The Green Zone: Riders' Jeremy O'Day preparing for 2025
11h ago
O'Day discusses Trevor Harris and changes to be made to get the Riders back to the Grey Cup.
Tackling and blocking may suffer from the CFL’s new rules, but the players won’t.
Effective immediately, full-contact practices are no longer allowed in the CFL, except during training camp. Commissioner Randy Ambrosie, working with the players’ association, established the new guidelines as part of his oft-stated mandate to make football safer for its participants.
Teams were restricted to 17 practices per season with their players in full pads, engaging in full contact. This may make it tougher for brand-new defensive or offensive linemen to prove their mettle after training camp. Based on years of keen observation, it means the players won’t be able to hone some of their skills in the trenches.
But that’s OK.
They’ll be saving themselves for the games, all 18 of them spaced over 21 weeks next season. The CFL also spaced out its schedule, another move designed to make the game safer. And better.