Just thought I'd throw this out to my fellow CFL bettors out here. Do you think the 2007 rule changes will have an effect on totals and have the books adjusted for it?
The 2 rules I believe will have an impact are these...
Rule 5, Section 4 – Kick from Scrimmage
Rule change – add as Article 3, and renumber articles that follow:
“Kick from Scrimmage Going Out of Bounds in Flight”
On a kick from scrimmage going out of bounds in flight between the 20-yard lines, the receiving team will have the option of taking possession at the point the ball went out of bounds in flight, or having a 10-yard penalty applied against the kicking team at the point of the last scrimmage, with the down repeated.
Rationale for change – Forces kicking team on punts and field goal attempts to land the ball in the field of play.
Blocking on Kick returns
The illegal blocking rule states that player can not contact an opponent from behind.
Rule change - To interpret a player having four sides and it is only illegal to contact the player in the back.
Rationale for change - Creates more legal blocks on the side of the defensive player.
By forcing punting teams to land the ball in the field of play and then giving the receiving team more blocking options on the return, the league is trying to bring back some of the excitement in the return game. In doing so, they may have raised the average total however. The question is: In a lower tier league like the CFL do the book take notice of these rule changes and adjust for them?
The 2 rules I believe will have an impact are these...
Rule 5, Section 4 – Kick from Scrimmage
Rule change – add as Article 3, and renumber articles that follow:
“Kick from Scrimmage Going Out of Bounds in Flight”
On a kick from scrimmage going out of bounds in flight between the 20-yard lines, the receiving team will have the option of taking possession at the point the ball went out of bounds in flight, or having a 10-yard penalty applied against the kicking team at the point of the last scrimmage, with the down repeated.
Rationale for change – Forces kicking team on punts and field goal attempts to land the ball in the field of play.
Blocking on Kick returns
The illegal blocking rule states that player can not contact an opponent from behind.
Rule change - To interpret a player having four sides and it is only illegal to contact the player in the back.
Rationale for change - Creates more legal blocks on the side of the defensive player.
By forcing punting teams to land the ball in the field of play and then giving the receiving team more blocking options on the return, the league is trying to bring back some of the excitement in the return game. In doing so, they may have raised the average total however. The question is: In a lower tier league like the CFL do the book take notice of these rule changes and adjust for them?