Welcome to “The CFL: An American Perspective”, a weekly column about my experiences watching the Canadian Football League for the first time ever, from America.

Impressive Week 1

Let me start by saying during week one, I saw some of the most unexpected plays and endings I had ever seen.

I’ve adopted the Calgary Stampeders as the club to cheer for. In my team’s (how long must one cheer to call them my team?) nail-biting game against the Ti-Cats, Bo-Levi Mitchell and Calgary Stempeded (look at that, I’m already making puns) down the field on their way to a last-second win.

It was exciting to see the final drive come together the way it did. Throw away the two minute drill and run a fast paced 40-second game winner.

I was told in an email their may be some big blowouts and boring games, but week one brought the heat.

Surprises

Now before reading these, remember these were the second, third, fourth, and fifth CFL games I have ever watched so I am not used to some of the rules.

The player entrances were remarkable, or at least seeing them through ESPN3 was. During NFL games, most teams do it, but they are never televised.

I had no idea that the CFL put ads on the field until now. It takes away from the game. The center logo should always be the teams. The CFL, and other leagues that do this for that matter, should let teams have some pride.

I saw some teams utilize the gigantic end zone and it really brings another element into the game. It brings excitement.

Extra Info

Normally in the third section of this column I will make my picks for the next week, however I want to gather some more information on these teams instead of throwing guesses out there.