Don’t expect radical changes to the CFL this off-season

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It’s never been easy to promote the idea of change in the Canadian Football League.

Tradition, for better or for worse, has always been its guiding principle, which is what you might expect from a league that has the same number of teams as it did 70 years ago.

Significant change or innovation is usually met with fierce opposition from loyalists, be it fans or members of the media. That’s exactly what’s happening with the debate raging over whether the league should consider adopting four downs instead of three.

To be clear, the CFL is not engaged in a debate about switching its game to four downs and American rules, although you might think so, given the tone of the debate.

It is, however, in the midst of a review process where nothing is off the table. That process is stoking fear some elements of the Canadian game could be endangered, including the number of downs.

Time for a little history and context on how we got here.

For most of the CFL’s existence, three downs versus four has never been a serious debate. Sure, you’d hear the odd coach or general manager from the U.S. bemoan some of the rules from time to time. But never did the league seriously consider adopting four downs. Not even when it expanded to the U.S. from 1993 to 1995.

Three downs were considered by most an asset, not a problem. As a result, it was rarely discussed.

That changed about a year ago when the CFL announced it was in talks with the new owners of the XFL about collaboration. While the league never officially confirmed the talks were about a merger, everyone understood they might ultimately go in that direction.

That instantly put four downs into the discussion. Privately, there were people at senior