Rule changes build on strengths of the CFL game

Just for interest's sake, here's a list of the members of the rules committe from 2021. I suspect it remains largely unchanged, except for the Elks' rep:

Voting Members:

Khari Jones Montréal Alouettes
Paul LaPolice Ottawa REDBLACKS
Ryan Dinwiddie Toronto Argonauts
Orlondo Steinauer Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Mike O'Shea Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Craig Dickenson Saskatchewan Roughriders
John Hufnagel Calgary Stampeders
Jamie Elizondo Edmonton Elks
Rick Campbell B.C. Lions
Brian Ramsey CFLPA – Players
John Bowman CFLPA – Players
Tom Vallesi CPFOA – Officials
Darren Hackwood Associate Vice-President, Officiating

Non-Voting Members

Greg Dick Head of Football Operations
Jeff Harbin Manager, Officiating
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As has been suggested, we need to get a member of this forum on the committee!

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I think that the moving the hashmarks closer together is more significant as it will change the angles of field goals and make them more of a ‘straight on’ kick.

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Totally wrong, sorry. The wide side throw that was avoided was the SHORT throw - the risky out that could be jumped by a downhill DB. The DEEP throws have an advantage to the wide side as they are an easy read to see if there’s a safety overtop. If not it’s a 1 on 1 and a very safe throw seeing as the coverage is running WITH the receiver and not downhill in a position to jump the route.

The absolute number one golden look that a QB always dreams of is a 1 on 1 coverage in space. The OC is always drawing up plays to try to get his QB a 1 on 1 IN SPACE. The QB then just puts the ball up away from the defender and the receiver has lots of space to go get it. The wide side now has less than half the space advantage than it used to have so it will be used LESS in this regard.

Also, since the short side is wider now, the shorter underneath throw to the short side is now LESS safe and more prone to being jumped. Due to this we MIGHT see just less short passing in general and replacing it with just straight up run plays. Not sure about that, we’ll see how it plays out, but is definitely possible.

That sucks too. :-1:

Well, like some others I feel that the CFL thought things through more thoroughly this time and made some correct changes for the right reasons.

Here's to many more positive moves after this one after so many blunders in recent years. :beers:

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Well, we’ll have to disagree on that PDog. :smiley: Most clubs play their best DB’s on the boundary side because that’s where more plays go & the best receivers go. In fact, clubs often hide their weakest DB on the field side because there’s less passes go there on the wide field &, yes, because the pass is in the air a long way, a Safety has time to get over to help. In fact, for many years the slotbacks were getting the most action in the league.

Slotbacks are still getting the best action simply because they’re allowed to waggle. That has nothing to do with field or boundary.

You are overlooking QB dexterity. The main reason that throws go to the short side is because right handed QBs throw to the right roughly twice as much as it’s an easier read and the best way for the OC to design an offense to get the ball out of the QB’s hand quickly is to throw to the right. This is also why the better receivers tend to line up on the short (right) side as they can more often be the first look in the progression, nothing to do with space. Yes, the long throw is a factor but really only on the underneath stuff. All QBs this day and age are pretty much capable of making all the throws (Streveler seems to be the only one of significant playing time in the past 10 years who couldn’t throw the ball well). The side of the field has very little to do with the safety, as the deep throw usually is preceded by a read of the safety playing downhill anyways. If the safety is hanging back then it doesn’t matter what side a deep throw goes to.

If that’s true then they would be throwing to the short side on the right going east, say, & throwing to the long side to their right going west the following quarter. Look at the video of the top 10 plays of 2021 on this website & of the 8 passing plays highlighted, 5 of them went to the QB’s left side, the short side. If you have 2 right handed QB’s on opposite sides, PDog, they can’t both have the short side on their right. Am I missing something here?

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Some good points and discussion here. One other thing to consider - the short side will now be 4 yards wider and this does give receivers more room to operate and more room for dbs to cover. In the same way that prairiedog mentioned that the wide side can benefit from isolating receivers in space, this should in theory open up offence somewhat if the offences continue to favour the shorter side. Until we see this play out one way or another we can’t know for sure.

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The 15 yard penalty for bad kicks is a step backwards .

