I'm not sure why exactly, but this offseason I miss football more than ever, more than I did in past summers. How great would Saints/Vikings (the first NFL game of the season) or Pitt at Utah (the first big college game of the year) sound right now? And yet all that is still over two months away.
Happily, the Canadian Football League season is just two weeks away, and it sates my appetite far more than Arena ball does or NFL Europa did.
There's quite a few rule differences between the NFL and CFL, but the major ones are:
1. Three downs instead of four in the CFL.
2. Twelve players on the field for each team rather than 11.
3. Longer and wider fields, with end zones 20 yards deep. The goal posts are on the goal line.
4. You surrender a point if you down the ball in your own end zone.
5. Virtually no limits on offensive players in motion before the snap.
6. The defense must line up a yard off the ball (it's 11 inches in the NFL)
The last rule means teams going for it on third and less than a yard almost always make it. If teams are forced to punt from their own end zone, they almost always take the safety because it's very hard to punt the ball out of your opponent's field goal range. But the biggest difference is the first three rules highlighted above make the CFL much more "open" and pass-heavy. In fact, after a summer of the CFL, American football can seem downright conservative and slow.
Besides, the CFL is the first and best choice for players a cut below the NFL (no pun intended), so there are a lot of college stars and "I remember that guy!" moments.
So now you know the game, what about the teams?
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
The Alouettes are reigning Grey Cup champions, after appearing in four of the previous six Grey Cups and losing them all. They have been led for many years by Anthony Calvillo, the Utah State product that is a shoo-in HOFer when he retires. At 37, he shows little sign of slowing down. The Alouettes haven't changed drastically from last year, so will be favorites again.
You may remember: RB Avon Cobourne, RB Dahrran Diedrick, QB Chris Leak, QB Adrian McPherson
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
After many years of being the CFL doormat, the Ti-Cats showed some signs of life last season, making the playoffs for the first time since 2004 (which is really a long drought when you consider six out of eight teams make the playoffs, although there were nine teams until the Ottawa Renegades folded in 2006). Their stadium announcer, whomever he is, sounds like Randy "Macho Man" Savage.
You may remember: QB Quinton Porter, DB Will Poole
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Not unlike the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Argonauts struggle to bring Canada's premiere city much in the way of athletic dominance. They did have a nice run in the early 2000s with Damon Allen under center. He's Marcus' brother and played a ridiculous 23 years in the CFL (1985-2007), but now the Argonauts are in disarray.
You may remember: QB Ken Dorsey, QB Cleo Lemon
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
This is the team that frequently has to switch between the Eastern and Western Divisions, depending on whether or not there is an Ottawa franchise, which will be coming back in 2012. They are one year removed from the retirement of Milt Stegall, who is sort of the CFL's Jerry Rice. They are the CFL's perennial middle-of-the-pack team, with a record between 7-11 and 10-8 each of the last four seasons.
You may remember: QB Adam DiMichele, RB Yvenson Bernard
BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS
They've fallen back a notch the last couple years, but the Lions were for several seasons the class of the Western Division. They are the only team in the CFL to play in a dome, BC Place, but this year they will play outdoors while BC Place's dome is made retractable.
You may remember: QB Jarious Jackson, QB Casey Printers
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Yes, even though the CFL for most of its history has never had more than 10 teams, they've had two with the same nickname (although the Ottawa version, the Rough Riders [1876-1996] is spelled as two words ... important distinction). Saskatchewan is solid, winning the CFL title in 2007 and playing .500 or better ball every year since 2003. I like how, in the "famous fans" section of their Wikipedia page, they list the mayor of the city they play in. Shocker, there.
You may remember: QB Ryan Dinwiddie, QB Darrian Durant, RB Dominic Dorsey, RB Marcus Thigpen
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
The Stamps' quarterback for many years now has been ex-Temple QB and brief Chicago Bear Henry Burris, whom they have been mostly successful with, having won the Grey Cup two years ago. He is the face of the franchise. This is also where Doug Flutie spent the biggest chunk of his CFL career.
You may remember: WR Ken-Yon Rambo, WR Ryan Thelwell
EDMONTON ESKIMOS
Perhaps the most storied franchise in the CFL, the Esks are led by Ricky Ray, who is the second-most heralded QB in the league behind Calvillo. Like the other three Western Conference teams, the Esks are part of a glut that has seen the best and worst teams finish within three games of each other each of the last two seasons.
You may remember: QB Jared Zabransky, WR Skyler Green
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