The CFL at 99 and counting, what Canadian football could teach the Yanks
Posted November 28, 2011 on 1:14 am | In the category Canada, Sports | by Mackenzie BrothersSo the big game is over, the Grey Cup has been presented in its ninety-ninth year to aVancouver team that lost its first five games and won nine of its next ten, including today’s down to the wire victory at home against Winnipeg. 56, ooo people sold out its new half billion dollar upgraded stadium, to watch he best young quarterback in football (think Doug Flutie, Warren Moon, Joe Theisman if you want to recall the kind of players who preceded Travis Lulay in the CFL) lead the Lions to a deserved narrow victory . It’s true that for Canadian sports fans this can’t replace the loss by the Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup championship to Boston, but virtually the whole country watched it and it was a reminder, if one was needed, of how much more exciting Canadian 3-down football games are compared to US 4-down ones. With 4 minutes to go and the team with the ball leading by a touchdown in the US, the game is basically considered over as you can run out the clock with a steady diet of four-yard runs. Paint dries faster.
In Canada that game is just beginning at that point. Winnipeg scored two touchdown in the last three minutes to come within 8 points of Vancouver and were driving again as the game ended. Even more exciting was the Canadian university championship game played two days before the pro championship in the same stadium, during which the favoured rouge et or of Laval came back from 23-0 half-time deficit to pull ahead of McMaster by one point with a couple of minutes to go only to see themselves go ahead by a single, get tied by a rouge and apparently lose by one point when McMaster missed a field goal with no time left, but any ball that is kicked into or out of the end zone without it being returned or kicked back out results in one point in Canada, enough to win the game in this case. But the ball didn’t go over the end zone line as a Laval player caught it before it passed the line and made it back out to the one–yard line after faking a drop kick as a return. Eventually the winner was decided by an overtime that had everyone standing and defies explanation. These are rugby rules, and the NFL should send someone up to see how they add excitement in places where the NF L offers nothing but dead air – fair catches, no reward for kicking balls into or out of the end zone, no possibility of returning kicks with kicks, ridiculous ways ways of breaking ties, etc.
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Grey Cup??? Yawn. Actually the most exciting part of the game happened at the CFL Alumni Dinner when 73 year old Joe Kapp and his 73 year old nemesis Angelo Mosca reignited a feud dating from a CFL game 47 years ago. Former Cal football coach and CFL and NFl quarterback Kapp decked Mosca after a 3 down argument. On first down Mosca went for a handshake but was easily rebuffed by Kapp. On second down Kapp offered flowers to Mosca and was also easily rebuffed. The all-important third down was a scruff with cane swinging, swearing and fisticuffs which ended with a vicious right cross by the victorious Kapp. At long last some excitement worthy of the great game of North American football.
Now bring on the Bruins for a repeat of last year.
Comment by jeff — December 1, 2011 #
On no say it aint so, Joeff. Mr. Jeff was suckered in by this staged re-enactment of the war of 1812, when Canadian troops burned down the White House after repulsing a nefarious Yank attack on Fort York. In this Margaret Atwood penned parable, Moose Mosca, cynically offered a peace offering of stolen flowers to atone for past offences by Wily Kapp, responds in the Canadian way by thumping the Yank with his cane. The Yank response, a hard right to the jaw of the wheelchair bound gentle giant Angelo, concludes this brilliant comment on current North American affairs.
Comment by Word Carr — December 6, 2011 #
The cfl version is equally boring as the NFL version,second only arena football and the now defunct euro-American football league. In order to see the purest version and dare I say least boring (if that is possible). One must watch college football. For example the Oregon ducks, who recently resoundly beat ucla 49-31, to win the pac12 championship game, now on their way to a bcs game. The stadium has been sold out since 1999 (60,000 people). I don’t know of any cfl or NFL team that can make the same claim (maybe green bay). But, this whole argument is moot anyways, because NHL hockey is the best game in professional sports. So anyone who is a true fan should root for the ‘nucks because they are going to win the cup this season and not the care bears of bean town (sorry lame town).
Comment by Preacherbbb — December 15, 2011 #
Oh my. Hope springs eternal for the fans of the ‘nucks. There is something almost sad about thinking of Roberto watching pucks fly by him while the Swedes swish by in their white skates. It is a long season and perhaps the Bruins will be fortunate again to meet the ‘nucks for the Cup and if so, we can return to this topic then.
Comment by Jeff — December 19, 2011 #