Marc Trestman has held many positions over the years, including lawyers, professors, quarterback whisperers, attack leaders, NFL head coaches, and Gray Cup champions.
He has now added CFL traditionalists to his list, making him one of the loudest opponents in the league’s extensive survey of off-season rule changes.
Last week, former head coaches of Montreal Alouette and the Toronto Argonauts expressed concern on Twitter about the discussion of frequent rule changes in the CFL Commissioner’s Landian Bology, a conversation about the number of downs, the yard between hashmarks and the Canadian ratio. I called. We call Umbro’s reasoning “reckless”.
The tweet was later deleted and reposted two days later, but Trestman continued to hit the drums to note the rule changes in a rare radio appearance at Regina’s Sports Cage.
“I remember attending a rules meeting in the first or second year. [former B.C. Lions head coach] Wally Buono stopped after about 20 minutes, which is related to my tweet. He states: Don’t ruin it, “Trestman recalled before explaining his position.
“I’m saying that everything in this game is tied to the following: 1 yard from the ball, field width, end zone length, ratio. The spillover effect of one change. You can’t throw things at the wall and say this or that without an expert who can explain it. “
“That was my point in tweeting. It’s not a bad thing to talk about it, but it’s another thing to make changes without people who can sit down and look at this completely. For example, the game will change and will never be the same. “
Trestman, who is currently teaching classes at the University of Miami Law School, opposed the idea of converting the league into four downs during a serious debate early in the offseason. He also opposes a sudden change to the CFL’s wider hash mark or Canadian ratio. He believes this is a valuable strategic element.
Many Americans, especially those who are successful in the NFL, such as the Trestman, can be postponed or confused by the CFL’s own rules and regulations. However, when he took over Alouette for the first time in 2008, he chose to approach in honor of the tradition and history of the game. He believes this is essential for success north of the border.
“People, coaches and players from the US likewise have their noses up and if they think they’re coming to fewer games, they won’t be there that long. I think it’s been proven over the years. If they come there and respect the game and the people involved, they at least give them a chance, “Trestman said.
“One thing I’ve found is that the longer you spend in it, the better you understand how great it is and how beautiful the game is.”
The coach relied on veteran players such as Anthony Calvillo and Ben Cahoon, as well as Canadian coaches to teach the nuances. The results show that Alouettes led Alouettes to win the Gray Cup in a row and finished third in the Toronto Argonauts during his first season back from the NFL.
The unique challenge of Canadian rules allows for more attractive chess games than south of the border, and Trestman tells CFL that the CFL attracts young fans at the grassroots level and instills a love for the complexity of three-downs. I believe I haven’t done enough.
“It’s a game of thinking humans. It’s a very difficult game to manage time, and anyone who put it together was very nice,” he praised. “We have to start involving more young people across the country so they can get hooked on the game and fully understand it. As they can say. To: “Yes, the NFL is great, but this is really special — it’s our game.”
Ambrosie and other boards have painfully slowed to invest in that aspect of long-term growth and have instead opted to promote a complete review of the league’s rules. In doing so, they received a failing grade from Professor Trestman.
