Does anyone know if you can join a Professional Canadian Football league as a Free Agent if you didn't go to college at all?

***disclaimer I have not played football ever but got into it once I got into uni and started watching last chance u which reminded me of OUA football. I've had this idea for a while just wondering about the practicality of it. Here we go.

Would rebuilding High School Football be more tenable if we developed a Seven Man football program? This would put more emphasis on offense like in rugby sevens and can develop more offensive players instead of the usual Lineman and Linebackers.

Basically the title. I see a lot more rulings/ plays than in US ball, which has narrow rules for challenges. Also how many challenges are allowed?

In the US there are two types of kick. A free kick (Kick Off type kick) is when the receiving team must stay 10 yds from the kicking line. The ball is 'free' from interference or attempts to block it. But once it goes 10 yards it is free to be recovered by anyone. A scrimmage kick (punt or field goal) is when it's a regular scrimmage down, the receiving team is on the line of scrimmage as usual and can and will attempt to block it or otherwise interfere with it's path.
If the scrimmage kick is an unblocked, un-tipped kick then the kicking team cannot recover it unless it is touched by the receiving team first.
I just watched a play from the CFL where a player on the receiving team ran down and recovered the punt then advanced it. A flag was initially thrown for No Yards. But it was picked up. Is this a special situation? CFL commentators so rarely explain things but they sort of tried to explain it but didn't give enough info. The punt was kicked a bit sideways and kind of squibbed, there was not a player from the receiving team in the area. Is that why it was legal?

Recently discovered Canadian Football. And I find it more exciting than US football to watch. I'm having a bit of trouble with learning/ understanding the rule differences. What is dribbling? It's used a few times in the few posts that I've looked at.

Hi guys,

As you've probably noticed, CFR has been pretty dead over the past few years. The reason is that I've not been reffing much. My last full season on the field was in 2013; since then, I've been on assignment in various countries working valiantly to fix broken, corrupt governments (yes, I'd love to have a shot at ours).

Last year I got a few weeks in and found I was slow, in every sense. It wasn't much fun. Now, I'm facing a new adventure with a 30-month assignment in Africa, so I made the rather easy decision to retire from reffing.

Given that the season is starting soon, if any rules geek wants to start this thing up again, I'd be more than happy to help. Otherwise, this sticky will be a monument to fun times past.

Cheers,

GT

It is Tuesday. It's just past noon here in the proper time zone. It's time for our weekly rules review!

As is our custom going forward, we'll post a situation and see if anyone visits. Some weeks will be straight-up quizzes, others will be rules which are vague, ambiguous or straight-up 'tarded and I need to vent.

All rules can be found in the (new!) Canadian amateur rulebook which you can reference here.

If we're having a quiz, the first person to present the correct ruling will be awarded the coveted custom stripey flair and will have his/her username enshrined in our sidebar. If we aren't having a quiz, stripes will go to whomever I decide to give them to on a purely arbitrary basis as is done by half-assed refs across the country every week -- don't be a half-assed ref kids.

Of course, if you haven't gotten your (unstriped) custom flair yet, please message the Mods and we'll give you one. Amateur team logos only please.

Team A = team on offence

Team B = team on defence

On 2nd down and 10 from the B53, QB A10 TRIES A SURPRISE KICK!

Blitzing linebacker B54 BLOCKS THE KICK!!

By pure brilliant reflex, as the ball is in the air A10 KICKS THE BALL AGAIN! from the A52.

B17 goes to catch the ball at the B38 when offside A78 holds his hands up in front of B17's face for a couple seconds prior to the catch. As soon as B17 gets the ball, he bobbles it and it goes to the ground. A78 then jumps on the ball at the B40 and cackles (A78 has a learning disability and a self-diagnosed gluten intolerance).

What's your call?

Hi guys,

Sorry, been busy and I haven't found a rule weird enough for this forum. Sooooo... feel free to post a rule about which you have questions and we'll answer it. Best answer gets stripes.

GT

It is Tuesday. It is somewhat early. It's time for our weekly rules review!

As is our custom going forward, we'll post a situation and see if anyone visits. Some weeks will be straight-up quizzes, others will be rules which are vague, ambiguous or straight-up 'tarded and I need to vent.

