The CFL is hosting its very first Officiating Clinic at Combine. https://t.co/Lu8H1bU265
Play #128: #Toronto challenge that there was Defensive Pass Interference by #Winnipeg DB (#45 Parker). After review, the call on the field stands, the Replay Official determined the was no insufficient evidence to overturn the call. #CFL #GreyCup109
Tonight’s Back Judge, Emily Clarke, is the first female official to ever work a playoff game in CFL History.
Congratulations Emily! #CFL https://t.co/JEx8FWEqGG
Play #116: #Winnipeg challenge that there was Offensive pass Interference by #Lions REC (#4 Hatcher). After review, the call on the field stands, the Replay Official determined there was insufficient evidence to overturn the call on the field. #CFL
Play #57: #Toronto challenge that there was Defensive pass Interference #Montreal DB (#23 Lyons). After review, the call on the field stands, the Replay Official determined there was insufficient evidence to overturn the ruling on the field #CFL
Play #11: #Montreal challenge the ruling of a completed catch by #Toronto REC (#16 Banks). After review, the call on the field stands, the Replay Official determined there was insufficient evidence to overturn the ruling of a completed catch. #CFL
Play #129: #Hamilton challenge that there was Roughing the Passer on #Montreal LB (#26 Beverette). After review, the call on the field stands, the Replay Official ruled there was no evidence of Roughing the Passer on #Als #26. #CFL
Play #21: #Bluebombers challenge that there was Defensive Pass Interference by #BC DB #18. After review, the call on the field stands, the Replay Official ruled there was insufficient evidence of DPI by #18 on the play. #CFL
Play #7: #Als challenge that there was Defensive Pass Interference by #Argos LB #30 (Jones). After review, the call on the field stands, the Replay Official ruled there was no evidence of DPI by #30 on the play. #CFL
Play #132: #REDBLACKS challenge that there was Defensive Pass Interference by #Ticats DB #2 (Adeleke).
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Play #99: #Ottawa challenge the ruling of Defensive Pass Interference on #REDBLACKS LB (#32 Auclair). After review, the call on the field is overturned, the Replay Official ruled there was no restriction by #32 on the play. It is a 1st down for #Ottawa. #CFL
Congratulations to Blair Brown for working his 150th game last Saturday Night in BC. #CFL https://t.co/UfMTXUAnvG
Play #128: #Winnipeg challenge that there was Roughing the Passer on #BC DL (#58 Baron). After review, the call on the field is overturned, the Replay Official determined that #58 grabbed the facemask of #Bombers #6 and is flagged for Roughing the Passer. #CFL
Play #82: #BC challenge the ruling of a completed catch by #Winnipeg REC (#88 Bailey). After review, the call on the field stands, the Replay Official determined there was insufficient evidence to overturn the ruling of a completed catch. #CFL
Play #67: #Lions challenge that there was Defensive Pass Interference by #Bombers DB (#46 Lawrence). After review, the call on the field is overturned, the Replay Official determined #46 made early contact with #BC #13 and is flagged for DPI. #CFL
Play #6: #Toronto Challenge that there was Offensive Pass Interference by #Edmonton REC (#17 Mitchell). After review, the call on the field stands, the Replay Official determined the block by #17 occurred after the ball was caught. #CFL
Proposed rule changes aim to liven up kick returns
Buono, others call for more protection for quarterbacks
By Vicki Hall,
Edmonton Journal
MONTREAL – The fine art of the kickoff and punt return remains on the endangered species list in the Canadian Football League.
But the CFL rules committee recommended changes Wednesday to the blocking rules in hopes of reviving the play that brings fans out of their seats more than any other.
The relaxation of the rules must still be approved by the CFL board of governors in April at the annual meeting.
“We want to bring more excitement to the game,” said Edmonton Eskimos head coach Danny Maciocia, who sits on the rules committee. “But we want to protect the health and safety of our players. So it’s a fine balance.”
In the eyes of some CFL players and fans, the game sank to new lows of boredom last season thanks to a misguided change to the blocking rules.
The switch came into effect in the 2006 season, forbidding players to block from the back or side on special teams. Only blocks from the front remained legal.
The result? A penalty-flag festival and just two touchdowns on returns last season after 14 the year before.
“The health and welfare of our players and the input of our fans was really taken to heart,” said Michael Copeland, the league’s chief operating officer.
“The focus was really on showcasing the excitement of our game and protecting our most valuable assets, our players.”
Wally Buono, head coach of the B.C. Lions, voted against the rule change last year, and he still feels the league made a mistake by going through with it.
“When you make changes, it confuses a lot of people,” Buono said. “Maybe what happened this year opened eyes for everybody. I understand the importance of player safety. But football, unfortunately, is a game of risk. When you step on the field, there’s a risk.”
Buono would like to see that risk diminished for quarterbacks, and the league is looking at clamping down on hits to the head or below the waist on the men who throw the football.
In Vancouver, the issue is paramount with quarterback Dave Dickenson missing more than a month last season due to post-concussion syndrome.
Dickenson is arguably the best quarterback in the game, but he’s as fragile as the roof at B.C. Place Stadium.
“It’s not just about Dave Dickenson,” Buono said. “It’s about all the quarterbacks. We are a quarterback-driven league. You win a lot of times due to that one individual. That’s why, proportionally, that one guy is paid more than anyone else. I believe we protect kickers a lot more than we protect the quarterback. Hit the quarterback as hard as you can, but make sure you’re not endangering him.”
That being said, Maciocia doesn’t want to see the referees throw a flag any time a defender breathes on a quarterback.
