Pats Lose Opener

Dawson McAuley has had better nights and so have the Regina Pats. A sold-out crowd "rocked the Red" Saturday night as the Pats opened up their best of 7 first round series with the Brandon Wheat Kings with a first period they would rather forget. The Wheat Kings jumped out into a 4-0 lead as the combination of giveaways and some shaky goaltending by McAuley put the visitors in control.

Pats coach Malcolm Cameron had no choice than to put in backup Tyler Fuhr after the 4th Brandon goal and he responded as he closed the door allowing the Pats to make the deficit 4-2, but Ryan Pulock then showed why he is the one top blueliners in the league and why the New York Islanders drafted him in the first round. With the Wheat Kings losing momentum, Pulock took the puck at his own blueline and skated through the Pats defence tucking one behind Fuhr on a highlight reel goal to basically salt it away.

The Pats played the game without Dyson Stevenson (broken hand) and Daniel Wapple (lower body injury). After the game, head coach Malcolm Cameron would not say what their status is for Sunday's Game 2 nor who his starting goaltender will be.

Sunday's Game 2 starts at 7 o'clock at the Brandt Centre. 620 CKRM will have the game along with another one hour pre-game show starting at 6.

CFL Mock Draft

The Calgary Sun's Scott Mitchell says no time is a bad time for a CFL mock draft. He has done one. Here is his article. Enjoy!

In my mind, it’s never too early for a mock draft.
In this spot over the next seven weeks, leading up to the 2014 CFL Draft on May 13, you’ll find various draft tidbits and different incarnations of this mock draft. Leading into Sunday’s CFL Combine in Toronto — the 40-yard dash, 3-cone drill, etc. are that day — this is simply the 1.0 version with just two rounds, but eventually, as the draft process unravels, you’ll find blurbs and a full seven-round projection.
Keep in mind, this projection is based on a combination of team needs, historical draft trends, as well as information from sources as to which way teams are leaning, and not who I would pick, although you’ll eventually be able to read my thoughts on each and every pick.
Feel free to hit me up on Twitter (@SUNMitchell) with your thoughts, questions or rants. Enjoy.
NOTE: McGill OL Laurent Duvernay Tardif is considered the top prospect in the 2014 draft class, but NFL interest has made it tough to peg how high the versatile Redmen offensive lineman will end up going. He could end up out of the first two rounds altogether like top ’13 prospect Boseko Lokombo, or he could fall to into the late first-round range, as OL Matt Sewell did last year.
ROUND 1
1. Ottawa RedBlacks — Pierre Lavertu, OL, Laval
Hard to see RedBlacks going anywhere but offensive line. Could be one of four guys.
2. Winnipeg Blue Bombers — David Foucault, OL, Montreal
New Bombers regime needs to start building O-line depth.
3. Edmonton Eskimos — Matthias Goosen, OL, Simon Fraser
This guy could be top pick. O-line is top need, and new HC Chris Jones loves imports on ‘D.’
4. Montreal Alouettes — Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OL, McGill
Als could be one team willing to wait on consensus top prospect.
5. B.C. Lions — Devon Bailey, WR, St. FX
Lions have receiver depth, but Bailey may be too good to pass up.
6. Toronto Argonauts — Beau Landry, LB/FS, Western
Landry could have Mike Edem-like rise if he runs quick 40-yard dash.
7. Calgary Stampeders — Evan Gill, DT, Manitoba
Big interior lineman has NFL body but not NFL motor. Corey Mace isn’t picture of health.
8. Saskatchewan Roughriders (from Hamilton) — Andrew Lue, DB, Queen’s
Rangy 6-foot-2 defensive back is similar in size to departed FS/LB Craig Butler.
9. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (from Saskatchewan) — Adam Thibault, DB, Laval
Two-way burner would be good value this late in first round.
ROUND 2
10. Ottawa RedBlacks — Anthony Coombs, RB, Manitoba
11. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (from Saskatchewan, via Winnipeg) — Kirby Fletcher, DL, Acadia
12. B.C. Lions (via Edmonton) — Derek Wiggan, DL, Queen’s
13. Montreal Alouettes — Dylan Ainsworth, DL, Western
14. B.C. Lions — Casey Chin, LB, Simon Fraser
15. Toronto Argonauts — Kris Bastien, WR, Concordia
16. Calgary Stampeders — Josh Burns, DB, Windsor
17. Hamilton Tiger-Cats — Max Caron, LB, Concordia
18. Saskatchewan Roughriders — Kit Hillis, WR, Saskatchewan

