Not goalposts anymore, they're endzone posts.
I love the CFL game, I've been a fan since I was a kid, and the the article you reference is one of the most asinine things I've ever read, but the author is right about one thing. Rewarding failure is terrible. I like the rouge, EXCEPT on missed field goals. If you miss a field goal, then no points should be giving even if the ball is downed or kicked through the end zone. Keep the rouge for kickoffs and punts. Change that one little rule, and then you have a perfect, unique league, and that is FAR more exciting than the NFL product!
I disagree - Canadian football is a field position game. The rouge is the reward for having the field position to kick a ball through the end zone on third down. The field goal is a reward for doing the more difficult thing of putting it through the uprights. They are entirely separate rewards, and each has its place. Usually, it's better to at least attempt 3 points. But in the last minute of a tie game, the team on defense needs to be aware of the fact that if they concede enough field position, and the clock gets too low, they're cooked, no matter what. Besides, if you kept the rouge for kickoffs and punts (as you suggest), a team could still win by punting the ball through the end zone. The only difference is that there is not the possibility of earning 3 points, which is an entirely different objective (one that is, in my opinion, irrelevant to the discussion at hand). In a tie game place-kicking situation with zeros on the clock, I guarantee you that the place-kicker is just kicking the ball as hard as they can. *_The objective is the rouge, not the field goal._* In giving it enough power, they are succeeding at winning the game, not failing to earn 3 points in doing so.
@@VoIcanoman No one should be rewarded for failure. If you are kicking a field goal, then the goal is to get three points. If you miss it, then you miss it, and there is no reward for missing your attempt. If you want the rouge so bad, then set up for a punt and kick it through the end zone. I remember one of my high school city championship games ending 1-0 with a last second punt at the 25 yard line through the end zone. If it was a last second missed field goal, it wouldn't sit right with me.
@@ErikWoodsCinSoundRadio Would a place-kicked rouge out the back of the end zone bother you so much if the kicking team had to signal whether they were going for 3, or 1? If there was a specific place kick where you could ONLY earn a single point (like, say, a kickoff after a score), and doing so successfully wasn't actually "failing" at a field goal, but succeeding at something else entirely? Because I guarantee you that currently, teams are sometimes going for ONLY a single point during a field goal attempt, and if you INTEND to do something, how can it be a failure? Does it really matter what we call it (a failed field goal vs. a successful rouge?) when the result is the same?
Canadians who complain about the rouge and keeping the goal posts on the goal line primarily fall into two groups. 1) Those who don't understand it or the history and strategy involved. The recent game winning rouge by the Argos was a calculated play with the ball being kicked for distance rather than accuracy... great if you get the 3 points but make sure there's enough on the ball to make returning it impossible... Conversely, they could have punted for the rouge but with a higher risk of a blocked or returnable kick. A lack of understanding and/or explanation by those broadcasting and reporting the game is a contributing factor. 2) People who don't watch Canadian football anyway and wouldn't no matter what rule changes you made to appease them with many viewing the existence of the CFL as somehow a hindrance to Toronto obtaining an NFL team. I tend to think the writer of the article mentioned in this video falls into this category and I highly doubt he's watched ANY CFL football recently... if ever.
the age appeal in the article was very misleading. of course fewer 18-35 year olds are watching canadian football... but the same applies to every traditional major sport. tv is just not as popular/dominant a medium as it once was, and spectator sports are a necessary victim of that. to me that's the actual existential threat to this sport and others like it. to youngsters, 2½-4 hour sports broadcasts have nothing on short-form video content and easily accessibly variety of media.
I'm 39 and it's TV coverage that absolutely keeps me from watching it. I'd love to follow CFL closer, but actually accessing the games is more and more difficult the way modern media works
@@maevethefox5912 that's true. media has become much more decentralized and expansive thanks to the internet and the rise of alternate options for cable and streaming. unfortunately that also means trying to find certain things which aired pre-streaming/internet is now much less straightforward than turning the dial to a particular number. a lack of consistency in providing reliable access to watching games and league/player news can be deadly for a company which relies so heavily on tv to survive.
5:26 - not to mention the fact CFL is locked behind TSN paywall. Most fans in Toronto can watch Bills on free antenna (remember those metal things) and Bills are on network tv (channels the cable co is forced to carry in basic guide). TSN helps the league financially short term but I argue does more damage long term.
I am in the USA(by birth, not choice) and love the CFL...watch it whenever I can. Fat more entertaining than the NFL. Not tainted with ridiculous contracts either. Keep the CFL as is, a great product.
The whole premise is silly. The rouge can lead to exciting play. Which is why a punter is sometimes included on the receiving team. A punt can be received and returned again. All in favour of gaining or blocking that point. Actually I see you have added that exact point to your video. Thank you for this 👍 video.
I would change the rouge point in one way. It has to be a playable ball to get the point. Meaning you can't just boot it straight out of the endzone and get the point. The ball would have to land in play first before going out of bounds to be eligible for the point.
@@TheJhn924 yeah, I like the idea of a the single point on kick offs and punts, If the receiving team kneels in the endzone or they let the ball roll out of bounds there should be a cost for the better field position, but they have to a have chance at making a play. On the other hand, I don't like it on missed field goals, a failed attempt shouldn't be rewarded with a "good try" point lol
@@say10sedso56 Yeah but a miss that lands in the end zone would still be a live ball... if the single point is important enough, run it or kick it but you gotta get it out. Also it sets up some exciting returns with a potential 10 point swing on a missed FG.
@@TheJhn924 fair enough.. I also like the five yards rule better then the weirdo kickoff alignment and fair catch in the NFL.. I mentioned in another post, my biggest gripe with CFL right now is really with TSN. I feel their broadcast presentation looks like public access TV. Limited camera angles, too far away, those digital ads on the field jank around on the field of play and are all pixelated/grainy They can't even put the overlay first down yellow line maker that's been on NFL broadcasts for like what 20-30 years? I think this hurts the perception of the league more than any of the rules some people complain about
@@say10sedso56 Quality of broadcasts is a money issue with TSN... Bell Media in general is losing money and there have been layoffs at most CTV stations as well as the closure at many Bell owned radio stations. But as for the yellow first down line, TSN uses it on it's live broadcasts but for their own reasons doesn't show it on game recaps on either TSN or the CFL's RUclips channels...
The priority of the CFL should be getting that 10th team in the maritimes. The idea of having to play two teams three times in the year,is not helping the league. I think there needs to be some rule changes in both leagues. I've often thought that in the Canadian League both feet need to be in bounds on any forward pass. The size of the field should require that both feet are in bounds!
Three games between teams in regular season is not a bad thing with just 9 teams. But 10th team in Atlantic Canada is a must. I think that just one foot inbound in a perfectly reasonable rule. Two feet is a bit of an overkill that is only used in NFL and UFL.
@@teo_heel It was adopted by the (American) football rules committee before the NFL existed, because it was thought to be easier to officiate. If a player came down with the ball and straddling the sideline, the officials didn't have to see which foot touched down first. Eventually the NCAA realized that requirement introduced as many hard calls as it eliminated.
@@inconnu4961 I don't think that there's an interest in Canadian Football in NL as they don't have any university teams playing in U Sports. Nova Scotia seems to make the most sense as they have 3 U Sports teams and the interest will be there for sure.
As an American, let me tell you that I enjoy watching both leagues. In fact, it aggravates me that the NFL does not embrace its northern teams and their stadiums when it comes to hosting the Super Bowl. I feel if these teams can get fans to come during regular season and playoff games in the winter at outdoor stadiums, then why shouldn’t they be considered to host the league championship? Put it on a rotating schedule and let’s stop certain cities from getting all benefits of hosting the game. I’m sure all the stadium workers in Green Bay or Buffalo would love to get an extra paycheck. Why are they being excluded? In CFL, they don’t worry about the weather and embrace it instead, truly including everyone.
I would like to see 2 NFL teams play CFL rules on a CFL field. The NFL, with its tiny endzones, 4 downs, and "instant-death-running-out-the-clock-at-the-end", is arrogantly overblown and over-marketed... it has become disproportionately "significant" on the American landscape with billion-dollar stadiums being one-upped every 20 years... so I think the CFL has been hurt by the contrived "importance" of the NFL. But rather than trying to match the marketing excess of that American league, I think the CFL could regain some momentum by bringing games back to CBC and CTV... especially the Grey Cup game... because being exclusive to TSN has basically minimized the CFL's national footprint, making it less important to the entire nation.
