No understanding of the intent of the rouge or the history behind it and certainly no mention of the fair catch or 45 second play clocks that the NFL employs.
I believe it's a 40 second clock (there's also the 25 second clock, but it runs from the moment the play ends, whereas the CFL 20 second clock doesn't start until the Head Referee whistles in the play, so it's possible (and I've seen more times than I can count) to have over a minute bleed off the time clock between plays. The only time we get close is in the final three minutes when the referees decide to hurry up play at that time, but even then it's still more like 30-40 seconds between plays.
I would prefer that the CFL start the 20 second clock as soon as the referees and sideline personnel (chain gang) are in position.
I agree that the author of the article is woefully misinformed about the NFL and many of its inferior rules. The extra down is negated by a smaller field, which is over 50% smaller in terms of square yardage when compared to a CFL field (CFL = 150x65 = 9,750 yards squared, NFL = 120x53.3 = 6,400 yards squared, CFL/NFL = 1.52/1).
There are also several other rules. Like GWN mentioned, the fair catch. Also, the fumble rules are ridiculous as well. It's been a while, but if a player fumbles in the final two minutes, he is the only player on his team allowed to advance the ball.
I describe the NFL as a Ferrair engine that's been put inside a bus. It has a lot of power, but it's weighed down by the cumbersome bulk of its rules.
I'm prepared to be struck down by this but, while I appreciate the 20 second clock as a contributer to the CFL's fast style of play, it's also the indirect subject of many of the leagues detractors.
Because you only have 20 seconds between plays, typically audible packages in the CFL are very simple and quite frankly you don't see a lot of audibles from the line because there just isn't enough time to change the play and get everyone in the proper position. And OFTEN when a team does try to audible they're usually hit with a timecount or take a timeout to avoid one.
That's where many of the "simple strategy" arguments come from. And while I'd hate to see the CFL game "slow down" or change I don't neccessarily disagree with those arguments.
I don't know what the perfect answer is but I do see it as something the league needs to solve.
You watch a "Peyton Manning" type of QB in the NFL where 90% of what he does is pre-snap reads and changing the play to beat it and their offence is very much a THINKING MAN'S OFFENCE. And this is coming from someone who can't stand the NFL. I haven't watched a game yet this year. Not one.
But, to me calling audibles in the NFL is what seperates the great qb's from the average ones. Many of the QB's in the NFL are already smarter than their offensive coordinators.
In the CFL, most of the QB's are simply good athletes capable of executing a play that's been dictated to them. Most of the thinking has been taken out of it for them.
I'd like to see the league find a way to allow QB's to read defences and and use their knowledge to change the outcome of the game pre-snap more often in the CFL. Now, it's more about an offensive coordinator calling a play based on the opponents tendancy's shown earlier and hoping their play happens to match up well with the defences current package. That's certainly a huge part of strategizing in any football game but, the ability to have your QB realize that the defence isn't in the formation that the O's called play is designed to beat and change it to one that is, would be something that would change our game for the better and quite frankly put a lot of the less cerebral QB's in the CFL out of work in a really big hurry.
Of the current starters... I'm not sure BC's current QB situation would good. None of their guys strike me as cerebral QB's. They're all just good athletes.
Edmonton would be fine with Ray. Calgary would be fine with Hank. I think we'd be ok with Durant although he'd definately be still learning that part of the game. Winnipeg would be hooped. Toronto... hooped. Hamilton... ok with Glenn, not with Porter and Montreal would be MUCH better if Cavillo had this tool available to them.