The kick should factor into the penalty they knew this from before and the terrible visuals of getting an added bonus of notably receiving a terrible punt but also 15 yards .

They already corrected this years back why the H are they going backwards in time when they already know this doesn't work .

Also just handing yards over unearned is not creating offence it's just creating a tilted field .

They want more blow outs like before .... .

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No, that’s not correct.

Yes, you are missing something. Clearly you don’t understand the rules of ball placement. If the play ends outside the hashmarks, it is spotted for the next play on the nearest hashmark. Pass plays that go to the right almost always end up outside the right hashmark, meaning that you will have a majority of plays scrimmaged from the right hashmark making the right the short or ‘boundary’ side. This works regardless of the direction of scrimmage, and THIS is the so-called ‘problem’ that the league was trying to ‘fix’.

Hope this helps you.

In theory, but it also makes that safe throw underneath to the boundary less safe - more ‘jumpable’ just like the wide side. So like I said above, this MIGHT lead to just less short passes and more between the tackles running but I’m not sure, as you say we will have to see how it plays out.

Well, Dog, you give way too much credit to the QB’s. If the QB’s can all make the throw, why are the OC’s not calling more plays out there & letting them? Your guy, Fajardo, bemoaned the fact his receivers aren’t winning the 50/50 balls. Should there be 50/50 balls if the throws were accurate to begin with? Reilly consistently threw high jump balls to Duke where nobody else had a chance because of the shorter DB’s & Maas called it regularly in Edmonton. Throwing the ball 50 yards on a rope & throwing it to a small window are 2 different things.

Here’s something you might find interesting, Dog. Based upon your comments on RH’s throwing right, should all first basemen be left handed? In theory they are better suited to fielding balls in the hole between 1st & 2nd. In 1928 92% of 1st basemen starters were left handed. By 2002 that dipped to 36%.

RH QB’s definitely favour right when rolling out that way & would rather not roll out left. I would be shocked if they had more difficulty with going Right or Left on straight dropbacks. I can do that. :smiley:

Anyway - if Hufnagel is OK with the change that’s good enough for me. Have a good one. Cheers.

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Actually they do. It sounds easy to drop back and see the whole field but when you you have 1.5 seconds to make three reads it’s not. You just throw to the way that you’re facing, which is right.

No, all the QBs (at least the ones who play regularly - all starters and most backups) can indeed make all the throws. The days of Russ Michna and Danny Wimprine are long gone.

The wide side underneath is just risky no matter how well you throw it, because it is jumpable by a DB playing downhill. A deep throw is much different. The DB is not in a position to play downhill so much safer. Ideally you just drop it into an area where the DB can’t get it. That is why the wide side (the field side) becomes an advantage. There’s lots of space to do that. Now they’ve cut that space literally in half.

He’s not going to be backpedalling & facing right all times depending on the direction of the play call, Dog. If he’s going back & his shoulders are pointed straight south he can go either way or over the middle. Where his shoulders go that’s where the ball goes.

The Defences these days drop everybody back, mostly play zone, & force Offences to dink & dunk down the field. That’s the problem. The nickelback covers a receiver over 80% of the time. Jones likes players who can play DE, LB & DB so he can drop a DE in coverage & play 9 back at times. You are not going to get a WR on man down the field sideline very often. Just my view. Anyway, I like the change. :slightly_smiling_face:

No QB throws facing forward. : /

You have a back foot and a front foot. If you are right handed, your back foot is your right and you face mostly to the right. This is the entire reason why the left tackle protects the QB’s BLIND SIDE. It’s blind because he faces to the right and his vision is compromised to the left. The easy reads, the quick reads are on the right, which puts most of the pass plays outside the right hashmarks keeping the short side on the right most of the time. It’s that simple and if you can’t grasp this concept (or refuse to) then I’m sorry, there’s nothing more I can say to help you.

Of course they plant & turn when they throw but you can backpedal straight back. That’s not difficult. DB’s backpedal straight back all the time before they turn. Watch some film. And if you’re throwing down between the hashmarks where, if you look @ MF’s charts most throws go, you square your shoulders downfield. That’s pretty basic Dog.

If you refuse to understand just on principle then I have no more time to waste here.