New rules / commissioner's statements

[blue_or_die]

Looks like the CFL is only 50+ years behind in that regard.

And you wonder why people are viewing this as "Americanization", when the comparison is doing whatever the NFL does, apparently.

[blue_gold_84]

Finally, in 1974, the league pushed the goal posts back to the end line. The change was made mostly to encourage offenses to score touchdowns rather than field goals. The three-pointer had become an increasingly common occurrence by 1973. The move achieved the league's desired effect, field goals dropped from a total of 543 successful conversions off 861 attempts in 1973 to 335 field goals made on 553 attempts the following year.

https://www.profootballhof.com/blogs/2018/10/blogs-stories-from-the-pro-football-hall-of-fame-archives-evolution-of-the-game-goal-posts/

That looks like the same information I found here.

In 1973, FGs made up 23% of the scoring. In 1974, FGs made up 15% of the scoring.

I don't think I'd qualify a decrease of 8% over a tiny sample size of two seasons as being dramatic; in either instance, TDs made up the vast majority of scoring. I think there needs to be considerably more data in order to make a proper determination.

I'd also be hesitant to apply such a small dataset from another league from half a century ago. It begs the question if this change will be worthwhile, IMO. The CFL doesn't struggle with scoring as we see below:



From the 2027 season onward, we will no longer see missed FG returns, either. That's a unique entertainment aspect to the CFL that won't exist after next season.

[bomber beetle]

FG's down is an expected result because you have to get closer to the goal line to make one.

TD's going up many years later isn't related to moving the goal posts, it's got to be related to something else.

That could very well be, simply moving the goalposts does not make touchdowns that much easier.

Again though, drawing conclusions from what happened the NFL 50 years ago and applying that to CFL 2027 is subject to other variables. I mentioned the evolution of the game. There is also the variable of the CFL moving the goalposts and significantly changing the field dimensions.

[blue_or_die]

Finally, in 1974, the league pushed the goal posts back to the end line. The change was made mostly to encourage offenses to score touchdowns rather than field goals. The three-pointer had become an increasingly common occurrence by 1973. The move achieved the league's desired effect, field goals dropped from a total of 543 successful conversions off 861 attempts in 1973 to 335 field goals made on 553 attempts the following year.

https://www.profootballhof.com/blogs/2018/10/blogs-stories-from-the-pro-football-hall-of-fame-archives-evolution-of-the-game-goal-posts/

But aardvark has been telling us that the posts are being moved to 'clean up the game'. So confusing.

[bomber beetle]

That looks like the same information I found here.

In 1973, FGs made up 23% of the scoring. In 1974, FGs made up 15% of the scoring.

I don't think I'd qualify a decrease of 8% over a tiny sample size of two seasons as being dramatic; in either instance, TDs made up the vast majority of scoring. I think there needs to be considerably more data in order to make a proper determination.

I'd also be hesitant to apply such a small dataset from another league from half a century ago. It begs the question if this change will be worthwhile, IMO. The CFL doesn't struggle with scoring as we see below:



From the 2027 season onward, we will no longer see missed FG returns, either. That's a unique entertainment aspect to the CFL that won't exist after next season.

I think we could expect overall scoring to go down.
60 extra touchdowns translates to about 4.2 points per game.
How many fewer field goals? If it averages out to two fewer per game then there is a deficit in overall scoring.

So the big question is: will the game be more entertaining as stated by the commissioner?
At this point, no one can answer that question.

[jets4life]

Finally, in 1974, the league pushed the goal posts back to the end line. The change was made mostly to encourage offenses to score touchdowns rather than field goals. The three-pointer had become an increasingly common occurrence by 1973. The move achieved the league's desired effect, field goals dropped from a total of 543 successful conversions off 861 attempts in 1973 to 335 field goals made on 553 attempts the following year.

https://www.profootballhof.com/blogs/2018/10/blogs-stories-from-the-pro-football-hall-of-fame-archives-evolution-of-the-game-goal-posts/

In fairness,  I'm not that opposed to moving the goalposts.  I actually support the "rouge" change. I never understood why a team can win a game, if they miss a FG, or punt a ball through the back of the end zone, without the opposing team having a chance to run it out.