CTV started showing CFL games again this season and the Grey Cup will be on CTV this year.
3 месяца назад+2
I just started watching CFL a few years ago, back in 2019. Before it was difficult to find and see complete games. I have watched american football my whole life, but I also like rugby (union and league) and australian rules. They are all different and enjoyable. I like CFL, whoever says it's an adaptation of american rules don't know anything. They are two separate games. Here in Mexico our professional league started with its own rules, taken from NCAA and NFL. But now they took NFL completely and it sucks. Why not having our own game? I, personally like the rouge rule and think it would add more to the game. People think NFL is the ultimate league and everyone should follow but it's not. They make a lot of money but that doesn't mean it's better than other leagues or sports.
Who ever says its an adaptation of American football . . . . is trying to troll canucks. And BOY has it worked beyond anyones wildest expectations, EH! Only Canucks become BUTTHURT at being compared to Americans, no matter the topic! Its a veritable sport all its own! ha ha ha
Lol one single play and the guy concludes that rouge points are dumb. Just clownish. The rouge both preserves a key aspect of rugby heritage and incentives running the ball back. If the kicking team does a good enough job that you can't get out of your endzone of course they should get a point.
It's always the same song and dance with these CFL haters. "You need to change the game to four downs, get rid of the rouge, be just like the NFL, etc.." In other words, strip the Canadian game of its uniqueness. Granted, there are valid criticisms of the CFL: the absence of a tenth team; night games on Thursdays and Sundays that prevent families from attending; no video game to get kids interested in the league; and so on. But the rules are the one thing that should NEVER be tampered with.
I agree, they definitely should. To make it even more confusing there is a defensive 1 point conversion that is different from a defensive 2 point conversion or a (hypothetical) 1 point safety. I'm going to make a video about this soon, it's easily the most obscure way of scoring in any football league.
@@goodmaro The CFL in its current form was created in 1958... but was essentially a merger between the 2 primary football organisations of the time. The Interprovincial Rugby Football Union or "Big Four" (founded in 1907) and the Western Interprovincial Football Union (founded in 1936).
@@goodmaro Agreed... although my point is there has been continuity in Canadian football dating back at least as far as 1907 until the present day. Individual teams going back even further, with the Argonauts tracing their roots to 1873.
@@TheJhn924 Canadian football's continuity, in one sense, goes back to pre-RFU rugby, because they started playing before the Rugby Football Union adopted laws of the game in an eventually successful attempt to standardize it. American football's continuity by that measure goes back only to 1876 because, although the colleges playing rugby had started a few years earlier with the pre-standardization game as played in Canada, the Intercollegiate Football Association decided that year to adopt RFU laws. However, practically every influence in the game from then on went from American to Canadian football, and none vice versa -- even with the promotional exhibition of Canadian football for the benefit of the American game in Van Cortland Park in 1909, which American officials turned out not to be interested in. Even some changes assumed by some to have been imported into the American game from Canadian rules turn out to have gone from the NCAA to the NFL. One change that did seem to have gone from Canadian to American football was the abolition by NCAA of the fair catch in 1950 within a season or two after its elimination of the fair catch -- and even then, the NCAA reinstated it in 1951, just without the free kick option. The WFL of 1974-5 could be said to have taken a couple of things from Canadian football -- no yards and a mini-game to break ties -- with changes for their own use, but those went no farther than the WFL.
Fantastic video and response. While I understand some of the concern over a game-winning rouge, the rule works perfectly well 99.9% of the time. Abolishing the rouge because of this is kind of like cutting off your leg to treat a cut on your toe. I'm all for having a discussion about the rule, because I do think it should be tweaked a little bit to prevent this exact scenario. But to have the discussion, you need to understand what the rule is and how it works. Anybody who says "it's a point for failure" is, in my mind, automatically disqualified from the discussion, because it shows that they don't really have an understanding of how the rule actually works. Although I shouldn't say I'm surprised - a quick look into Matthew Grills as a "journalist" tells me there's quite a lot of things that this clown doesn't understand. I look forward to his upcoming article about how the government is lying to you about the Earth orbiting the Sun.
No. American and Canadian football were rugby football. As American football developed, Canadian football borrowed from it, belatedly. The only thing that says American football "came from Canada" is that rugby became popular in Canada earlier.
Let me tell you Ive been working in the US for years and have talked to many Americans about football. I’ve never heard one say that our game is not better and that’s coming from people that grew up with NFL so what does that tell you!
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You did a fantastic job of laying out your reasoning over each argument. Well done. Thank you for the way you celebrate this great game, not because it's Canadian, but because it's good and exciting. I had so much fun watching with the clips during this video... all super entertaining!
Thank you so much!
I love the explanations of why the CFL game is so great…hear hear!!!
Changing the rules to match the NFL would make the CFL just one more run-of-the-mill spring league while erasing a century of tradition. The game evolved from rugby and CFL rules reflect that.
Exactly. I hope he sees this comment once the video's out.
@@cflhighlights9370 I hate NFL rules so much. It's so much more boring. That would ruin all the appeal .
CFL is designed for smaller linemen and wide receiver friendly besides the lesser downs...how again does that reflect rugby???
@@CoolCoolMapsthe nfl is quite literally better than the cfl in every way, 😂😂😂😂
@@Qgreen1005 The NFL certainly has the money... and all that goes with that. However, it's OK being the second best gridiron league in the world... and no, the XFL/USFL=UFL isn't even close. As Canadians, we're certainly OK with and even embrace MLS even though it barely sneaks into the top 10 soccer leagues in the world. Of course, MLS is an American based league... which is a prerequisite for acceptance for many Canadians... just part of our overall inferiority complex.
I like the CFL better than the NFL.
I am an old American who grew up watching both. The NFL has slowly morphed into unwatchable advertisements.
I agree. I can't watch NFL games anymore because of all the damn commercials.
The CFL is bad enough with them but nothing like the NFL tv broadcasts. Our problem with tv commercials is its the same 3 or 4 brands doing our commercials.
so is college
I am American, live in the US, and an NFL fan, and i can't bring myself to agree with the writer of the article. I have more fun watching the CFL (the limited number of times i can here in the US) because the difference in rules and the effects they have on the gameplay and strategy make it fun to watch. CFL, please keep being the CFL and don't worry about the calls to become the NFL. Key the wide field, 12 players on each side, rouge, and everything else the way it is, because it is fun football.
When the CFL almost folded in 1997 the NFL gave an interest-free loan to keep it alive. The real reason was that if there were no alternative leagues, i.e. no competition, the NFL might have to face the US Anti-Trust Laws that would break up the league. It seems less of a problem now with the UFL which has different rules from the NFL, for instance, 2 forwarded passes allowed on the same play.
I might watch the NFL if they adopted CFL rules. They may have the most expensive athletes, but dragging their asses after every play for 45 seconds as well as the infinite ads make it boring as watching paint dry. 4 hors for a football game? Bite me.
We arent talking about curling, we are talking about football! is the CFL planning on playing any games outside of Canaduh? London, Berlin? probably just in Nunavut & Greenland, right? LOL
@@inconnu4961So if something is more popular (because it was rammed down peoples throats from high school up) makes it better?
Sorry, but seeing a kickoff sail through the end zone because your field is tiny, or after a punt your returners call a "fair catch" like a p***y. Taking 4 tries to go 10 yards.
All BS rules.
@@inconnu4961 Nunavut is in Canada. Learn geography. LOL
Well said. Long live Canadian football!
I like watching both leagues BECAUSE they are different. Both are exciting in their own way. I think the CFL would lose viewership if it became a clone of the NFL. People would just watch the NFL. Thank you for your analysis and the great video clips.
why would fans in Regina or edmonton rather watch the NFL over their local team?
@@inconnu4961 Unfortunately, it's the Canadian way. Went to a pub on Vancouver Island on Saturday. The BC Lions were playing the Riders but they didn't have it on even one TV until I asked them to...
I'm Japanese and I'm from Japan. Canadian identity and traditions must not be allowed to fade away. Tradition sometimes doesn't sit well with reality and rationality, but that's not a big deal. What fascinates people is not always economical or an imitation of what others do. Continuity of tradition and identity is what seeks legitimacy. Although the Bible does not mention tobacco or science, the Bible remains an unshakable foundation of faith for Christians who smoke or study science to this day.
