Report: NFL Has Looked Into Adopting Wider, CFL-Style Field to Prevent Head Injuries

by Doug Kyed on Sun, Feb 10, 2013 at 2:46PM

It’s been a good offseason for CFL-NFL relations. First, the Bears hired head coach Marc Trestman from the Montreal Allouettes, then the Patriots signed two defenders from the league up north. Now, the NFL is looking to the CFL to make the game safer.

The competition committee discussed adopting a wider field for the NFL as recently as a year ago, according to the National Football Post. The idea behind the move would be to increase player safety. With more room to run, there would be fewer big collisions.

“I’m not so sure we shouldn’t think about widening the field,” former Colts president Bill Polian said. “It’s a radical idea, but I think it’s worth thinking about. You would have more space and perhaps a safer game. I say that based on my CFL experience. There are less collisions of that type in the Canadian game.”

The move would open up the middle of the field more, which is where many dangerous helmet-to-helmet hits occur. Of course, it would also further increase offensive production since defenses would have to be more spread out.

Photo via Wikipedia/RoyalGuard11