It looks like those south of the border are starting to notice how much forward thinking is taking place in the CFL when it comes to using video review.

The CFL's rules committee in March recommended that the league have an official in the command centre, unofficially known as the “eye in the sky,” who would be able to make real-time corrections to calls that are not reviewable.

The league's board of governors approved that and nine other recommendations on Thursday, and the ears of those who cover the NFL perked up when they heard the news.

“With each passing year, the NFL becomes a bigger deal — and the outcome of each and every game becomes more important, too,” Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote. “The biggest challenge for the NFL currently is to bridge the gap between what a handful of officials see at field level versus what millions of viewers see at home. The sooner that happens, the better off the sport will be.”

ESPN's Kevin Seifert went so far as to proclaim the CFL's new rule as a “test case” for the NFL. “Technological advances have placed officiating under increased scrutiny in sports around the world, an issue the CFL has addressed more aggressively than the NFL,” Seifert wrote.

And that's exactly the point, which we raised back in March. This is not an indictment of the officials. Yes, they make mistakes like all humans, so why not use all available technology to ensure missed calls don't affect the outcomes of games?

The “eye in the sky” will not be able to stop the game and coaches won't have more challenge opportunities during games, so it's not like it will make the games longer. In fact, it should speed them up. Prepare for an adjustment period, but in the long run it will make the CFL better.

Just to refresh your memory, here are few of the other notable rule changes that were ratified Thursday:

* coaches can now challenge offensive pass interference, illegal contact, illegal interference, no yards, called illegal blocks on kick plays, contacting or roughing the kicker or passer, and illegal interference at the point of reception on kickoff attempts;

* a team that gives up a field goal in the last three minutes of a game must receive a kickoff;

* a player who gives an opponent’s offensive ball to a fan after a turnover is ruled on the field would no longer be flagged for objectionable conduct.

GEARING UP

Mini-camp season begins Saturday, when the Saskatchewan Roughriders will host a tryout camp at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla., before kicking off their three day camp on Sunday.

The Riders, who have overturned their roster dramatically under new general manager and head coach Chris Jones, will also have first crack at the hundreds of players who thought they were going to play football this year in the Major League Football loop. The league announced earlier this month it won't be playing its inaugural season this year.

The Green and White, who are hoping to attract the best of those who are now looking for work, will reimburse the $100 tryout camp entry fee to every MLFB player who advances to their mini-camp.

HOG GONE

The number of solid Canadian offensive linemen out there is limited to begin with, and the group lost one of its best Thursday when Ben Heenan decided to call it a career.

The first overall pick in the 2012 CFL draft, taken by his hometown Roughriders, was under contract with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, but a player on the outer edges of an NFL roster is never far from a return home. The bidding for the right tackle would have been massive had he decided to come back to the CFL.

Instead, it appears Heenan is going back to work on the family farm at the age of 26. There's nothing wrong with that.

LATE HITS

There seems to be plenty of talk out there that the Alouettes are going to be the worst team in the CFL this summer – by a mile. It just doesn't compute, however. Kevin Glenn at quarterback will give them a chance every week, Duron Carter is back, and their defence under Noel Thorpe is always tough. Having Jacques Chapdelaine around to help out offensive co-ordinator Anthony Calvillo is big, too ... Dennis Skulsky planned to step aside as Lions president and CEO on April 1, but he will stay on indefinitely due to owner David Braley's ailing health, according to the Vancouver Sun's Mike Beamish ... Lions Canadian receiver Austin Collie, who retired this week and endured numerous concussions during his NFL career, will work with a concussion rehabilitation and research clinic in Provo, Utah, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

kpenton@postmedia.com

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