This And That

The weekly collection of thoughts running through my muddled brain-----as always in no particular order


--The WHL playoffs are upon us and the Regina Pats are in them. That's a sentence you haven't been able to say for many years over the last few, but it is the case this year thanks to some shrewd moves by GM Chad Lang and some great coaching by Malcolm Cameron. I don't know if the Brandon Wheat Kings are a great first round matchup for the home side who would love to get into the second round of the playoffs for the first time in I can't remember how long, but they will have a tough go of it against a Brandon team that has shown they can win at the Brandt Centre.  Pats GM Chad Lang was on "The Sportscage" Tuesday and said discipline will be a key. I can't disagree.

--I am a little shocked Malcolm Cameron and Chad Lang weren't recognized for year-end awards. I have to wonder if this could be used as motivation for the guys.  I can see the argument for Medicine Hat's Shaun Clouston seeing he still managed to get his team into the playoffs in a tough Central Division without their best player in Hunter Shinkaruk. However, I don't think many thought the Pats would be a 39 win team and a division winner in Cameron's first year as coach.  As for Lang, Cameron wouldn't have had the success he and the team had were it not for some very shrewd moves. Once again, you can't tell me Mike Moore in Calgary with a Hitmen team expected to contend for a Central title did a better job than Lang.  If the Pats aren't a little choked. they should be. They got the short end of the stick in this one.

----Rod Pedersen was enlightening Phil Andrews on some Pats-Wheat Kings playoff stories of years past and the name of Matt Hubbauer came up. Hubbauer got suspended in that playoff season for an elbow he threw at Jordin Tootoo. The Brandon antagonizer was ready to run Hubby over and he saw it in enough time to get his elbow up. Tootoo did not get up.  Where is Hubbauer now anyways? He was one of the more popular Pats over the last 25 years.  Who else was in that role of most popular player? Dale Derkatch, Jordan Eberle and the late Rick Rypien are three that come to mind immediately.  Travis Churchman and Jan Zapletal do not,


--At what point do the Wheat Kings go to whatever group runs the farm show that kicks them out and asks them to move it up a couple of weeks so this scenario isn't repeated as it is year after  year after year. It makes the Wheat Kings look bad and in doing so it makes the WHL look bad too.

--The Oilers aren't making the playoffs and I have known that, but at least catch and surpass the Flames in the regular season standings. Is that too much to ask?

--The Brier final had 893-thousand viewers on TSN. Compare that to the last four Rider regular season games on TSN that did not have that many watching. Curling getting better numbers than the Riders. That should have those who use the old cornbroom pretty happy.

--The beatdown given to Daniel Bryan by Triple H on RAW Monday got to be a little uncomfortable. This only certifies in my mind that the bearded one will be walking out of WrestleMania as the champ.

--When you've been to Seattle as much as I have or even if you have only been there once, chances are you take the Monorail to the Space Needle. That monorail basically goes right beside the KOMO TV studios where that helicopter crashed Tuesday. I have walked that area of road many a time and it sends a chill down your spine when you see the pics and you know exactly where it is because you have walked around that area. I also can't help but wonder how the men and women of KOMO TV and radio were able to do their job knowing two of their own were gone. I didn't see a lot of TV on the subject, but in what I did see, the KOMO reporters did a tremendous job. It was tough enough for me to read Bob Hughes' death last year. I can't imagine what it would be like to say one of my co-workers had passed away in the  line of duty or one of any Regina media. I don't want to find out. either.

