The NFL (National Football League) has become the United States' favorite sports league. From September to February, NFL football games are played on Sunday, Monday night and Thursday night. After three rounds of exciting playoffs, two football teams battle each other in the NFL's championship game, the Superbowl. The Superbowl itself has become one of the most watched and beloved championship games in American sports.
It is safe to say that the NFL is an American institution. However, the league has its international fan bases. The largest NFL fan base outside the United States is without a doubt the neighbors in northern Canada. Although the country is known for hockey, football has emerged as a popular sport in Canada. More and more Canadian youths are wearing a pair of football pillows and helmets. TV ratings for NFL games in Canada are steadily increasing. And a growing number of Canadians are heading south to see their favorite NFL team live at their respective stadiums. Needless to say, the NFL seems to have a dedicated following in Canada.
This article will look at the history shared between the NFL and Canada. We'll also take a look at some of the best Canadian players in NFL history. First, let's take a look at Canada's own football league.
Canadian football
While Canada is internationally known as a hockey country, the nation has had a long-running professional football league, the CFL (Canadian Football League). CFL's roots date back to the end of the 19th century. Originally, Canadian football shared similarities with rugby. It was not until the early 1900s that the CFL resembled the American version of the sport. At first, the league included only teams from Eastern Canada. Western Canada had its own football division. The two leagues operated independently of each other for many years. Then, in 1958, the two divisions merged to form the Canadian Football League. This is the league that Canadians can play today.
Currently, CFL consists of nine teams located in a Canadian city. The league is divided into two divisions, east and west. The CFL seasons run from mid-June to early November with 18 games played. After the regular season is over, six teams compete for three weeks with playoff games. After a semi-final and final match, two teams compete in the championship game. The CFL Championship is named The Gray Cup.
Outside of the Gray Cup, there are several traditional CFL games. Labor Day Classic, played on Canadian Labor Day Weekend, features a series of games between geographic rivals. A notable rivalry is between the cities of Calgary and Edmonton. Both cities are located in the province of Alberta. That is why the series is known as the Battle of Alberta. Another prominent rivalry is between Winnepeg and Saskatchewan. The two teams play on Labor Day weekend and then have a rematch next week. This rematch is known as the Banjo Bowl, and it has become quite popular in recent years.
Differences
Although the CFL and the NFL are quite similar, they have some differences. In the NFL, teams get four downs to get 10 yards, while in the CFL there are only three downs. End zones and fields in CFL are also significantly larger. Only 11 players are allowed on the NFL court; in CFL, 12 players are allowed on the field. There are other miscellaneous and specific rule differences that are too complex to address here. In short, the CFL and the NFL are almost identical. However, the differences between the two guarantees guarantee that CFL is its own league, separate from the NFL.
A big difference between the two leagues is player salary. It should come as no surprise that NFL players get bigger paychecks while CFL players get less money. To mark this point, the average NFL salary in 2017 was $ 2.7 million. In the CFL, the average player salary in 2018 was $ 96,857 XNUMX. This is why many CFL players work on secondary jobs during the season.
Americans in CFL
For players who are unable to get on an NFL team, the CFL gives them a place to play. In fact, most players on CFL teams come from the United States. The migration of American players to CFL teams is not a recent trend. It has been happening for many years. Many American players see the CFL as a place where they can prove their playing ability against NFL teams. And in some cases, NFL teams have signed CFL players. These players then went on to successful NFL careers.
One example of this is Warren Moon. When he came out of college, Moon was told he wanted to be a late round. Therefore, Moon feared that he would have limited playing time in the NFL. Before the draft, Moon signed with Edmonton Eskimoes (now Elks) to CFL. Moon led Edmonton to record five consecutive victories in the Gray Cup, in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982. NFL teams took note, and in 1983, Moon signed with the Houston Oilers. Moon would continue to have a successful career, playing in the NFL for 17 seasons.
NFL in Canada
For a brief period, 2008-2013, the Buffalo Bills in the NFL played a regular season game at Toronoto's Rogers Center. These games were part of the NFL's initiative to strengthen their international fanbase. For years, the league has played international matches, especially in London, England and Mexico City, Mexico. Although the games in Mexico and England were well attended, the Canadian games suffered from poor attendance records. First, the tickets were overpriced. Second, Buffalo Bills fans boycotted the games and refused to take the trip from the team's home in New York State. Therefore, the games at Rogers Center were under surveillance.
Since 2013, the NFL has not hosted a game in Canada. However, the league announced that they were open to play an NFL game in Canada, possibly for the 2022 season.
Migrating south
Canadian football players in the NFL have never been anything new. Throughout the league's history, there is at least one Canadian player on a team. But they are difficult to get hold of. For every Canadian player who succeeds, there are countless others who do not make the team. This is for a number of reasons.
First, the player may not have played for a prominent college football team. The player may have excelled in his position, but if they did not attend a major league college like Alabama or Clemson, chances are great NFL scouts will not notice that player. At the back, the player may have played for a top college team, but they did poorly in their position, or they played a minor role for the team (as a reserve position).
