Canadian Football League team locations: West, East
The2009 CFL season was the 56th season of modern-dayCanadian football. Officially, it was the 52nd season of theCanadian Football League. TheMontreal Alouettes won the97th Grey Cup on November 29, 2009 with a last second 28–27 win over theSaskatchewan Roughriders. The 19-week regular schedule, issued February 3 began on July 1, which was only the second time in league history that a CFL season started onCanada Day, with the first occurring in1998.[1] The playoffs started on November 15 and two weeks of pre-season games began on June 17.[2]
In February unexpected news was made when an American group, led by ex-NFL receiverOronde Gadsden, announced their intentions to pursue a franchise in the CFL.[3] Citing the suspension of the 2009 season of theArena Football League and the demise ofNFL Europe as a potential opportunity for growth the US market, Gadsen's group highlighted eitherDetroit–Windsor orRochester, New York as possible locations for a new team. Reaction from the CFL with respect to Gadsen's intentions was mixed, however, with league head office iterating a reluctance toreturn to US expansion while theMontreal Alouettes' American owner,Robert Wetenhall, welcoming the concept of bids involving border regions. Wetenhall's organization had spentits first two years in Baltimore in the 1990s, though under different ownership; Wetenhall having purchased the Alouettes after they had resumed play in Montreal.
The mayor ofMoncton, premier ofNew Brunswick, and league commissionerMark Cohon met in February to negotiate a deal that would see the city host a regular season game annually over five years, beginning in the2010 CFL season.[4]
Several main rule changes were proposed for 2009 by fans at the request of CFL commissionerMark Cohon. The following changes were implemented:
The elimination of the option for the scored-upon team to scrimmage from its 35-yard line afterfield goals, which was first enacted in 1975. This was said to add excitement by preventing a team up by six points to scrimmage and take a knee three times to effectively end the game with one minute to go. Although it had good intentions, the results for this rule change was not as expected, and for the2010 CFL season, the league reinstated the option again.
Kickoffs being from the 25-yard line rather than the 35-yard line following asafety: the average kickoff in 2008 went 60 yards downfield, while the average kickoff return was 21 yards, making the option between scrimmaging and receiving kickoffs a wash.
Removing the restriction that aquarterback must take the snap from the centre. This effectively legalizes thewildcat offense (where arunning back takes the snap) in Canadian football, which had long been legal inAmerican football.
Video replays for coaches challenges will now ordinarily be reviewed at a command centre in the CFL's office in Toronto rather than in the video replay booth on the field. As well, if a team is successful in its two replay challenges, they will be awarded a third one.[5][6]
Other rule changes considered included moving the kickoff back 10 yards for all kicks (not just following safeties), and moving the ball back during conversions.
For only the second time in its 39-year history, theCanadian Football Hall of Fame induction weekend events did not take place inHamilton, Ontario, the home of the museum. It took place inWinnipeg from September 24 to 26, finishing with the tribute game between the Blue Bombers and Argonauts on September 26.[7]
Byes in the two weeks preceding theLabour Day Classic games were retained, however the byes were changed so as to ensure that each pair of Labour Day Classic opponents will have equal rest as opposed to splitting the byes by division.
As the league approaches the100th Grey Cup, the CFL celebrated the 1960s with all eight teams wearing retro-themed uniforms from that era at different points in the season. All teams wore their retro uniforms in Week 3.[8] TheSaskatchewan Roughriders and theCalgary Stampeders were the only teams to wear both home and away retro uniforms, while the remaining teams wore one set of uniforms. TheBC Lions wore their black alternate jerseys in combination with their retro pants and helmets for a "retro look," but did not introduce new home retro jerseys.
