CFL reportedly discussing changing PI rules, play clock, returns and converts

It looks like the CFL is considering some substantial changes to its rules for this upcoming season, and many of them appear to revolve around reducing penalties and increasing scoring. That's likely a reaction to the dramatic decline in scoring we saw last year, with teams scoring 62.3 points less than 2013 on average over the course of the season. The question is if it's a justified and needed reaction, or an overreaction to a temporary problem. To figure that out, let's examine the proposed changes in detail; nothing official has come out yet, but Kirk Penton, Lowell Ullrich and Drew Edwards have all reported on what the rules committee seems to be discussing, and there are four main rules being talked about in all of those articles.

Pass interference changes: The league is reportedly looking at specifically legislating limited contact on receivers beyond five yards of the line of scrimmage, similar to how the NFL approaches PI these days. This would dramatically alter how CFL defenders play, and it might make smaller and quicker defensive backs and receivers more valuable. This would make defenders' lives tougher, but it should make it easier to complete a pass, which would benefit offences. If this change goes through, though, it's not going to reduce flags. If anything, we're likely to see a spike in pass interference flags until defenders adjust to the new normal.

Play clock changes: Edwards explains this one well:

There's some merit to that, and making it easier for high-tempo offences could be great for the CFL. The hurry-up, no-huddle offence has become very successful in the NCAA ranks, and many of its concepts would appear to be a great fit for the Canadian game, but an important part of what makes it work is preventing defences from being able to easily substitute or take their time calling plays. A play clock starting as soon as the ball is spotted doesn't force offensive teams to go more quickly (especially if the clock's longer), but it gives them the opportunity to.

However, one peril here is how this could affect game finishes. Late comebacks have been a key selling point for the CFL (see the #NoLeadIsSafe campaign), and they would appear less likely under this proposed plan. A big part of what allows more last-second comebacks in the CFL is the delayed start to the clock; you can do more on a two-minute drive in the CFL without timeouts or working the sidelines than you can in the NFL because time doesn't start as quickly after a play. Starting the clock when the ball's spotted would appear likely to alter that.

Return changes: The CFL also appears to be discussing eliminating the no-yards bubble (the kicking team has to be five yards away from the returner when they first touch the ball) on punts or kicks that hit the ground. The league would also limit the number of players on the kicking team who can cross the line of scrimmage until the ball is kicked. This has its upsides; no yards is valuable on kicks or punts caught in the air, as it allows for returns instead of American football's fair catches, but too often, punts that hit the ground turn into a game of chicken, with the returner trying to wait until just when he can catch cover guys a little too close to him to pick up the flag. However, there are questions of just how effective this will be for player safety; if no yards goes away on punts that bounce, teams may try to bounce them more and then steamroll the returner.

Convert changes: Like the NFL, the CFL's interested in making the point-after a little more interesting. The CFL proposals don't appear as radical as some of those that were initially floated in the NFL, such as the Colts' idea of a potential three-point double conversion, but they're similar to what the NFL is still talking about; moving up the line for two-point conversions and/or dropping back where conversion kicks are taken from. This one seems mostly positive, but moving the line up for every conversion is probably a better approach. More two-point conversions are great, but if you move the line back for kicks only, that eliminates the usefulness of deceptive fake field goal plays, which are some of the most exciting conversions. 

None of these changes are even close to final yet, as the rules committee's still meeting for much of the day Thursday; vice-president (officiating) Glen Johnson is expected to inform the media of what changes the committee will recommend to the CFL's board of governors Thursday night. Thus, a lot could still happen here. None of these changes looks all bad, either, but it's also notable that each carries at least some drawbacks; there are no slam dunks here. These should be thought about and discussed carefully.

While everyone wants to see penalties reduced, and some of these changes (the kicking ones in particular) might help with that, it's notable that the other central idea of "fixing offence" may not be all that needed. 2014 had some unusual elements that lowered it, including numerous quarterback injuries and the addition of an expansion team, and those won't necessarily be replicated this year. Beyond that, too, the idea that high-scoring games are entertaining and low-scoring ones aren't is also simplistic and problematic. If these changes are well-thought-out and can help the CFL game for decades to come, great, but they shouldn't be brought in just as a knee-jerk reaction to one down offensive year.