It may be a new year but the same tired old narratives about the CFL are being carried into 2025.
On Wednesday, former NFL tight end and current TSN analyst Luke Willson was the latest to spark a debate amongst fans of the three-down league. The native of LaSalle, Ont. expressed his optimism for the future of the CFL in a Twitter thread but believes a couple of tweaks to the rulebook are needed to maximize the potential of the product. Chief among his proposals was a cap on the number of punts per game to create more drama and excitement.
I appreciated several of the points made by Willson in his thread and share his belief that the CFL has untapped potential. I certainly think he hit on a grain of truth when noting that the product could be improved by more practice time for teams, although it is somewhat naive to expect athletes and coaches on a CFL payscale to work the same hours as those making millions. What I simply can’t abide is the perpetuation of the myth that an abundance of punting is somehow holding Canadian professional football back.
If you’ve followed this league long enough, you’ve probably heard that refrain more times than you can count from your NFL-brainwashed friends and family: “I’d watch the CFL more if there wasn’t so much boring punting.” It is tempting to take that claim at face value but the reality is that this niche league just doesn’t appeal to everybody and that’s okay. Those who fall victim to this logical fallacy are unlikely to be converted even if punts were completely eradicated because the argument is just a lazy excuse used to confirm existing biases against the league.
It’s absolutely true that Canadian football results in more punting than its American equivalent — an average of 11.24 per game this past CFL season compared to 7.57 so far in the NFL. However, that just isn’t a valuable comparison because the implication of a punt is vastly different between the two leagues.
South of the border, just 42.6 percent of all punts have been returned due to the fair catch rule, often transforming the play into a dull bit of filler. Returns jump to 78.1 percent under CFL rules with another 5.5 percent of punts resulting in rouges that directly impact the outcome of games. Those numbers don’t even take into account the potential for onside punts and recoveries — the most quintessential of Canadian plays.
It is undeniable that punts matter significantly more in the CFL than in the NFL, but what of the claim that they are somehow less exciting than other plays? Perception aside, the numbers don’t seem to bear that out. In 2024, the average CFL punt return resulted in 11.4 yards for the receiving team compared to 8.5 yards on passing plays and 5.2 yards on rushing plays.
While it is true that the average offensive play is far more likely to result in a touchdown, with just 0.7 percent of punt returns ending in points last year, that isn’t a particularly fair metric given that most returns begin in a player’s own end of the field. If you instead judge the excitement by the percentage of big plays generated, punts are basically on par with passing plays in their ability to create results of 30 or more yards — 4.06 percent compared to 4.28 percent. In the running game, where 20 yards or more is considered a big play, the rate is just 2.82 percent.
Even though a return is 44 percent more likely to result in a big play than your average inside zone handoff, some people still feel that limiting teams to five punts per game — as Willson proposed — would be worthwhile. The slight reduction would likely result in more forced third-down gambles and more pressure-packed scenarios, which could make games “absolutely electric” according to the former tight end. How could you argue against that?
Even I must admit that having teams go for it more frequently would be a lot of fun but mandating that coaches be more aggressive won’t necessarily make it so. Every simple rule change has broader consequences and I fear reducing punts would actually make playcallers more conservative. If punts become precious and you don’t have absolute freedom to use your kicker to bail you out, why would you ever take a deep shot on first down and risk a second-and-long that could result in an unfortunately timed gamble down the line? Teams that arguably dink-and-dunk too much already would become even more focused on generating five-yard gains instead of making bold choices.
Meanwhile, teams who struggle early and lose the ability to punt would be put at a serious disadvantage as the game goes on, creating more lopsided scores and fewer of the late-game comebacks that make the CFL special. It is unique clock rules which give the three-down game its biggest advantage over other leagues and provide the greatest capacity to hook new fans, so undermining those would be devastating for the product.
I’ll be honest, Willson isn’t really my cup of tea as a broadcaster but I have tremendous respect for what he accomplished as a player and can objectively appreciate the value he brings to his employer. I think it’s fair to say that the ex-Seahawk feels similarly about the CFL. He has made clear in the past that he’s not much of a fan but has openly praised the quality of the athletes and, to his credit, sees their worth in the Canadian media landscape. I hope his appreciation for the league only grows but he’s viewing his proposed rule changes through NFL-coloured glasses.
The CFL continually proves that punting doesn’t detract from the entertainment value of a football game but it continues to suffer from that misconception because, unlike the NFL, you can’t flip to another game when there is the occasional stinker played. When that happens, it has everything to do with bad, inefficient offences and nothing to do with the punting game itself.
As for the inability of the punting game to create compelling heroes and narratives that drive viewership, Willson is uniquely positioned to disprove that particular argument as well. After all, in the eyes of most CFL fans, he’ll always be remembered as the second most popular Canadian on his Super Bowl-winning team behind punter Jon Ryan.
Maybe the Regina legend needs to give his old teammate a call and set the record straight on just how exciting a strong boot can be.