“The last time I checked, this is football,” Maciocia said. “It’s not flag football or touch football. They do tackle out there.
“You want to protect the quarterback. Below the knees, you clearly want to protect him. We want to discourage any head shots where defenders are leaving their feet and leading with their helmet. That’s something we clearly want to discourage. But quarterbacks are still football players out there.”
And this is coming from the man who employs Ricky Ray, the highest-paid pivot in the league.
League looks at rule reverse for Dickenson
By Mike Beamish,
Vancouver Sun
Although he has a reputation for offensive creativity, the record book reverse isn’t an innovation currently in Dave Dickenson’s playbook.
Nonetheless, CFL officials are hoping to make a rule change that retroactively would grant Dickenson a North American pro football record for passing percentage.
The Lions quarterback completed an astounding 73.98 per cent of his passes in the 2005 season, good enough to eclipse the pro football record of 70.66 set by Cincinnati’s Ken Anderson in the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season. According to CFL criteria, however, Dickenson needed a minimum 360 throws — based on an average of 20 attempts over an 18-game schedule — to qualify his percentage as a record. He fell 18 attempts short because a concussion kept him out of the lineup for four games.
Shawn Coates, director of football operations for the CFL, said a presentation is being made to the league’s rules committee to standardize all passing records with the same minimum requirements. Currently, passing records under different categories vary from a minimum of 250 attempts to 360.
“We want to create a level playing field across all categories. We have some inconsistencies,” says Coates, who adds that passing records must wait to be standardized by the rules committee when it meets at the CFL Congress next February in Montreal.
Meanwhile, the veteran quarterback returned to the practice field Thursday, limiting his participation and working on his own while he seeks to shake the effects of post-concussion syndrome. Dickenson won’t be at Sunday’s game in Calgary.
“They’ve advised me to pull back a little bit,” he said.
Asked if he expects to play again this season, Dickenson said, “As long as I’m symptom-free. But if I’m not symptom-free, I’m not playing. I think I will. I’m not at the point yet where I can even watch film.”
New CFL rule recommendations
Three amended/new rules to be recommended by Rules Committee for Board approval
Toronto, Ontario – The Canadian Football League (CFL) announced today a summary of the proposed rule changes which were reviewed and agreed upon by the CFL Rules Committee this afternoon during 2006 CFL Congress. The following recommendations will be presented to the CFL Board of Governors for ratification before the end of April.
1. Allowing Head Coach to call Team time outs
Rule 1 Section 7 Article 5 (a) (Page 15)
Reword (a) to read
The team time out may be requested by any player on the field, or the Head Coach, and may be directed to any official on the field
Rationale – very often team time outs are used strategically to stop the clock and have it restart on the next snap. Since the Head Coach determines such strategy, he should be allowed to request the team time out.
2. Hands to the face
Rule 4 Section 3 (NEW) Article 4 (Page 30)
Add Article 4
Neither Team A nor Team B may use hands open or closed to provide leverage against the face mask of an opponent.
Rationale – For player safety, this rule change will prevent both clubs from using leverage on face masks.
3. No yards penalties
Rule 5 Section 4 Article 1 (Page 37)
Reword entire article to read as follows
When on a kick from scrimmage (ball crosses the line of scrimmage), or on an open-field kick, a player who is offside in relation to the kicker:
(a) shall not touch or be touched by the ball
Penalty – in field of play – L 15 from PBT (point ball touched)
– in goal area – L 15, penalty applied at 10 yard line
(b) (1) shall allow five yards to an opponent attempting to gain possession of the kicked ball. The five-yard zone is determined by a circle with a five yard radius, with the centre point being the ball at the instant it is first touched.
Penalty – in field of play – L 15 from PBT
– in goal area – L 15, penalty applied at 10 yard line
(b) (2) if the ball struck the ground before being touched by the receiving team
Penalty – in field of play – L 5 from PBT
– in goal area – L 5, penalty applied at 10 yard line
(b) (3) if a kicking team player is making no attempt to withdrawal from the five yard zone, a 15 yard penalty will apply regardless whether the ball bounced
(c) shall not interfere with a receiving team player attempting to gain possession of the kicked ball, with or without contact
Penalty – L 15 from normal point of application
(d) a player of the kicking team who invades the five-yard zone, and contacts a receiving team player who is attempting to play the ball in an unnecessarily rough manner, will be subject to an additional 15 or 25 yard penalty, regardless of whether the ball had struck the ground.
Rationale – A rewrite of the entire article to simplify and clarify each of the five possible scenarios involved. The intent of the rule is to allow a receiving team player the opportunity to play the ball with the protection of a five-yard zone in which to do so.
When a ball has bounced players routinely and deliberately invade the five-yard zone, believing that the only penalty that will apply is a 5 yard No Yards foul. Players will interfere with a receiver by hovering over the ball or a player attempting to field the ball without contact, interfering with the returner's concentration and inhibiting his opportunity to play the ball, protected in the 5 yard zone.
Players will also invade the five-yard zone and contact a player prior to his touching the ball.
Interference with a kick receiver, with or without contact, should result in a 15 yard penalty.
If a returner is contacted in an unnecessarily rough manner by a player who is inside the zone prior to the touching of the ball, then a double penalty of 15 yards for No Yards; and 15 yards for Unnecessary Roughness or 25 yards for Rough Play; should be applied.
About the Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL) operates in nine leading cities across Canada. Building on a strong past toward a stronger future, the CFL celebrates Canada's game with fans across the nation. The 94th Grey Cup will be played in Winnipeg, Manitoba on November 19, 2006.