All rules can be found in the (new!) Canadian amateur rulebook which you can reference here.

If we're having a quiz, the first person to present the correct ruling will be awarded the coveted custom stripey flair and will have his/her username enshrined in our sidebar. If we aren't having a quiz, stripes will go to whomever I decide to give them to on a purely arbitrary basis as is done by half-assed refs across the country every week -- don't be a half-assed ref kids.

Of course, if you haven't gotten your (unstriped) custom flair yet, please message the Mods and we'll give you one. Amateur team logos only please.

Team A = team on offence

Team B = team on defence

In overtime, team A is down by one point and it is scrimmaging from the B10 yard line on third down and goal.

QB A23 takes the snap and throws to A49 in the end zone. The pass is... OH NO WHAT IS THIS??

Bobby's Mom, the loudmouth, obese, Shrek-doppelgänger with that bloody megaphone-siren thing waddles two yards onto the field of play and shoves A49 as the pass is in the air. Bobby, the much-abused youngest of five and future alpha-redditor who is on the Team B bench is, as always, clenching his sphincters in embarassment. Many years later, he will reference this moment on the campaign trail for the Ontario premiership.

As the play is whistled dead, you call the rookie linesman over and she tells you the pass was uncatchable and, as an aside, A49's number isn't on the scoresheet.

What is your call?

Triple stripes go to /u/spirit_of_radio for what I'd consider to be the correct call according to the Book.

Rule 1.13.4 b):

"Acting to the advantage of the team not in possession.

Penalty: If it is obvious to the Referee that a touchdown would have been scored, or if the unauthorized person is a substitute, coach, trainer or other occupant of the team bench, he shall award the touchdown. If not, the non-offending team shall be awarded:

1. Half the distance to the goal line from PLS or PBD.

2. For illegal interference on a forward pass -

Field of Play:

– Half the distance to the goal line from PF.

End zone:

– Against Team A, award the ball to Team A at the 1 yard (1 metre) line (unless a touchdown is awarded).

– Against Team B, award the ball to Team B at the 20 yard (20 metre) line.

3. 3 downs, regardless of time remaining in the period (unless Team A scores on 1st or 2nd down, or loses possession on 1st or 2nd down, with Team B making a legal recovery)".

The odd thing here is that, as far as I can spot, it is the only place in the entire Book where a minor penalty that has no impact on the play is explicitly meant to be called. If the ball were catchable, the touchdown is to be awarded, so if interpreted to the extreme, the ball could be thrown in an entirely opposite direction and the Book wants you to call the penalty.

This goes against a fundamental principle in reffing: that minor penalties (those that have nothing to do with player safety or misconduct) should never be called unless they impact the play. Here, it appears that having moms step onto the field is viewed as being a good reason to forgo the usual logic.

...personally, I'd have an Objectionable Conduct be called instead of almost granting a touchdown which could never have been and almost always changing the outcome of the game.

Congratulations to our returning guest expert!

NOTE: Flairs are updated. That was not fun. /u/PhotoJim99, you finally got that stripe.

Hello everyone,

I've updated the rulebooks in the sidebar. Also, I've just gotten back after 26 months on assignment in one of Trump's favourite countries (he described it as a poop-pit or some such. It was one of the very few times he may have randomly been right about something).

I'm going through the old WRW posts to get myself back into shape for my first season in stripes in three years and I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in bringing back our weekly quiz. They'd probably have to be done on Tuesdays (I'm busy on Wednesdays of late) and I'll be going overseas at times, so some weeks may get skipped or rescheduled, but hey, it'd be fun.

Lemme know in the comments.

So I've got US college football on in the background all day. (Canadian living in the US, not sure how I can get Canadian college ball here.) And I saw two plays in two separate games today for which I thought the NCAA rule was just stupid:

• Portland State playing Oregon State. Portland State punts and pins OSU inside their five-yard line. But wait! The punter put his knee down while fielding the snap! So no, instead OSU gets it on Portland State's 38 'cause "ball carrier was down, and it was 4th down".

• Western Michigan playing Southern California. WMU punts, USC receiver has his knee down as he catches the ball, so USC's ball at that point (and not 10 yards farther up, which is how far he got on the return before being tackled).

