CFL fans have gone down this road so many times before and here we go again…

BY GREG BUCHANAN

For most of this offseason, after a brief discussion at the Grey Cup, it looked like maybe, just maybe, we’d get through it without the prospect of the CFL adding an additional down, joining the world of American football with four downs.

Instead, the topic is once again on the CFL discussion front burner following a report from Sportsnet that Genius Sports, the league’s new data partner, is pushing the league to make the switch. If the league’s board of governors go for it, and if it’s truly being considered by those that ultimately make the decisions, we will see what happens.

Should the league consider it? Maybe, but they better be darn sure that it’s going to bring the league into a new era of prosperity. Personally, without some other changes, that would mean the end of Canadian football as we know it, adding a down isn’t the magic bullet some might think it is.

First off, I don’t believe anyone who says they’d start watching the CFL if it was four downs. I’ve heard the argument before, including from some friends of mine. Ultimately, the goal posts would be moved and they’d find another excuse for not watching, leaving the league with anangry group of former fans and no new fans.

Also, if you think old-school NFL football was three yards and a cloud of dust, four-down football on a 65 yard wide field, with the defence a yard off the ball? Oh boy. But, it isn’t really worth getting too worked up about just yet because we don’t really know where it’s going.

That doesn’t mean the CFL should rest on their laurels. Most games in 2021 were downright boring and that’s a problem for the league. Things should improve to some degree in 2022 thanks to a regular offseason with full training camps, a longer pre-season and the like.

How much? We’ll see. Scoring has been trending downward in the CFL for a number of years now. The good news is commissioner Randy Ambrosie has discussed wanting to make the game itself more exciting.

So, what should the league do? There are plenty of ideas being floated around, but the 4th down keeps coming up again and again.