The Fans two cents on Rule Changes

TORONTO - The Canadian Football League will consider three rule changes proposed by fans when the league's rules committee holds its annual winter meeting this week.The league received more than 1,000 letters and e-mails when commissioner Mark Cohon issued a call for fan input into the process. The league will consider three fan suggestions for discussion: changes to converts, safeties and the controversial single point.Fans complained convert kicks after touchdowns are automatic and statistics back them up: kickers have a 99.5 per cent success rate."We don't want our fans going to get popcorn or a hot dog because it's just an automatic play," CFL officiating director Tom Higgins said.Higgins said the committee could consider moving the ball back five yards on point after attempts.Higgins said many fans felt there's not enough of a downside to conceding a safety, and that the league might look at having the conceding team kick from its own 20-yard line instead of its 35.As for the single, many fans feel rewarding a point when the receiving team fails to run a kick or missed field goal out of the end zone isn't fair and should be scrapped.Higgins sees the point of all three proposed changes but isn't predicting any bold predictions will be made to the league's board of governors."I don't expect anything big because we're traditionalists," he said. "But anything's possible."

Courtesy of the Toronto Star