Game Ball

There's no question that Chris Williams gets the game ball in my eyes. Honorable mentions go to our linebacking corps for exceptional Defensive Play and Dave Stala for still being "sticky" after all these years.

With all due respect to Thigpen, how can anybody not give the game ball to Chris Williams? I'll admit I'm prejudiced being a NM native. I would like to see CW on kickoff returns also.

Someone please clear up a rule for me, being a CFL novice. With the score tied at 31 and a misseed FG it went to 32-31 Hamilton, did I notice that right? Pls explain.

:roll:

@ retafmike…

Instead of a rude reply, I’ll try an explanation :roll:

In the CFL, a punt or missed field goal that goes out of bounds in the endzone scores a single point for the kicking team. (a kickoff that goes thru the endzone untouched results in no point and the ball is placed on the 25 yd line for the receiving team)

If the player on the receiving team has a chance to run the ball out of the endzone (post punt or missed field goal), he can choose to either give up/concede the point (and their team gets the ball on their 35 yd line) or try to run it out and possibly give up decent field position.

Not sure of the exact reasoning but it possibly has to do with the deeper endzones in the CFL vs the NFL. With the shorter NFL endzones and the posts at the back line, there’s little (to no) chance for a return and a single point would be automatic whereas punt/missed FG returns and returned kicks out of the endzone (to avoid giving up a point) have lead to exciting CFL games and finishes.

Some complain the single rewards failure but IMO, if you’ve worked the ball close enough to the endzone to go for points, you deserve something :slight_smile:

It is the receiving team’s choice (other than after a successful field goal) to concede a point or not. It can often play into the overall strategy of the game.

From wikipedia ( emphasis mine)

[b]Single [/b] Scored when the ball becomes dead in the possession of a team in its own goal area, or when the ball touches or crosses the dead-line, or side-line-in-goal, and touches the ground, a player, or some object beyond these lines [b][u]as a result of the ball having been kicked from the field of play into the goal area[/u][/b] by the scoring team. It is worth one point. This is different from a Safety (see above) in that team scored against receives possession of the ball after the score. Officially, the single is called a rouge (French for "red") but is often referred to as a single. The exact derivation of the term is unknown, but it has been thought that in early Canadian football, the scoring of a single was signalled with a red flag.
Simply put, any ball kicked into the endzone from a punt or missed field, that is not returned out of the endzone, results in a single point.

And yes, my game ball goes to Williams.

For differences in the rules between Canadian and American football, see http://www.13thman.com/cflvsnfl.html

The rule predates endzones, which are a more recent addition to North American football. As far as I know, the “rouge” was already there when Canadian football was more-or-less a variant of rugby, intended as a penalty for the inability of the receiving team to run it back into the field. It was carried over when Canadian football switched to the down-and-distance game that it is now. I’ve also read that it was originally deducted from the receiving team’s score rather than added to the kicking team’s score.

Hmmm…rouge = red, which means negative in accounting terms. I wonder…

So I gather from this that you watched the game. Hope you enjoyed it.

You have to realize that this thread is covering two games, and in the first of the two games, Thigpen had a slight edge over Williams. If you look at the posts after Friday’s game, I think it’s unanimous that Williams gets the game ball for that one.

I guess I should have prepped you on the differences in the rules. :oops: But the wider field and the three downs does make for a more wide open game, even with the extra player on each side. And it really does benefit a player like Williams, whose open field running abilities are rather impressive. Also, notice - no “fair catch” rule, meaning every punt and missed field goal attempt must be fielded, unless it goes out of bounds. Again, to Williams’s advantage.

Williams was back there with Thigpen on kickoff and punt(?) returns, but it seems that either the kickers all put it to Thigpen’s side, or the two of them have instructions from the coaches that if both have a play on it, Thigpen should return it. Something tells me that that may change at some point this year.

Yes I did watch, thanks for the explanation on the rules. I knew Williams was on kickoffs, just didnt seem to be the main returner and I knew he had a good history in college in that area.

