Cfl football rules vs nfl
In the CFL, once the play is over, the referee blows the whistle cfl football rules vs nfl the offense has only 20 seconds to put the ball in play. NFL players. Another difference between NFL and CFL balls is that Canadian balls have two 1-inch (25 mm) complete white stripes around the football 3 in (76 mm) from the. CFL field is bigger and wider + bigger end zones 12 players a side Unlimited motion by the offense/defense in the backfield.(offense anyone who. bravadoaustralia.com.au › What-are-the-differences-between-the-National-Football.
Key differences between the NFL and the CFL
Key differences between the NFL and the CFL
In American football, after all players are set, only one offensive player is allowed to be in motion, and he cannot be moving toward the line of scrimmage while the ball is snapped. The motion player must start from behind the line of scrimmage; players on the line cannot be in motion. In Canadian football, all offensive backfield players, except the quarterback, may be in motion at the snap; players in motion may move in any direction as long as they are behind the line of scrimmage at the snap.
In addition, the two players on the ends of the line of scrimmage generally wide receivers may also be in motion along the line. It also provides receivers the advantage of a running start, as they can time their runs so that they cross the line of scrimmage at speed when the ball is snapped, allowing them to get downfield faster than receivers in American football, allowing for comparatively longer throws in the same amount of time after the snap or quicker throws for a given distance.
In American football, the offensive team must run a play within 25 seconds of the referee whistling the play in — except in the NCAA college and the NFL where teams have 40 seconds from the end of the previous play, or 25 seconds following a penalty or timeout. In Canadian football at all levels of play , teams have 20 seconds after the play is whistled in regardless of the preceding situation.
American football rules allow each team to have three timeouts in each half, and the NFL stops play for a " two-minute warning ". However, NCAA football has no two-minute warning, but the clock stops on a first down until the ball is ready for play if the play ended in the field of play. In the CFL, each team has two time-outs a game, but cannot use both in the last three minutes of the game, while at lower levels of Canadian football, each team has two.
Canadian football has a three-minute rather than a two-minute warning. Also, at all levels of Canadian football, the clock is stopped after every play during the last three minutes of each half. Once the referee has set the ball, the clock restarts if the last play ended with a runner tackled in the field of play. These timing differences, combined with the fewer downs available for the Canadian offence to earn a first down, lead to spectacularly different end games if the team leading the game has the ball.
In American football, if the other team is out of timeouts, running slightly more than seconds two minutes off the clock without gaining a first down is possible. In Canadian football, just over 40 seconds can be run off. Canadian football retains much more liberal rules regarding recovery of the ball by members of the kicking team.
On any kick, the kicker and any member of the kicker's team behind the kicker at the time of the kick may recover and advance the ball. On a kickoff, since every member of the kicking team must be behind the ball when it is kicked, this effectively makes all 12 players "onside" and eligible to recover the kick, once it has gone 10 yards downfield. On a punt or missed field goal, usually only the kicker is onside, as no one is behind the kicker.
All of the players offside at the time of the kick may neither touch the ball nor be within 5 yards of the member of the receiving team who fields the kick; violation of this rule is a penalty for "no yards". The penalty for no yards is 15 yards if the kick is in flight and 5 yards if it has been grounded.
The American rules are similar for the recovery of kickoffs. Cfl football rules vs nfl Any member of the kicking team may recover the ball once it has touched an opponent or once it has gone 10 yards downfield and touched the ground. The ball is dead when recovered, though the kicking team is awarded possession at the spot of recovery. The American rules differ from the Canadian ones for scrimmage kicks.
In American rules, to recover a scrimmage kick punt or missed field goal and retain possession, the ball must be touched beyond the line of scrimmage by a member of the receiving team defense. If the ball is touched by the receiving team and then recovered by the kicking team, the kicking team retains possession and is awarded a first down.
If the receiving team has not touched the ball before the kicking team touches it, it is "first touching" as described above in fair catches and punt returns. Additionally, members of the kicking team must allow the receiving team the opportunity to catch a scrimmage kick in flight. No distance is required; the NCAA revoked its rule of a 2-yard halo.
