CFL MAKES CHANGES TO REDUCE RISK OF INJURIES
League eliminates padded practices and adds third bye week to next year’s schedule
In what has to be viewed as a pretty gutsy move by both the CFL and the CFL Players’ Association, the two sides have come together and basically eliminated in-season full-contact, in-pads practices beginning immediately, while also extending the length of the season beginning in 2018 by a week as a means of keeping players as healthy and fresh as possible.
The announcement was made jointly by CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie and CFLPA president Jeff Keeping.
Both said by eliminating full-contact padded practice, something teams normally do just once a week now, they will be better serving their fan base with more rested players.
The duo also announced that beginning in 2018 the league will extend the season by a week to a 21-week schedule, which means three bye weeks for each team as opposed to two.
Ambrosie said eventually the league would like to eliminate all the quick-turnaround games — a handful of teams have been forced to play three games in an 11-day span this season, which is difficult given the physical nature of the sport — but admitted the league is still somewhat restricted by the availability of some of its stadiums. Both moves were received with some surprise, but also gratitude, by a couple of Hamilton Tiger-Cats following practice on Wednesday.
Mike Filer, the Ticats’ starting centre, knows exactly what it feels like to still be recovering from the last game and have to go out and hit someone or take hits in practice. He’s not going to miss those padded practices too much — but there’s still a small part of him that remains wary of doing away with them all together.
“It’s nice every once in a while to put the pads on and get hit and stuff, but at this level, come game time you have to be able to turn it on and you never really forget the feeling of what you are doing,” Filer said. “I guess now it would be a lot more mental preparation and getting technique down.”
Filer pointed out that most teams don’t do a whole lot of practising in pads as it is. He recalls last season the Ticats were hardly ever in pads during practice and this year it’s been just once a week. And when they are in pads, Filer said everyone is well aware the guy across from him in practice is a teammate.
“You hear a lot at this level about practising like a pro,” Filer said.
“I mean, we don’t take the beatings that we used to in college and a lot of that has to do with player safety.”
Overall, though, Filer said the elimination of contact practices makes a lot of sense to him.
“A lot of it is just unnecessary hitting,” Filer said of the contact he has experienced in practice.
“If you don’t have to hit and be in that situation, why put your guys in (harm’s way). A lot of us are still trying to recover (four days after the Ottawa game) and get prepared for Friday’s game.
“I don’t see it as a negative thing. I just think you have to get the other things, you still have to be able to practise like a pro. You may not have the contact but all the fundamentals are there, the technique is there.”
Ticats receiver Brandon Banks agrees with just about everything Filer said, but does wonder what the impact will be on tackling.
“When guys try to make tackles in the open field it’s going to be tough because they have not been doing that in practice,” Banks said.
“What all coaches tell you is what you do in practice translates to the game so it’s going to be tough.
“We just have to simulate a lot of tackling drills, I guess.”
Banks said the league and the association are making this move for all the right reasons.
“At the end of the day I think the league is looking out for guys’ bodies and health, so it’s going to be a good thing.”
You hear a lot at this level about practising like a pro. I mean, we don’t take the beatings that we used to in college and a lot of that has to do with player safety.