Is the end zone 20 or 25 yards? Two other things about the rules. It seems to me the motion backs and receivers are offsides a lot and it dosent get called, The touch vs maintaining possesion difference is a head scratcher to me. The other differences I understand and I like the 3 down rule but it seems that anybody could dive and touch a fumble a foot before it goes out and get rewarded without possesion.

Also, I did not know the thread for the game ball covered two games, thanks for the info.

  1. They used to be 25, but they were shrunk to accommodate shorter venues (I think).

End zones are 20 yards deep. Years ago they were 25 yards. Was it changed in the 80s?

I love the scrambles to touch the ball last before it goes out of bounds on a fumble!

The “waggle” or pre-snap motion that is a major part of the CFL game is a well-orchastrated use of speedy backs and receivers. They time their run-up or sprint to the LOS to co-inside with the snap of the ball. They may look offside, but they actually haven’t touched the turf beyond the LOS - similar to a basketball player making a leaping recovery of a ball going out-of-bounds.

In the 80’s, Ray Elgaard would take advantage of this rule and he was given a LOT more latitude in his pre-snap motion by the officials. So much so, that there became “The Elgaard Rule” where he would never be flagged for offsides… lol

As for the posession thing, it goes back to the CFL being formed out of a rugby union. posession of the ball is a reward for the last player to touch the football before it goes out-of-bounds - usually after a great effort to reach the ball.

There are some other interesting quirks about the CFL game that you might run across, but that is a different story…

Williams is secondary returner because of Thigpen’s record from last year, at least for now. I suspect that eventually the coaches will give him the green light, and he may surpass Thigpen.

Are the receivers offside at the snap? It sure looks that way. At regular speed, by the time you notice the movement of the ball and then shift your eyes to the receivers, they are over the line. But if you freeze-frame it and watch for the initial movement of the ball (and I’ve done this too many times to count), the timing is pretty much perfect every time.

As for fumbles out of bounds, unlike the NFL (and NCAA?) the last player to touch the ball before it goes out is credited with possession.

And the CFL is the same as NCAA for receptions - the receiver only needs to land one foot in bounds on a catch.

A really good summary of the differences, although I did notice a few minor omissions.

  • A rouge (single point) can also be scored by punting or kicking the ball through the end zone, except on a kickoff.
  • Punts and kicks can be recovered by any “onside” player from the kicking team. A player is “onside” if he is behind the ball when it is kicked. On a kickoff, this is the whole team. The holder on a field goal attempt is not onside, as he is even with the ball. If the ball is kicked or punted across the line of scrimmage and the kicking team recovers it, a first down is awarded no matter how far away the first down marker is.
  • One receiver, the tight end or split end, must be stationary on the line at the snap.
  • I don’t think the description of when the game clock is stopped is quite right. I think it just seems that way.

Chris Williams highlights from the Lions' game.

http://www.ticats.ca/video/index/id/19043

An American CFL player's perspective on the Canadian game.

Canadian game an adjustment for us Yanks

[url=http://www.thespec.com/sports/ticats/article/569533--canadian-game-an-adjustment-for-us-yanks]http://www.thespec.com/sports/ticats/ar ... r-us-yanks[/url]

Overall great team win in what should be considered a statement game for the Cats.

Tough game this one for me to choose who should get the game ball.....the Defence or maybe Stala with 2 TDs, 5 catches for 107 yds however my nod would go to Cobourne with 126 total combined yds (67 hard fought ones on the ground).

IMO AC gets it… he did exactly what he was supposed to do when he was exactly needed to do it… to ensure the victory!

Cory Chamblin....great game plan...and the job he's done on this secondary...amazing...

Agreed. And, Honourable mention, among coaches, to whoever drew up the Stala 4th Qtr. TD play. It was obviously planned, based on something seen in film study, and then performed to perfection by Stala, Glenn, and the other 10.