Week 1 of training camp is in the books… physicals done, measurements taken, depth charts loosely put together. All eyes are then turned to the one-on-ones, individual group drills and then the coordination of offence, defence, and teams against each other near mid to late week. You notice the soreness setting in, soft tissue injuries start to appear, and the easy explosiveness of day 1 becomes a focused explosiveness on day 6. You can tell there is an anxiousness to hit someone other than your teammate, and they get their chance this Saturday against the Lions at Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C.
Penalties
Game time brings execution and the inevitable early-season misfires. Some will show up as broken plays, and others will map directly to the stats sheet in the form of flags on the field.
For this squad, discipline is a massive focal point. Last season, the team reduced overall penalties by 8.5 per cent and penalty yards by 13.3 per cent. That progress landed them in the middle of the CFL pack, ranked fifth in both categories.
- On offence, the number of penalties increased from 2024 by 15.6 per cent and ranked tied for seventh in CFL with 52 penalties (low 36 MTL – high 71 Tor)
- On defence, the penalties decreased by 14.3 per cent and ranked seventh with 54 penalties (low 36 HAM – high 61 BC)
- On special teams, penalties decreased by 30.3 per cent and ranked Second 23 penalties (low 22 HAM – high 32 Tor)
| 2025 | 2025 | 2024 | 2024 | ||
| EDM | OPP | EDM | OPP | ||
| Offence | 52 | 43 | 45 | 40 | |
| Defence | 54 | 40 | 63 | 50 | |
| Teams’ Cover | 10 | 13 | 16 | 11 | |
| Teams Return | 13 | 18 | 17 | 20 | |
| Total | 129 | 114 | 141 | 121 | |
| Penalty Yards | 1147 | 993 | 1323 | 1252 |
Some people get hung up on penalties and correlate penalties to success on the field. Last year’s Grey Cup Champions, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, ranked fourth in penalties and seventh in penalty yards.
The high-flying B.C. Lions were eighth in penalties and ninth in penalty yards.
Looking at a historic perspective, this team would need to be north of 200 penalties and 1800 yards to set team records
Most Penalties – Season
220 – 2004 – Second in division
209 – 1992 – Second in division
205 – 2014 – Second in division
204 – 2003 – First in division, Grey Cup Champion
202 – 1993 – Second in division, Grey Cup Champion
202 – 1999 – Third in division
202 – 2005 – Third in division, Grey Cup Champion
199 – 2002 – First in division, Lost Grey Cup
198 – 1991 – First in division
197 – 2019 – Fourth in division
Most Penalty Yards – Season
1881 – 1992 – Second in division
1824 – 2003 – First in division, Grey Cup Champion
1806 – 2014 – Second in division
1761 – 2005 – Third in division, Grey Cup Champion
1754 – 2004 – Second in division
1738 – 1991 – First in division
1700 – 2013 – Fourth in division
1697 – 1989 – First in division
1677 – 2019 – Fourth in division
1651 – 2010 – Fourth in division
As a fan, not all flags are created equal. Some are tough to swallow, but others leave scars.
The most infamous example in CFL history is undoubtedly the “13th Man” penalty against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 97th Grey Cup against the Alouettes.
With mere seconds left on the clock, Montreal’s Damon Duval missed a 43-yd field goal, seemingly sealing a championship victory for the Riders. The Rider Priders celebration was instantly cut short. A flag lay on the turf: Saskatchewan had 13 players on the field. Duval did not miss on his second chance. The Alouettes walked away with the Cup and Rider Nation walked away with a broken heart.
The CFL classifies that nightmare as a preventable penalty. Fans have harsher words or it: a mental meltdown or coaching catastrophe.
There are other specific flags guaranteed to send a stadium’s blood pressure through the roof:
- Defensive Pass Interference (DPI): This can be a huge swing penalty. In the CFL, spot fouls mean a single DPI can gift an offence 40 or 50 yards in an instant, shifting the momentum of the game.
- Roughing the Passer: While player safety is paramount, fans scream when a simple hit on a quarterback generates a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down extending a drive.
- Away-from-the-Play infractions: Nothing takes the wind out of a stadium quite like a 60-yard pass reception or 75-yard punt return called back only to see a holding or illegal block 40 yards behind the play
Just talking about these plays gets my juices flowing.
Is it June yet?