I thought "Man, both of those plays are screwy! What do Canadian college/amateur rules say?"

I was very glad to find that Football Canada's rule for these situations is MUCH more sensible. From the 2016-17 rulebook, Rule 1 Section 8 Article 1:

• Exception: The ball is not dead when a player:

  1. Is holding the ball for a field goal or convert attempt.

  2. Goes to one or both knees in attempting to field a kicked ball from an opponent, provided such action is part of the attempt to field the ball. Exception a dribbled ball.

  3. Goes to one or both knees in attempting to field the ball on a snap from center, provided such action is part of the attempt to field the ball.

Team A at its 32. 3rd down and 24. A36 PUNTS!!

a) The ball is recovered legally by onside A48 at the A49. Holding by A56 with PBH at the A52. Ball dead at the A54.

b) The ball is recovered legally by onside A48 at the A49. Holding by A56 with PBH at the A52. Ball dead at the B51.

c) The ball is recovered legally by onside A48 at the A49. Holding by A56 with PBH at the B52. Ball dead at the B51.

What are the options and likely calls?

Hey guys,

I was on the treadmill this morning doing my daily reading and found a hole in the Book (it is incredible how that can still happen). I'm pretty sure of how I would call each of these, but let's see what you guys think.

It is either a) 1st or 2nd down or b) 3rd down.

B56 INTERCEPTS THE BALL IN THE END ZONE!! He is immediately grabbed by A90, so he a) laterals or b) offsides passes to B12. B12 tries to kick the ball out of the end zone (Team B is leading by a point in the final seconds and he doesn't want to give up a safety).

Immediately after the kick, the ball a) is shanked and goes out of bounds in the end zone, b) is shanked and goes out of bounds at the B4, c) is blocked out of bounds in the end zone by A2.

...twelve scenarios in total. List them out and explain what the options are (if there are options) and what the call -- or likely call -- will be.

Take your time. We have all winter.

I am new to Canadian Football but The X-Men name just seems like it would scream copyright from Marvel. Were they are before the X-Men?

Hey guys, good to be back for another year. I somehow forgot over the off-season that I had two Reddit accounts (I don't remember why), so I didn't see myself as a moderator anymore. Oops! Anyway, so I've thrown this one together kinda quickly.

This actually happened to me this past weekend. I blame the intense heat for my mistake.

Team A, 3D and 12 at the B37. Team A attempts a field goal. The kick is short and bounces towards the end zone. The ball takes one bounce INTO the end zone and then immediately bounces back OUT of the end zone, back onto the field of play.

Returner B12, who was standing in the end zone, exits the end zone and picks up the ball at the 2 yard line. He advances the ball to the B12 yard line, where he is tackled by A58.

Purely for the sake of tradition, we'll add that as he gets up, he turns to A58 and calls him a "turd-waddling cunt falafel".

Where is the ball placed for the next play?

Solved! PhotoJim99 gets it and is awarded the first flair of the 2015 season.

Because the ball was not touched in the end zone, in-and-out does not apply, therefore the ball is awarded to Team B at their 12 yard line. Officials who choose to penalize that sort of language would march the ball back half-distance and place it on the B6.

This play just got circulated around Quebec, and I saw it live last Friday. I haven't seen the "official" right answer yet, but I do know how it was called.

Team A has 4th Down and 4 from the B25. They line up initially in field goal formation but, well after they have broken the huddle (so after both sets of gates went up) – with 12 seconds left on the play clock – they substitute about six players and shift to a scrimmage formation.

Is this a legal play? Justify your answer by including the date you think the Roughriders might actually win a game.

In the closing minutes of the first half Winnipeg blocked a punt. However, after the kick had been blocked and while Al's the kicker was still in the air he was very clearly run over by another Bomber.

Is the kicker "fair game" once the kick had been blocked? It seems silly that their vulnerable status is revoked just because the kick didn't go forward. I feel like they should be protected through landing regardless of the "success" of the kick.

What are your takes on this? Any rules to back this up? I know this is generally for amateur Canadian football, but you are all my best resource for stuff like this.

110 Yards is looking for teams for it's 2nd season. Our league is plays on fantaseh.ca If you are interested in fielding a team please PM me. Our draft is this Sunday (yes, we know that Week 1 is this week). If you have any questions please let me know!

