A couple of prominent CFL rule changes from the offseason were on display last week. Count Glen Suitor as a fan based on the way they played out after previously being a bit skeptical.
“They were really giving us a true look in real time of what this may look like,” the CFL analyst said Tuesday on the SportsCage.
The rules of note here are the elimination of a single point for a missed field goal and duelling two-point conversions in overtime if needed to prevent ties. The former came at crucial moment for the Toronto Argonauts against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, whereas the latter occurred in a comeback road victory for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers over the Ottawa Redblacks.
With the Argos down by one point on the last play of the game, kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed a 31-yard field goal. No rouge. No overtime. The Argos lost 24-23 to the rival Ticats.
“When I saw the drama of a kicker missing, going through the end zone, and no point awarded, game over, Toronto loses, it’s the agony of defeat versus the thrill of victory,” Suitor said. “And it was exciting. It was dramatic. It was heartbreaking if you’re Hajrullahu and the Argos, but it’s immediate and the was a winner.”
Suitor and host Barney Shynkaruk noted how Hajrullahu also missed a field goal on the last play of a game for the Argos two years ago against the Riders but still got a single, which was the decisive point. Suitor added he’s been nervous for ages of the Grey Cup ending in such a fashion.
“That rule change, the way it is right now, is bang on,” Suitor said.
In Ottawa, the Blue Bombers erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The teams then exchanged field goals on their first two possessions in the extra session. That led to two-point try time. Ottawa cashed in one. Winnipeg scored the next two. Ottawa couldn’t convert on its next attempt to extend the contest.
Winnipeg 36, Ottawa 34.
“Let’s brand it the two-point shootout,” Suitor said.
Check out the Suitor’s full segment below.