--It was tough hearing Rey Williams was retiring. I was a big Rey Williams from his first tour of duty here and I was real happy when he came back to Riderville because I knew the defence would get better.  While it was tough seeing him retire, I thought it was great for the Riders to bring him in as director of player development. Another great move by the Riders. Is there any wonder why they are seen as the model franchise in the CFL right now. Blame Jim Hopson for that.

--
--The CFL is going to allow instant replay on pass interference calls. I am guessing former NFL defensive back Corey Chamblin did not vote for that. As much as I agree that there is inconsistency in the refereeing in the CFL, you can't have a judgment call go to review. If they are going to do this, then they have to put no yards to a review and they have to put whether or not the receiver goes offside to review and many other things. I just think this will be a total disaster. I guess we'll see. One thing is for sure and it is pretty obvious now the CFL has it in for defenses. You can't touch the quarterback and now you can't touch a receiver.

--Back to the Pats. They want us to rock the red and wear red clothing to Games 1 and 2. I'm down with that especially with the home side wearing their red jerseys for Game 1. However, there is talk they won't be wearing red jerseys for Game 2. Ummmmmmm. If you want the fans to wear red, you have to as well. Its like teams having a white out and then coming out in their dark uniforms.

--March Madness has started with a bang. There were some great finishes on the first day of the tournament and more will be coming on the second day. 14 of 16 right on the 1st day including the three big upsets. My bracket is right here for those who care.

--Is this the goal of the year in the NHL??? WOW!!!


--That's all I got. Hope to see ya at the rink Saturday night.

Cameron and Lang Get Snubbed

The WHL announced the 2014 Awards Finalists in the following categories:

WHL Rookie of the Year, Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Nikita Scherbak (Moscow, Russia), Saskatoon Blades
Western Conference – Nick Merkley (Calgary, AB), Kelowna Rockets

WHL Goaltender of the Year, Del Wilson Trophy
Eastern Conference – Tristan Jarry (Delta, BC), Edmonton Oil Kings
Western Conference – Jordon Cooke (Leduc, AB), Kelowna Rockets

WHL Defenceman of the Year, Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Josh Morrissey (Calgary, AB), Prince Albert Raiders
Western Conference – Derrick Pouliot (Weyburn, SK), Portland Winterhawk

WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year, Brad Hornung Trophy
Eastern Conference – Sam Reinhart (Vancouver, BC), Kootenay Ice
Western Conference – Mitch Holmberg (Sherwood Park, AB), Spokane Chiefs

WHL Scholastic Player of the Year, Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Nelson Nogier (Saskatoon, SK) Saskatoon Blades
Western Conference – Dominic Turgeon (Cherry Hills, CO) Portland Winterhawks

WHL Coach of the Year, Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Shaun Clouston, Medicine Hat Tigers
Western Conference – Dave Lowry, Victoria Royals

WHL Executive of the Year, Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Mike Moore, Calgary Hitmen
Western Conference – Cam Hope, Victoria Royals

WHL Humanitarian of the Year, Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Sam Fioretti (Calgary, AB) Moose Jaw Warriors
Western Conference – Mitch Topping (Red Deer, AB) Tri City Americans

WHL Marketing / Business Award
Eastern Conference – Regina Pats
Western Conference – Seattle Thunderbirds

WHL Regular Season Champions, Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy
Kelowna Rockets: GP – 72 W – 57 L – 11 OTL – 0 SL – 4 Pts. – 118
WHL Top Scorer – Bob Clarke Trophy
Mitch Holmberg (Sherwood Park, AB), Spokane Chiefs
GP – 72 G – 62 A – 56 Pts – 118 PIM – 25