I love Canadian football.
J'adore le football canadien.
Speaking of Japan... Professional Sumo is a great example of how you can still use traditions and mix it up with current times.
@@teo_heel Thank you for your comment. In fact, Japanese sumo has changed some of its rules and rules for show management many times to suit the times. In the old days, sumo matches started with the wrestlers in sync with their opponents, but now matches start with a time limit. Also, video refereeing was already introduced 60 years ago when television became widespread, but the nature and tradition of the sport of sumo remains unchanged to this day. Baseball is baseball in Canada, but football is Canadian football in Canada. Even if the position of the hash marks is narrowed and the red flag is changed to a yellow flag, Canadian football should be played by 12 people, with a wide field and goal posts on the goal line.
@@phirami0725 I know about sumo. I watched a few tournaments and many of the rules are the same as they used to be 100 years ago.
It makes sense. The Bible is what tells us about Jesus, what Christians should apply to their lives and who Christians find their identity in and their love from. If Canadian Football becomes Americanized and fade away, it'll be no different and most likely kill the CFL. If you take away Christ and the ability to have a relationship with God, are there Christians? God bless you, and I hope you keep God close everyday and seek Him diligently everyday in life.
The traditional game is rugby. Both the CFL and the NFL are evolutions of the game of rugby by slowly changing the rules year after year (that's why they are similar but different). That's also why a score is called a "touchdown" even though you don't have to touch the ball down (that's a remnant from rugby).
Well said, great analysis and arguments. I love the CFL rules as it is.
I have tried to watch NFL games, especially Superbowl games, and you know what? THEY'RE NOT NEARLY AS FUN AS A CFL GAME!!! This Matt Grills has clearly never actually BEEN to a Labour Day game and is just trying to stir up trouble.... You did a great job explaining this dude, well done!
I did try to watch NFL MULTIPLE TIMES... and I never got hooked into it. It's not like it's a bad league. It's not bad. It's just not fun to watch.
I actually stopped watching NFL games because I often fall asleep during the broadcasts. Going in person can be fun, but I think it depends on who's sitting around you because all those commercial breaks? Yeah, they're happening in real life most of the time...not fun.
Adding the laughable NFL kickoffs would be a big mistake.
When I was 11 or 12, espn carried CFL games. I fell in love with it immediately. I think that every rule difference makes the Canadian game more challenging and fun with ½ exception for the defense on the 3 down rule. I love the 1 point for the punter or kicker on a touchback. If any changes are needed, the NFL should look at the 1 point rule or the bigger end zone or the bigger field, and dont forget the 12th player.
They can't make the field bigger because that means fewer seats which means less money.
I will not watch another game if the CFL had NFL rules. I think the CFL game is way more entertaining....look at how many CFL games are decided within the last 3 minutes or less. People want to complain about the rouge or getting a point after missing a field goal, but the Canadian game is more wide open, better paced than the NFL and again, is just more enjoyable to watch. His notion that the 12 players aside, wider longer field and having the goalposts in play have to go is beyond ludicrous and short-sided. Spoken like a true NFL fan. If I were to change one rule in the CFL, it's the single point after missing a field goal. Getting a rouge single should really only apply to punts. As for stupid NFL rules....their kick off rule is ridiculous. They may as well get rid of it as the ball sails the entire length of the field, then the offence gets the ball on their own what....25 yard line (sorry, I don't watch the NFL)? That, and the fair catch rule.....don't even get me started on that ridiculous rule. Is the NFL a more watched, perhaps dominate form of football? Sure, but it's American football....and as a Canadian, I find it boring and low scoring. Give me my CFL football and don't fudge with the rules either. I just looked up some stats for punt returns in the CFL vs NFL. In 2023, 11 punts were run back for touchdowns. For the NFL? In 2022......3. The return game in the NFL is meaningless, whereas it is a huge part in the CFL as good returns can massively shift field possession on a dime.
I'll also add that I see dozens of comments from American fans who watch the CFL on a weekly basis and they thoroughly enjoy the games, so while it may not be a huge audience, the CFL is attracting American fans.
The rouge is a thing on FG because a FG is essentially treated as a punt if it misses - returnable, recoverable, etc. At the end of the day, if you let the FG team kick from close enough to clear the 20yd endzone in a tie game then you basically lost the game on field position already and they could have easily punted for a rouge anyway. Field position battle is preserved in Canadian football far more so than the American game. You often need a string of offensive, defensive and Special Teams plays to reliably score unless you're just way better than your opponent. American football has basically become an offensive shootout sim , not true sustained field position battling in at least 90 percent of games.
@rocksandforestquiver959 All you just said are very similar to rugby. Live ball is a live ball, doesn't matter if it is kicked or thrown. As soon as the ball is snapped, you basically have a game of rugby with blockings and forward pass. Heck, even you're allowed to dribble the ball to touchdown!
The one benefit of fair catches is the “fair catch free kick”… which is the only cool NFL kicking rule left
The CFL is its own thing. It doesnt try to be a bootleg NFL
Just watched the end of Brown-Ravens game. The last 2 minutes had the Browns with no time-outs and Jackson kneed the ball 4 times to run out the clock, while the announcers gave the credits. WOOOWWW what excitement!!!! My heart was racing.
People seem to forget Canadian football is not just American football played in Canada. It's a completely different sport.
If anything, American football is Canadian football played in the US. Not saying that's historically accurate, but the development of Canadian football, in or similar to its current form, predates that of the American game, and definitely influenced how the American game came to be what it now is.
People only hate on the CFL because they think it's the "cool" thing to do.
True for Canadians with inferiority complexes. I guess American roofers, truck drivers and teachers are better than Canadian - just -because-they-are American... right? D'oh.
People like this should be honest with themselves and admit that they're just not interested in the CFL no matter what, rather than make up excuses. Bottom line is that even if the CFL changed to all NFL rules, the ratings/attendance aren't going to go up. There are too many NFL fans and not enough football fans. Look at hockey. Do people not watch Team Canada (any level) when they participate in international hockey? Does anyone complain that it's international rules?
PS. As someone once educated me on 15+ years ago, and I now repeat, in the CFL, every (legal) kickoff is an onside kick. Every player on the kicking team has to be behind the ball/kicker when the ball is kicked. What we have here is a short kick. It's the silly NFL that calls it an onside kick, for whatever reason, I have no idea 🙂.
The NFL is dull and I identify with Canadian cities and provinces. I don't identify with far off American cities. If Houston beats San Francisco I don't give a shvt
I'm not anti-NFL... I'll watch it if I'm in front of the TV and there's a game on, but like you, there's no team that I'm invested in. If Nathan Rourke got regular playing time in the NFL, I would have followed his team. Bottomline is that I'm a football fan. I'll watch college/university football if it's on.
If anything the NFL should adopt some CFL rules as far as time outs and time clocks. Speed up their game and make it less of a drag. Also, wouldn't allow teams to sit on a relatively small lead near the end and just run out the clock.
Bottom line, the CFL is unapologetically _a different game_ than the NFL. It's not trying to be American Football, and has its own growth lineage from rugby and the early CRFU. It's also worth pointing out that the rouge is not a single point awarded _for missing a field goal_ , but one for kicking the ball through the end-zone...so the idea of "celebrating failure" is actually just a statement made in ignorance of the rule.
TSN is actually the reason younger Canadians are not into the CFL.
Anyone without an overpriced cable subscription can't watch.
CTV 2 regularly carries NFL games but NEVER any CFL games. You can't miss the NFL or NCAA football, the big 4 (NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX) each have multiple games on every weekend.
Your point is valid, but it has been addressed. In addition to TSN, weekly CFL games ARE on CTV this season... including all playoff games and the Grey Cup.
@@TheJhn924 the thing is that those games on CTV are not on TSN and people are still complaining.
@@teo_heelYeah at this point the CFL should simulcast for Free, to get the hype up.
@@Dexter037S4 they do have a free broadcast for foreigners on CFL+ and I use it to watch games as I'm from Russia and that's the only legit way for me to watch games.
Columnist: “CFL rules are silly.”
This video: no u
This video changed NO ONE's mind!
I prefer NFL because of the talent level, not the different rules. Bringing NFL rules to CFL will be the death of Canadian Football. I still like CFL though. It’s a different game and the uniqueness makes it worthwhile. The only thing I’d like to see change would be to have more teams, but that’s unlikely.
well said. nfl talent with cfl rules would be amazing to watch
@@maxsmarvelousmarbles3064Hell I'd call for the NFL to drop to 3 downs at least.
