[thistleclub]

What the NFL can learn from the Canadian game
(National Post, John S. Gardner, Nov 15 2013)

About 20 years ago, I had occasion to drive frequently on weekends between New York and Boston, sometimes on Friday nights, and searched the radio to pass the time. In those days, it was fairly easy to get the signal of CHML Hamilton in the northeastern United States, and one evening, I found myself listening to a Hamilton Tiger-Cats game.

I was vaguely familiar with the Ti-Cats because Joe Restic, who coached at Harvard, had earlier been offensive coordinator and head coach in Hamilton, where he devised the “Multiflex” offense. Future CNN commentator Jeffrey Toobin wrote that “when it works, the system can glide and accelerate like a Ferrari. The Multiflex at its best can be elegant football.” The rest of us praised or criticized it depending on whether Harvard won or lost, but it was easy to see the Canadian influence, seeking the virtues of a more open game on the smaller U.S. field (a challenging task given the sometimes erratic nature of Ivy League football).

Still, I’d never actually heard a CFL game until that first night on the radio. I thought it was great. I loved the heightened sense of action, the faster pace of play, multiple players in motion before the snap, the rapidity with which possession could change. Those extra 10 yards between the touchdown lines took some getting used to, and I’m still a bit surprised when I see a goalpost so close to the field (even though NFL goal posts also were on the goal line in my childhood). After listening to a few games, as it had been Hamilton that introduced me to the game, I decided: Here was my team....

It’s been fun to follow the Ti-Cats this year. They’ve provided some exciting victories and a playoff run. Henry Burris has risen in the standings of the all-time greats. Thanks to ESPN3 and the generosity of Canadian radio stations in permitting live online listening, it’s become easy to follow the games and the league here in Virginia. I hope others will make the same discovery of how much fun the Canadian game can be. It’s perfectly possible to follow both professional North American leagues passionately — even as many of us express concern over the game’s injury record.

This weekend, I’ll be watching as Hamilton once again takes on Toronto. Eat ’em raw, Ti-Cats.