11/05/24
November 27, 2005
Today's the day:: In BC Place Stadium today, one of the oldest traditions in North American sport is renewed when Anthony Calvillo and the Montreal Alouettes try to make their case against the uncharacteristically question-marked Edmonton Eskimos in the 93rd Grey Cup Game.
Some call it the final game in the Canadian Football League Playoffs, but (as an email I received yesterday so eloquently put it) it's also the World Championship of Three-Down Football.
posted by chicobangs to football at 10:05 AM - 35 comments
The Canadian version of football is superior to American football in every single way except one: quality of player. If the NFL adopted the CFL rules but kept their current quality of players, fans of the sport would be absolutely enthralled.
- Wider field = more room for plays.
- Longer field = more plays in a drive
- Deeper endzone = more touchdown throw opportunities
- More players = more offensive and defensive options
- Goal posts in the field of play = more returns on missed field goals
- Fewer downs = more passing plays
- More scoring options (the rouge) = higher scoring games = more exciting finishes
posted by grum@work at 11:11 AM on November 27, 2005
When I was in high school (early '80s), I remember watching CFL games on the tee vee. Did ESPN show those games back then?
posted by NoMich at 11:52 AM on November 27, 2005
Yes, ESPN did show a lot of Canadian football back in the early 80's when they were fairly new. A very entertaining game. They also showed quite a bit of Australian rules football.
posted by Scottymac at 12:07 PM on November 27, 2005
Here's the CFL American Broadcast Schedule. The Grey Cup game will be shown on: MSG Network (NY/NJ/CT); New England Sports Network (MA/CT/RI/NH/VT/ME); Comcast Philadelphia (PA/NJ/DL); Comcast SportsNet Chicago (IL/IN/WI/IA); Comcast SportsNet West (SF/Sacramento); Comcast Seattle; Altitude (Denver /Rocky Mt States; CSS (GA/FL/AL/MS/TN/SC/KY/NC); Cox Sports South (LA /AR/TX /FL/ MS); Comcast Oregon (Portland); TW Sports 26 (Syracuse, Watertown, Utica, NY); DirecTV Channel 621, 623,640, 644 and 656; DISH Network Channel 409, 410, 412, 429 and 434. I have to say that this Edmonton-Montreal final is pretty compelling, given how streaky each team has been this year. They're not the two powerhouses anymore.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:54 PM on November 27, 2005
I remember watching a feature on Henry "the Gizmo" Williams before the 1987 Cup in which we found out that every time he returned a kick for a touchdown (kickoff, punt, missed field goal, whatever) that season (I think he had seven going into the game), he'd claimed a peach-colored analyst's jacket from the CBC broadcasting team. Pretty cool...
posted by ajaffe at 01:32 PM on November 27, 2005
does anybody else remember the CFL's bizzare expansion into the US in the 90s? I do b/c I lived in Baltimore at the time and it was the best we could do for a pro football team. Baltimore tried to name its team the Colts, only to be threatened with legal action by the NFL. For a while the team had no name, then ended up being called the "Stallions." I cant remember if they just folded along with all the other US teams, or if the Stallions ceased play when Baltimore got the Ravens.
posted by drjimmy11 at 03:40 PM on November 27, 2005
here's a link re: the above
posted by drjimmy11 at 03:42 PM on November 27, 2005
upon further reading, apparently the Stallions became the Montreal Alouettes. Small world.
posted by drjimmy11 at 03:51 PM on November 27, 2005
Thanks, DJE: I tuned to NESN just in time.
posted by yerfatma at 05:12 PM on November 27, 2005
grum - i'd also add in the TD celebrations. I've seen some highly choreographed post-TD dances that certainly wouldn't fly in the NFL. in any case, game on.
posted by gspm at 05:15 PM on November 27, 2005
The Baltimore CFL Colts were very well-managed, and really the only American team to report any success. They only left town because the Browns moved in. As you can see, the Alouettes have kept things up nicely.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 06:07 PM on November 27, 2005
Wow, two picks for Calvillo so far. Crazy.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 06:08 PM on November 27, 2005
If the NFL adopted the CFL rules but kept their current quality of players, fans of the sport would be absolutely enthralled. Also, a lot of the CFL rules are designed to maximize plays and ball movement—no touchbacks or fair catches. Much more entertaining.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 06:14 PM on November 27, 2005
Can someone explain the one point thing on a punt?
posted by yerfatma at 07:11 PM on November 27, 2005
Game Report: The second half has been ridiculous. Three lead changes. Rickey Ray makes a huge third down pass to set up the go-ahead touchdown, but rookie Damon Duval kicks a time-expiring field goal to tie the game and send this baby to overtime.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 08:28 PM on November 27, 2005
yerfatma: the single occurs whenever a touchback would in the NFL. Instead of just getting the ball on their 35-yard line, the receiving team must concede a single point to the other team to do so. It encourages more punt and field goal returns.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 08:30 PM on November 27, 2005
It encourages more punt and field goal returns. Or the crazy "We can't give up a point, so we are going to kick it back out of the endzone, but then you kick it back in, so we kick it out again." By the way, one more thing that the CFL does right: overtime. Holy crow, was that ever an amazing finale!
posted by grum@work at 08:59 PM on November 27, 2005
and has resulted in some wacky "avoid conceding that single point at all costs" moments with the receiving team punting the ball back out of the endzone. i seem to recall seeing some (perhaps famous) clip to the ending of a game (50s or 60s or so) where the ball got kicked into the end zone (maybe a missed field goal) and there was no hope to run it out so the guy punted it back out. which was caught by the offending team and punted (the third kick on the play) back IN to the endzone. and then, i dunno what. but it was all legal and part of the strategy. (on preview, what grum said) the ending of the game and the OT were pretty good stuff drama-wise.
posted by gspm at 09:00 PM on November 27, 2005
What an absolutely amazing game. Thank God the Eskimos won or those two morans who dropped the deflected interception would be sleeping with the fishes. BTW, why the hell did Calvillo kick the ball on the last play?