@@Dexter037S4 No way. At least give the offense a chance to move the ball. Part of what makes American football exciting IS the run game, which the CFL can hardly afford to have because you have only 2 downs, then punt.
@@inconnu4961 The CFL has a run game my friend, the Redblacks use the run a lot
Your video makes me double down on my love of CFL football. Great work on the video!
Thank you!
And it's not stupid to punt the ball and watch five idiots surrounding the ball until it rolls to a stop? It's not stupid to start the game with a kick off where the fans are screaming in anticipation only to have the player take a knee in the end zone? It's not stupid for the QB to throw the ball at his feet to stop the clock when it is intentional grounding? It's not stupid to treat kicking a ball that is placed on the ground differently from punting it? They are BOTH kicks and should be fielded by the return team.
The overblown reaction to this game-winning rouge was ridiculous. The point is NOT for missing the kick, it is for getting the ball close enough to the end zone to make the rouge a possibility. Sometimes changing the scoring rules of a game from "all or nothing" to "all or a small consolation prize" results in a more entertaining game. The game in question was not won when the field goal attempt missed. It was won when the winners managed to get the ball far enough up the field so that the rouge was a near certainty, something that happens not terribly often, but when it does both teams know it is a possibility several plays before, and need to actually play football to try to prevent it or make it happen. How many NFL games are lost because the team trailing fails to prevent their opponents from making a first down in the final two minutes and has run out of timeouts? Probably dozens each season, and the principle is the same: a silly rule. The CFL's allows a team to get a point out of a missed field goal, the NFL's says that a team can run out the clock by standing around and kneeling for four downs once the other team has used its timeouts. At least the CFL rouge play is often exciting when the ball doesn't quite clear the end zone and the defense can kick it out to save the point, and the plays leading up to the rouge are exciting because everyone in the place knows that one point will win it. In the NFL, a clock win often sees the coaches shaking hands in the middle of the field with the clock still at 25 seconds to go, and a coach who instructs his players to attack the kneel-down play is crucified.
I like your response. His was an opinion commentary that was way off, CFL playing rules are great. We are Canadians not Americans, it’s our game not his. ❤️🇨🇦🏈
Great job in rebuttal.
I have been preaching for years, that the biggest fail to attract younger fans is the fact (that in B.C. at least), high school football changed to the 4 down game many years ago. Having ran my own business and hiring young guys, every single one of them thought that the NFL was superior.
Well of course they did because they had never played the 3 down game. So our system is teaching these lads that the 3 down game is inferior at a young age. But, alas, nobody listens. So we fritter away our upcoming fans.
@@isador4784 At the Argos game whenever they bring in youth flag football teams to play at halftime they are always sponsored by and named after NFL teams.
@@cflhighlights9370 That's like how youth soccer teams here in the States are named after Premier League teams. I'll bet that's the same in Canada.
this is interesting to me, because i play high school ball right now in calgary, and we play by cfl rules. interestingly enough, a game in our division on wednesday ended 1-0. not sure what the case is in the rest of the country though. also, i watch both nfl and cfl football regularly
WHAT!!?? That's Foreign Interference! Twenty-five yard penalty!
The journalist was really expressing a certain national self-loathing there.
Exactly, with “I’m a proud Canadian” hypocrisy.
Most Canadians are self-loathing until an American shows up! LOL The only proud Canadians live in the prairies.
I think some people think that the CFL was born as a copy of the NFL, but decided to change some rules. They really don't understand the history of the game, and how different Canadian and American football used to be, and that none of the rules were implemented to differ the game from the American one. In reality the CFL has been only and ever so slowly over the years changing the rules to make the game more similar to the American game, unfortunately.
Actually the truth is that the CFL game and rules were first, PERIOD. McGill went to the US to play and one of their players couldn't go so they only played with 11 men. THAT's the truth. the NFL rules also used to have 3 downs......
@@cflisthebest that's not exactly true. The down system was invented in the US, the forward pass, unlimited interference, and many other things. The basis of the game was from Canada, they diverged with the Americans making significant rule changes, which the Canadian game has slowly but surely tended to adopt. Heck even the 6-point TD was introduced from the US, it was only 5 points in Canada up until the early 50s.
The truth is that rugby union, rugby league, American football, and Canadian football all influenced one another. All 4 codes are fantastic.
Canadian football is such a cool variant (I can’t say innovative because it predates the No Fun League rule set)… it’s all the best kicking rules of rugby and 19th century football combined with modern strategy.
Amen!
I really appreciate your explanation of the rouge as an incentive to bring the ball out. Basically, if you do it right, you will score on the kick as change of possession, so kick the skin off it.
I'm a big fan of both the CFL and NFL. I've been an Alouettes season ticket holder for a long time. The only thing I would change about the rouge would be that on a missed field goal, if the ball goes out of the end zone without being touched, you shouldn't get a point, just like the old kickoff rule before they changed it recently. If the returner can't get the ball out of the end zone, then you should get 1 point. Keep punting rouge rules the same as they are now.
Another rule I'd change is the new rule of calling roughing the kicker when you block a punt, like what happened in the Als-Stampeders game a few weeks ago because that's just a dumb rule. Otherwise, I'm all in favour of the differences between the leagues because why should everything be the same just because one league is more popular than the other?
American football uses most of the rules Canadians introduced to them back on May 14 and 15, 1874 in 2 games between McGill University and Harvard. Harvard enjoyed the Canadian innovations (running with the ball, downs and tackling) so much, they introduced them into a match with Yale the following year, college football in America is born using Canadian game rules.The idea of football is to move the ball over the goal line, doing so should be rewarded, how many missed field goals get run back for TDs. NFL gives free yards why?. Kicking game in CFL far more exciting no fair catches, NFL plays Super Bowl indoors, wimps, usually the game is a super bore, last 2 minutes in CFL lots of action, last 2 minutes in NFL nothing much happens. take away gambling and tail gate parties many people wouldn't care as much about the actual NFL games. smaller field easier for TV to show. my 4 cents.
I love the 3 downs as the 4th quarter is way more of chance to overcome leads as the ball goes back and forth way faster and harder run down clock
8:20 FACTS. That’s why I love the CFL. The KICKING RULES.
NAILED IT
Amazing video! You just earned a subscriber.
Matthew Grills is a
Retro-Eagle-Tiny-Austin-Robert-Dayton
that doesn't know that a lot of NFL fans have been HATING the rule changes since Tom Brady got injured that one year!
Focusing on the Taylor Swift stuff does more LONG TERM HARM than good since her stupid fanbase will tune out once Kelce retires or breaks up with her. Just another reason I want to see Kelce traded to the Carolina Panthers with that "owner" of theirs!
Toronto Argonauts (and their city) would be wise to stay in the CFL than go to cancer infested NFL.
If the NFL wants a team in Canada, then it's going to be a city that doesn't have a CFL team. Either Quebec City or Halifax. The question is, would those two Canadian cities support NFL rules? My guess is no.
Only way you'll see CFL and NFL teams fight each other is to once again stage exhibition games. I say, take the 9 worst NFL teams at the end of the NFL regular season, and let them fight the 9 CFL teams in exhibition games where the winners will be given bonus checks for winning. And of course, whoever is the home team will be played under that league's rules. I'd love to see the Edmonton Elks crush the Carolina Kittens!
Quebec City doesn't want a football team, they want the Nordiques back and nothing else.
@@Dexter037S4 - Then have fun trying trying to get the Montreal Canadiens to allow Quebec back into the league!
I’d pay for this Matt fella to bring him out to Labour Day in Regina or the Banjo Bowl and watch his mind be blown
More like the NFL needs to adopt CFL rules. The NFL kicking game is garbage and has been garbage for years. Maybe if they actually adopted the rouge and eliminated fair catch rulings it'd actually encourage these over paid primadonnas to carry the ball out of the endzone instead of just taking a knee or letting it bounce out. CFL has the best running game and the best kicking game of either league, full stop. And the fields in the NFL are so tiny, any quarterback worth his salt in that league should be expected to be able to throw to mid field without issue so even their passing game is 'inflated' as far as I'm concerned.