In both codes, a scrimmage kick that is blocked and recovered by the kicking team behind the line of scrimmage is in play. The kicking team may then choose to either attempt another kick or try to advance the ball, but no turnover has taken place on the play unless a member of the receiving team has control of the ball , and therefore, the kicking team either has to advance the ball to the first-down marker, or loses the down, which often results in a turnover on downs.
In Canadian play, if the ball is fumbled out of bounds, the play ends with possession going to the team to last contact the ball in bounds after the ball has completely left the possession of the fumbling ball carrier. A loose ball may be kicked forward dribbled provided it is then recovered by a player who is onside at the time of said kick. The ball may not, however, be intentionally kicked out of bounds to gain possession, this is then treated as a scrimmage kick out of bounds and possession goes to the opposing team.
Incidental contact with the foot does not count as kicking the ball out of bounds. In American play, when a ball is fumbled out of bounds, the last team to have clear possession of the football is awarded possession, unless the ball goes out of the back or side of the end zone.
A team may still lose possession after a fumble out of bounds if the fumble occurred on fourth down third down in Canadian play and the ball becomes dead short of the line to gain. 
Because of plays like the Holy Roller , the NFL changed its rule regarding advancing a fumbled ball on offense. If the offensive team fumbles in the last two minutes of either half, or on fourth down at any time, only the player who fumbled is allowed to advance the ball past the point of the fumble.
If any other offensive player advances the ball toward the opponent's goal line, the ball is moved back to the spot of the fumble. If the fumble occurred on fourth down, the defensive team gains possession on downs unless the original fumble occurred after the line to gain had been reached. In Canadian football, any kick that goes into the end zone is a live ball, except for a successful field goal or if the goalposts are hit while the ball is in flight.
If the player receiving the kick fails to return it out of the end zone, or if the ball was kicked through the end zone, then the kicking team scores a single point rouge , and the returning team scrimmages from its yard line or, if the rouge is scored as a result of a missed field goal attempt, the receiving team may choose the last point of scrimmage.
If a kicked ball in flight hits a post without scoring a field goal, there is no score, and the receiving team scrimmages from its yard line. If the kick is returned out of the end zone, the receiving team next scrimmages from the place that was reached or if they reach the opponents' goal line, they score a touchdown ; in the amateur levels of the game, they are given the ball at their yard line if the kick was not returned that far.
Singles like this do not exist in American football; however, one point may be scored when a safety is scored during a conversion attempt , in contrast to the two points scored for safeties during other plays. American football also allows a defending team to advance a missed field goal; however, because of the absence of singles and the goalpost position at the back of the end zone, the return is rarely exercised, except on a blocked kick, or as time expires in the half or in the game with the most famous recent example being Chris Davis ' game-ending return of a missed field goal for the winning touchdown in the Alabama—Auburn game.
Most teams instead elect not to attempt a return and assume possession — at the previous line of scrimmage in the NCAA and at the spot of the kick in the NFL. Since the goalpost is out of bounds, any nonscoring kick that strikes the goalpost is dead, and the receiving team takes over possession from the spot of the kick or their own yard line, whichever is further from the receiving team's goal.
Likewise, any kickoff or punt that either is kicked through the end zone, is kicked into the end zone and rolls out of bounds without being touched by a player, is touched in the end zone by a member of the kicking team without any member of the receiving team having touched it, or is downed in the end zone by a member of the receiving team, results in a touchback.
The placement of the ball after a touchback varies by rule set and game situation. Under high school rules, the receiving team is awarded possession on its own yard line in all situations. In the NCAA and NFL, the ball is moved to the yard line following a punt, and to the yard line following a kickoff, or free kick after a safety. Under NCAA and NFL rules, a kickoff or free kick after a safety that ends in a fair catch by the receiving team inside its own yard line is treated as a touchback, with the ball moved to the If a player of the receiving team fields a kickoff or punt in the end zone, he has the option to down it in the end zone resulting in a touchback or to try to advance the ball.
