Canadian Football Strategy
HAMILTON, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VoxNeuro and the Canadian Football League Alumni Association (CFLAA) are joining forces to offer objective cognitive assessment to CFLAA members, including Canadian football players, former CFL players, and other communities of interest. Through the partnership, these groups will also raise awareness of long term impacts of head trauma, like concussion. For ageing Canadians who have experienced head-trauma throughout their lives, a growing concern is understanding its relationship with cognitive decline.
Under the terms of the agreement, VoxNeuro and the CFLAA will collaborate to share the message that long-term effects of head-trauma, from concussion and sub-concussive blows, are prevalent, and not exclusive to athletes who have dedicated their lives to playing impact or high-risk sports. Brain injuries can happen to anyone and each injury is unique - meaning they need to be assessed and treated accordingly.
As of 2017, the Canadian Football League is the only professional league to allow it. The XFL allowed onside punting if the ball went 25 yards or more. citation needed It can be used as a surprise tactic or a method of covering distances that a regular play could not. But while the excitement in both leagues may be similar, salaries of Canadian football players lag dramatically behind those of their U.S. Minimum Starting Salaries In The CFL. A high draft pick in the CFL can expect a small signing bonus in their first year and salary of about $50,000. Lower selections and undrafted free agents.
“We are excited about our collaboration with VoxNeuro. The CFLAA is committed to provide health and wellness support to our members and to the community we serve. We can only do that by aligning with like minded partners. VoxNeuro and its team are such a partner.” - Leo Ezerins, Executive Director and Founder of CFLAA
Canadian Football Strategy Tactics
The CFLAA and VoxNeuro will introduce a significant new neurotechnology to support the health of the CFLAA’s members. The neurotechnology, which assesses cognitive function in an easily accessible clinical setting, will give guidance to providing a solution to any cognitive deficiencies the CFLAA members are experiencing.
This partnership and neurotechnology have a historical tie - VoxNeuro was founded following a breakthrough study of ex-CFL players that used the neurotechnology VoxNeuro has since advanced and made clinically available, called Cognitive Health Assessments™.
VoxNeuro’s Cognitive Health Assessments™ combine imaging and functional tests, drawing on strengths from the most trusted brain assessments used clinically today. The data provided in a patient report differentiates between true cognitive decline and perceived decline due to symptoms caused by situational factors, such as stress, general fatigue or mood.
The ability to make these differentiations is massively impactful for this patient population who are uncertain about the health of their brain, and long-term impacts they may be experiencing from historical injuries. Regardless of the time post injury, the reports help healthcare professionals create targeted plans specific to a patient’s needs and track their performance over time.
VoxNeuro’s technology is the only cognitive assessment in the world today that uses objective, quantifiable neurophysiological data to inform healthcare providers & patients with the specifics of various cognitive brain functions, such as:
- Executive Function
- Memory
- Information Processing
- Concentration
- Attention
- Language Comprehension
The awareness campaign will involve various speaking engagements, events and collaborations with other not-for-profit organizations focused on brain health that both groups actively collaborate with, following the mission to improve brain health across Canada.
“Many CFLAA members have experienced numerous concussive and sub-concussive blows throughout their careers. VoxNeuro’s Cognitive Health Assessments™ objectively confirm if their historical injuries have had an impact on their brain function. If they have, their results provide data to help direct their healthcare plans. As a part of this collaboration VoxNeuro is excited to offer an exclusive discount for all CFLAA members to help them take control of their brain health.” - James Connolly, CEO of VoxNeuro
Canadian Football Strategy Games
About the Canadian Football League Alumni Association
Nfl Strategy Football
Founded in 2008, the CFLAA supports Canadian football, former CFL players, and other communities of interest while fostering collaborative relationships with CFL stakeholders and others that enhance the well-being of its members. The CFLAA is actively involved in philanthropy with not-for-profit organizations like Never Alone Foundation (through the Never Alone Rose Project), Alzheimer’s Canada, Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, CFL Fans Fight Cancer, and Canadian Concussion Center. The CFLAA is also actively involved in research, including a study of long-term neurocognitive function in their work with Canadian Concussion Center, led by Dr. Carmela Tartaglia, with an advisory committee led by Canada’s preeminent concussion doctor Dr. Charles Tator; as well as a study to explore the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, such as treating pain, anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. The CFLAA is driven to find health and wellness solutions for its members to thrive and enjoy a full and dignified quality of life. www.cflaa.ca
About VoxNeuro
Founded on the world-renowned research of VoxNeuro’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. John F. Connolly, VoxNeuro is headquartered at McMaster Innovation Park in Hamilton, ON, Canada. VoxNeuro’s Cognitive Health Assessments™ help healthcare professionals streamline individualized cognitive rehabilitation and training plans, and unlock the full potential of brain performance.
VoxNeuro is a platinum sponsor of Brain Injury Canada, sharing the central mission to enhance the lives of individuals, their families & caregivers living with brain injury. VoxNeuro is working with The Kite Research Institute (KITE), the research arm of Toronto Rehab – University Health Network (UHN), to complete a multi-month study at The Hull-Ellis Concussion and Research Clinic to demonstrate how VoxNeuro’s EEG/ERP data measurement techniques can improve how concussed patient’s cognitive function is assessed and managed. VoxNeuro is a member of the Canadian Technology Accelerators (CTA) first ever bi-coastal program dedicated to the development of high-potential, early-stage digital health start-ups into the San Francisco and New York healthcare ecosystems. The program is a global initiative led by the Government of Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service.