@@scottryall Hilarious. Spoken like someone whose probably watched all of one CFL game in his life if any at all. Receivers having more space because the field is large doesn't actually make it easier for them to catch the ball, because they still literally have to CATCH THE BALL and often on the run when the passes are longer. Defenders in CFL are smaller and run faster and have an equal amount of opportunity to catch longer passes requiring greater accuracy from the QB. Far higher number of interceptions in the CFL because of this. The rouge isn't a 'pity point'. The fair catch is a PITIFUL baby rule for babies. And your last point is just ridiculous. You see maybe a rouge a game if you're lucky; they way you make it sound, teams are literally winning games left and right on the one point. Try harder buddy.
@@scottryallNFL is boring, unless you enjoy watching endless 3 yard runs ……wake me when it’s over.
@@scottryall Well, even if it does happen 'regularly' as you claim (it doesn't, but whatever, lets just go with that BS narrative anyway) at least its better than a tie being decided by a bloody coin flip. And yes DBs have been WAAAAY faster in the CFL historically; it's only been in the last few season where NFL DBs have 'sized down' to the point where they can actually decently keep pace with an RB much less catch up to him. Collapsing a particular route on a tiny field doesn't mean 'faster'. And plus, when a formation practically stretches from sideline to sideline because the field's about as wide as my thumb, its not like they ever had far to run anyway. And that doesn't even take into account the piss-poor NFL passing games where forward pass completions over 10-yards is treated like someone just committed a miracle on the field.
@@SJReid82 Why? We aint trying to impress any Canucks! You speak like a butthurt Canadian! We are entitled to think Canuck football is silly, and you are entitled to like it! On Super Bowl Sunday, when millions of fans across the globe are watching American football, we will remember that on Grey Cup sunday, a few thousand watched that game. it doesnt matter how often one does or doesnt see it, in our opinion we dont want to see it even once!
@@SJReid82 wow you are a grouchy one arent you! You must be a maple Leafs fan! The NFL game changes. so certain things are popular for a while, then defenses adapt (or rules change) so the game changes along with it. NFL used to be a very run heavy game, hence no need to make the field 7 miles long and 2 miles wide! LOL Americans LIKE the physical contact that the smaller field ensures, while im sure Canadians dont want to touch each other! Cant say id blame you!
"Government relations specialist" = lobbyist lol
A Paul Godfrey lobbyist
This debate makes my blood boil. Our rules are bad because anybody can kick the ball at anytime? It's called FOOTball. The ball is even designed to be kicked. Throwing it was an afterthought and I'm still amazed at how far it can be thrown. More people watch NFL than CFL, is that an argument? There are 86 games in a CFL season and 285 games in the NFL with over 1000 college games. Could that be why? I watched the NFL once. It seemed that anything less than a touchdown was a failure. There is lots of ways to get 6 points in the CFL and they all can be used in the last two minutes, or even less. Very exciting. The NFL seems to stop playing in the last two minutes. They're out of time. Game over. I think the reason this keeps getting brought up is that the journalists and football analysts could demand higher paychecks. And finally, if it did become integrated, can you imagine going to a game on the prairies in January? YIKES!
3Dn (Canadian) football is just how I'd expect a nation of hockey lovers to play the gridiron game! Free flowing! Risky! Fast! (btw - I'm laughing at the fact that some pple can't comprehend The Single/Rouge: 1 Pt for kicking across the goal line! Doesn't seem complicated.) NFL should quit playing on 'arena size' leagues and move up to big boy football! ;-) Good job with this rebuttal.
@@gcorriveau6864 thanks
Single is awarded not just for kicking the ball across the end line, but also for keeping the ball inside end zone as well. But I agree, CFL is WAY MORE exciting.
You should send this rebuttal to the newspaper that published the original article. Way more well-argued and more deserving of national publication
Hey guys, I'm an American from the states who loves watching the NFL and CFL highlights. I personally love the rouge when it comes the punts and kickoff returns, but I don't like it for missed field goals.
That being said, I'm not gonna stop watching the CFL over that, just like I won't stop watching the NFL due to my disagreeing with their touch backs on punts & kickoffs without getting a rouge point.
Single point is awarded not for missing, but for being close enough to the end line that you can kick the ball out of bounds and make sure that there will be no return.
Great perspective even if we disagree on the missed field goal
As an American who enjoys the CFL, the reason I watch it is the gameplay is a bit more exciting. 3 downs force more risks, and with rouges makes the field position worth something. One thing I am aware of is it's between Rugby League and the old NFL... the posession rules, the offside rules, I wish the NFL would adopt the open kicking rules. Can't forget the interesting endzones... There is no disadvantage from being at the 1, unlike the NFL.
The history stems from the Harvard-McGill game. The Harvard Bowl had a limited field, while McGill had a rugby field. That why the CFL field. The Grey Cup was formerly a rugby trophy. The kicking rules are right from rugby (including the fair catch/mark, free kick, and field goals). I think the NFL should have drop goals. The CFL rules have been around longer than the NFL, and the NFL had adapted their game so it's hardly recognizable from 80 years prior. They did a lot of things for safety.
One of the big things that has disappeared from America is the Punt, Pass, and Kick competitions. The winners used to be honored during the 3rd quarter of the Super Bowl. Another problem with the NFL is the evolution of bigger people. The field is smaller, so bigger people have more impact... you're either big, or fast. CFL you need both. That increases the injuries, and the lingering problems that alumni from the NFL have. Many teams have taken the weather out of the equation.
You mangled the history so badly, it's hard to un-mangle from it. I think what you mean is that in 1906, when there was consideration being given by the football rules committee (US) to widening the field, the cement was poured for Soldiers' Field (Harvard), so they kept the width at 160 feet and legalized the forward pass instead. The Harvard-McGill series was in 1873-4, nothing to do with that; the width of the American football field hadn't even been determined yet! Punt, Pass, and Kick competitions are still held -- I've helped administer them -- but no longer associated with the NFL.
I love both the CFL and the NFL and I love the CFL because it is unique. When someone questions ... why should a team get a point for missing a field goal in the CFL .... my response is why should the ball be moved to the 30 yard line for taking a knee in the end zone, in the NFL?
Beautifully said! Well done! Thank you for taking to express this excellent argument and defence of our great league and game. Cheers!
Okay, you've done a good job. That journalist has been brainwashed by this attitude that things American are somehow better. In point of fact, it is the NFL that has stupid rules:
FAIR CATCH: Really exciting play - kinda like watching paint dry.
NO ROUGE: A team advances all the way to the 12 as an example, and ONE player, the fg kicker, screws up, and the team gets nothing!!! At least in the CFL, the team's successful march down the field is partially acknowledged. Also, punting back and forth to avoid the single point is EXCITING.
FUMBLE INTO THE END ZONE: The defense gets the ball!? WTF!!! If they didn't jump on the ball, why should they get it? CFL gives the ball back to the offence from where they fumbled - much more logical and fair. Defense must jump on or touch the ball before it goes out of bounds to get possession. Much more logical and fair.
OFFSETTING PENALTIES: A simple false start equals a roughing the passer in the NFL - simply insane and unfair. CFL subtracts 5 yard false start from 15 yard roughing to net 10 yards for offence. Again, more logical and fair. Also NFL only enforces 1 penalty if 2 penalties are committed. Again, not logical or fair. All penalties should be enforced, like the CFL does.
LAST MINUTE TIME: NFL allows time to run out if defense has no timeouts left. Really exciting play - paint dry mode again.
2 FEET IN BOUNDS: Dumb rule that encourages injuries and takes away offence. Even the NCAA doesn't do this.
ONLY 1 IN MOTION ALLOWED: Paint dry mode again.
ON SIDE KICKOFF: Almost impossible in NFL to succeed as kicking team must possess ball. CFL much more exciting as last touch is more easily accomplished, leading to more success and excitement.
NO CHALLENGE ON PASS INTERFERENCE: Need I say more? Games have been unfairly decided on FREQUENT blown calls.
Simply put, the CFL is a better game than the NFL and I wish more Canadians would realize this. The only rule I consider the NFL superior is the 1 yard required on the line of scrimmage. Makes 3rd and 1 almost impossible to stop. NFL is more exciting with 4th and 1, as success is much harder to achieve which leads to more excitement when it's tried.
GREAT COMMENT.
Some corrections though... CFL doesn't enforce 2 penalties on the same team if it's not objectional conduct that is added to other penalties.
And 3rd and 1 on the 1 yard line in CFL are not that easy... so many times teams are failing to get that last yard... sometimes even fumble the ball and lose possession that way.
