After opponent's FG - Receive Kickoff or take 35-yard line?
Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 6:20 pm
Among the many rule differences between the CFL and the NFL, one of them is with regards to the options that a CFL team can take after they give up a successful field goal or score a safety. These options present a good topic of discussion with regards to strategies that are only available on the CFL. In both the CFL and the NFL, once Team A allows Team B to score a touchdown, Team B must kickoff. In the NFL, the same procedure is followed if team B scores a field goal. If the field goal is unsuccessful, team A gets the ball at either the spot of the attempt or their own 20-yard line, whichever is farther from their own goal line. And after team A scores two points by forcing team B to give up a safety, team B must take a free kick (often in the form of a punt) at their own 20 yard line to team A.
But in the CFL, there are three options presented to a team A that gives up a successful field goal to team B or scores a safety. The three options team A can take are:
1. Have team B kickoff from their own 35-yard line.
2. Scrimmage from their own 35-yard line.
3. Kickoff to team B from their own 35-yard line.
I have never seen option #3 used before and I don't think any team in their right mind would ever go with that option because it doesn't make any sense at all to give possession of the ball right back to your opponent by kicking off to them. Therefore, the choices usually come down to having the other team kickoff or scrimmaging from your own 35-yard line. It's a good topic for discussion as to which option is better and from what I've come up with, there seems to be much more advantages to scrimmaging from your own 35-yard line. Although it is definitely more conservative, receiving a kickoff carries more risks, as I will explain now.
Advantages to Receiving a Kickoff
The only advantage to receiving a kickoff is if team A has a strong kick returner and team B has a weak kicker and weak kicking coverage, then team A can end up with very good field position and in the best case scenario, scoring a touchdown if the kickoff is brought all the way back.
Advantages to a 35-yard Scrimmage Instead of Receiving a Kickoff
1. If time is of the essence, then choosing a kickoff wastes more time off the clock.
2. If team B has a strong kicker and good kicking coverage, then team A could be pinned deep in their own end of the field - far behind the 35-yard line.
3. During the kickoff return, there is always a chance of a fumble and recovery by the kicking team.
4. A kickoff allows the opponent an opportunity to try for an onside kick and recovering the ball.
5. Even if the kickoff is well returned, there's always a chance of an illegal block or other penalties that could drive the receiving team back. That happened in the dying moments of the 1988 Grey Cup when after Winnipeg conceded a safety, BC elected for a kickoff and although Drawhorn returned it back to the 45-yard line, Tony Cherry got flagged for an undisciplined major foul and that drove the Lions way back.
So the reasons are 5-1 as to why a team would elect to scrimmage from their own 35-yard line rather than receive a kickoff. That said, I do not know exactly what percentage of the time does a CFL team elect to scrimmage rather than receive a kickoff, but I do think it is more than half of the time. Perhaps a fair estimate is 75% of the time a team would elect for the scrimmage. I don't know if that trend has changed much over the years.
In the 2006 Grey Cup, Paul McCallum kicked five field goals with time remaining on the clock (not counting the one with no time left at the end of the first half) and also conceded two safeties. So of the seven times the Alouettes were presented with this option, 3 times they elected to receive a kickoff and 4 times they scrimmaged from their own 35. The one time Montreal kicked a successful field goal, BC elected to scrimmage from their own 35.
In the 2006 WDF, after the five field goals that McCallum made, Saskatchewan only elected to receive a kickoff once. When the Roughriders scored a field goal and conceded a safety, the Lions elected to receive a kickoff both times.
But in the CFL, there are three options presented to a team A that gives up a successful field goal to team B or scores a safety. The three options team A can take are:
1. Have team B kickoff from their own 35-yard line.
2. Scrimmage from their own 35-yard line.
3. Kickoff to team B from their own 35-yard line.
I have never seen option #3 used before and I don't think any team in their right mind would ever go with that option because it doesn't make any sense at all to give possession of the ball right back to your opponent by kicking off to them. Therefore, the choices usually come down to having the other team kickoff or scrimmaging from your own 35-yard line. It's a good topic for discussion as to which option is better and from what I've come up with, there seems to be much more advantages to scrimmaging from your own 35-yard line. Although it is definitely more conservative, receiving a kickoff carries more risks, as I will explain now.
Advantages to Receiving a Kickoff
The only advantage to receiving a kickoff is if team A has a strong kick returner and team B has a weak kicker and weak kicking coverage, then team A can end up with very good field position and in the best case scenario, scoring a touchdown if the kickoff is brought all the way back.
Advantages to a 35-yard Scrimmage Instead of Receiving a Kickoff
1. If time is of the essence, then choosing a kickoff wastes more time off the clock.
2. If team B has a strong kicker and good kicking coverage, then team A could be pinned deep in their own end of the field - far behind the 35-yard line.
3. During the kickoff return, there is always a chance of a fumble and recovery by the kicking team.
4. A kickoff allows the opponent an opportunity to try for an onside kick and recovering the ball.
5. Even if the kickoff is well returned, there's always a chance of an illegal block or other penalties that could drive the receiving team back. That happened in the dying moments of the 1988 Grey Cup when after Winnipeg conceded a safety, BC elected for a kickoff and although Drawhorn returned it back to the 45-yard line, Tony Cherry got flagged for an undisciplined major foul and that drove the Lions way back.
So the reasons are 5-1 as to why a team would elect to scrimmage from their own 35-yard line rather than receive a kickoff. That said, I do not know exactly what percentage of the time does a CFL team elect to scrimmage rather than receive a kickoff, but I do think it is more than half of the time. Perhaps a fair estimate is 75% of the time a team would elect for the scrimmage. I don't know if that trend has changed much over the years.
In the 2006 Grey Cup, Paul McCallum kicked five field goals with time remaining on the clock (not counting the one with no time left at the end of the first half) and also conceded two safeties. So of the seven times the Alouettes were presented with this option, 3 times they elected to receive a kickoff and 4 times they scrimmaged from their own 35. The one time Montreal kicked a successful field goal, BC elected to scrimmage from their own 35.
In the 2006 WDF, after the five field goals that McCallum made, Saskatchewan only elected to receive a kickoff once. When the Roughriders scored a field goal and conceded a safety, the Lions elected to receive a kickoff both times.