Anytime a new coach is hired, there is a period of adjustment. When a new coach is hired to coach a style of game he has never seen before, that period of adjustment obviously lengthens, and there are obstacles and challenges that will have to be broached as well as positive potential spinoffs to be gained.

As strange as it may sound, the first time I ever played Canadian football was my fifth year as a professional, or first year with Winnipeg in 2001. In both high school, university, and in the NFL obviously, I played exclusively American football. The challenges for a defensive lineman adjusting to the Canadian game aren't anywhere near as plentiful as for an offensive co-ordinator, like the Bombers new O.C. Gary Crowton, but it was still an unnerving process that took me well out of my comfort zone.

Lining up a yard off of the ball, the play clock cut in half, the emphasis on the passing game, the absence of holding calls, and the loss of a down, are the obvious changes a defensive lineman incurs when he takes his first snaps in Canada. For a person tasked with co-ordinating an offence, that list gets lengthier in a hurry.

The first thing that came to mind when thinking about the challenges and obstacles in adapting from the American game to the Canadian one is what we call "the waggle." In simplistic terms, the waggle is the art of hitting the line of scrimmage at full speed when the ball is snapped. Offensively, in the CFL, you have to have seven players set on the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped, but those other four players -- outside of the QB -- can time their approach so at the snap they are running at top speed in any direction.

The waggle is an adjustment that also affects the difference in cadences between the American and Canadian games. In the NFL it is common to see quarterbacks start a cadence, back away from the centre, walk up and down the line, change the play and or the direction the play will be run. Quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady spend more time diagnosing what they see on the field and making adjustments during their cadence than they do in the huddle. In the CFL, offences audible and check out of plays and try to get a picture of what the defence is doing before the snap, what we call a "Kodak," but it is much more difficult to orchestrate when you have multiple players all timing their "waggles" from the cadence.

The ratio of starting Canadian players is another adjustment for all coaches new to the game in Canada, as they always have to be cognizant of it with every formation and package they employ offensively or defensively. Even "situational" football north of the border is different from the American with nuances like "the rouge," and how our rules affect and change one's approach to different variables in the game.

Another challenge for a new coach has to be gaining a level of familiarity with the defensive schemes and defensive personnel employed in the CFL. In American football, the free safety and strong safety are usually identifiable players on the field, and coaches can get a grasp of the scheme by identifying where they are lined up. In the CFL, most of the defensive backs and some of the linebackers are what are called hybrid defensive backs that can play any number of positions, which adds to the confusion. For instance, when facing the Winnipeg defence, an offensive co-ordinator has to realize that Jovon Johnson can play cornerback, halfback, and free safety, and Jonathon Hefney can play halfback or even Sam linebacker, depending upon what defence is being executed. That can make things awfully confusing for a new co-ordinator when trying to decipher a coverage or exploit a matchup.

It's never the easiest thing, bringing your football acumen across international borders, but the flip side of this coin is that those that do often bring with them novel approaches. The CFL is notorious for recycling its intellectual properties, so by introducing an admired and experienced coach into all of these creative parameters, you are bound to reap the consequences of some fresh thinking and different concepts.

You never know what you are going to get when you add a few elements and properties to someone's home chemistry set.

Doug Brown, a hard-hitting defensive tackle with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and even harder-hitting columnist, appears Tuesdays in the Winnipeg Free Press.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 31, 2012 D2