CFL Scoring on the lowest pace since 1979

[Toppy Vann]

You'd have to look at where the OFF teams started scrimmaging to do any genuine correlations. Field position is everything. If they travel 100 yards to have to kick a FG or lose the ball after moving it from deep in their own end only to turn it over 40 yards later time after time with no points - that will make that correlation change. In fact some of these teams are playing a lot of Q's of football and not scoring TDs and they're getting decent yards.

Ziggy makes the Lapo point well or at least one of them on lower scoring - loss of top talent and new QBs.

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=461018

[South Pender]

And there's the famous quote: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics," usually attributed to Benjamin Disraeli.

[Rammer]

sheesh, you guys put me to shame. Sometimes I think I have accidentely logged onto a mensa website.

Now you KnowItAllMost.

[B.C.FAN]

You'd have to look at where the OFF teams started scrimmaging to do any genuine correlations. Field position is everything. If they travel 100 yards to have to kick a FG or lose the ball after moving it from deep in their own end only to turn it over 40 yards later time after time with no points - that will make that correlation change. In fact some of these teams are playing a lot of Q's of football and not scoring TDs and they're getting decent yards.

Ziggy makes the Lapo point well or at least one of them on lower scoring - loss of top talent and new QBs.

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=461018

Average starting field position is pretty uniform throughout the league around the 35 yard line, plus or minus a few yards. The Lions have the best average starting field position, the 39 yard line, thanks largely to their return game. When you break down the results of drives starting at various points on the field, the differences show.

TD drives by starting field position:
0-20 yard line: CFL overall 9%; Lions 12%
21-49 yard line: CFL overall 10%; Lions 10%
Opponent end: CFL overall 28%; Lions 22%
The differences between the Lions' results and those of the league overall don't appear to be significantly different.

The red zone is where the big difference in scoring this year has occurred. Leaguewide, teams are scoring TDs on 51% of drives inside the 20 yard line. Last year's league average for the full season was 57%. The Lions are at 40% this year, sixth best in the league. Last year they were at 65%, second best in the league.

[Rammer]

I recall the good old days of Chap ball.

[JohnHenry]

I recall the good old days of Chap ball.

For all his idiosyncrasies, Chaps designed some great offences (like last year's WSF, for example).

[Toppy Vann]

You'd have to look at where the OFF teams started scrimmaging to do any genuine correlations. Field position is everything. If they travel 100 yards to have to kick a FG or lose the ball after moving it from deep in their own end only to turn it over 40 yards later time after time with no points - that will make that correlation change. In fact some of these teams are playing a lot of Q's of football and not scoring TDs and they're getting decent yards.

Ziggy makes the Lapo point well or at least one of them on lower scoring - loss of top talent and new QBs.

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=461018

Average starting field position is pretty uniform throughout the league around the 35 yard line, plus or minus a few yards. The Lions have the best average starting field position, the 39 yard line, thanks largely to their return game. When you break down the results of drives starting at various points on the field, the differences show.

TD drives by starting field position:
0-20 yard line: CFL overall 9%; Lions 12%
21-49 yard line: CFL overall 10%; Lions 10%
Opponent end: CFL overall 28%; Lions 22%
The differences between the Lions' results and those of the league overall don't appear to be significantly different.

The red zone is where the big difference in scoring this year has occurred. Leaguewide, teams are scoring TDs on 51% of drives inside the 20 yard line. Last year's league average for the full season was 57%. The Lions are at 40% this year, sixth best in the league. Last year they were at 65%, second best in the league.

Good data. Impressive.

The only difference seems to be the red zone failures and even there the down 6% isn't necessarily a reason for lower scoring.

[Ravi]

As the league is on track for its lowest scoring season since 1979, it is only fitting that tonight's game was the lowest scoring CFL game since 1979 when Calgary defeated Saskatchewan 6-5.