Adam Gagnon
CFL.ca Staff
With files from Ticats.ca
HAMILTON – Kent Austin says the CFL’s recent rule changes were a long time coming.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach and general manager offered his take on the changes last week, fielding questions from reporters and following up on a visit from the league’s VP of Officiating Glen Johnson.
Here are five key points form Austin’s discussion on the new CFL rules, which include moving the convert back, permitting an up-tempo offence and no longer allowing contact between the receiver and defender past five yards:
1. The CFL needed some cleaning up on the field, and these new rules should accomplish that.
“We were 100 per cent for it,” said Austin. “I tried to get it in two years ago.”
“I think the pendulum swung way too far the other way in allowing in too liberal a fashion, too much banging and clutching and grabbing – all the stuff that you see that’s really not football.”
There’s a chance the new rules will change the way defensive backs approach coverage, but that doesn’t necessarily mean more physical defenders will be limited.
“There’s still going to be the ability to be physical, you’ll just have to do it within the first five yards,” said Austin. “After that you’re going to have to play the game.”
“That goes for both sides,” he added. “You can’t have receivers running down there and banging into DBs and creating separation, and creating an advantage that way as well.”
2. Just as important as educating players and coaches on the new rule changes will be educating the fans.
Glen Johnson is traveling across the country to go over the rule changes with teams and their staff, while the league has also made a strong effort to inform fans on the new changes and how they will affect the game.
Austin said he believes this is one of the most important aspects of the rule changes.
“I think we should always be in a position to explain clearly how we’re officiating the game, and the standards of each of our rules for our fans and throughout the league,” said Austin.
“But then when you throw on top of that an actual change to a rule, it heightens the importance of making sure it’s clearly communicated and everybody understands it,” he continued. “And to understand that there’s going to be an adjustment period to get these things in correctly, to get them officiated correctly, for us to coach to it correctly and to make the game better – to raise the quality of the game, which we need to do right now.”
3. Simplicity is a key aspect of the rule changes, particularly as it pertains to offensive and defensive pass interference beyond five yards.
Austin said pass interference needs to be easier to understand and interpret, whether for fans, officials, coaches or players. This new rule hopes to address that, taking away any contact that isn’t coincidental past the five-yard buffer.
“That’s the idea, it shouldn’t be difficult to interpret,” said Austin. “We believe here that you should make the rules more black and white and less grey, regardless of whether we like them as coaches or not.”
“It helps you coach to a standard, and it helps you find players that can play to that standard,” he continued. “It provides a level of consistency with respect to how the game’s officiated, such that the player deployment is more accurate.”
Does that mean it could change the type of player teams look for, whether on offence or defence?
“It might,” Austin answered. “It depends on the player you’re talking about. It depends on your current roster.”
“It could cause all of us to look for different types of personnel.”
4. Up-tempo offences could be useful, but they’ll also be difficult to manipulate and won’t likely be universal.
The idea of the tempo offence is an exciting one, but don’t expect it to take over every offence in the CFL. As Austin pointed out, running an up-tempo offence requires significant preparation and familiarity among the players involved.
“Assuming that the implementation of the clock management is as quick as the rule anticipates, then it’s going to be a matter of practice for those who want to run an up-tempo offence,” said Austin. “You have to practise it, otherwise the advantage to truly speed it up goes away if you’re not efficient at it.”
Teams only get so many hours of practice in a week, while injuries can also derail a team’s attempt to run an up-tempo offence. All teams may have an up-tempo package in their playbook, but how many teams will have the confidence to use it on a regular basis?
“Knowing how to get plays in, get guys back to the line of scrimmage, get it communicated, get the ball spotted and snap it – that takes practice,” warned Austin. “And you’ll have to change some of your practice scheduling and drills if you’re earnest in implementing that pace to your game plan.”
With many returning veterans and a greater understanding of the system, the Ticats are legitimate candidates to run an up-tempo offence should Austin feel the itch.
5. When it comes to rule changes, teams need to focus on the bigger picture and the benefit of the league more than themselves.
As far as rule changes go, Austin said his approach involves the betterment of the league, first and foremost. In the end, he added, the rule changes shouldn’t favour any one team over the other – all teams stand to benefit.
“I think everybody’s intention and the mandate was to make the game better, and to make the quality of the game better,” said Austin. “We’re all going to be affected. We’re all on the same playing field. I think it’s great the league as a whole went in this direction.”
“We all need to have the courage to be able to implement the changes and to coach to the changes in an effort to make the game better – and not just to be focused on individual things just to your own benefit,” he continued.
“I see things through the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ lenses, don’t get me wrong, but I won’t do that solely if it doesn’t benefit the league as well – I don’t think that’s a good thing.”
“We need to move forward and make the game better.”