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:01 PM on November 27, 2005
I don't normally watch football, but hot damn that was a great game.
posted by mkn at 09:04 PM on November 27, 2005
wfrazerjr, the CFL allows players to drop-kick the ball, rugby-style, at any time (see gspm's comment above). Calvillo did so because that was his only option. He'd crossed the line of scrimmage, so he couldn't pass, and he sure as heck couldn't run it himself into the end zone. His only hope was to drop-kick the ball and hope that someone who was behind him could recover and run it in for a touchdown.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 09:15 PM on November 27, 2005
BTW, why the hell did Calvillo kick the ball on the last play? Desperation. He can't throw it (he's past the line of scrimmage), but maybe it takes a funny hop, bounces off an Edmonton player (10 yards away) and into the hands of a fast Montreal player, who then scampers into the end zone. Basically, what the hell does he have to lose at that point? grum - i'd also add in the TD celebrations. I've seen some highly choreographed post-TD dances that certainly wouldn't fly in the NFL. I saw a clip of one this year where two players formed an impromptu stationary bike, and the third guy climbed on board and started "pedalling". I pretty much fell to the ground laughing at that one.
posted by grum@work at 09:17 PM on November 27, 2005
Also, I cannot believe that Edmonton came with the blitz on the last play. What an incredibly gutsy call. If the blitz is held up even for a couple seconds, Ben Cahoon's got all sorts of room downfield and is probably in the end zone with the ball.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 09:20 PM on November 27, 2005
Hot damn, that was fun to watch. It just found another gear at halftime, and then the overtime... och, the OT was crazy.
posted by chicobangs at 10:18 PM on November 27, 2005
Sure beat the hell out of the Jets-Saints game...
posted by ajaffe at 07:02 AM on November 28, 2005
Calvillo made a HUGE blunder when he threw the batted down pass again - 10 yard penalty and effectively moved them out of field goal range, or we would have possibly seen another OT period. But really, what a game (or a second half anyway). Somehow the CFL always seems to have really good Grey Cup games.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:59 AM on November 28, 2005
That makes sense. A pass being deflected and caught is a complete forward pass. Still, that was crazy.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 08:55 AM on November 28, 2005
Calvillo made a HUGE blunder when he threw the batted down pass again - 10 yard penalty and effectively moved them out of field goal range, or we would have possibly seen another OT period. Happiest guy that the penalty was called: the guy who dropped that pass in the end zone.
posted by grum@work at 08:56 AM on November 28, 2005
Oh, and the overhead Cablecam was awesome on the big field. I'm impressed that they used it live on that 96-yard kickoff return. You could see every block materializing in front of the ball.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 09:04 AM on November 28, 2005
While playing around in this thread I remembered that a drop-kick through the uprights is worth three points. So that was another out for Calvillo. Obviously, Montreal should've put Duval on the field as a slotback, run a screen play to get him twenty or so yards, and then have him drop-kick for the tie.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:25 PM on November 28, 2005
Obviously, Montreal should've put Duval on the field as a slotback, run a screen play to get him twenty or so yards, and then have him drop-kick for the tie. Thank god you're not in charge DrJohn - if that play was successful I might have had to, oh say, chop off my nuts in gleeful celebration and then take them to the pub. That's gotta be worth a free round, huh? Am I right? Who's with me! (Wow, I really seem to be bleeding quite heavily here... Maybe skip the drink and head right to emergency... I think I left my balls on the counter... Cound someone bring 'em? - hey you never know. Yeah, I'm sorry for ruining the party Tom, you don't have to be an asshole about it... I'll clean it up when I get back! Geez.)
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 02:02 PM on November 28, 2005
Some of the CFL rules are good, but fewer downs=lower passing would kill all fantasy teams and make Peyton Manning a god (and that would be the end of my life). By the way, if you catch a ball on a bounce in the CFL is it a catch?
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 03:15 PM on November 28, 2005
It's actually the other way 'round, YYM. Fewer downs means that teams need to play for big yardage more often, which means a heckuva lot of passing. Other rules also encourage the passing game: receivers can only be blocked within one yard of the line of scrimmage (as opposed to five in the NFL), and it's tough to do so because they'll be in motion before the snap, running full speed at your defensive back. Of course, running the ball has its advantages. The defensive line has to be a full yard ahead of the line of scrimmage, as opposed to eleven inches, so more movement after the snap means more holes opening up for a good running back. And there's tons of room on the field, making for some awesome option plays. It's just generally a very offense-friendly league.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 04:09 PM on November 28, 2005
Seems like the cameras were pointed the wrong way.
posted by yerfatma at 05:00 PM on November 30, 2005
Oh, and anyone thinking of hating on this game and its fans: you're outnumbered in here, okay?