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While football in the United States is associated with crisp autumn days and cool nights, in Canada professional football begins in the summer time. While NFL training camps won’t open until mid-summer by then the Canadian Football League (CFL) will be well into their regular season schedule.

Most Americans dont realize that the CFL has a lengthy and storied history. The league itself has been around since’30, and the Canadian Football championship–known as the Grey Cup–has been contended since’09. More recently, American fans are aware that a number of NFL stars got their start in the CFL including Doug Flutie, Jim Kelly, and Jeff Garcia.

While the CFL plays football at the highest professional level of competition outside of the NFL, there are a few differences in the game:

At the most basic level, the football itself is bigger than the NFL ball. It is longer and fatter than the NFL ball. The CFL goal posts are on the goal line, while the NFLs are on the end line at the back of the endzone. The CFL field is also longer (110 yards) and wider (65 yards vs. the NFLs 53.5 yards), and the CFL end zones are 20 yards deep as opposed to 10 yards in the NFL.

CFL teams are allowed to have 12 players on the field at a time, one more than is standard in American football. The extra offensive player is a wide receiver, and on defense they’re allowed an extra defensive back. CFL teams allow a team only three downs to move ten yards as opposed to four in the US game–references to a team going “two and out” are common on CFL broadcasts.

There are also differences in the scoring of the game. The first time I saw a CFL score tied 1-1 at the end of the first quarter I thought I was hallucinating. A major rule difference between the CFL and NFL is the fact that teams can score a single point, which those clever Canadians call a single. Basically, a team is awarded a single point for a missed field goal or a punt that lands in the end zone.

Of all the rule differences between the NFL and CFL the one that has the most significance on the game isnt enforced on the field; its enforced in the GMs office. Canadians are big on laws and rules to protect their national identity–thats why their TV and radio stations are required to devote a certain percentage of their airplay to Canadian content. That has led to a number of Canadian-only media stars both good (The Tragically Hip, Sloan) and bad (Avril Lavigne, early 90s white rapper Snow). The CFL has a similar rule which requires that’ of the 40 players on a roster must be Canadian born. This keeps the CFL from becoming a de facto NFL developmental league, and helps maintain its unique identity.

Many US football fans look at the rules that include more players, a wider field, and fewer downs meant to encourage more passing and expect to see a wide open high scoring style of play similar to Arena Football. That’s not really how it works out–most games end up with final score totals in the 40’s, but the game itself really isn’t much more offensively oriented than its American counterpart. The rules may be different, but as in the NFL you need a solid rushing game and a stout defense to win games and championships.

The requirement of native born players making up 50% of a CFL roster also results in a much more even distribution of talent across the league. Certainly there are good teams and bad teams, but the end result is greater parity than is found in the NFL.

Among the ‘non-Canadians’ on the team, its also important to note that the CFL doesn’t get the highest level US college players. Most with NFL ability are in the NFL, or on a NFL team’s practice or developmental squad. There’s definitely some American players that are uniquely suited to the CFL game, but the general level of talent is similar to that seen in the Arena Football League.

The bottom line is that despite the rule differences and personal quotas the CFL game is still football and can be enjoyed the same way. Once you understand the unique attributes of the Canadian game youll start to enjoy it almost as much as the NFL.

In the pre-Internet era, it was often difficult for US fans to find information on the CFL. They don’t get coverage on ESPN, but they receive extensive attention in the Canadian press. Each CFL city has their own sports media, and the official CFL website also has many resources including previews and statistics.

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

I have personally attended the training camp at St Johns Fisher College twice this summer. I have to say that I believe that the Buffalo Bills will be a force in the AFC East this year. They have improved in every aspect of the game. This of course only remains to be seen, they have to put it all together on the field come game day.

Starting with Terrell Owens, possibly the team’s biggest addition in franchise history, this is a huge acquisition for the team. He looks great in practice with Trent Edwards and the two already have chemistry.

While I know that he gets hit with nagging injuries from time to time, hopefully he’ll be ok through the year - because with Lee Evans by his side, there will be few better one-two wide receiver duos (if any) in the league.

Now for the running game, the addition of Dominick Rhodes was great. He adds quality and consistency at the fullback position. With Fred Jackson running the ball during the first 3 or 4 games during Lynch’s suspension Rhodes will be very handy in opening up some holes.

As far as Lynch goes, he will be missing the first few games due to his suspension, but I think he’ll be in great shape come week 4 once he’s able to play. This should be a great year for Lynch, as Owens’ presence will create some serious opportunities.

Now the biggest question mark is the offensive line. Bills fans everywhere are hoping that the no huddle will lessen the load on these young guys.

To counter these concerns, the Bills will be running many no huddle plays. This may wear down defenses, making the offensive line’s job a bit easier.

I’ll be going to the week 4 preseason game, the team’s last before the regular season starts. I’ll be posting another analysis about the team after seeing this game, and weekly regular season updates will follow.