Following a successful field goal, in Canadian rules, the team scored upon has the option of receiving a kickoff, kicking off from its yard line, or scrimmaging at its own yard line the CFL first instituted this rule in , but eliminated this last option for the season, but it was reinstated for In American football, a kickoff is performed by the scoring team after every score, with the exception of safeties.
The option for the scored-upon team to kick off after a touchdown exists in American amateur football, but it is very rarely exercised. Canadian football retains the open-field kick as a legal play, allowing a kick to be taken from anywhere on the field. The open-field kick may be used as a desperation last play by the offense; realizing they are unable to go the length of the field, they advance part of the way and attempt a drop kick , trying to score a field goal, or recover the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
Conversely, the defence, facing a last-second field goal attempt in a tie game or game they lead by one point, often positions its punter and place-kicker in the end zone. If the field goal is missed, they can punt the ball back into the field of play and not concede a single.
Multiple such kicks may be attempted on the same play. During the October 29, , Toronto Argonauts game against the Montreal Alouettes , four kicks occurred in one play; after a Montreal missed field goal , the Argonauts punted from the end zone to about the yard line. The ball was caught and immediately punted back to the end zone by Montreal to attempt a single , and finally the Argos punted, but failed to kick it out of the end zone, where the Alouettes recovered it for a touchdown.
American football only allows free kicks and scrimmage kicks made from behind the line of scrimmage; any kick beyond the line of scrimmage or after change of possession would result in a penalty. Some levels of American football allow the rare fair catch kick , which according to the NFL rules is neither a free kick nor scrimmage kick, but sui generis.
In both American and Canadian football, a safety or safety touch awards two points to the defending team if the offensive team is brought down in their end zone. In American football, the team giving up the safety must take a " free kick " from their own yard line. In Canadian football, the team being awarded the two points has the option of scrimmaging from their own yard line, kicking the ball off from their own yard line, or having the opposing team kick off the ball from their own yard line.
In , the CFL changed the last option to be a kick-off from their own yard line. In both games, after a touchdown is scored, the scoring team may then attempt one play for additional points. In Canadian football, this play is called a "convert", and in American football, it is formally called a try or attempt, although it is more commonly referred to as either a conversion, extra point, or point after touchdown PAT.
The additional points may be earned through a kick or a play from scrimmage. If done via kick, the scoring team gains one point, and if done from a scrimmage, the scoring team gains two. However, the position of the ball for attempts is different in the two games.
Point-after-touchdown attempts are snapped from the following points as of the season :. Before the CFL season, that league used the 5-yard line for all attempts for a yard attempt , which meant that the Canadian kicker was closer to the goalposts than an American kicker at any level.
Amateur Canadian kickers remain closer to their goalposts than their American counterparts. No such hashmark appears on the Canadian field. According to the rules of both the NFL and NCAA, on conversion attempts, the ball is automatically spotted in the middle of the field at the appropriate scrimmage line unless a member of the kicking team expressly asks a referee for an alternative placement.
Per the rules, the ball can be placed at another spot between the hash marks especially for strategic positioning on a two-point conversion attempt or at another spot further back from the 2-, 3-, or yard line not uncommon at lower levels of football, since as the season progresses, conditions may worsen toward the center of the field, especially at the spot from which the PAT is usually kicked; the kicker may thus request a spot where the footing is surer.
As such, this allows the defensive team to gain two points on an interception or fumble return should they reach the kicking team's end zone, or in the CFL one point should the defensive team make an open-field drop kick through the kicking team's goalposts.
Conversely, in other levels of American football and amateur Canadian football, defensive teams cannot score during a try. A small plastic tee, which can be 1 to 2 inches 25—51 mm high smaller than the kickoff tee , may be used for field goals and extra points in some leagues, including US high schools and Canadian amateur play.
The NFL and most other professional leagues has never allowed the use of tees for extra-point kick attempts, having always required kickers to kick off the ground for such attempts and for field goals; a rare exception for a U. The holder is allowed to catch the snap or recover a rolling snap while on a knee to hold the kick and may also rise to catch a high snap and immediately return to a knee.
