Writer: Aaron Palmer
Written 6/25/15
For those who are in love with football, Canadian ball would be a fun alternative as they wait for the main attraction in September. To me, the CFL season seems to come and go without making a sound, as far as the States go. The game is somewhat quirky, as there are many rules and regulations that differ completely from the NFL game. Here is everything you need to know to prepare you for Tonight’s CFL regular season opener.
In the American game, teams are only allowed 11 players on the field at a time. In the Canadian game, teams are allowed 12 (crazy, right?). The madness doesn’t end there, as CFL offenses are only given 3 downs to go 10 yards for a first down, as opposed to 4 downs in the NFL. Their scoring system is mostly the same, the only difference being the “Rouge”. A Rouge is a single point awarded to kicking teams for what is known in America as a Touchback. These are just a few of the things that may be new to traditional football fans.
The Canadian Football League is very small compared to the National Football League, to be exact, the CFL has just over a quarter of the amount of teams the NFL has. Their 9 teams are divided into two divisions, east and west. In the Western division you have the Calgary Stampeders, the Edmonton Eskimos, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the BC (British Columbia) Lions, and the Winnipeg Bombers. The Eastern division is home to the Hamilton Tiger Cats, the Montreal Alouettes, the Toronto Argonauts, and the Ottawa RedBlacks.
Tonight marks the beginning of year 57 for the CFL. There is only one game on the schedule, and promises to be a highly competitive match-up as the Montreal Alouettes face off against the Ottowa RedBlacks in Montreal. If you aren’t watching the NBA draft, you can catch the action LIVE on ESPN2 @ 7:30 PM. Here is a listing of all CFL games to be shown on ESPN this season –> http://ottawaredblacks.com/
