Photo courtesy: Matt Smith CFL.ca

Cody Fajardo was deeply triggered by Monday’s announcement that the CFL would be making significant rule changes, but not for the reasons you might think.

“Well, I think the thing I’m most pissed off about is I got to watch that damn 2019 clip over and over and over again,” the current Edmonton Elks quarterback laughed when asked about the announcement.

Fajardo was the unwitting poster boy for one of the biggest changes unveiled, which will see the goalposts moved from the goal line to the back of the end zone in 2027. The league’s slick marketing video justified the new rule by showing off the final play of the 2019 West Final — arguably the most famous doink in CFL history.

Then at the helm of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Fajardo had the ball in position to score a game-tying touchdown as time expired. Instead, his final shot at the end zone was drilled off the crossbar, which caused the quarterback to fall to the ground in disbelief.

Don’t see this often:
Cody Fajardo final play passed ball deflected on goalpost crossbar
Winnipeg 20 Saskatchewan 13
Blue Bombers beat Roughriders win West face Hamilton Tiger Cats in Grey Cup #CFL pic.twitter.com/3XS8ltzY8v

— John Tharp (@JohnPTharp) November 18, 2019

Fajardo wasn’t the first or the last quarterback to fall victim to that obstruction — in fact, he hit the post again on a key drive in the 2021 Labour Day Classic. However, his memorable encounter with the upright has haunted the CFL’s most passionate fan base for half a decade and sent the rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers to the first of what would be five straight Grey Cup games.

“I’m going to try and petition to make that the ‘Cody Fajardo rule’ to get the goalpost put back in the end zone,” Fajardo joked. “If I could get my name attached to that somehow, maybe that’s the legacy I leave on the CFL.”

While plays like Fajardo’s are part of the reasoning behind the CFL’s movement of the goal posts, it wasn’t the primary motivation. Leaning on recent data showing that comparatively few passes are thrown to the middle of the end zone compared to either side, the league believes they can add 10 percent more completions and 60 more touchdowns annually with the change.

While he is in favour of the league’s decision, Fajardo says the reality of scheming around the goalpost is different than most people expect.

“Offensively, we use it more than I think people realize,” he said. “Obviously, if you look in terms of targets, we don’t target over the middle as much because there is the iron cross there. But we use it in picks, in ways to run meshes down there. When we get a lot of man coverage and a defender’s got to run around a big goalpost, it just opens up and creates space.”

He believes that the change will be far more impactful in the reverse scenario: when teams are pinned deep in their own end and are forced to operate with the posts behind them.

“Our backed-up call sheet is attack the boundary, attack the boundary, attack the boundary. You’ll see sometimes on film, the field DBs just kind of take a play off,” Fajardo explained. “I know Coach Maas and I did a huge study on where we can take shots to the field. How far out can we be to take a three-step, to take a five-step? And with that being changed, I think it just opens up the whole field, and now you’re able to attack the entire field.”

“I know everyone’s talking about the red zone changes, but I think backed up, which happens a lot in this league — we’ve got good punters, we’ve got people that can pin teams deep — I think that’s what’s where it’s going to see the most benefit.”

The 33-year-old also believes the league will benefit from the other rule changes set to be rolled out over the next two years. Most notably, he believes the move to place opposing benches on opposite sides in all stadiums next year will be a boon for quick substitutions and help eliminate a number of “bush league” penalties.

He hopes the league works to ensure that the change from a 20-second play clock to a 35-second running clock doesn’t adversely affect teams’ ability to stage dramatic comebacks in the final three minutes. However, Fajardo sees any other potential changes to that rule as tinkering on the road to modernization.

“I think changing and evolutionizing the game, you have to do that to stay competitive,” he said. “I’m really excited about some of those rules.”

The Edmonton Elks (5-9) will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-3) on Saturday, September 27 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Roughriders were on a bye this past week, while the Elks suffered a heartbreaking walk-off loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The weather forecast in Edmonton calls for a high of 18 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 620 CKRM in Regina and 880 CHED in Edmonton.