@@teo_heel I looked it up. You are correct - only happens with objectional conduct.
We got CBC outta Toronto in Detroit. Hockey Night in Canada, news, and CFL. Yeah, some rules were dumb, but we liked the variation. They even had two teams with the same name. Ottawa Rough Riders and Saskatchewan Roughriders. I never thought it equal to the NFL, it was just different.
Watch it on Canada Day, and you can hear canadians wondering: what does it mean to be canadian? ha ha ha After ALL these years, you guys still dont know what you are! Love you Canaduh, thanks for the laughs!
great video. just imagine the cfl with those kickoff rules. gross
I'm Australian so I don't get to see a lot of CFL but I started getting into it last year and I have to say I much prefer the ruleset of the Canadian game. It seems to make for a faster and more offensive game and imo has more of a "flow" to it which is way more like what I'm used to in sports. I was a little bemused at the concept of the Rouge when I first learned of it but its just one of the quirks of the rules you get used to, most sports have at least one or two of those kinds of rules that fans aren't thrilled about when they decide a game but it makes it unique. Personally I'd love it if it went the other way and the NFL adopted CFL rules, I'd love to see what the Canadian game could be with that kind of money and exposure.
And the NFL has been doing stupid rule changes ever since the Tom Brady injury!
Also... about size of the field and more players per each side... why is that considered bad? Quarterbacks need to have really strong hands to use the whole 65 yards-wide field. And guys like Zach Collaros, Cody Fajardo and Bo Levi Mitchell are great at it.
What was not mentioned but what is really great about CFL is the waggle. Receivers can move towards the line of scrimmage before the snap and it makes defense work very different from how it works in American Football. Canadian Football has 1 yard of neutral zone between offensive and defensive linemen before the snap and it also matters in how plays work.
And NFL players still consider CFL as a great option to continue their career. Just ask Chad Ochocinco Johnson on what he thinks about CFL. He will tell you all you need to know about how great CFL really is.
Yup, as in an interview with Flutie, he sighted the waggle as making the game more about QB's having more decision making put into their hands. Whereas in the NFL, it is more about timing and sticking to the structure of the OC's game plan.
@@isador4784 True. In CFL it's all about decision making. That's why it's so great.
New Zealander here.
We have a similar situation between Rugby Union and Rugby League. Look like the same game but have their own rules but there is no call for the minor sport - Rugby League - to adopt the rules of the major sport - Rugby Union.
Team sizes are different - 15 for union and 13 for league, scoring is different - a try (think touchdown) is 5 points for union , 2 points for a conversion (extra point - always kicked) . 3 points for a field goal and drop goal , league equivalent is 4 for a try, 2 for conversion and field goal , 1 for a drop goal.
Also a sort of similarity is that in union you can keep the ball almost non stop whereas in league a team has 6 "tackles" and then has to give it to the other side. Sort of the same as downs and almost always there is a punt on the 5th tackle
Just started watching the CFL after years of watching NFL but I agree that the Canadian version appears to be offense inclined
Good counter arguments, ian. Grill sounds something Paul Godfrey would say
Rugby Union/Rugby league can co-exist happily, even while occasionally taking rule ideas from eachother, so no reason NFL/CFL can't either. Similar to Gaelic/Australian football too (With the 'compromise rules' games between the international teams too...'rouge'/behind rule included!) Nobody would suggest rugby should introduce the forward pass, just to appeal to USA fans. Yes, Starbucks is 'bigger' than Tim's, but it is better to have both, rather than to all just fit the one
If that did happen, what would make the cfl unique?
It wouldn't....which is what the author of the article completely glosses over. If I want to watch a game with NFL rules, I'll just watch the NFL.
Why does it have to be unique? Wouldn't it be fun to have international competitions?
@@IusedtohaveausernameIlikedno
@@IusedtohaveausernameIliked because Canadian Football is all about fun. American Football... especially if NFL or should I say no fun league is all about money.
And no, international competitions won't work in gridiron football. There's a HUGE gap in talent between USA, Canada and maybe Japan and anyone else. Gridiron football isn't an international game like soccer or basketball.
@@teo_heel Canada football is about fun? ha ha ha oh dear, these Canadians are so upset they are about to cry! Are you guys still mad because we caught up to you in hockey? is that what this is REALLY about?
I wonder what the author thinks of the NFL fair catch field goal rule? It is my under standing that the NFL is the only rule set with in the Rugby-Gridiron Football family of sports to use it. It used to be in both Rugby Union and League as a scoring method. However, in modern Rugby Union a mark/fair catch can only be called from the in goal area upto the 22 meter line, and a field goal can not be made with this mark.
This rule seems like something that would be in the CFL, and not the NFL lol
No, a free kick that can score from a fair catch is also in the National Federation of State High School Associations football rules, Australian, and Gaelic football. Canadian football (before the CFL existed as such) abolished the fair catch in the late 1940s; then the NCAA abolished the fair catch in 1950, only to reinstate it in 1951 without the free kick option. Rugby Union allowed a kick from the mark of a fair catch to score a goal until 1972, and Rugby League until some time in the 1960s. Soccer abolished the fair catch some time in the 1860s.
CFL needs to stay unique. We don’t need NFL2 up North.
American here, I was really surprised learning about early gridiron football, and originally started with Canadians sharing their version of rugby to Americans (and the rules splitting that early). Thanks Canada!
The CFL needs to keep it's rules so that when the NFL finally eliminates kicking altogether it will live on somewhere
@@LazyCat010 It’s bound to happen
If anything, the NFL should be copying some of the CFL's rules, particularly the overtime procedure and the way refs announce penalties, using the team's region identifier rather than which side of the ball they're on. The NCAA should also adopt the two-OT procedure limit for regular season games, and only using third and subsequent possessions for postseason.
The workd would be better If sports fans could understand that every rules in every sport is man made, arbitrary, and can seems silly for people outside of it
As an American who grew up on the border and was familiar with both codes, I’m surprised you didn’t mention the significantly wider neutral zone as another factor why 3 downs is sufficient. Also, the motion rules allows offenses to throw defenses into chaos.
The codes are significantly different, but can be understood in terms of one another. Let them be.
@@RobKandell good point
Fantastic job of explaining the nuances, plus the pros and cons of each rule.
All that said, I would still tweak the rouge rule while keeping it in the game. If a kicker misses the FG then there is no rouge. However, if a punter kicks the ball through the end zone and/or the receiving team is tackled and/or concedes in the end zone then the rouge remains intact.
Beyond that one item, I love the CFL rules as is and have never found any other instance in my soul where I thought the change to the foundational rule of the Canadian game could benefit the Canadian game. This means I would expressly want to keep the other foundational rules in the game such as 12 players per team, the size of the field, the onside recoveries from a punter, the drop kick FGs and so forth, as is.
Let me be clear. Both the American and Canadian game have their roots in "mob football" in the UK. Mob football essentially gave birth to all codes soccer, North American football and rugby. The video podcaster also acknowledges / suggests that mob football might have given rise to all or at the very least elements of Gaelic and Aussie rules football as well. This means the modern games of football in Canada or the US or elsewhere have evolved significantly.
Of course, those rules that have been there since the inception of the game have withstood the test of time. They are robust and solid in every way imaginable. They mean that the game is better, enthralling, authentic and the best that it can be when those rules are in place. Those rules must stay unchanged and those rules are the foundational rules.
In conclusion, the Canadian game is a polished and professional product and must be given a chance to stay alive. Yes, the American game has also echoed with a polish and professionalism too. So keep both games alive and flourishing. Don't do away with one and consume only the other. Of course, both games may continue to evolve but they will at the margins, not at the foundations. The essence of both must be allowed to stay as is and flourish. Yes, I want to treasure Da Vinci's work but I want to treasure Picasso's as well. Life is better with the diversity of more works of art.
No. Mob football was an aberration. Most of the football played in the British Isles for centuries was not like that, it's just that the mob games were most notorious.
the NFL copied the CFL's PAT, so theres that to consider
Actually NFL rules are becoming ridiculous with the no touch the QB rule and the new kickoffs.
Exactly
The NFL is a slog to watch in comparison to the CFL imo.