The second factor may be that the competition on an NFL team is too high. The position the Canadian player is trying for may already have five talented prospects competing for it. Keeping up with the other candidates is a difficult task. And finally, coaches can go with the more talented prospects.
For those who make an NFL team, the superstar does not come immediately. The Canadian player can serve as a backup for another star player. Other times, the player plays a position that rarely gets the spotlight. Or the player can remain on the team for just one season before being cut. There are countless examples of Canadian players remaining on a team for one or two seasons before disappearing. Such is the reality of the professional football industry. Just making the team is difficult enough. Remaining on the team list is another difficult task.
Star Canadian Players
Despite the difficult odds, some Canadian footballers achieve star status in the NFL. Here are some examples of awards Canadian NFL players. These players played prominent roles for their respective teams, and some became superstars in football.
Mark Rypien
During discussion, Mark Rypien is not Canadian. The Calgary-born Rypien moved to the United States when he was three years old, and he grew up in Spokane, Washington. For the purposes of this article, however, he is considered a Canadian.
Mark Rypien played the quarterback position, which some consider the glamorous position in football. Basically, the quarterback calls the games for the offensive team. Rypien went to the University of Washington in Pullman, but a knee injury limited his football game in his first season. The injury almost forced him to quit football altogether. However, Rypien persevered and had a good show in the senior season. In the 1986 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins (now called the Washington Football Team) selected Rypien with the 146th overall pick.
Rypien was injured the first two seasons with Washington. In 1988, Rypien got the chance to play when he replaced the injured starting back. He performed well, and in 1989 he was named a full-time quarterback starter. In 1991, Rypien led Washington to the Superbowl. The team won the game, and Rypien established himself as a star player. However, the success was fleeting. Rypien declined next season, damaging the track of the remaining time in Washington.
Mark Rypien is best remembered as an accurate dipper and one of the best quarterbacks to play for Washington. These reasons make him one of the best Canadian footballers to play in the NFL.
Luke Willson
Born in LaSelle, Ontario, Luke Willson did not have impressive stats. But he played an important role for his first team, the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks drafted Willson in 2013. He played the close position, requiring blocking of other players and catching passes thrown at him. In its first season with the team, the Seahawks won the Superbowl in a dominant way. In the 2014 season, Willson played a more prominent role. After the tight start was injured, Willson was placed in the starting role. He saw his involvement with the Seahawks increase dramatically.
However, it was in the playoffs that Willson proved to be invaluable to the team. During the division's championship game, the Seahawks lost by a large margin, but they recovered. Willson captured a crucial two-point conversion that helped Seattle win the game. The Seahawks advanced to the Superbowl, but failed to repeat as champions.
In 2018, Willson left the Seahawks and signed with the Detroit Lions. He wanted to bounce around teams before retiring in 2021 with reference to a heart disease. Although Willson did not produce impressive statistics, the Canadian footballer became a fan favorite for his willingness to do any job requested of him.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif hails from Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada, and plays on the offense for the Kansas City Chiefs. An unglamorous position and an offensive line player mainly block the incoming defenders who try to tackle the offensive player. Duvernay-Tardif has proved that he is capable of manning the offensive. Since being drafted by the Chiefs in 2014, Duvernau-Tardif has developed into one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. In 2019, the Duvernay-Tardif Chiefs helped win their first Superbowl in 50 years.
In addition to being a professional football player, Duvernay-Tardif has distinguished between graduating from medical school. In fact, the Chiefs coaching staff supported Duvernay-Tardif and his studies. He graduated from the McGill University Faculty of Medicine in 2018. During the 2020 NFL season, Duvernay-Tardif announced he would not play. Instead, he worked as a security guard at a Montreal long-term care facility during the Covid-19 pandemic.
With a medical background, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif can be one of the most unique football players in the NFL. For his off-field work in 2020, Duvernay-Tardif was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy. This award is given annually to the best Canadian athlete of the year.
New stars appear
In recent years, Canadian football players have exploded against the NFL landscape. Chase Claypool is one such example. In 2020, Claypool had a rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had several impressive games, and he helped the Steelers reach the NFL Finals. In 2021, two young Canadian players were included in the draft. In the second round, the Miami Dolphins selected Jevon Howard. Howard has already influenced the team, recorded five tackles and made other great plays. In the fourth round, the Carolina Panthers selected Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard was a prominent offensive player in high school and college, scoring many touchdowns and running for thousands of yards. Although he first started as a backup, Hubbard will have more playing time due to an injury to the starting player.
the conclusion
Although Canada is primarily a hockey country, football is still a popular sport. Canada has a long-standing professional football league, CFL. CFL has served as a test place for players who are unable to secure a place on the NFL teams. The NFL has also had a strong fan base in Canada, so much so that several NFL games have been played in the country.
Many Canadian players have tried to get a position on an NFL team. However, the majority have failed. However, there have been a select few who secured a roster and flourished in their role. This article illustrates some examples. On its way into the 2021 NFL season, 24 Canadians were on the list of an NFL team. Some, like Chase Claypool, Jevon Howard and Chubbar Hubbard, seem to be superstars. In the coming years, we should expect the presence of Canadian NFL players to grow even greater.