I was thinking now that we've had some time off it's a great time to get back in the rule book. The WRW are great but often not practical for the exams we have to write. I know in MB we are now implementing an additional tests for anyone who wants to officiate at a JR or CIS level.

I was thinking we should do this in order to get back into the book. I would like to have the community propose common questions and situations (and some lesser but not as complex as WRW) just to help everyone's minds stay sharp. Please - no looking up the answers in the rulebook.

Here is an example given to us when these additional tests were first proposed. I can post the full point answer later today.

An example question would be: Team A 3rd and 10 prepare to punt. The punt is blocked and in attempting to recover Team B dribble the ball which is recovered by Team A behind the LOS. What is your ruling?

It is a non-regulation, American-style 100-yard field with the goal posts on the back-line of a 10 yard end zone.

A1D + 10 @ the A15 yard line. A81 dekes his coverage out of its shoes and is wide open. He catches the pass and has an easy run down the field with everyone well behind him in his dust. Just before he crosses the goal line, he celebrates early by trying to shoot the ball over the cross bar “basketball jump-shot style”. The ball travels forward and lands on the ground 5 yards into the end zone (he should definitely stick to football) and rolls.

He struts away like a BOSS as the other 23 players on the field all attempt to converge on the loose ball.

A73 is the first one to the ball to attempt to recover it. He bats it and the ball veers directly left, staying in bounds. B20 is next, and is able to pick up the ball, but a hard hit by A32 jars the ball loose. As the ball is falling from his hands and he is trying to recover it, B20 hits it with his shin and it bounces towards the B back line. B10 now gets there and tries to pick up the ball, but it bounces off his hands as well. A31 is reaching for the ball and is about to jump on it when B73 blocks him out of the way. B7 then gets a flailing hand on it before it finally comes to rest. With the ball lying on the ground, both A17 and B48 jump on the ball at the same time. Nine other players fall on top of them (THAT’s Motrin pain). When the pile is removed, A17 has possession of the ball and is huddled in a ball covering it.

4 minutes later, the Linemen get there, completely out of breath. OG A57 needs oxygen.

How should the officiating crew rule on this play?

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=978683682150474&fref=nf

If it was Candian football what would be the ruling.

Hint: #35 #4 is clearly out of bounds in the end zone before getting the ball back

Team A 3D + 12 on B27yl. 32 seconds on the clock of a game which Team B is leading by one point.

Kicker A6 attempts a field goal. The ball travels directly OVER the left upright, without touching it. The Field Judge has no clue what to do, so he lets the play continue, not knowing whether he should or not.

B80 picks up the ball, lying on the ground in the end zone and attempts to return it out. He runs back and forth, looking for a way out, but sees no clear path, so he kicks it out. The ball bounces off the goal post in flight and continues forward, hitting the ground at the B11yl and rolling to the B22yl. The poor Field Judge still has no clue what to do so he takes off his hat and sits down behind the goal padding to smoke a cigarette.

The ball is picked up by A50, clearly not the fastest guy on the team. Thankfully, he is smart and knows his limitations. Instead of trying to run it in, he immediately kicks the ball BACK into the B end zone. The ball again glances off the goal post in flight before continuing through the end zone and rolling out of bounds at the back line. There is no time remaining on the clock. The Field Judge throws his jersey to the ground and decides to take up officiating Lawn Bowling.

The rookie Line Judge awards a single and Team A is ecstatic to have tied the game. There is no Over-Time in this league, so this tie clinches A’s playoff spot.

Why is the Line Judge correct? Or, I suppose, not correct.

Ruling: Rags got it right. The field goal has to be BETWEEN the uprights (or virtually-extended uprights) to count. Going over the uprights is no good. The ball is live, though. On the first return kick, the ball is still live, because hitting your OWN goal post in flight with a kick does not terminate the play. The return kick INTO the end zone however, DOES hit the opposing team's goal post, so the ball is dead and would be awarded to Team B at the 20, if there were time remaining.

Team A does NOT get the point.

Just to make it a happy ending, though, we'll say that the other team across town lost their game as well, so Team A still makes the playoffs.