Game Thread: Montreal at Ottawa Saturday September 30

[gilthethrill]

How bout that onside punt on 2nd down. I think the rule should be the ball must pass the first down marker for it to become a 1st down if recovered by the punter

I absolutely hate that rule.

[paulwoods13]

I absolutely hate that rule.

I'm torn. I generally like the crazy quirks of Cdn football, but being able to get a first down simply by advancing the ball across the line of scrimmage seems too quirky. A team that needed 18 yards for a first down got one by advancing the ball one yard.

[OV Argo]

I'm torn. I generally like the crazy quirks of Cdn football, but being able to get a first down simply by advancing the ball across the line of scrimmage seems too quirky. A team that needed 18 yards for a first down got one by advancing the ball one yard.

For that trick play by Antwi to work, the guy who's about to dribble kick the ball has to be alone, with nobody around him for 20 yards or so (which was the case with that brain-dead Ottawa DC defence); and he has to execute a controlled dribble kick and make sure it crosses the LOS, and then recover it (not as easy as it looks IMO); a prepared and aggressive D should be all over this play and make the coward calling that play pay by recovering the ball - a turn-over and a huge loss of yards and field position. Love to see the Als try this again in a play-off game; and they did nothing with that trick play 1st down anyways and had to punt the ball away soon after.


71 GC game - Argo punt returner Harry Aboffs had a ball go off his foot and out of bounds (looked accidental maybe to me but the refs ruled it a kick) = ball went back to the Stamps; very costly play in a low-scoring game where the Argos maintaining possession there could have possibly led to a GC win.

[AngeloV]

I'm torn. I generally like the crazy quirks of Cdn football, but being able to get a first down simply by advancing the ball across the line of scrimmage seems too quirky. A team that needed 18 yards for a first down got one by advancing the ball one yard.

My problem with it is that in theory you give a team that just had a huge negative play a get out of jail free card. Why not make the kickoff rule the same then? Dribble it 1 yard and recover.

[Mocha]

I'm torn. I generally like the crazy quirks of Cdn football, but being able to get a first down simply by advancing the ball across the line of scrimmage seems too quirky. A team that needed 18 yards for a first down got one by advancing the ball one yard.

I'm torn as well.

On the one hand, it's not an exciting, super-athletic play for a first down on 2nd and long. On the other hand, it's not as easy to execute as it looks, and it represents the offense taking advantage of what the defense has given them. Another positive is that now defenses will be less likely to keep so many players deep in 2nd and long situations, which should open up more room for big-play conversions.

I wouldn't be in a rush to change the rule, but I'm curious to see how teams adopt and adapt to it now having been used successfully.