Points per game over the last 40 years

[argos1873]

Thank God they never adopted any of those suggestions by Frank Clair from that 1974 article...that would have been ridiculous. 8 yds to get a first down, or go to 4 downs for 12 yds to get a first. Could you imagine what a Canadian Football Field would look like today. Possible stripes between 4 or 6 yds....lol. Could you imagine the equipment companies having to make exclusive 8 or 12 yd chains for Canadian Football. I'm glad there was a strong sense of Canadiana to keep the game the way it mostly was...Conversely, I'm glad we didn't go over the top and respected the football tradition and not change the unit of measurement to metres after Canada went to metric. That would've been just as ridiculous.

Only the chains would change, not the field. The field and its markings have nothing to do with how many yards it takes to make a first down. That being said, it would be viewed as ridiculous because the majority of people base Canadian football against American football. So for critics of the game, 3 downs is "weird" because in the NFL there are 4. The rouge is "stupid" because American football doesn't have it. Its a stupid argument because if there was no American football, those would just be the rules, and no one would think differently about it. Of course if there were no American football, Canadian football would be called Canadian Rugby, and it would look a lot different than it does now.

But that being said, there is nothing actually stupid or weird about it, and if Frank Clair's changes had come to fruition it would just be what it is. And in a Canadian football vacuum, it would mean nothing. Except there is no Canadian football vacuum. There is a constant pull from American football. Not to say that's an entirely bad thing.

So to the point, scoring is down comparable to the NFL, so what? High scoring games in itself are not what makes Canadian football exciting. Its the fact that you can score at any given time, late in the game due clock rules, or at any times given the field dimensions. Its the fact that if you are up by 1 you have to concern yourself that much more if the opposing team misses that FG. What do you do? Run it out, kick it out? Its the fact that by design or by luck you can recover your own kick. Its not weird or different, its just the way the game is.

And if American football never existed, we never would have these discussions about how to make the game better vs them. It would just be how to make the game better. Would the rouge stay the same? Maybe, or maybe it would change because there would be no push to keep the game Canadian. I asked the Mark Cohen on a reddit AMA if he was willing to change the rules of the single point so that a ball that was not returnable and sailed through the end zone could be considered a touchback. His answer was that they have no plan to change the rouge rule as that would alter the Canadiana of the game. WTF?

If there were no NFL, or American football, there's no need to protect the Canadiana of the game, it would just be what it is. But I know, there is the NFL, and there is American football, and they need to consider that, because people in general just believe that the CFL is some sort of off shoot of American football. Its not, it is its own game, with its own rules, but its too integrated into American football.

[Gill The Thrill]

Still glad Clair's opinions were not taken seriously or acted on. The Canadian and American game are much more similar than different in motive and both have taken from the other over the years. The forward pass was brought in to Canadian Football after the American game adopted it. The 2 pt conversion taken by the NFL after it was in the CFL for decades. As a matter of fact, I think I've read that the NFL will now be adopting the interception return convert on a 2 pt conversion by the defensive team, something that the CFL has had for about 2 decades.

As for the line markings on the field, that was mere speculation but there is a practical reason why the yard markers are 5 and 10 yds apart. It's a way for fans and officials to see what 10 yards visually looks like from the stands, sidelines and TV. If a first down were 8 or 12 yds then that would be kind of odd to have linemarkers across the field at 5 or 10 yds because what would they show. A yard is a yard regardless, but notice that a rugby field never had as many yard line markers other than the 22 yd lines on each zone...because there was no need for it, as there was no such thing as a first down with a game that was more continously moving as Rugby originally was because plays were started from a scrum.

I agree with you that Canadian Football, although a similar motive is a different game and is real football, just as the American game is. I prefer the Canadian game and love the rules, others have not whether it's because of perception or propaganda. I think the Canadian game lends itself to more unpredictability from play to play and down to down while the American game is actually easier for some to understand because of its predictability...I don't view that as a positive, but many appear to.

[argolio]

According to Wiki about the 2-pt convert:

The two-point conversion rule has been used in college football since 1958[1] and more recently in Canadian amateur football and the Canadian Football League (1975).[2] In overtime situations in college football, the two-point conversion is the mandatory method of scoring after a touchdown beginning with the third overtime.

The American Football League used the two-point conversion during its ten seasons from 1960 to 1969. After the NFL merged with the AFL, the rule did not immediately carry over to the merged league

[argos1873]

2-point rule came from college football. Very few if any rules have went north to south. Again the yard markers on the field are only there because yardage in football makes a difference. But it doesn't matter if a first down takes 10 yards or 12, or 3. Its only because the amount of yards per play, matter. In rugby they make no difference. Most of the way Canadian football is played nowadays is influenced from American rules. Basically anything since the 1920s has been a rule change that made Canadian football more inline with American football. There is some style changes in American play now that may reflect Canadian football, but I'm not sure of any actual rule changes that make the game more "Canadian".