At professional levels in both games, unless it is a clearly willful kneel or slide by a ball carrier to go down, a player must be touched while on the ground, otherwise, the player may stand up and continue to advance the ball. Will eagles go to super bowl Hitting a player who is kneeling, sliding, or clearly intends to run the ball out of bounds especially quarterbacks is generally viewed as unsportsmanlike and is often penalized, and in the most blatant of cases especially if it happens in the dying seconds of a game , the player may be subject to off-field disciplinary action by their respective league governing body, usually in the form of fines or suspensions.
The procedures to settle games that are tied at the end of regulation vary considerably among football leagues. Most leagues other than the NFL, including the CFL, use a procedure frequently called the "Kansas Playoff", so named because it was first developed for high school-football in that state.
The rules are summarized here:. One aspect of the AAF overtime rules was unique to that league—field goals were prohibited during overtime. The NFL overtime is a modified sudden-death period of 15 minutes, for playoff games only; since the season , overtime periods in the preseason and regular season are 10 minutes, as part of an overall effort by the NFL to speed up games and reduce their length.
If the team that receives the opening kickoff scores a touchdown, or the defensive team scores a safety, the game ends at that point. If the receiving team scores a field goal, the game continues with the scoring team kicking off, and the scored-upon team having a chance at possession.
If that team scores a touchdown, or loses possession, the game ends; if it scores a field goal, overtime continues, with the next score by either team ending the game. In the regular season, if a game remains tied after the minute period, it is declared a tie. In postseason games, there are multiple minute periods until a winner is decided. The overtime protocol of the second XFL , currently on hiatus, was significantly different from that of other leagues, being most similar to that used in US college football after that rule set's fourth overtime procedure: [37] [38].
In American high school and college football , as well as at all levels of Canadian football, receivers need only have one foot in bounds provided the player's other foot does not come down out of bounds until the catch is made for a catch to count as a reception. NFL play requires receivers to get both feet on the ground and in bounds after making the catch for a reception to count.
Up through the season, an NFL official could award a catch if it was judged that the receiver would have come down in bounds if he had not been pushed by a defender. This rule was based on a judgment call by the official, and was criticized for being inconsistent.
The rule was dropped prior to the season by the NFL. A CFL team may dress up to 44 players, composed of 21 "nationals" essentially, Canadians , 20 "internationals" almost exclusively Americans , and 3 quarterbacks. Player numbering schemes are similar in both Canadian and American football are similar, with Canadian rules being slightly less strict. In American football, players who wear numbers from 50 to 79 are, by rule, prohibited from catching or touching forward passes if their team is in possession of the ball and may not line up in a position that allows them to do so, unless explicitly indicated to the referee during a tackle-eligible play.
In Canadian football, the ineligible numbers span only 50 to Also, in the CFL the numbers 0 and 00, historically banned at all levels in American football, have long been available for use, other than for the aforementioned ineligible players. Effective in , a team cannot have players wearing 0 and 00 in the same game. In the early s, the rules were relaxed in American football to allow the number 0 in college and professional football, although 00 remains prohibited.
This is in order to ensure the Grey Cup playoffs can be completed in mid-November, before the harsh Canadian winters set in. This is an important consideration for a sport played in outdoor venues in locations such as Regina , Edmonton and Winnipeg.
In American football, officials typically use yellow penalty flags, while coaches' challenge flags are red. Before the CFL season , officials ' penalty flags used in the CFL were orange in color, and challenge flags were yellow. In American leagues, the referee wears a solid white cap, and the other officials wear black with white piping.
The CFL regular season comprises 18 games since , with the exception of , in which a game schedule was used, while the NFL regular season has consisted of 17 games since There are several radical differences concerning how the leagues calculate regular season records and how ties in the standings are broken:.
Although the rules of Canadian and American football have similarities, the differences have a great effect on how teams play and are managed. The red zone is an unofficial term designating the portion of the field between the yard line and the goal line. Due to the goalposts' being on the goal line in Canadian football, teams must avoid hitting the goalposts.
Thus most touchdown throws are aimed away from the centre portion of the end zone. Cfl football rules vs nfl In the CFL, the goalposts have the same construction as the NFL posts, with the centre post being about 2 yards deep in the end zone. It is extremely rare for CFL passes to hit any part of the posts.