Cognitive Health Assessments™ are available at VoxNeuro Certified Clinics. www.voxneuro.com
I'm a huge football fan, enjoying all levels of the sport. The Fall has always held a special place for me growing up. While other kids mourned the end of the summer and the coming of school, I eagerly anticipated the start of the football season. And once my brother and I began playing in the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL), the summers were also completely consumed by the sport. Hell, by my estimation, between minor leagues, high school leagues, travel leagues, and all-star games, I've played in over 100 competitive games since I was 10 (not including my 'prolific' flag football career in university, heh). And this doesn't get in to my football viewing habits. Yes, football is pretty important to me.I've played in many different versions of the sport with many different rules: full on Canadian rules in high school with a Canadian sized ball in Juniors and an NFL ball in Seniors; Ontario Football rules which is the same as Canadian rules but with 4 downs instead and a slightly smaller ball in the OVFL; and I've played American rules (4 down, NFL style) at football camps in the US with high school sized balls. As a result, I've always had fun pondering the question of which version of the sport is better? American or Canadian?
Just to be clear, I'm talking about this from a rules point of view. Comparing the CFL to the NFL is a whole other kettle of fish where you're debating talent level (no debate there), fan support, rivalries, stadiums, broadcasters, etc. And for full disclosure, above all else, I am a huge US college football fan. Especially of the Michigan Wolverines...like 15 years of season tickets, bowl games attended, road games attended, live and die each Fall Saturday, type of fan. Nothing else comes close.
Finally, before we begin, maybe you don't know the differences between the variations of the sport but ask yourself the question: which do you think is better? Once you read below, see if you agree or disagree or if I've changed you mind. I'm curious to hear your thoughts.
Alright, enough stalling. Since Americans don't usually even remember that there is a Canadian version of football (even though us Canadians practically invented it), they don't usually get caught up in this debate and don't have arguments defending their side. Canadian football fans on the other hand have a bit of a inferiority complex with this issue. They tend to argue that by design the Canadian game is much more exciting because of the propensity for more offense. I will argue that this design does increase the offensive fireworks, but actually makes the game less interesting.
First we must look at the way the Canadian game is set up to bolster the offense's position. Almost every rule difference is set up to give the offensive side of the ball an advantage. Let's look at some of them:
- Defenders must line up one yard off the line of scrimmage. This gives offensive lineman an advantage in blocking, especially in short yardage and pass blocking situations.
- All offensive backfield players are allowed to go in motion towards the line of scrimmage, gaining downfield momentum at the snap of the ball. This is particularly useful for receivers going out on pass patterns as it makes it difficult for defenders to keep up with the speed they have accumulated.
- Due to increased number of players on the field, there is an extra offensive backfield member allowed to go out to receive a pass.
But the Canadian game's most distinctive rule difference does much to mitigate that advantage. 'Three Down Football' pretty much defines how outsiders view the sport - and drastically alters the manner in which the game is played. With one less play available to progress 10 yards down the field to get another First Down, the offense must use the advantages above and be efficient in their play execution to maintain offensive possession. A 3 yard rush by the running back, although positive yardage, sets up a still difficult 2nd and long. And, by design, the offense's systemic advantage in the passing game ensures that the running game's importance is significantly diminished. It's the passing game that's the foundation of an offense's game plan while the running game is seen as a change of pace play.
As someone who played quarterback for the majority of my playing days, this seems great on the surface. And many would argue that more passing makes for a more exciting game. But the preponderance of passing in the Canadian game takes so much of the strategy and variety out of football as to render the sport neutered of interesting analysis and innovation. American football has found an equilibrium between favouring rushing versus passing and between offense versus defense (although the trend as of late has been moving towards tightening rules in favour of passing and offense). This has been instrumental in building the cat and mouse game played by opposing teams where they develop innovative strategies to out-scheme their adversaries. In American football there are overarching strategies and philosophies about run vs. pass, about aggressiveness, about cover 2 or the zone blitz, 3-4 vs. 4-3, types of pass offenses, formation philosophies, etc. Canadian football is much more about adjusting your tactics to the players you have. By and large, the strategy remains the same for all teams: pass well and defend the pass well. Innovations on offense and defense are few and far between. In the past 20 years, the game has largely stayed the same, whereas the American version has constantly evolved.
To me, that constant evolution and cat-and-mouse game is what makes the sport of football so interesting, particularly the American version. There is more preparation for each game in football than in any other sport in the world. And that preparation stems from the need to out-think your opponents and prepare for their ever-changing strategies. It's what makes the large amount of down-time between plays not only bearable, but stimulating as you go through the same process that the coach goes through, thinking 'what to do next'. It creates unique narratives for each contest on the gridiron as you match strategy versus strategy. For the most part, Canadian rules strip the sport of its fundamental question from which all other strategy afterward is based on 'to run or to pass?'. American football puts that question on a pedestal.
What do you think?