On Friday night, the Toronto Argonauts took on the Saskatchewan Roughriders from BMO Field. The game was tied 19-19 with 12 seconds left when Toronto Argonauts kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed a 40-yard field goal wide left and out of bounds.
In normal football, the game would have gone to overtime to determine a winner or end in a tie. However, in the CFL, they have what is called the rouge rule which rewards the kicking team or punting team a single point if the ball is not returned out of the end zone.
The rouge rule helped the Argonauts beat the Roughriders 20-19. Many were talking about this game on social media and this was nothing to celebrate if you are a fan of the CFL.
For those who do not know what the rouge rule is. The kicking team or punting team is rewarded one point should the football go into the end zone and it is not returned by the receiving team. What happened on Friday night was a case of the receiving team did not have a chance to return the missed field goal for a potential touchdown.
Depending on who you ask, most fans want it completely gone and others want it to stay. However, the rouge rule is sacred to Canadian football and the league and most of the teams have attempted to eliminate it in the past but were not successful. So, how can we fix the rouge rule to make it better for the league and the overall game?
The rouge rule needs to be modified, not eliminated from the game. The rouge rule should only come into play if the returning team has a chance to return the football out of the end zone whether it is a missed field goal or a punt return.
The CFL does not reward the point if a field goal hits the goal post and declares it a dead ball. They also do not reward a point if the ball is intercepted or fumbled in the end zone. So, why can’t they not allow a point for a missed field goal or a punt return if the returner does not have a chance to return it?
After all, there have been some exciting missed field goals and punt returns for touchdowns over the years from guys like Mario Alford, Janarion Grant, DeVonte Dedmon, and James Letcher Jr. have made some memorable missed field goal returns for touchdowns.
However, if the returner chooses to take a knee in the end zone, then the kicking team or the punting team gets a single point. You have to let the returners determine the outcome of the rouge rule whether the kicking team or the punting team gets a point.
By modifying the rouge rule, the league would end rewarding missed field goals that cannot be returned. Instead, reward the point if the receiving team refuses to return it out of their end zone. The league should modify the rouge rule this upcoming off-season. The sooner they get it done, the better the league will be, and will not have these situations ever again.
