Ping: Under The Radar: November 2004 Archives

Well, as my Titans are rapidly heading into injury-plagued disaster, and as I live in Canada, I suppose I can take a little time off today to talk about the Super Bowl of Canadian Football. The Grey Cup Game, which determines the champion of the Canadian Football League (CFL), is played this weekend, and NFL ratings will drop sharply north of the 39th parallel on Sunday.

I, like 99.9% of Americans, had no idea there was Canadian Football before moving to Canada in 2001. Upon hearing about it, I scoffed. Seriously, how good could a game be that had a 55-yard line, 20-yard end zones, 12 players, and only 3 downs? What delusion of grandeur could convince those poor misguided Canucks that their game was worthy of the name Football?

That was before I learned that the Harvard Rugby games played in 1874, from which sprang the college craze for American Football, were played against McGill University, from Montreal, and that the Canadians taught the Americans the game. So OK, the Canadians may have a bit of history to support their claim to the game. What happened from there, however, brought us to two very different places.

The official website of the CFL (www.CFL.ca), states that the CFL was officially named the CFL in 1958, some 26 years after the NFL had been named, but both countries have a long, rich tradition of football and rugby competition. So, let's look at some of the differences, shall we?

As I mentioned before, the CFL field is bigger than the NFL. The middle of the field is the 55-yard line, and the end zones are 20 yards deep, as opposed to the standard 10 yards of the NFL. Also, the field is wider, 195 feet, to the NFL's 160. The extra room is needed, as CFL teams field 12 players.

Though no one will argue that the talent level in the CFL is below that in the NFL (after all, if you've got the talent, wouldn't you rather play in a league where the rookie minimum salary is 5 times the average CFL salary?), it is very difficult to argue that the product is a lesser one. The bigger field, emphasis on passing (with only 3 downs to cover the same 10 yards for a new first down), and additional ways to score make for a much more offensive-oriented game. And, as in any league where the talent is mixed, there is a much higher chance for the unexpected to happen.

Some CFL stars made the jump to the NFL, and have done rather well for themselves. Doug Flutie, for example, had won a few Grey Cups before joining the Bills as a rather serviceable QB. Warren Moon wasn't too bad either, and Jeff Garcia, despite T.O.'s opinion, didn't stink up the joint in San Francisco. In fact, because of the emphasis on the passing game in the CFL, quarterbacks seem to have the easiest transition to the NFL. Most who do make the jump become 3rd-stringers, or serviceable backups, but a few have made a name for themselves. There are a few other players who've made the jump as well. Marc Boerigter has averaged 18.6 yards per catch with the Chiefs since joining them in 2002, for example.

And oddly enough, there have been quite a few players who, while only "solid," or "steady" players in the NFL, became greats in the CFL. Doug Flutie is one of them, as well. Today, you can see John Avery (once of the Miami Dolphins) tearing up the field for the Toronto Argonauts, who are in the Grey Cup game this weekend. Given the year they've had, Avery might just get a phone call from Miami after the game.

It's a tougher schedule in the CFL. 18 games, rather than 16, and in a colder climate. There are only 40 players on a CFL team, so no one except the QB's is above special teams. If they're not playing on old-style astro-turf (and pounding their knees to jelly), they're playing outside in substantially cooler temperatures than anyone other than Green Bay or the Pats.

I did enjoy the few CFL games I've seen. No, the stadiums aren't as big, nor the production quite as "sexy," and it's obvious that there's not nearly the money involved (average season ticket prices for a B.C. Lions game were about that of a single-game Seahawks Club Seat ticket), but it's still guys going out and playing their hearts out on a football field. And that's never a bad thing to see.