Aligning the rules with the NFL would only make sense if they played each other. The last time that happened was 75 years ago. Nuf said
Natural-born American with 400 year-old roots here: the CFL is great. If Canada embraced American rules, the NFL would would put a team in Toronto tomorrow and demolish the native league, leaving places like Regina, Winnipeg, and Calgary without a pro football team. Terrible idea. My only lament is that common rules would allow us to have an annual Canada vs. US game, which would be an absolute blast.
Toronto HAS a football team! Its in buffalo, NY Buffalo has to be the tiniest market to STILL have a team. If CFL went to NFL rules, the CFL would officially become what it has kind have been for awhile: a minor league for the NFL. toronto could handle 2 football teams. Its a big city, right?
Adopting NFL rules would be a terrible idea for the many reasons you've listed. I'm going to assume the writer of the original article was just another troll dumping on the CFL. We are, unfortunately, used to it at this point. These clowns show up every single season blathering about how the CFL is going to fold if we don't embrace the NFL and then they die and the CFL keeps on entertaining fans.
It's a drum they've been beating since the early 80's and yet somehow the CFL is still here. Of the 4 games this Thanksgiving weekend, 2 games, Toronto @ Winnipeg and Ottawa @ Montreal are sold out a week in advance..
@@TheJhn924 They almost folded in 1997, but thanks to an infusion of cash from the NFL, the CFL got to trod on a while longer! You are welcome, again, Canada!
@@inconnu4961 Yes, the NFL provided a US$3-million interest-free loan to the CFL which was later paid back in full. In return, the NFL was granted access to CFL players in the option year of their contract immediately following the CFL season rather than waiting until free agency in February. Part of that agreement also provided for a friendly game to be played between the Grey Cup Champions and the NFL Europe winners... although for logistical reasons never went beyond the discussion stages.
American football used to have Goalposts, but years ago, they decided to move them to the back of the endzone. So technically they're Not goalposts anymore, they're endzone posts.
I love the CFL game, I've been a fan since I was a kid, and the the article you reference is one of the most asinine things I've ever read, but the author is right about one thing. Rewarding failure is terrible. I like the rouge, EXCEPT on missed field goals. If you miss a field goal, then no points should be giving even if the ball is downed or kicked through the end zone. Keep the rouge for kickoffs and punts. Change that one little rule, and then you have a perfect, unique league, and that is FAR more exciting than the NFL product!
I disagree - Canadian football is a field position game. The rouge is the reward for having the field position to kick a ball through the end zone on third down. The field goal is a reward for doing the more difficult thing of putting it through the uprights. They are entirely separate rewards, and each has its place. Usually, it's better to at least attempt 3 points. But in the last minute of a tie game, the team on defense needs to be aware of the fact that if they concede enough field position, and the clock gets too low, they're cooked, no matter what. Besides, if you kept the rouge for kickoffs and punts (as you suggest), a team could still win by punting the ball through the end zone. The only difference is that there is not the possibility of earning 3 points, which is an entirely different objective (one that is, in my opinion, irrelevant to the discussion at hand).
In a tie game place-kicking situation with zeros on the clock, I guarantee you that the place-kicker is just kicking the ball as hard as they can. *_The objective is the rouge, not the field goal._* In giving it enough power, they are succeeding at winning the game, not failing to earn 3 points in doing so.
@@VoIcanoman No one should be rewarded for failure. If you are kicking a field goal, then the goal is to get three points. If you miss it, then you miss it, and there is no reward for missing your attempt. If you want the rouge so bad, then set up for a punt and kick it through the end zone. I remember one of my high school city championship games ending 1-0 with a last second punt at the 25 yard line through the end zone. If it was a last second missed field goal, it wouldn't sit right with me.
@@ErikWoodsCinSoundRadio Would a place-kicked rouge out the back of the end zone bother you so much if the kicking team had to signal whether they were going for 3, or 1? If there was a specific place kick where you could ONLY earn a single point (like, say, a kickoff after a score), and doing so successfully wasn't actually "failing" at a field goal, but succeeding at something else entirely? Because I guarantee you that currently, teams are sometimes going for ONLY a single point during a field goal attempt, and if you INTEND to do something, how can it be a failure? Does it really matter what we call it (a failed field goal vs. a successful rouge?) when the result is the same?
@@VoIcanoman Literally no one is setting up for a field goal to purposely miss to get one point unless it’s at the end of a game to win by one.
Canadians who complain about the rouge and keeping the goal posts on the goal line primarily fall into two groups.
1) Those who don't understand it or the history and strategy involved. The recent game winning rouge by the Argos was a calculated play with the ball being kicked for distance rather than accuracy... great if you get the 3 points but make sure there's enough on the ball to make returning it impossible... Conversely, they could have punted for the rouge but with a higher risk of a blocked or returnable kick. A lack of understanding and/or explanation by those broadcasting and reporting the game is a contributing factor.
2) People who don't watch Canadian football anyway and wouldn't no matter what rule changes you made to appease them with many viewing the existence of the CFL as somehow a hindrance to Toronto obtaining an NFL team. I tend to think the writer of the article mentioned in this video falls into this category and I highly doubt he's watched ANY CFL football recently... if ever.
the age appeal in the article was very misleading. of course fewer 18-35 year olds are watching canadian football... but the same applies to every traditional major sport. tv is just not as popular/dominant a medium as it once was, and spectator sports are a necessary victim of that.
to me that's the actual existential threat to this sport and others like it. to youngsters, 2½-4 hour sports broadcasts have nothing on short-form video content and easily accessibly variety of media.
@@feature.of.jarjar24 Great point.
I'm 39 and it's TV coverage that absolutely keeps me from watching it.
I'd love to follow CFL closer, but actually accessing the games is more and more difficult the way modern media works
@@maevethefox5912 that's true. media has become much more decentralized and expansive thanks to the internet and the rise of alternate options for cable and streaming. unfortunately that also means trying to find certain things which aired pre-streaming/internet is now much less straightforward than turning the dial to a particular number. a lack of consistency in providing reliable access to watching games and league/player news can be deadly for a company which relies so heavily on tv to survive.
@@maevethefox5912 to be honest, I love CFL TV coverage way more than most of the sports that I watch.
5:26 - not to mention the fact CFL is locked behind TSN paywall. Most fans in Toronto can watch Bills on free antenna (remember those metal things) and Bills are on network tv (channels the cable co is forced to carry in basic guide). TSN helps the league financially short term but I argue does more damage long term.
Absolutely. Needs to be easier to access.
I am in the USA(by birth, not choice) and love the CFL...watch it whenever I can. Fat more entertaining than the NFL. Not tainted with ridiculous contracts either. Keep the CFL as is, a great product.
So MOVE tyo where you choose to be, while you still can! if enough people vote the donkey party, you may not have many choices any more!
No way, nfl is a refs game, cfl game clock every team plays to the final play, in nfl the winning team can knee with 2:30 mins left. Yeah no
Thank you for this video. Those who don't like it can give back their passport and go wherever they want, one way.
Absolutely NOT. Signed, an American who hates the NFL and likes the CFL (Go Riders!)
I'm an American who Prefer the Canadian game
Keep the CFL the way it is
The whole premise is silly. The rouge can lead to exciting play. Which is why a punter is sometimes included on the receiving team. A punt can be received and returned again. All in favour of gaining or blocking that point.
Actually I see you have added that exact point to your video. Thank you for this 👍 video.
I would change the rouge point in one way. It has to be a playable ball to get the point.
Meaning you can't just boot it straight out of the endzone and get the point. The ball would have to land in play first before going out of bounds to be eligible for the point.
That idea is being considered as a tweak to the rule. With Toronto's end zones being only 18 yards deep it makes sense.
@@TheJhn924 yeah, I like the idea of a the single point on kick offs and punts, If the receiving team kneels in the endzone or they let the ball roll out of bounds there should be a cost for the better field position, but they have to a have chance at making a play.
On the other hand, I don't like it on missed field goals, a failed attempt shouldn't be rewarded with a "good try" point lol
@@say10sedso56 Yeah but a miss that lands in the end zone would still be a live ball... if the single point is important enough, run it or kick it but you gotta get it out. Also it sets up some exciting returns with a potential 10 point swing on a missed FG.
@@TheJhn924 fair enough..
I also like the five yards rule better then the weirdo kickoff alignment and fair catch in the NFL..
I mentioned in another post, my biggest gripe with CFL right now is really with TSN.
