Quarterback Blitz

The Edmonton Journal has been running a series on the lack of Canadian quarterbacks in the CFL.  I've always said that there is not nearly enough quality and quantity of training available for Canuck QB's to compete with our American counterparts.  But isn't that true for lineman, receivers, linebackers, etc?

People throw around such phrases like "The QB is like the coach on the field" or "QB is the most important position" or whatever meaningless statement about QB's you want to toss out there.  While reading the above mentioned articles, it struck me that many people state things like this, but really don't know the complexities of the position and the thought processes involved.  Whether or not QB is the most important position in football, sports, or whatever...I don't really care.  But I would argue it is probably the most complex position in team sports.

Picture this...


Whistle blows.

The previous play was an utter failure leaving the qb's team at 3rd down with 9 yards to go.  His team huddles while he looks towards the sidelines for the signal of what the next play is.  Since it's the fourth quarter, the qb knows he's supposed to get the signals from the third string quarterback and ignore the signals coming from two other players who are decoys.  After observing the complex hand movements of the third-stringer, the qb deciphers the specific passing play he is to run and heads to the huddle, remembering the specifics of the play and deciding upon a snap count in the process.  In the huddle, he relays the play to his teammates and answers the inevitable question of "what am I supposed to do" posed from at least one of the members within this tight circle.

The huddle breaks with everyone hurrying to the line.  The qb strolls to his spot on the field, surveying the defense's initial alignment to his team's current formation.  He checks the number of safeties, linebackers, and defensive backs, what their relative positions on the field are, which way their hips are facing, and where their eyes are looking.  The qb guesses at what defense they are likely playing and what the coverage might be.  Since the play has option pass routes for the receivers, he guesses which route the receivers may choose and which player will most likely be open.

The qb reaches his offensive lineman and readies himself to receive the snap.  With his eye still on the various defenders, he decides whether or not he should change the play at the line with an audible.  His mind works through the various plays that are available to him, but he decides to stick with the called play.  He begins calling out the cadence which includes a fake audible call.  With the start of the cadence, the defense begins to shift its alignment - various linebackers move up, safeties alter their relative positions and defensive backs press up close to the receivers.  The qb can still call an audible but decides to continue sticking with the called play, instead adjusting his assumptions about the likely defense and coverages, and how the receivers option routes will change, and finally who will most likely be open.

He reaches the snap count, the ball is snapped and chaos begins all around him.  Immediately stepping back on a five-step drop, the first two steps back reveal the actual defense that is being played - a linebacker on the right blitz's, one of the safeties move up to fill, the second safety moves to the center and the corners drop back deep and sit...a cover 3 zone with a blitzing linebacker.  Step 3 of the drop back and the qb has probably decided on an area of the field where he is most likely to make the pass and is determined the proper option routes for the receivers in that area (and hoping they have made the appropriate read as well).  With his fourth step back, the qb decides which receiver is open, ensuring to look generically down field so that defenders can't read his eyes.  Finally, with the completion of his fifth step, the qb shifts his weight forward and uses all of his muscle memory to launch a perfectly tight spiral, not to where the receiver is but to where the receiver will be based on an instinctual computation.

First down.  Whistle blows. Roughly 30 seconds to do it all over again.

Canadian vs. American Football: Which is better?

I'm a huge football fan, enjoying all levels of the sport.  The Fall has always held a special place for me growing up.  While other kids mourned the end of the summer and the coming of school, I eagerly anticipated the start of the football season.  And once my brother and I began playing in the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL), the summers were also completely consumed by the sport.  Hell, by my estimation, between minor leagues, high school leagues, travel leagues, and all-star games, I've played in over 100 competitive games since I was 10 (not including my "prolific" flag football career in university, heh).  And this doesn't get in to my football viewing habits.  Yes, football is pretty important to me.




I've played in many different versions of the sport with many different rules: full on Canadian rules in high school with a Canadian sized ball in Juniors and an NFL ball in Seniors; Ontario Football rules which is the same as Canadian rules but with 4 downs instead and a slightly smaller ball in the OVFL; and I've played American rules (4 down, NFL style) at football camps in the US with high school sized balls.  As a result, I've always had fun pondering the question of which version of the sport is better? American or Canadian?




