Who Wrecked The CFL?

The refs on orders from suits like Cohon.

Too many flags. Rules are ridiculous like penalty for too much time getting a play off and they move ball back 10 yards. Say from 2nd and 4 to 2nd and 14, etc.

Like hockey under Bettman, get the refs out of the game. Let the players determine who wins not the suits in Toronto or the zebras on the field.

if the players learn to play by the rules, then there will be less penalties. Every single penalty the ref sees, should be called, in every situation.

I believe you will see some offenses turn the tide this year. I agree with others that new coaches in Montreal and Calgary in particular will introduce a more complex offensive scheme to the league. Both Hufnagel and Trestman will bring fresh ideas to a league that has not had any new offensive schemes introduced to it in recent years to my recollection.

absolutely not

a penalty or multiple penalties can be called on just about every single play

refs should only call obvious fouls that influenced the play not the chintzy calls they routinely make.

i personally stopped going to cfl games because the way refs are involved in the game. this s the worst thing about cfl football.

i dont want to win by penalties nor lose by penalties

a suggestion to save time

instead of throwing a penalty flag on every play why dont refs just leave flag on the field and pick it up only when they dont call a penalty. it will save them all kinds of time since theyll only have to pick up their flag about 1 time per quarter.

How do you define obvious? And who makes the decision about degree of influence? It's a game and some calls will be missed, some will be blatantly wrong, some will be be makeup calls to right a earlier wrong call. It's a perfect imperfect sytem. No getting around it although I would like to see more instant replay calls initiated by the up top officials other than the last three minutes.

a penalty or multiple penalties can be called on just about every single play
if that is true, then it doesnt say much for the calibre of players.

Not really, even in the NFL you can call holding on everysingle down just because its happening somewhere on the line to some degree. Hell the Patriots did it all the way to a 18-0 season this year.

That rules exists in the NFL as well. And the NBA. :roll:

I always thought time count violation was a 5 yard penalty....

I conclude that the CFL is a dynamic game, with an ebb and flow not only within a game, but over many seasons as well. And thank heaven it is because if it were a static game — much like pro basketball is, where teams commonly score 180+ points every game — ennui would have killed the sport decades ago.

It doesn’t matter so much how many or few points are scored — what matters is the competitiveness of the teams. Defencive games can be every bit as interesting and exciting (or boring) as the 80 point barn burner. As long as it isn’t a blow out, it doesn’t really matter — though ask me this again the next time there is a 6-3 game.

REfs should stay out of the way. They ruined the game with too many stupid penalties. And I hate it when a big play is about to begin and the blow the whislte to call some marginal offside.

The best games are where the refs stay out of the way. WAtch Grey Cups and you'll see very few penalties called.

Let the players decide the outcome. Unless its blatant, keep it in your pants. Nothing ruins a game like too many penalties.
We don't want to become like the "new" NHL do we?

I disagree!
If it is a penality it is a penality and it should be called.....Besides, there are just as many complaints about too many calls as there are missed calles

And if it is not called, there are a hundred posts about how the refs missed a “blatant” offside, one that you perceive to be “marginal”. They can’t win. Berezin, of all people. You are on the rampage to keep the NFL out and you give fodder to the NFL lovers like this who say the CFL is “bush” for their reffing. Don’t give them fodder, man, because it’s just not true. Generally, players break the rules, not the refs. You’re harping on the wrong group.

That’s because, after 19 or 20 games, teams work better as a unit, thus getting fewer penalties, not to mention that the level of importance of the game is so much higher that the level of importance of each penalty increses in magnitude compared to week 1, … and players know that so are way more disciplined. It’s not the refs, it’s the players.

I don't think so. I hate penalties in any sport.
I can barely watch hockey anymore because of all the cheap penalties.
Thats why i can't stand sports like basketball. Because the action is interrupted every two seconds for a penatly.
Unless its a foul that affects the play, the refs should stay out of the way.

Then the onus is on the players to not break the rules....That will never happen so the refs have no choice but to call the flag....As much as a penalty can change the outcome of a game, so can a non-call. Personally I would rather see a game lost over a penalty than one won because of a non-call.

Hear, hear. With fans being judgmental the way they are, refs are in a no win situation. They call a penalty when there is a clear infraction and they are criticized by a small fraction, but vocal fans, just for doing so. They don’t call a penalty when there is a clear infraction and they are critized by a different small fraction, but vocal fans.

What a thankless job. I am sure glad there are not 7 camera angles, instant replay, slow motion and 400,000+ critics watching my every move in my job.

Quite the assumption that Jacques Lemaire invented the trap… you can, however, credit Scotty Bowman for introducing it in the 70’s. The Canadiens won 6 Stanley Cups, including 4 in a row, on the strength of the trapping style of play. The only difference was they had the firepower to go along with the trap.

As for the low scoring games in the CFL, I believe its mostly a cyclical thing. I really don’t see a huge difference in scoring from past years. It only means that defences are better than they once were, and good defensive plays are just as exciting as a good offensive play. Maybe the difference is in the play of special teams, as the number of returns for touchdowns is still down from two years ago, before they made the baffling rule change on blocking for the 2006 season.

Good post legalbeagle, how many of us on here have written Tom Higgins for an application to officiate next year? :wink:

It is, except in the last three minutes of a half, when it is a loss of down (no yardage penalty) on first and second down, or a 10-yard penalty on third down.

I think a big reason for the reduction in scoring last season is the change in the rules for a reception. Receivers had to catch the ball, hit the ground, roll around, get up, run a lap of the stadium, go back to the bench, and call their mother without letting go of the ball in order for it to be a completion. Now they’re being more realistic about it, and I think you’ll see scoring increase this year.

Except in Hamilton. :cry:

:lol: Funny 'cause it's true... Edmonton got screwed over by that a couple times. :x