Riders head coach excited to see new rules in action

Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson believes proposed rule changes could help the CFL, but it’s no guarantee.

The league announced Wednesday a number of changes to its rules for the 2022 season, including things like moving the hashmarks closer together and making every no-yards infraction a 15-yard penalty.

“There is a push — and it has been happening for years now — to try and increase scoring and make the game a little bit faster-paced and a little more entertaining,” Dickenson said Thursday.

“I think what you’re seeing is here’s what we have — the last five years of data because we don’t have data from 1970 — and is there a way we can increase scoring and somehow open the game up without drastically changing things like the ratio?

“Do we know if it’s going to work? No, we don’t but we’re willing to roll the dice and see what it does.”

Dickenson believes that moving the hashmarks will have the biggest impact of all the changes.

“I think you’re going to see the field dimensions change because of that and it may bring a little more element of the passing game to the new wide side of the field, which is going to be closer than it used to be,” Dickenson said. “That to me is the one rule I think is going to make the most difference.”

And while the change is making the boundary side of the field wider, he thinks that could actually help players like Roughriders receiver Shaq Evans when they’re going up against defenders.

“I think it’s going to open it up for him as well. That boundary corner always had the sideline to work with and he could keep his back there and keep everything in front of him. Because that hashmark is moved in four yards, he’s got a little more area to cover,” Dickenson said.

“It’s going to be exciting and fun to see but I think it’s going to open the game to the boundary as well because you don’t have that sideline to help you as much.”

There is one rule that Dickenson isn’t sure is going to make a big impact, and that’s the ability to have two quarterbacks on the field at the same.

“I think you’ll see some double passes and stuff like that. I’m not sure that’s going to have any sort of meaningful impact,” Dickenson said.

“We only dress two right now, so it’s a chance for one of those two to get injured on a play. It’s an easy rule change, it’s an easy thing to put in there and it adds the ability to have a couple more plays designed to have that second player throw the ball.

“How much will offences use it? We will see.”

But not everyone might be singing the praises of the rule changes.

“(Our defensive coaches) aren’t as excited about it as the offence, I can tell you that,” Dickenson said. “We all like coaching for a living, we all like working in the CFL and we feel like what’s good for the CFL is good for all of us.”

The Riders are getting ready to put the final touches on their roster ahead of training camp, which is set to begin on May 15 in Saskatoon.

The CFL draft is set for Tuesday. The Riders currently hold the seventh overall pick.