I feel their broadcast presentation looks like public access TV. Limited camera angles, too far away, those digital ads on the field jank around on the field of play and are all pixelated/grainy
They can't even put the overlay first down yellow line maker that's been on NFL broadcasts for like what 20-30 years?
I think this hurts the perception of the league more than any of the rules some people complain about
@@say10sedso56 Quality of broadcasts is a money issue with TSN... Bell Media in general is losing money and there have been layoffs at most CTV stations as well as the closure at many Bell owned radio stations. But as for the yellow first down line, TSN uses it on it's live broadcasts but for their own reasons doesn't show it on game recaps on either TSN or the CFL's RUclips channels...
The priority of the CFL should be getting that 10th team in the maritimes.
The idea of having to play two teams three times in the year,is not helping the league.
I think there needs to be some rule changes in both leagues.
I've often thought that in the Canadian League both feet need to be in bounds on any forward pass.
The size of the field should require that both feet are in bounds!
Three games between teams in regular season is not a bad thing with just 9 teams. But 10th team in Atlantic Canada is a must.
I think that just one foot inbound in a perfectly reasonable rule. Two feet is a bit of an overkill that is only used in NFL and UFL.
@@teo_heel It was adopted by the (American) football rules committee before the NFL existed, because it was thought to be easier to officiate. If a player came down with the ball and straddling the sideline, the officials didn't have to see which foot touched down first. Eventually the NCAA realized that requirement introduced as many hard calls as it eliminated.
@@teo_heel Put the team in St john New Foundland. there would be a fun place to play
@@inconnu4961 I don't think that there's an interest in Canadian Football in NL as they don't have any university teams playing in U Sports. Nova Scotia seems to make the most sense as they have 3 U Sports teams and the interest will be there for sure.
Well said!! Thank-you.
As an American, let me tell you that I enjoy watching both leagues. In fact, it aggravates me that the NFL does not embrace its northern teams and their stadiums when it comes to hosting the Super Bowl. I feel if these teams can get fans to come during regular season and playoff games in the winter at outdoor stadiums, then why shouldn’t they be considered to host the league championship? Put it on a rotating schedule and let’s stop certain cities from getting all benefits of hosting the game. I’m sure all the stadium workers in Green Bay or Buffalo would love to get an extra paycheck. Why are they being excluded? In CFL, they don’t worry about the weather and embrace it instead, truly including everyone.
I would like to see 2 NFL teams play CFL rules on a CFL field. The NFL, with its tiny endzones, 4 downs, and "instant-death-running-out-the-clock-at-the-end", is arrogantly overblown and over-marketed... it has become disproportionately "significant" on the American landscape with billion-dollar stadiums being one-upped every 20 years... so I think the CFL has been hurt by the contrived "importance" of the NFL. But rather than trying to match the marketing excess of that American league, I think the CFL could regain some momentum by bringing games back to CBC and CTV... especially the Grey Cup game... because being exclusive to TSN has basically minimized the CFL's national footprint, making it less important to the entire nation.
CTV started showing CFL games again this season and the Grey Cup will be on CTV this year.
I just started watching CFL a few years ago, back in 2019. Before it was difficult to find and see complete games. I have watched american football my whole life, but I also like rugby (union and league) and australian rules. They are all different and enjoyable. I like CFL, whoever says it's an adaptation of american rules don't know anything. They are two separate games. Here in Mexico our professional league started with its own rules, taken from NCAA and NFL. But now they took NFL completely and it sucks. Why not having our own game? I, personally like the rouge rule and think it would add more to the game. People think NFL is the ultimate league and everyone should follow but it's not. They make a lot of money but that doesn't mean it's better than other leagues or sports.
Who ever says its an adaptation of American football . . . . is trying to troll canucks. And BOY has it worked beyond anyones wildest expectations, EH! Only Canucks become BUTTHURT at being compared to Americans, no matter the topic! Its a veritable sport all its own! ha ha ha
Lol one single play and the guy concludes that rouge points are dumb. Just clownish. The rouge both preserves a key aspect of rugby heritage and incentives running the ball back. If the kicking team does a good enough job that you can't get out of your endzone of course they should get a point.
It's always the same song and dance with these CFL haters. "You need to change the game to four downs, get rid of the rouge, be just like the NFL, etc.." In other words, strip the Canadian game of its uniqueness. Granted, there are valid criticisms of the CFL: the absence of a tenth team; night games on Thursdays and Sundays that prevent families from attending; no video game to get kids interested in the league; and so on. But the rules are the one thing that should NEVER be tampered with.
Nice like hearing your voice bro, my only caveat is that I think that they should add the 1 point safety to CFL rules, for obvious reasons. Great vid.
I agree, they definitely should.
To make it even more confusing there is a defensive 1 point conversion that is different from a defensive 2 point conversion or a (hypothetical) 1 point safety. I'm going to make a video about this soon, it's easily the most obscure way of scoring in any football league.
Can you explain, what is a one point safety?
@@cflhighlights9370 I need to see this.
@@teo_heel In American football, a safety on a conversion attempt is worth 1 point.
@@cflhighlights9370 looking forward to that vid! I think you got something going here
The CFL should not change their rules
The CFL, in my opinion, is a much better game than the NFL. We don't need to change the rules.
The NFL had the goalposts on the goal line until 1973.
And they moved them to the End line because of the Kickers being too good.
1974.
The CFL has been around a lot longer than the NFL, they should be adopting our rules
No. Some CFL *clubs* are older than the NFL, but the CFL itself was formed much more recently.
@@goodmaro The CFL in its current form was created in 1958... but was essentially a merger between the 2 primary football organisations of the time. The Interprovincial Rugby Football Union or "Big Four" (founded in 1907) and the Western Interprovincial Football Union (founded in 1936).
@@TheJhn924 The NFL didn't spring into existence from nothing de novo either.
@@goodmaro Agreed... although my point is there has been continuity in Canadian football dating back at least as far as 1907 until the present day. Individual teams going back even further, with the Argonauts tracing their roots to 1873.
@@TheJhn924 Canadian football's continuity, in one sense, goes back to pre-RFU rugby, because they started playing before the Rugby Football Union adopted laws of the game in an eventually successful attempt to standardize it. American football's continuity by that measure goes back only to 1876 because, although the colleges playing rugby had started a few years earlier with the pre-standardization game as played in Canada, the Intercollegiate Football Association decided that year to adopt RFU laws.
However, practically every influence in the game from then on went from American to Canadian football, and none vice versa -- even with the promotional exhibition of Canadian football for the benefit of the American game in Van Cortland Park in 1909, which American officials turned out not to be interested in. Even some changes assumed by some to have been imported into the American game from Canadian rules turn out to have gone from the NCAA to the NFL. One change that did seem to have gone from Canadian to American football was the abolition by NCAA of the fair catch in 1950 within a season or two after its elimination of the fair catch -- and even then, the NCAA reinstated it in 1951, just without the free kick option. The WFL of 1974-5 could be said to have taken a couple of things from Canadian football -- no yards and a mini-game to break ties -- with changes for their own use, but those went no farther than the WFL.
Fantastic video and response. While I understand some of the concern over a game-winning rouge, the rule works perfectly well 99.9% of the time. Abolishing the rouge because of this is kind of like cutting off your leg to treat a cut on your toe.
I'm all for having a discussion about the rule, because I do think it should be tweaked a little bit to prevent this exact scenario. But to have the discussion, you need to understand what the rule is and how it works. Anybody who says "it's a point for failure" is, in my mind, automatically disqualified from the discussion, because it shows that they don't really have an understanding of how the rule actually works. Although I shouldn't say I'm surprised - a quick look into Matthew Grills as a "journalist" tells me there's quite a lot of things that this clown doesn't understand. I look forward to his upcoming article about how the government is lying to you about the Earth orbiting the Sun.
is giving nfl teams a fourth down not rewarding them for failing at earning a first on three downs ?
It allows for a running game and for teams to play defence. In the old days, Americans had the patience to enjoy defensive games.
American football evolved from Canadian football, not the other way around (with the exception of the forward pass).
No. American and Canadian football were rugby football. As American football developed, Canadian football borrowed from it, belatedly. The only thing that says American football "came from Canada" is that rugby became popular in Canada earlier.
Let me tell you Ive been working in the US for years and have talked to many Americans about football. I’ve never heard one say that our game is not better and that’s coming from people that grew up with NFL so what does that tell you!
Yet STILL no one watches it!
Maybe 90s NFL rules but definitely not modern NFL rules