Time for the CFL to eliminate ties

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This article was published 18/09/2024 (415 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Admittedly, I’ve flip-flopped a few times on the topic. As I sit down to write this column, I return to my original feeling: man, do ties suck.

Sorry to get so intense. I clearly need an outlet for the frustration that’s somehow still lingering following a 19-19 decision between the Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders Saturday night.

I’ve pondered why I have such a disdain for games that neither award a winner, nor determine a loser. A tie, for some, might even feel poetic — a beautiful representation of the hard-fought effort by both sides, culminating in the perfect opportunity to reward each club with a single point in the standings.

Not me. Personally, I prefer the works of Shel Silverstein.

What I keep coming back to is this empty feeling I had after what was a lack of closure in a game that I dedicated hours of my day to watch. For the traditionalists who can already feel their body temperature rising and have reached for the nearest and tiniest violin, I have some uplifting news to share: I don’t make the rules, nor does the CFL care what I think (for the most part).

If I did call the shots, I would be looking at different ways or rules to eliminate a tie from ever happening.

As it currently stands, there is a maximum of two overtime sessions, with each team getting two opportunities to score from the opponent’s 35-yard line. Both clubs are guaranteed at least one series on offence.

For example, if the first team settles for a field goal or suffers a turnover, the second team can win the game by scoring a rouge, field goal or touchdown, which is followed by an automatic attempt at a two-point convert. If the teams are still tied after the first OT series, they do it all over again, only in reverse order, with the offence that finished the first OT returning to start the second.

If the game is still tied after that, the game is officially called.

I’ve heard of some suggestions that might limit the number of ties — and, yes, I get it, ties are already rare, but there have been two (!!) already this season, so clearly things have been allowed to run amok — including adding a third OT session, eliminating kicks or getting teams to start at midfield rather than in field-goal range. All of those are seemingly good ideas, but none actually prevent a tie. As for the solution, it’s simple: play until there is a winner, whenever that happens.

For those arguing player safety, the odds of OT lasting another session or two is rare; as are games that go into extra time, with fewer than 10 ties since the 2007 season. I can tell you if it were up to the players, most would tell you they hate ties, too.

Now, let’s dive into the other top stories across the three-down loop in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) For a moment, it almost looked like the Stampeders were a competent team, going toe-to-toe with the mighty Alouettes in a tight affair. Then, true to form, they found a way to shoot themselves in the foot, this time by way of undisciplined play. With the chance to bury Montreal, up 13-10 with slightly more than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Christy Nkanu gets called for a 15-yard penalty for face masking, pushing the ball back from Montreal’s 28-yard-line to its 41. If that wasn’t bad enough, fellow OL D’Antne Demery was flagged another 15 yards for unnecessary roughness, setting up a 52-yard FG by Rene Paredes that clanked off the bar and out two plays later. Montreal then marched back down the field and connected on a 42-yarder with no time remaining to force OT.

2) The Alouettes suddenly look beatable. I understand the Stamps were playing for their playoff lives and were the hosts, but Montreal hasn’t looked good the last couple of games, not only tying the lowly Stamps but also getting dominated by the B.C. Lions the game before that. Even the two games prior — victories over the Edmonton Elks and Saskatchewan Roughriders — were only won by four and three points, respectively. Injuries haven’t helped, especially with talented receivers Austin Mack and Tyson Philpot on the six-game injured list. It was just announced Philpot will miss the remainder of the season.

3) Montreal’s recent dip has made for an interesting battle for top spot in the East Division. The Ottawa Redblacks are two games behind Montreal for first place and the two clubs meet for the second of three games this season on Saturday. The Alouettes won the first game, meaning they can not only go three games up on Ottawa — all but securing home-field advantage for the East Final — but a victory would also give Montreal the season series. If the Redblacks can rebound from a disappointing loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week, a win would even the season series and give them full control their own destiny, seeing as they play the Alouettes once more this year.

4) The Toronto Argonauts did the Ticats no favours with their statement win over B.C. With the Argos now in third place in the East at 7-6 and on the uptick, Hamilton, at 4-9, will need to beat the Argos this week to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. A victory would push Hamilton two games back of the Argos, and with having already clinched the season series, the Ticats would need a little bit of help from other clubs down the stretch.

5) Another potential avenue for the Ticats to secure a playoff spot is through a rare crossover to the West. That won’t be easy, not with four points separating first and fourth place in the division. The Elks are currently fourth in the West, at 5-8, but are arguably the league’s hottest team, with victories in five of their last six games. It’s also important to note any crossover team has to have a better record — there are no tiebreakers on crossovers — not to mention, an East team has never crossed over to the West in league history.

6) Speaking of B.C., what was head coach Rick Campbell thinking in his handling of the quarterbacks against Toronto? Clearly unhappy with the play of starter Nathan Rourke, Campbell yanked him in favour of Vernon Adams Jr. for the second half. When looking at Rourke’s passing statistics — he finished a dismal 6-for-12 passing for 110 yards — the change to Adams made some sense.

Rourke, however, had just orchestrated a four-play, 51-yard TD drive to close out the first half, capped off with a nine-yard run for the score. So, rather than giving Rourke another series or two to see if he’s caught fire, Campbell instead opts to throw in a cold Adams, who hadn’t thrown a ball in a game since injuring his knee late in a loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers back on Aug. 2. Adams was predictably awful, connecting on four of his seven passes for 75 yards and an interception. The worst part was that it was B.C.’s tragic O-line that was hurting the team the most, making the Rourke pull feel akin to pulling your goalie in hockey, despite how he is performing, in order to create a spark. This time it backfired and with the Lions on the bye this week, there’s now a real QB controversy brewing on the west coast.

7) It was announced Wednesday that Roger’s Communications is in the midst of becoming the majority owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) after buying out Bell Canada’s 37.5 per cent stake for a cool $4.7 billion. The Argos are currently part of MLSE’s portfolio, brought on by minority owner Larry Tannenbaum, who purchased the Argos with Bell in 2015. I don’t want to speculate what that means for the future of the CFL team in Toronto, as the news is still fresh, but I’m hoping there is a clause in the deal that protects the Argos for at least a few years.

8) Saskatchewan Roughriders DL Miles Brown was given a maximum fine of half a game cheque for his low hit on Chris Streveler, who suffered tears to three major ligaments in his left knee as a result of the hit and has been ruled out for the season. That equates to a fine of around $2700, adding to the $1000 Brown got dinged for a head shot on fellow Bombers QB Zach Collaros the week before. The CFL has issued a memo to all nine teams about their plan to apply harsher punishments for hits on QBs they deem avoidable. We’ll see if it works.

9) Finally, I’m calling the game of the week being Winnipeg at Edmonton (no offence to Ottawa and Montreal). Not only does it feature arguably the two hottest teams in the CFL, but there are also major ramifications when it comes to the West standings. The Elks are the only team the Bombers have yet to play this season and the only club in the West they haven’t clinched the season series against. With Edmonton two games back, and the Elks and Bombers playing a home-and-home series over the next two weeks, a pair of victories and Edmonton could leapfrog the Bombers into first place. A couple losses, though, and the Elks could be looking up at the rest of the division in last spot. Indeed, these are exciting times in the CFL.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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