When this occurs, a dead ball results. Occasionally, receivers can use the post to good effect in a 'rub' play to shed a defender. End zone passing becomes even more complicated when the corners of the end zone are truncated, as is the case at stadia where the field is bounded by a running track.
However, the offensive team enjoys a counteracting advantage of end zones more than twice the size of those in American football 20 yards with a wider field , significantly expanding the area that must be covered by the defensive team and also allowing the freedom to run some pass patterns not available in American football's red zone.
Moreover, the rule requiring only a single foot to be in bounds upon pass reception in Canadian football further stretches the amount of area that the offenses have to work with. NFL offenses generally try a run between tackles when on the one-yard line. CFL offenses make similar attempts on first down on the one-yard line, but second and third down attempts, if required, can be much more varied than their NFL counterparts.
The frequency of punts is highly dependent upon the success, or lack thereof, of the offense. Punt returns are ubiquitous in Canadian football because the "no-yards" rule permits virtually every punt to be fielded and returned. Moreover, if the kicking team punts the ball out of bounds in an attempt to forestall a return and the ball goes out of bounds between the two yard lines without touching the ground first, a yard penalty is assessed and the ball advanced from where it left play, or the kicking team is backed up 10 yards and must replay the down.
Though missed field goals may be returned in both national rule sets, the deeper end zone and goal post positioning make this much more common in Canadian rules. TSN on-air analysts state that they are the single play-from-scrimmage most likely to result in a touchdown. This set of special teams play field goal return units are rare in the American game to the point where a returner is not a standard part of a defensive field goal unit and will only be seen in unusual circumstances, with one especially notable example being the famous " Kick Six " college football game in Canadian kickoffs rarely result in a touchback, so special teams are more prominent in that area of the game as well.
The difference in the games' final minutes procedures make comebacks—and the need for an onside kick 'hands' team—more prominent as well. The rule regarding last touch of the ball before leaving the play of field, rather than American football's last possession rule, makes the onside kick more likely to be successful as well.
The most complex coaching job in Canadian football is said [ by whom. As many as 40 of a CFL roster of players may have a special teams role because of the wide variety of possible situations. In and , the Edmonton Eskimos even used their third-string quarterbacks Pat White in and Jordan Lynch in [42] as part of their kick and kick-coverage teams.
This is highly unusual, as quarterbacks are generally discouraged from making contact plays. Kick returning was a duty generally handled by a player with another role, such as receiver or defensive back. Henry "The Gizmo" Williams [43] was the first player designated by telecasts as "KR" for a kicker returner position as his duties were almost entirely for that role, and referring to him as "WR" for wide receiver was increasingly seen as anachronistic.
By far the greatest kick returner in professional football history, Gizmo Williams had more returns for touchdowns called back for infractions than any other player has ever scored 26 punts, 2 kick-offs. No NFL player has enjoyed similar success and the careers of such specialists like Devin Hester come nowhere near to matching the impact on the game that such players have in the CFL.
Canadian teams have only three downs to advance the ball ten yards compared to four downs in the American game. Likewise, before deciding to wager our hard-earned cash on any team or competition, it always pays to be familiar with each sport. Such knowledge is more important than ever, given the huge range of betting markets available at all the leading online bookmakers.
For this reason, knowing the key differences between the NFL and the CFL is always useful, whenever looking to back certain betting markets. Insofar as the basic game itself is concerned, there are also several notable differences. In addition, field goal posts are located at the front of the end zone in the CFL, whereas they are at the back of the end zone in the NFL.
Also, if the kicking team misses a field goal, or punts the football through the end zone without it being touched, an additional point is awarded. Other technical differences include CFL offering three downs per possession, compared to four downs per possession allowed in the NFL. In-play team sizes are also notably different, with 12 players on the field in CFL games, whereas there are 11 players on the field in the NFL.
Another key difference is the fair catch rule after a kicking team punts the football, which is applied in the NFL but not in the CFL, which instead applies a five-yard cushion for punt returns. Some of these differences might be considered minor, while other are fairly significant, which means that it is always worth knowing what sets the CFL and the NFL apart.
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