Dave Dickenson is urging his charges to live in the here and now.
Think about this year and not 2026 or even 2027, when the two-year tear-down of many traditional Canadian Football League rules is complete.
The Calgary Stampeders GM/head coach wants his players focused on today, because whether they’re for or against the impending CFL changes — highlighted by shortening the field and moving the goalposts to the back of the end zone — it doesn’t change their job or even his.
“Really trying not to overthink it,” said Dickenson, who emphasized his love for the CFL the way it is currently.
“We’re still employees of the league,” the coach continued. “I work for other people, and whatever they give us, we’re going to do the best with it and try to understand how it might affect the change of game-flow pattern and hopefully get an advantage.
“But as far as making policies or changing things, I’m not really in that loop.”
Jay McNeil, the Stamps president, is in that loop and was out after practice Tuesday to back the moves — aimed at producing more touchdowns — being implementing over the next two seasons.
“It’s certainly changing the game,” continued McNeil. “And it’s all about changing it for the better — be more entertaining, be more aggressive in the red zone, have more scoring and all about increasing fan engagement while also maintaining our Canadian roots.”
Following the announcement Monday delivered by CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston, fans across the city certainly became engaged …
And some became enraged.
Stampeders president Jay McNeil says “hopefully, over time, the data that the league has used for analysis (leading to the rule changes) is proven correct.”
For the purists, the moves are seen as a shot at tradition and the Canadian way of football. Moving the goalposts to the back of a shortened end zone — that by five yards to become 15 in depth — and shortening the length of the field between the goal-lines by 10 yards to become 100 instead of 110 is surely a sign the CFL is being Americanized.
“Certainly the traditionalist will not be happy, because the game is changing,” McNeil said. “Hopefully, over time, the data that the league has used for analysis is proven correct and then we’ll see that increase in scoring by 10% or more, and then the traditionalists will be happy with the changes.
“We still have the core fundamentals that make this the Canadian game — three downs, 12 players, the wide field, the waggle … those all still remain. And this is about making it more entertaining.”
Two major changes are slated for 2027 …
• Moving the goalposts to the back of the end zones, which will be shortened to 15 yards from today’s 20-yard depth. “We’re standardizing the end zones, right?” McNeil said. “You got Toronto with an 18-yard end zone. You got Montreal with the corners that are cut out of the end zone. So we’re making them 15 yards so everybody can do that. It also maintains the biggest end zones in football.”
• Cutting the field of play to 100 yards between the goal-lines, down from the historical 110. “Removing the centre line is about being able to score faster,” McNeil said. “There’s less yardage to get into the end zone. And this is all about driving scoring.”
And next year’s key changes include …
• The removal of the rouge — that’s a single point — for a missed field goal or a punt or kickoff that goes through the end zone.
• A 35-second automatic reset of the play clock, replacing the current 20 seconds teams have once the play is blown in by an official.
• Requiring fields to have team benches placed on opposite sides of the field (for player safety reasons).
“For me, I guess the major one is the clock,” Dickenson said. “With that one, I’ve started thinking about how many times you’re going to be able to change personnel groupings. What happens if you get a long bomb — when’s the clock going to start?
“I am a coach that has been frustrated through the years. Sometimes when teams sit on the sideline and wait and wait and wait, and then at the last minute, they send in their big guys, you then have to check in. And you can see, at times, a minute or a minute and 10 seconds running off the clock. And guess what? I love it when I’m ahead, but I hate it when I’m behind.
“And so, I don’t mind change and trying stuff.”
The coach says the players most affected by the new rules will be those on special teams, including the kicker.
Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes expects fewer field-goal attempts under the new rules, adding “I feel bad for the kickers.”
“I think it’s going to be less (field-goal) attempts per year,” said Stamps veteran kicker René Paredes. “Usually, I go between 45 to 60 attempts per year. I think I’ll be about 45 attempts. So less kicking, less field goals.
“I mean … they’re trying to make more touchdowns, which I get. But at the same time, I feel they got to think about everybody else. And I feel they are taking away the biggest play in the CFL, which is the missed field goal for a touchdown returns. As a kicker, If it happens to me, it sucks. But it’s a big part of the game that changes the game, and fans love it.
“I feel bad for the kickers.”
QB OR NOT QB?
QB Vernon Adams Jr. practised fully Tuesday despite a taking an enemy knee to the back in last weekend’s loss.
“Woke up feeling much better (Tuesday),” said the Stamps starting quarterback. “I’ll talk to the doctors and the trainers, and we’ll progress after that.”
“He’s better,” agreed Dickenson, of his QB. “I think he’s trending in a positive direction. But when you do extra work or do normal work, you kind of want to make sure how you feel the next day.”
Of course, the Stamps (8-5) hope Adams will be ready for Friday’s visit to play the Montreal Alouettes at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (5 p.m., TSN, CHQR 770 AM/107.3 FM the Edge).
“They’ll bring a lot of blitzes on us, so we’re prepared for that,” added Dickenson, who has healthy QBs Josh Love, Quincy Vaughn and newly signed Logan Bonner he can turn to if Adams isn’t good to go.
“Who gives his best chance to win? And then, as a quarterback, you’ve gotta be able to get away and move around and those types of things. And we’ll have a better idea of that (with Adams) as the week goes on.”
tsaelhof@postmedia.com