WHL Eastern Division Playoff Preview

1) EDMONTON OIL KINGS vs (8) PRINCE ALBERT
2013-14 regular-season record:
Edmonton: 50-19-2-1, 103pts (L10: 6-4-0-0)
Prince Albert: 35-32-3-2, 75pts (L10: 6-3-1-0)
2013-14 head-to-head record:
Edmonton: 2-1-0-1, 5pts
Prince Albert: 2-2-0-0, 4pts
2013-14 head-to-head top scorers:
Edmonton:
Curtis Lazar 4gp-6g-3a-9pts
Henrik Samuelsson 4gp-3g-3a-6pts
Prince Albert:
Leon Draisaitl 4gp-2g-5a-7pts
Dakota Conroy 3gp-3g-3a-6pts
The Edmonton Oil Kings meet the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL playoffs for the first time.
The Oil Kings come into the playoffs as Central Division and Eastern Conference regular-season champions for a third consecutive season and on the back of their third straight campaign with 50 or more victories. Curtis Lazar and Henrik Samuelsson head up an attack that ranked first among Eastern Conference teams and boasted five players with 25 or more goals this season. Defensively, no team was better than the Oil Kings, who surrendered just 179 goal this season while owning the League’s second-best penalty killing unit. Led by Ashton Sautner and Cody Corbett, Edmonton’s defense corps was a combined +188 this season while producing 52 goals and 226 points. Goaltender Tristan Jarry has been a rock for the Oil Kings over the last two regular season, and now gets the opportunity to lead the team into the post-season after two years of backing up Laurent Brossoit.

The Raiders battled their way into the playoffs by knocking off the Red Deer Rebels in a rare tiebreaker game for the eighth and final playoff spot after the teams finished tied on points at the end of the regular season. Featuring elite stars like Leon Draisaitl and Josh Morrissey, the Raiders have an offense capable of inflicting damage. Draisaitl finished fourth in WHL scoring with 105 points while Morrissey led all WHL defencemen with 28 goals. Depth lies in veterans Dakota Conroy, Collin Valcourt and Reid Gardiner. Defensively, the Raiders allowed the second-most goals of any Eastern Conference playoff team, including giving up 22 goals in four head-to-head meetings versus Edmonton. Veteran netminder Cole Cheveldave has plenty of playoff experience from his time in Kamloops, but rookie Nick McBride has been the go-to guy over the last month for Prince Albert.
Series Schedule (All Start Times Local)
#1 – Prince Albert @ Edmonton; Saturday, March 22 (1:30pm)
#2 – Prince Albert @ Edmonton; Sunday, March 23 (4:00pm)
#3 – Edmonton @ Prince Albert; Tuesday, March 25 (7:00pm)
#4 – Edmonton @ Prince Albert; Wednesday, March 26 (7:00pm)
#5 – Prince Albert @ Edmonton; Saturday, March 29 (7:00pm) **
#6 – Edmonton @ Prince Albert; Sunday, March 30 (7:00pm) **
#7 – Prince Albert @ Edmonton; Tuesday, April 1 (7:00pm) **
** If Necessary


(2) REGINA PATS vs (7) BRANDON WHEAT KINGS
2013-14 regular-season record:
Regina: 39-26-4-3, 85pts (L10: 5-4-1-0)
Brandon: 34-29-6-3, 77pts (L10: 6-3-0-1)
2013-14 head-to-head record:
Regina: 3-3-2-0, 8pts
Brandon: 5-3-0-0, 10pts
2013-14 head-to-head top scorers:
Regina:
Chandler Stephenson 8gp-4g-7a-11pts
Morgan Klimchuk 5gp-2g-8a-10pts
Brandon:
Peter Quenneville 7gp-7g-8a-15pts
Richard Nejezchleb 8gp-4g-8a-12pts
The Regina Pats and Brandon Wheat Kings meet up in the WHL playoffs for the first time since the 2002-03 season. Jordin Tootoo’s Wheat Kings defeated Colton Orr and the Pats four games to one in the first round of the 2003 WHL playoffs.
The Pats come into the WHL playoffs having captured the East Division title for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign. Under first-year head coach Malcolm Cameron, the Pats enjoyed a productive offensive season, scoring 64 more goals than they did last year. Led by Dyson Stevenson’s 38 goals, the Pats boasted four players who topped the 30-goal mark and another who hit the 20-goal plateau. Rookie defenceman Dmitry Sinitsyn heads up a defense corps that produced 34 goals while also combining for a +72 rating. Netminder Dawson MacAuley posted a 2.75 GAA and a .920 save percentage in six games in March leading up to the end of the season. He’ll likely get the start in the post-season with Daniel Wapple sidelined.