[ArgoRavi]

After today's OT finale between Saskatchewan/Montreal, the 2015 regular season is now in the books and the average number of points scored per game was 49.19 which was an increase of almost 4 points per game over last season. The average is still a little on the low side for the CFL when you look at where the league has been over the past 35 years but it's not a bad average given than 27 different QBs started CFL games this season - mostly due to injuries at the position - which was a league record.

Heading into this season, some defensive coaches "feared" that scoring could be at 60+ points per game due to the various rule changes which took effect this year including the new illegal contact rules. However, players and coaches seemed to adjust quite quickly and easily to the new rules and they did not seem to have a huge impact on points per game.

If you wanted to see high-scoring games this year, the two teams you would most want to see were the Roughriders (their games averaged 55.17 points per game) or the Argos (52.06). If you wanted to see low-scoring games, you would have been best off to see either Montreal (43.89) or Edmonton (44.84). Argos' games, btw, produced the most points in 2014 (50.33) so they have tended to produce exciting games during the Scott Milanovich era relative to other CFL teams.

[paulwoods13]

Considering how many defensive scores there were this year, an increase of four points per game does not signal that the recent offensive malaise is over, IMO.

[OV Argo]

Interesting data Ravi.

I am a fan of variety in football - like to see some high scoring games, some low scoring defensive battles and lots in between. Too much of one extreme or the other would lead to more boring football. I realize that a lot of fans think "exciting" football means high scoring shoot-outs with lots of TDs, but not me - except for when I see such a game where offences really earn their points with imaginative play-calling and lots of big plays - long bomb passes, RBs breaking some big gainers, QBs scrambling to extend plays or run for yardage; otherwise, a lot of high scoring football games are often the result of sloppy play, bad defence, kick cover teams that are useless, or offences giving the ball away with dumb, terrible turn-overs.

IMO - the biggest factor in more low scoring CFL games over the past number of years is the way CFL offences have all evolved to standard, simple same-old look and play-calling; all CFL offensive coaches are stuck in standard operating mode with QB always in shot-gun, same old 5 pack receiver look (with running start waggle off-sides galore), no real applied ground games and no real use of a fullback or tight end to help an offence = so little variety, so predictable and defences know what is coming. i get a kick out of some referring to more recent CFL offences as "complex" - they are anything but IMO, and that is totally by choice of the offensive "minds" who draw up play-books and call the plays now; but, to each his own opinion on what good offensive football can be.

The other factor is QBing - the most key position on offence; and when their are some CFL seasons that happen to feature some weak starting QBs or little QB depth (the injury to good starting QB factor can not be over-looked here - Durant, Ray, Reilly, Lulay, Collaros, Willy combined missed a huge chunk of the CFL season this year) = this is going to spell problems for offences; and especially when they are saddled with myopic, limited thinking dullards as offensive coaches - hoping a young and inexperienced QB can run your standard pass heavy offence just the same as a vet QB is stupid.

Anyhow - is what it is, and I'm still a huge CFL fan, but just wish we could see wayyyyyy more variety on offence; but the game evolves and the CFL is a small close knit league with a lot of copy-cat thinking IMO.

If I want to see more variety in Canadian football there is CIS ball: where most offences there have evolved to basically copy standard CFL pass look; but a lot teams still show quite a bit of variety on offence with some different looks, and particularly faith in a strong ground game. Just watched Guelph vs. Carleton this weekend and Guelph ran a what the announcers referred to a diamond backfield look with 3 RBs behind the QB; they rushed quite effectively out of this look with one powerful back doing most of the work, but the other backs got the ball some too; and they did not run this look the whole game - they also went with standard QB in shot-gun 5 pack look and passed well out of that at times. It was just an example of varied, diverse offence with multiple looks & formations that is just basically gone from the good ole CFL now. But a CFL offence could change to some different looks in the future - you never know I guess.

[ArgoRavi]

Considering how many defensive scores there were this year, an increase of four points per game does not signal that the recent offensive malaise is over, IMO.

Keep in mind that there were a lot of defensive scores last year too, Paul. I don't know if defensive scoring was up much this year over last year but I recall that defensive scoring was up considerably in 2014 vs. 2013. Having said all of this, yes, the offences aren't quite at the levels that they were back in the early 1990s but I do see more promising, young QBs today than I have seen in some time so I am hopeful that we will see an end to the "offensive malaise", as you refer to it, soon.

[AngeloV]

I'm of the opinion that the reason scores are down is because the defences play way more cover 3 deep zone than ever. Rich Stubler figured out years ago the key to successful defence in Canadian football is defending against the big play. Many coordinators have adopted that philosophy. It is difficult to consistently put together a 10+ play drice in 3 down football. A dropped pass or a penalty and there goes your drive.