It's the elimination of the 55 yard line, reducing the field to 100 yards, and shrinking the length of the end zones that IMHO, will kill off the uniqueness of the CFL.  It will become essentially an NFL clone, but far inferior in play.  Fans and viewers will see it as such, and will turn out in droves.

[jets4life]

From the 2027 season onward, we will no longer see missed FG returns, either. That's a unique entertainment aspect to the CFL that won't exist after next season.

Perhaps I was mistaken. I was under the assumption that teams would not get a rouge only if the ball sailed out of the back of the end zone, without the opponent having the chance to field the ball.  If the ball is ruled "dead" after a missed FG, and the return is eliminated, the new rules are even worse than I had imagined.

[jets4life]

I think we could expect overall scoring to go down.
60 extra touchdowns translates to about 4.2 points per game.
How many fewer field goals? If it averages out to two fewer per game then there is a deficit in overall scoring.

So the big question is: will the game be more entertaining as stated by the commissioner?
At this point, no one can answer that question.

It's not going to be as entertaining. That's fairly obvious to anyone who is a lifelong CFL fan. I'm beginning to think that the fans of the new rule changes, secretly hate the Canadian rules, and would implement the NFL rules, including adding a 4th down. Let's make this league as boring as possible. (sarcasm)

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I think we could expect overall scoring to go down.
60 extra touchdowns translates to about 4.2 points per game.
How many fewer field goals? If it averages out to two fewer per game then there is a deficit in overall scoring.

So the big question is: will the game be more entertaining as stated by the commissioner?
At this point, no one can answer that question.

Punting for the corner from within the 50 might become a common strategy, Aussie punters will hem teams deep repeatedly with less chance of a return due to the shorter distance the kicking team needs to cover.  Note, offences tend to stutter a lot more when starting deep in their own end, the goal post move is more likely to favour the defence than the offence and over all scoring will fall.

[blue_gold_84]

Perhaps I was mistaken. I was under the assumption that teams would not get a rouge only if the ball sailed out of the back of the end zone, without the opponent having the chance to field the ball.  If the ball is ruled "dead" after a missed FG, and the return is eliminated, the new rules are even worse than I had imagined.

I should've been clearer with that comment. The relocation of the goalposts to the back of the endzone would all but eliminate missed FG returns save for FG attempts that end up short.

FG attempts that end up short are already pretty rare.

[bomb squad]

I think we could expect overall scoring to go down.
60 extra touchdowns translates to about 4.2 points per game.
How many fewer field goals? If it averages out to two fewer per game then there is a deficit in overall scoring.

So the big question is: will the game be more entertaining as stated by the commissioner?
At this point, no one can answer that question.

What we do know is that the missed field goal return will be virtually eliminated. One of, if not the, most exciting aspects of the CFL game. That's a lot of ground (no pun intended) to make up. The proposed changes are huge. If this all goes through, this will be the most significant period of time we have seen in the CFL in a long time, if not ever. However... I do not think it's make or break. I'm nervous about it for sure. But I would be lying if I said wasn't intrigued about seeing it play out. 

[Balticfox]

If what you are saying was true, the AHL Moose would have sold out every game they played considering the price was a fraction of the Jets.

Believe it or not, the quality of the league matters a lot. How many people would go to games if the Jets left, and we replaced them with an ECHL team?

Not that the untrained observer can see the difference in the quality of play between the NHL and the ECHL let alone the AHL. I'm sure though that these observers would all still insist that they can tell the difference but that's only because they "know" the NHL is supposed to have the better players. I mean the GMs can't be that clueless, or can they?