New rule changes for this year
The football won't have to be handled in order for a single to be awarded on a kickoff starting this CFL season. The removal of that requirement was among the changes unanimously approved by the CFL's board of governors, the league announced Monday. The adjustments were originally proposed by the CFL's rules committee.
The change aligns the single rule on kickoffs with all other kicking plays.
The CFL is also restricting the number of players within two yards of the line of scrimmage on either side of the longsnapper to a maximum of six at the snap. ,The restriction won't apply if the offence lines up in an unbalanced line or an offensive player moves or motions from his initial position.
And the restriction will only apply on field goals or kicked convert attempts. The aim of the change is to avoid overloading the defensive line on one side of the long snapper.
When a team is penalized for holding while in possession of the ball in its goal area, a safety has been added to the available options for the opposition.