[paulwoods13]

Points-scored stats are certainly interesting, but I'd be more interested to know average margin of victory and how many games were in doubt until the last possession. That is more indicative of entertainment value than total points scored. It would be a massive job to pull that data together for even one year, much less 40, unfortunately.

[ArgoRavi]

For what it's worth, the four postseason games so far this year are averaging 57.5 points per game. I really enjoyed watching the wide open Canadian football that we saw today.

[Will]

For what it's worth, the four postseason games so far this year are averaging 57.5 points per game. I really enjoyed watching the wide open Canadian football that we saw today.

It definitely wasn't what I was expecting.

[ArgoRavi]

Considering how many defensive scores there were this year, an increase of four points per game does not signal that the recent offensive malaise is over, IMO.

We got a further breakdown today from Jeffrey Orridge, Paul. While defensive scoring did increase again, offensive scoring was up by the equivalent of a TD per game in 2015 compared to 2014. With all of the QB injuries, you have to wonder how much more scoring we would have seen if most teams had their starting QBs for most of the season. Bruce Arthur from the Star wrote a column about this issue on Friday: http://www.thestar.com/sports/footba...ks-arthur.html

This quote from Travis Lulay stood out for me: “I talked to some ex-quarterbacks who played even in the 1990s, and they said this game is completely different from the quarterback’s point of view, because back then there were three defences, and you knew it as soon as the ball was snapped,” says B.C.’s Travis Lulay. “Now, there’s a lot of creativity in defensive football.”

[ArgoRavi]

So far after 30 games this CFL season, scoring is at a clip of 51.23 points per game.

[ArgoRavi]

After 45 games this season, CFL games are averaging 52.64 points per game. It has been a season of some exciting football so far although a frustrating one for Argos fans.

[OV Argo]

After 45 games this season, CFL games are averaging 52.64 points per game. It has been a season of some exciting football so far although a frustrating one for Argos fans.

You might equate points per game as the main/only indicator of exciting or quality football Ravi, and you're well entitled to your opinion there, but again - I don't share it. While today's Labour Day game featured lots of points and was an exciting and entertaining game, there was some real bad defence from both sides that contributed to some of the scoring.

I love some of those high scoring shoot-out CFL games, but I also love tough, solid defensive football where points really have to be earned.
Give me some 13 - 8 type defensive battle score games to go along with some 40 some to 30 some score games and a few in between as well.
I love variety in football - so lots of varied scores would be ideal (IMO); just like it would be nice to see wayyyyy more variety on offence in the CFL now (lots of ground game some times, fullbacks or tight ends deployed, lots of long bomb throws) instead of standard, predictable same old offence out of every team in a 9 team league.

[R.J]

Offense sells tickets, and according to Derek Taylor's stats: wins championships as well.

[ArgoRavi]

You might equate points per game as the main/only indicator of exciting or quality football Ravi, and you're well entitled to your opinion there, but again - I don't share it. While today's Labour Day game featured lots of points and was an exciting and entertaining game, there was some real bad defence from both sides that contributed to some of the scoring.

I love some of those high scoring shoot-out CFL games, but I also love tough, solid defensive football where points really have to be earned.
Give me some 13 - 8 type defensive battle score games to go along with some 40 some to 30 some score games and a few in between as well.
I love variety in football - so lots of varied scores would be ideal (IMO); just like it would be nice to see wayyyyy more variety on offence in the CFL now (lots of ground game some times, fullbacks or tight ends deployed, lots of long bomb throws) instead of standard, predictable same old offence out of every team in a 9 team league.

I think that we have seen a little of everything so far this season, OV. Just look at the last two Argos games. The B.C. game was the lowest scoring game of the season but I also thought it was a terrific game played at a high intensity. The Labour Day game was a very exciting one with lots of big plays.

[ArgoRavi]

The 2016 regular season was the 16th highest scoring year (at 52.91 points per game) in CFL history and the highest scoring season since 2010 (52.92 points per game). While our Argos had a terrible season, many games across the league were very exciting this season. As the season progressed, penalties decreased and the pace of the game improved. The key factor this season was a huge reduction in QB injuries from 2015 to 2016. Darian Durant, with a couple of starts missed due to injury, was the only western starting QB to miss any playing time. The team most harmed by QB injury this season had to be the Toronto Argonauts but both Ottawa and Hamilton had starting QBs who missed significant time also. This would help to explain why the west dominated the east this year after it looked like the east would continue its domination in the first month of the season.

While the challenge system still needs some tweaking and officiating needs improvement, we can feel pretty optimistic that the game of Canadian football has entered an exciting, new era in regards to on-field play. Hopefully we will see that excitement rub off on the Argos in 2017.

[ArgoRavi]

We are a quarter of the way into the 2017 season which I thought would be a good time to revisit the rate of scoring in the CFL. So far this season, games are averaging 54.15 points per game. If this pace continues, it will be the highest scoring season since 2008.