The Wheat Kings are back in the post-season after missing the playoffs last year for the first time since 1999-00. With plenty of talent up front, the Wheat Kings’ offense produced the fifth-most goals in the WHL. Led by Richard Nejezchleb’s 32 markers, the Wheat Kings had seven different players hit the 20-goal mark while also boasting the League’s second-ranked power play. Defensively, the Wheat Kings allowed more goals than any other Club that qualified for the playoffs. Ryan Pulock and the Brandon defense corps will need to keep the Pats’ top quartet of Chandler Stephenson, Dyson Stevenson, Morgan Klimchuk and Boston Leier in check. Goaltenders Curtis Honey and Jordan Papirny both go into the playoffs looking for their first post-season experience.
Series Schedule
#1 – Brandon @ Regina; Saturday, March 22 (7:00pm)
#2 – Brandon @ Regina; Sunday, March 23 (7:00pm
#3 – Regina @ Brandon; Wednesday, March 26 (7:00pm)
#4 – Regina @ Brandon; Friday, March 28 (7:00pm)
#5 – Brandon @ Regina; Saturday, March 29 (7:00pm)**
#6 – Regina @ Brandon; Monday, March 31 (2:00pm)** Location TBD
#7 – Brandon @ Regina; Wednesday, April 2 (7:00pm)**
** If Necessary


(3) CALGARY HITMEN vs (6) KOOTENAY ICE
2013-14 regular-season record:
Calgary: 48-17-3-4, 103pts (L10: 7-2-0-1)
Kootenay: 39-28-2-3, 83pts (L10: 4-5-0-1)
2013-14 head-to-head record:
Calgary: 4-4-0-0, 8pts
Kootenay: 4-2-1-1, 10pts
2013-14 head-to-head top scorers:
Calgary:
Greg Chase 7gp-5g-4a-9pts
Jake Virtanen 8gp-4g-4a-8pts
Kootenay:
Sam Reinhart 7gp-3g-14a-17pts
Jaedon Descheneau 8gp-9g-5a-14pts
The Calgary Hitmen and Kootenay Ice meet up in the WHL playoffs for the first time since the 2006-07 season. The Hitmen defeated the Ice in seven games in the opening round of the 2007 WHL Playoffs, with Ian Duval netting the series winner in overtime of Game 7.
The Hitmen are making their 16^th playoff appearance in the 19-year history of the franchise, and enter the 2014 post-season having been narrowly edged out by Edmonton for first place in the division and conference. Calgary’s attack, led by sophomore Jake Virtanen and his 45 goals, finished second in the conference in offensive production. Featuring five players with 20 or more goals and nine players with at least 35 points, Calgary has the ability to put the puck in the net. Defensively, only Edmonton and Medicine Hat allowed fewer goals than Calgary among Eastern Conference Clubs. Veteran rearguards Alex Roach and Jaynen Rissling head up a Calgary defense that helped the team to the WHL’s third-best penalty killing unit. Goaltender Chris Driedger has shown he can perform under playoff pressure following last year’s run to the Eastern Conference Championship series.
The Ice are making their 16^th consecutive playoff appearance after having posted a record of .500 or better for a WHL-record 15^th straight campaign. To say that top trio of Sam Reinhart, Jaedon Descheneau and Luke Philp have been crucial to the Ice’s success this season would be an understatement. The trio combined for 111 of the team’s 235 goals this season, having carried the bulk of the offensive load for the Ice. The acquisition of Zach Franko at the trade deadline added another solid scoring threat, but the loss of Tim Bozon removes a big offensive weapon from the Ice’s arsenal. Veteran defender Jagger Dirk and rookie rearguard Rinat Valiev helped lead the Ice to the fourth-best defensive record in the Eastern Conference while netminder Mackenzie Skapski enjoyed a strong season in the Ice goal crease.
Series Schedule
#1 – Kootenay @ Calgary; Thursday, March 20 (7:00pm)
#2 – Kootenay @ Calgary; Saturday, March 22 (7:00pm)
#3 – Calgary @ Kootenay; Monday, March 24 (7:00pm)
#4 – Calgary @ Kootenay; Tuesday, March 25 (7:00pm)
#5 – Kootenay @ Calgary, Thursday, March 27 (7:00pm)**
#6 – Calgary @ Kootenay; Saturday, March 29 (7:00pm)**
#7 – Kootenay @ Calgary; Monday, March 31 (7:00pm)**
** If Necessary


