2009 CFL season
Regular season
Duration	July 1, 2009 – November 8, 2009	2009-07-01 | 2009-11-08 | 2009 CFL season
Playoffs
Start date	November 15, 2009	2009-11-15 | 2009-11-29 | Playoffs
East champions	Montreal Alouettes	2009-11-22
West champions	Saskatchewan Roughriders	2009-11-22
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97th Grey Cup
Date	November 29, 2009
Site	McMahon Stadium, Calgary
Champions	Montreal Alouettes
97th Grey Cup	2009-11-29	McMahon Stadium, Calgary	Montreal Alouettes
2008 ← CFL seasons → 2010

The 2009 CFL season was the 56th season of modern professional Canadian football. Officially, it was the 52nd season of the Canadian Football League. The Montreal Alouettes won the 97th Grey Cup on November 29 with a last second 28-27 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The 19-week regular schedule, issued February 3, 2009, began on July 1 with the playoffs starting on November 15. Two weeks of pre-season games began June 17.^[1]

Contents 1 CFL News in 2009 1.1 Arena Football Suspension and Moves for Expansion 1.2 Rule changes 1.3 Hall of Fame Induction weekend 1.4 Bye weeks 2 Regular season 2.1 Notes 3 Grey Cup playoffs 3.1 Playoff bracket 4 2009 CFL All-Stars 4.1 Offence 4.2 Defence 4.3 Special teams 5 2009 Western All-Stars 5.1 Offence 5.2 Defence 5.3 Special teams 6 2009 Eastern All-Stars 6.1 Offence 6.2 Defence 6.3 Special teams 7 2009 CFLPA Pro Player All-Stars 7.1 Offence 7.2 Defence 7.3 Special teams 7.4 Head coach 8 2009 Gibson's Finest CFL Awards 9 References

[edit] CFL News in 2009

[edit] Arena Football Suspension and Moves for Expansion

In February unexpected news was made when an American group, led by ex-NFL receiver Oronde Gadsden, announced their intentions to pursue a franchise in the CFL.^[2] Citing the suspension of the 2009 season of the Arena Football League and the demise of NFL Europe as a potential opportunity for growth the US market, Gadsen's group highlighted either Detroit-Windsor or Rochester, New York as possible locations for a new team. Reaction from the CFL with respect to Gadsen's intentions was mixed, however, with league head office iterating a reluctance to return to US expansion while Montreal Alouettes owner, Robert Wetenhall, welcoming the concept of bids involving border regions (Wetenhall's Alouettes spent two years in Baltimore in the 1990s, though under American ownership; Wetenhall purchased the team after it moved to Montreal).

The mayor of Moncton, premier of New Brunswick, and league commissioner Mark Cohon met in February to negotiate a deal that would see the city host a regular season game annually over five years, beginning in the 2010 CFL season.^[3]

[edit] Rule changes

Several main rule changes were proposed for 2009 by fans at the request of CFL commissioner Mark Cohon. The following changes were implemented:

• The elimination of the option for the scored-upon team to scrimmage from its 35-yard line after field goals. This is said to add excitement by preventing a team up by six points to scrimmage and take a knee three times to effectively end the game with one minute to go.
• Kickoffs being from the 25-yard line rather than the 35-yard line following a safety: the average kickoff in 2008 went 60 yards downfield, while the average kickoff return was 21 yards, making the option between scrimmaging and receiving kickoffs a wash.
• Removing the restriction that a quarterback must take the snap from the centre. This effectively legalizes the wildcat offense (where a running back takes the snap) in Canadian football, which had long been legal in American football.
• Video replays for coaches challenges will now ordinarily be reviewed at a command centre in the CFL's office in Toronto rather than in the video replay booth on the field. As well, if a team is successful in its two replay challenges, they will be awarded a third one.^[4][5]

Other rule changes considered included moving the kickoff back 10 yards for all kicks (not just following safeties), and moving the ball back during conversions.

[edit] Hall of Fame Induction weekend

For only the second time in its 39-year history, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame induction weekend events did not take place in Hamilton, Ontario, the home of the museum. It took place in Winnipeg from September 24 to 26, finishing with the tribute game between the Blue Bombers and Argonauts on September 26.^[6]

[edit] Bye weeks

Byes in the two weeks preceding the Labour Day Classic games were retained, however the byes were changed so as to ensure that each pair of Labour Day Classic opponents will have equal rest as opposed to splitting the byes by division.

[edit] Regular season

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points

Teams in bold are currently in playoff positions.
X - clinched playoff berth
Y - clinched first place

East Division view • talk • edit
Team	GP	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
Y-Montreal Alouettes	18	15	3	0	600	324	30	Details
X-Hamilton Tiger-Cats	18	9	9	0	449	428	18	Details
Winnipeg Blue Bombers	18	7	11	0	386	508	14	Details
Toronto Argonauts	18	3	15	0	328	502	6	Details

West Division view • talk • edit
Team	GP	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
Y-Saskatchewan Roughriders	18	10	7	1	514	484	21	Details
X-Calgary Stampeders	18	10	7	1	514	443	21	Details
X-Edmonton Eskimos	18	9	9	0	469	502	18	Details
X-BC Lions	18	8	10	0	431	502	16	Details

[edit] Notes

• Saskatchewan earns first place in the West due to their winning the season series (2-0-1) against Calgary.
• B.C. qualifies for the play-offs in place of Winnipeg due to the "cross-over rule" as B.C. finished with more points.

[edit] Grey Cup playoffs

The Montreal Alouettes were the 2009 Grey Cup champions, defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 28–27 on a last minute field goal by Damon Duval at Calgary's McMahon Stadium. It was the first Grey Cup for the Alouettes since 2002. Alouettes' runningback Avon Cobourne was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player, and slotback, Ben Cahoon was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian.

[edit] Playoff bracket

November 15: Division Semifinals

November 22: Division Finals

November 29: 97th Grey Cup McMahon Stadium - Calgary

East

W4

BC Lions

18

W4

BC Lions

34*

E1

Montreal Alouettes

56

E2

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

27

E1

Montreal Alouettes

28

W1

Saskatchewan Roughriders

27

West

W2

Calgary Stampeders

17

W3

Edmonton Eskimos

21

W1

Saskatchewan Roughriders

27

W2

Calgary Stampeders

24

*-Team won in Overtime.

[edit] 2009 CFL All-Stars

[edit] 2009 Western All-Stars

[edit] 2009 Eastern All-Stars

[edit] 2009 CFLPA Pro Player All-Stars

[edit] 2009 Gibson's Finest CFL Awards

• CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Anthony Calvillo (QB), Montreal Alouettes
• CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Ricky Foley (DE), BC Lions
• CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – John Chick (DE), Saskatchewan Roughriders
• CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award – Scott Flory (OG), Montreal Alouettes
• CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award – Martell Mallett (RB), BC Lions
• John Agro Special Teams Award – Larry Taylor (WR), Montreal Alouettes
• Tom Pate Memorial Award – Marwan Hage (C), Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• Annis Stukus Trophy – Marc Trestman, Montreal Alouettes
• Commissioner's Award – Wally Buono, BC Lions

[edit] References

Preceded by 2008 CFL season

CFL seasons

Succeeded by 2010 CFL season

v • d • e 2009 CFL season by team Western BC • Calgary • Edmonton • Saskatchewan Eastern Hamilton • Montreal • Toronto • Winnipeg See also 2009 CFL Draft • 97th Grey Cup

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