Have a burning CFL question? Well, send it into Sportsnet.ca and our expert Perry Lefko may answer your question or find the answers for you every Thursday. This week, Ask The Expert will provide answers to a variety of questions, beginning with a CFL vs. NFL suggestion from Craig Schroh of Red Deer.
Q: Hey, Perry. I’m a diehard CFL fan — exclusively a ‘Rider fan — so I’m probably biased in this situation but I honestly feel that the step from the CFL to the NFL is not as big of a gap that most enthusiasts may think. So I’ve come up with an idea to resolve this, and to give some lucky or very knowledgeable fanatic some bragging rights. I think it would be interesting and great for both leagues to have a two-game showdown, tagged “The Show Bowl.” You take the best or the most willing from the CFL and do the same from the NFL and they play each other. They compete once in their own field with their own respective league rules, then swap to the other’s field and rules. Not only would this be a monster cash grab for both leagues (especially the CFL), but it would be a great way to really see how well those NFL prospects can compete. All in all, I believe it would be great for the game.
Do you feel that something like this would ever become a good possibility?
Craig Schroh, Red Deer
A: “It’s an interesting concept, Craig, and you’re right: it would be a great money-maker for the CFL. That said, I don’t think the NFL would have any interest from an optics point of view. While the NFL has a working relationship with the CFL, I don’t believe it would want to showcase its players in this respect. Dare I say it, too many people would consider it like playing against a minor league. There have been many players who have played in both leagues, but there have also been stars from one league who failed in the other.
“While I believe football is the common denominator, I think the rules and the size of the fields are significant variables. It would be like challenging Indy car drivers and NASCAR drivers.
“Having said all that, the CFL and NFL have faced one another before. CFL historian Jack Morrow notes in 1959 the Chicago Cardinals, under Pop Ivy, beat the Toronto Argonauts 55-27 in the very first game ever played at CNE Stadium. Half the game was played under Canadian rules, half under American. In 1961 or ’62, the Tiger-Cats played an AFL team (Buffalo, I think), with the Tiger-Cats winning.
“Those of us of a certain age can remember the 1978 and ’79 Can-Am Bowls, where the best from the CIAU took on players from NCAA teams (some of them Canadians playing in the States) in a mostly-empty Tampa Stadium.”
Q: I am a HUGE CFL fan and have been lucky to catch weekly CFL games on CBC. With CBC broadcasts going away (in 2008) and no TSN access, how can myself and other American fans catch the games stateside?
Ray Jacoby, Washington
A: To get the definitive answer we contacted Chris McCracken, the CFL’s Vice-President of Broadcasting and Media Assets.
“There will be equal or more CFL games available on U.S. television in 2008, including the Grey Cup game on Sunday, November 23 from Montreal. Most CFL games will also be available live online at CFL.ca in 2008. Check CFL.ca early in 2008 for a complete station/network/online schedule.”
Q: Recently, when the Saskatchewan Roughriders (Go Riders Go!!!) acquired Corey Holmes from Hamilton, there was a lot of speculation on whether or not he would get the number 19, which was his former number with the team and is now worn by James Johnson. This situation did not arise because the CFL does not allow players to switch numbers during the season. However, after the Ticats signed quarterback Casey Printers, receiver Jason Armstead instantly gave him jersey number one. Why was this rule not enforced?
Brian E. Thiel, Cold Lake, AB
A: To ascertain this answer, we contacted CFL Manager of Communications Jamie Dykstra.
“CFL rules prohibit players from changing numbers during the season. Upon request from the club and under certain circumstances, the League can grant permission for a player to change jersey numbers. With respect to Corey Holmes, such permission was not requested.”
Q: Back in the ’60s, if an American-born player such as Ronnie Lancaster or Bernie Faloney played five years and applied for Landed Immigrant Status, they appeared on CFL rosters as Canadians. Why did this end? It was a clever way to entice quality players to stay and improve the talent pool.
Drew Clark
A: To get this answer we contacted Jack Morrow — again. He loves answering historical questions.
“The Canadianized American rule was changed in 1965, ostensibly out of concern that teams could end up wholly consisting of American-born and trained players, squeezing out Canadian-born players. The B.C. Lions had just won the Grey Cup and had several American-born players who were about to become Canadian citizens. They thought the rule change was just a plot aimed at preventing them from becoming a dynasty. There’s probably some truth to this, given that the (Dave) Cutler rule that was passed in 1978 simply because one team (Edmonton) had a kicker who was better than anyone else in the league.
“As of 1965, whether a player was an import depended not on citizenship, but on where the player got his football training. Any team with fewer than three naturalized Canadians was allowed to name one player with five years’ experience as a non-import. Ron Lancaster was the last such player to still be playing.
“This issue helped lead to the formation of the CFLPA. For more detail, see pages 97-98 of Jeffrey Goodman’s book Huddling Up. Also see p. 165-168, 178-180 of Frank Cosentino’s book Canadian Football: The Grey Cup Years. According to Cosentino, American players were higher paid than Canadians, and there was concern that an increase in the number of naturalized Canadians was leading to rising costs.
“The books I mentioned are kind of hard to find now, but they may be available from a public or university library.”
