Quote:
Originally Posted by rubecube
There wouldn't be fantasy or a "culture" built around it if the product didn't deliver. It's not like the NFL has a long history to fall back on like MLB. It's exploded in popularity because it's exciting.
"Wow a ten yard out on a field the size of an acrage, how'd the DB not cover that?"
And a no yards penalty is so much more exciting than a fair catch. 
"Hey, that guy missed a field goal. Oh well, give him a point for trying really hard." |
your right, the nfl doesn't have the rich history of the cfl or mlb, but it has skyrocketed since the 60s. good management, the upswing of televised sports and other factors like population led to its success. they were both equal in the 60s (CFL and NFL) but the NFL had more to work with (including rich owners and government willing to put money into sports).
as per no yards, it forces the player to make a play, he will still get hit, and it often doesn't matter if the kick is returned for more than 5 yards (often the case). fair catch = don't hit me, im not even going to try and run.
they are both to protect the fielder of a punt, but one goes a little too far imo, taking away big plays to avoid getting pounded (who doesn't enjoy a solid hit?).
as per the 'rouge' it is part of the strategy, to say it is a point for trying really hard is inaccurate. it forces the other team to make a decision, like a safety. give the offence/kicker credit for getting the ball into the other teams endzone, missed field goal or a punt. the defending team has to decide to give the team a point and get the ball at the 35, or run it out and hope to gain yardage. in a close game this is huge, in the NFL it is usually automatic to down the ball and take a FREE 20 yards, where in the CFL new players to the leauge may make a mistake costing the game. in a close game, a team has to decide if giving up that point from a punt into the endzone is going to hurt them.
now on a missed kick that the other team has no chance of returning (ie it goes out of bounds) maybe he shouldn't get one, but that is still a 30 yard kick at minimum, ill give that a point. the endzone is big, its tough to clear it. its not like the nfl where the field goal is at the back of the endzone, if you go wide, there is no chance of return! in the cfl there is 20 yards in there. most missed fieldgoals don't make it through the endzone because of this. its a different strategy element than occours in the NFL game.