(4) MEDICINE HAT TIGERS vs (5) SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS
2013-14 regular-season record:
Medicine Hat: 44-24-3-1, 92pts (L10: 6-3-0-1)
Swift Current: 38-25-3-6, 85pts (L10: 8-1-1-0)
2013-14 head-to-head record:
Medicine Hat: 2-2-0-0, 4pts
Swift Current: 2-2-0-0, 4pts
2013-14 head-to-head top scorers:
Medicine Hat:
Cole Sanford 4gp-5g-2a-7pts
Curtis Valk 4gp-2g-2a-4pts
Swift Current:
Graham Black 4gp-4g-2a-6pts
Nathan Burns 5gp-3g-3a-6pts
The Medicine Hat Tigers meet up with the Swift Current Broncos for a WHL Playoff series for the first time since the 2008-09 season. Tyler Ennis and the Tigers defeated Cody Eakin and the Broncos four games to three in the first round of the 2009 WHL Playoffs.
The Tigers are making their 12^th straight playoff appearance, and have advanced to at least the second round in 10 of the last 11 seasons, including in each of the last five seasons. Led by 47-goal man Curtis Valk, the Tigers boast four players who scored at least 25 goals and 50 points. Add in high-scoring defencemen Tommy Vannelli, Dylan Bredo and Tyler Lewington, and the Tigers have an attack that scored the fourth-most goals in the conference. Vannelli, Bredo and Lewington also shored up the Eastern Conference’s second-best defence, having allowed just 196 goals. German netminder Marek Langhamer enjoyed a terrific campaign, posting a 23-14-3 record with a .913 save percentage in 40 games while rookie Nick Schneider impressed with a 6-0-0-0 record in eight appearances.

The Broncos enter the post-season having been edged out by Regina for the East Division title on the basis of the Pats having more victories, but come into the playoffs having won four straight and eight of their last 10 games. Graham Black took his game to a new level in his final regular season, leading the team and finishing among the top 10 in WHL scoring with 97 points. Five Broncos finished with at least 26 goals and 66 points while Finnish rookie Julius Honka made his mark with 16 goals and 56 points from the blue line. Defensively, it will be up to Dillon Heatherington and Brycen Martin to shut down Tigers’ captain Curtis Valk. Goaltender Eetu Laurikainen comes into the playoffs looking to build on a solid playoff debut last season versus Calgary.
Series Schedule
#1 – Swift Current @ Medicine Hat; Friday, March 21 (7:30pm)
#2 – Swift Current @ Medicine Hat; Saturday, March 22 (7:30pm)
#3 – Medicine Hat @ Swift Current; Tuesday, March 25 (7:00pm)
#4 – Medicine Hat @ Swift Current; Wednesday, March 26 (7:00pm)
#5 – Swift Current @ Medicine Hat; Saturday, March 29 (7:30pm)**
#6 – Medicine Hat @ Swift Current; Sunday, March 30 (7:00pm)**
#7 – Swift Current @ Medicine Hat; Tuesday, April 1 (7:00pm)**
** If Necessary

Riders Add Two Defensive Linemen

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today that import defensive linemen Trent Allmang-Wilder and Lindsey Witten have signed with the team. As per club policy financial details of the contracts were not released.

