The Canadian Football League (CFL) is known for its fast-paced, wide-open, and exciting plays, with more frequent changes in possession and lead.
The CFL has produced many NFL stars, including Warren Moon, Doug Flutie, Joe Theismann, and Chad Johnson.
NFL fans lose it after seeing this wild onside punt that’s legal in Canadian football
Starting in 2023, full revamped roster rules, negotiated in the 2022 CBA agreement, were enacted so that a 45 player game roster consisted of 19 Americans, 21 nationals, 3 quarterbacks, 1 global player and the 45th player being either a national or global player.
The rule that makes fan laugh (and some mad)
However, there are some rules in the CFL that can look awkward and even silly to some NFL fans around the world. That’s the case of the peculiar onside punt. Article 4 of the league’s rules states that a punt is made by letting the ball fall from the hands and kicking it with the foot before it touches the ground.
And Article 5 adds that a dribbled ball occurs when the ball is kicked while not in possession or control of a player, i.e. a loose ball following a fumble, a blocked kick, a kickoff or a kick from scrimmage. Such a dribbled ball may be touched by the kicker or an onside player without penalty.
To be fair, football fans don’t often see onside punts, even though players in the CFL are free at any moment. However, the offensive line cannot be farther than one yard down field, and the recovering player cannot obstruct an opponent’s attempt to collect the ball. The player who kicked the ball can recover it after it has traveled at least one yard.
The play makes social media users laugh
The onside punt caused controversy in social media. “What’s the point of him punting it if his team has possession? Feel like he could’ve got more yards if he didn’t stop to kick the ball 3 feet?,” posted an X user. “We need a league of pure amateurs where rules are completely made up on the fly,” said another person.
Others criticized the CFL and believe that the Canadian league is “a weaker version of the NFL.” And there’s data to back that up. The NFL and the CFL teams have played against one another seven times, with a 6-1 record in favor of the American league.
The games came about for promotion and expansion, giving the fans what they wanted. Since that game on 1961, the CFL and NFL haven’t played against one another and are unlikely to ever again. The rules of the games have many similarities, but there are numerous key differences. Also, the gap in player skill is massive, with the NFL being a far superior league.
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