Just to be clear, I'm talking about this from a rules point of view.  Comparing the CFL to the NFL is a whole other kettle of fish where you're debating talent level (no debate there), fan support, rivalries, stadiums, broadcasters, etc.  And for full disclosure, above all else, I am a huge US college football fan.  Especially of the Michigan Wolverines...like 15 years of season tickets, bowl games attended, road games attended, live and die each Fall Saturday, type of fan.  Nothing else comes close.




Finally, before we begin, maybe you don't know the differences between the variations of the sport but ask yourself the question: which do you think is better?  Once you read below, see if you agree or disagree or if I've changed you mind.  I'm curious to hear your thoughts.




Alright, enough stalling.  Since Americans don't usually even remember that there is a Canadian version of football (even though us Canadians practically invented it), they don't usually get caught up in this debate and don't have arguments defending their side.  Canadian football fans on the other hand have a bit of a inferiority complex with this issue.  They tend to argue that by design the Canadian game is much more exciting because of the propensity for more offense.  I will argue that this design does increase the offensive fireworks, but actually makes the game less interesting.

First we must look at the way the Canadian game is set up to bolster the offense's position.  Almost every rule difference is set up to give the offensive side of the ball an advantage.  Let's look at some of them:

• Defenders must line up one yard off the line of scrimmage.  This gives offensive lineman an advantage in blocking, especially in short yardage and pass blocking situations.
• All offensive backfield players are allowed to go in motion towards the line of scrimmage, gaining downfield momentum at the snap of the ball.  This is particularly useful for receivers going out on pass patterns as it makes it difficult for defenders to keep up with the speed they have accumulated.
• Due to increased number of players on the field, there is an extra offensive backfield member allowed to go out to receive a pass.

Two other differences deserve a closer look: field size and number of downs.  The Canadian football field is absolutely huge and dwarfs the size of its American counterpart.  The 110 vs. 100 yards field of play is just the beginning.  The endzones are twice the length at 20 yards each compared with American versions at 10 yards.  This makes passing a much easier proposition as the entire passing playbook is available to CFL teams when the offense enters the redzone.  Contrast that with their American counterparts who often will develop plays specifically suited for the offense as they near the endzone due to the declining amount of real estate to work with.  But the real game-changer is the width.  Canadian fields run 65 yards wide compared to the 53 1/2 yard width in the US.  The added width to the field dramatically opens up the passing lanes for the quarterback and receivers, making it much more difficult for the defense to adequately defend the aerial attack of their opposition.  Combine that with the advantages noted above and it quickly becomes clear that the offensive passing game has a huge advantage.




But the Canadian game's most distinctive rule difference does much to mitigate that advantage.  "Three Down Football" pretty much defines how outsiders view the sport - and drastically alters the manner in which the game is played.  With one less play available to progress 10 yards down the field to get another First Down, the offense must use the advantages above and be efficient in their play execution to maintain offensive possession.  A 3 yard rush by the running back, although positive yardage, sets up a still difficult 2nd and long.  And, by design, the offense's systemic advantage in the passing game ensures that the running game's importance is significantly diminished. It's the passing game that's the foundation of an offense's game plan while the running game is seen as a change of pace play.




As someone who played quarterback for the majority of my playing days, this seems great on the surface.  And many would argue that more passing makes for a more exciting game.  But the preponderance of passing in the Canadian game takes so much of the strategy and variety out of football as to render the sport neutered of interesting analysis and innovation.  American football has found an equilibrium between favouring rushing versus passing and between offense versus defense (although the trend as of late has been moving towards tightening rules in favour of passing and offense).  This has been instrumental in building the cat and mouse game played by opposing teams where they develop innovative strategies to out-scheme their adversaries.  In American football there are overarching strategies and philosophies about run vs. pass, about aggressiveness, about cover 2 or the zone blitz, 3-4 vs. 4-3, types of pass offenses, formation philosophies, etc.  Canadian football is much more about adjusting your tactics to the players you have.  By and large, the strategy remains the same for all teams: pass well and defend the pass well.  Innovations on offense and defense are few and far between.  In the past 20 years, the game has largely stayed the same, whereas the American version has constantly evolved.




To me, that constant evolution and cat-and-mouse game is what makes the sport of football so interesting, particularly the American version.  There is more preparation for each game in football than in any other sport in the world.  And that preparation stems from the need to out-think your opponents and prepare for their ever-changing strategies.  It's what makes the large amount of down-time between plays not only bearable, but stimulating as you go through the same process that the coach goes through, thinking "what to do next".  It creates unique narratives for each contest on the gridiron as you match strategy versus strategy.  For the most part, Canadian rules strip the sport of its fundamental question from which all other strategy afterward is based on "to run or to pass?".  American football puts that question on a pedestal.

