3.5 minute warning -- no interruption

[Tecno]

The new 35s clock rule in 2026 has forced an unnatural and VERY non-CFLesque interruption when the clock hits 3:00.  This goes against the usual "CFL way" of ignoring the clock until the current whistled-in play is over: for instance, at the end of quarters.

The reason they added the NFL-like interruption this season is they didn't want a team who gets the ball with 3:01 left to bleed the clock down to 2:26 (i.e. 35s) before snapping.  That would basically use up 2 20s plays, and reduce the number of plays in the final 3 minutes.

But I thought up a new solution: change the 3 minute warning to the "3.5 minute warning", and get rid of the interruption at the marker and instead go back to pausing the game (ads, etc) after the whistled-in play finishes.  You know, like we used to have!  Then at most the clock would get down to 2:55 before the next snap.  Thus preserving the flow of the game we all got used to over decades of CFL ball.

Yes, the "3.5 minute warning" sounds dumb.  But what are ya gonna do... Yes, this would potentially gives teams who are down and have the ball 1-2 extra plays in the closing stage of the game.  But they "lose" the play on the pre-warning side, so in reality it can add only 1 extra play per half.

I've said in other threads why the interruption is bad.  If you read my other posts, you don't need to read the rest of this.  My main beef is especially for in-stadium crowds.  The 3:00 mark in most games is where things are heating up and the crowd is getting amped up, especially if the visitors have the ball.  Everyone is making tons of noise for maybe 20s and then poof: the ref comes out and blows things dead and everyone has to wonder why until they remember we have the new 35s clock... Then we all wait 2 to 2.5 mins for the longer-than-normal 3-min warning ads.  Then we're expected to get the hype back up when they return from commercial!  But the hype never reaches that same level.  People only have so much noise-making capacity and the noise is often a function of emotion -- and any delays lessen the emotion.

I find it incredibly irksome, and I really hate how it makes us just that much more like the NFL.  And if the "3.5 minute warning" is too weird, just get rid of the interruption, go back to how it was, and live with the fact sometimes teams will bleed the clock an extra play.  The main thing is: no interruption!

[bomb squad]

I thought you didn't watch the NFL?