Allmang-Wilder (6’6 – 290) joins the Green and White after playing two seasons at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Through two years, the 22-year-old played 23 games registering 46 defensive tackles. The Palm Springs, CA native played his first two collegiate seasons atCollege of the Desert in Palm Desert, CA before transferring to UNLV.

Last season, Allmang-Wilder attended training camp with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent.

Witten(6’5 – 250) signs with the Riders after playing four seasons at the University of Connecticut. The Cleveland, Ohio native played 49 career collegiate games for the Huskies totaling 123 defensive tackles, 19 quarterback sacks and two interceptions.

Since going pro in 2010, the 25-year-old has spent time with the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos after originally signing with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent. He played the 2012 season with the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League.

PI Calls To Perhaps Be Reviewed

The Canadian Football League is considering making pass interference subject to video review as part of a significant review of its rule book, the league revealed today.

Under a proposal to be voted on Thursday evening by the league’s Rules Committee, coaches would be allowed to challenge both called and potential defensive pass interference fouls under certain conditions.

If it passes, the CFL could become the first football league to subject pass interference to video review.

“This is more than innovative. In the world of officiating, for all sports, it’s revolutionary,” said Glen Johnson, the CFL’s Vice-President of Officiating.

“Leagues have been reluctant to subject ‘judgment calls’ to video review, and pass interference in football is the ultimate ‘judgment call”, because it involves so many subjective elements. It will be interesting to see if the Committee approves it, and whether our Board of Governors, which is our ultimate authority on rules, also ratifies it.”
Under the proposal, a team would be able use any and all of its Coaches’ Challenges to challenge a called or potential pass interference foul up to the final three minutes of a game. In the final three minutes of a game, and overtime, a team could only challenge such a call or non-call one time, and only if it still has an unused challenge and a timeout remaining.

The Committee is also considering expanding the role of the Command Centre by requiring it to automatically review all turnovers (fumbles lost and interceptions) and allowing it to detect illegal participation during a play (when a player returns to the field after voluntarily leaving it).

The Rules Committee is also reviewing several changes aimed at further strengthening the health and safety of CFL players:

• Eliminating low blocks below the waist, other than those delivered to the front plane of a player.
• Eliminating blocks from behind in the area between the offensive tackles and within two yards of either side of the line of scrimmage.
• Outlawing peel back blocks, which occur when a play changes direction in the backfield, forcing the defender to modify his pursuit, making him susceptible to blind low blocks executed by an offensive player moving toward his own end zone.
• Clarifying the rules make it illegal to “deliver a blow” to an opponent above the shoulders, a standard already followed by officials but not yet codified in the rule book.
• Requiring an injured player to leave the field regardless of whether a penalty was called on the action leading to the injury (players currently have the option to stay in the game if a penalty was called on the play.)\

The Committee is considering other changes designed to promote scoring and improve the flow of the game:

• Allowing quarterbacks for each team to use their own team supplied Wilson footballs, provided they have met the “new ball” quality standard established by the league.
• Allowing centres to bob their heads multiple times in an effort to signal timing of the snap of the ball (to be used by visiting teams coping with noise in stadium).
• Allowing offenses to further dictate the pace of play by no longer requiring the Head Referee to hold the 20 second clock for the defense to substitute.

The CFL Rules Committee is also expected to review proposed editorial changes to statistical scoring rules including one which would make blocked field goals count as missed field goals for the purpose of record keeping.