What do you think?

Hamilton TiCat Preseason Pics

I recently had the opportunity to catch the preseason Canadian Football League game between the Hamilton TiCats and the Winnipeg Bluebombers which the TiCats won.  Check out my pics below:




Pigskin Pete started us off with a rousing cheer of Oskie Wee Wee!

More after the jump...

5 Reasons Big Ten Expansion is Totally, Ridiculously, Amazingly, Awesome!

 

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In case you didn't know, I'm a huge college football nut.  Especially a Michigan Wolverine fan.  Hell, I helped my dad create a UM fan's ultimate "man cave" in his basement we affectionately call THE M DEN (also the name of a really great Michigan apparel store in Ann Arbor).  It's kinda strange to explain this obsession to my Canadian brethren, but I have created a number of converts.  If you even remotely follow college football, it would be tough for you to have not heard about the seismic changes occurring in the alignment of conferences (and if you have, check out http://frankthetank.wordpress.com/ for everything you could ever want to know about expansion).  After all the doomsday scenarios painted by many reputable sources across the U.S., really not much has happened - at least relative to some of the more incredible notions of Texas and the rest of the Big 12 South moving to the Pac 10, for example.  But Nebraska ending up in the Big Ten is a pretty big deal.  The Big Ten conference is a pretty traditional space within the college football landscape and I know a number of the "get-off-my-lawn" types are displeased by the conferences moves away from the Big Ten's roots.  But below are the top 5 reasons fans should be excited to Nebraska usher in a new era in the Big Ten.

#1 Nebraska Fans

Nebraska fans are some of THE most passionate in the sport.  The joke always goes that there is absolutely nothing else to do in Nebraska other than revere the Cornhuskers football team.  Well...it's kinda true and they own up to it.  They have sold out every game at Memorial Stadium since November 3, 1962.  And they regularly take over opposing teams' stadiums (see above).  Also known as some of the most hospitable fans (a welcome departure from the idiocy that are Ohio State fans), I'm looking forward to them making their way to Ann Arbor and vice versa.


#2 Natural Fit

Nebraska makes a lot of sense in the Big Ten.  Geographically they fit quite well, butting right up to Iowa and fairly close to the rest of the Big Ten states.  They are a traditional power, much like Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State.  They often play an old-school brand of smash-mouth football that greatly resembles "3 yards and a cloud of dust".  And they're not a big city school - the University is king to the area.

#3 Prestige
Adding Nebraska adds quite a bit of football prestige to an already prestigious Big Ten.  With Nebraska, the Big Ten adds the 3rd most winning program.  That means that the Big Ten has the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th programs with the most wins in CFB history (Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Penn State).  Nebraska is also the most winningest program in the last 50 years.

#4 Games!
The best part about Nebraska joining the Big Ten really has to be the instant amazing match-ups that are created.  Honestly, all of a sudden every single game that Nebraska plays in the Big Ten seems not only extremely relevant to me, but actually exciting.  I seriously can't wait to see Nebraska and Indiana square of.  Really.  But for the more casual fan: Nebraska - Ohio State, Nebraska - Penn State, Nebraska - Wisconsin, Nebraska - Michigan...that's all must-see TV for me.  And then the instant rivalry between Nebraska and Iowa will be superb television viewing.  Nebraska increases the number of big games in the conference by 50% instantaneously by joining the Big Ten.  And if rumours are true, the Big Ten will hopefully move to 9 conference games.  This means there will be one less out of conference game for each conference member - which likely means each team will lose match-ups with Div 1AA teams or lowly Div 1A teams like Western Kentucky.  This is really good for college football.

#5 Conference Champion Games
This is kind of a 4a to the above.  Many traditionalists hate the idea of the conference being decided by a "one-game-to-determine-it-all" type conference championship game, but really what is there not to like.  You're adding another marquee match-up between the best of two divisions within the conference.  If all goes well, it will be held at a great location like Soldier Field or Lambeau Field.  Maybe these are unlikely, but even if it's at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, it will be different than other conference championships since Big Ten teams travel well and will fill the stadiums creating an electric atmosphere.  Not to mention the gobs of money made from such games that is redistributed evenly to the teams and betters the programs of the conference.

All in all, this is a major win for Nebraska, the Big Ten, and college football in general.  I can't wait until they join.