STRAT-O-MATIC INTERNET

FOOTBALL ASSOCIATIONS

Updated 9/16/2023

 

 

Welcome to the SOMIFA, SSFA, and SOMSFA!  The purpose of this league Constitution is to spell out as many details as possible regarding league rules and guidelines.  It is a lengthy document intended to cover most any situation which could arise.  There is a summary of highlights near the beginning so feel free to look at those instead of the entire document.  If you have any questions about the rules or if you feel there is anything missing from or contradictory in this document please don’t hesitate to let me know.

 

All league members must know at the very least the bolded items in the summary below.

 

 

LEAGUE SUMMARY

 

·         55-player roster of rated players plus unlimited players who were not rated that season; each team must have enough players at each position to have available backups

·         Long-term league which will be around for many years so draft for the future!

·         10-round rookie/free-agent draft each year in reverse order of previous year’s finish, counting the playoffs for order of finish

·         The league will always consist of 24 teams

·         Each season if there are openings new coaches will take over existing teams

·         League issues such as rules or administrative changes will always be discussed in the league’s message board giving coaches an opportunity to provide opinions and often a vote

·         Each team will use the “average run defense / average pass defense” draft league defensive cards; before the season begins each team may choose whether a 3-4 or 4-3 defensive card will be used and if a 4-3 card is chosen then a 3-4 formation may not be used except under the same conditions as a 3-3-5 (see below); in playoff games the team with the higher seed will use slightly better defensive cards than the team with the lower seed excluding the championship game

·         In many cases a coach may designate before the season one or more of their players to “switch sides” from left to right or vice-versa depending upon the circumstances (see the Constitution below for details):  positions which may be eligible for a switch are FL-SE, LDT-RDT, LILB-RILB, FS-SS, LCB-RCB, LT-RT, LG-RG, LE-RE, and LLB-RLB

·         Kickers and punters may be drafted in the rookie/free-agent draft and each owned team must have exactly one of each once the season begins; un-owned teams will not draft kickers or punters

·         All trades will be reviewed and unethical or clearly one-sided trades (as voted on by the league’s Trade Review Committee) will not be allowed; trades by new league members especially will be carefully reviewed and approved; trades of next year rookie/free-agent draft picks are allowed as long as each team does not trade away all of its next year high draft picks (see below for details)

·         The following Strat-O-Matic game options will be turned on:  RB fatigue, QB end run limits, LB containment, use individualized fumble ratings, do not allow exceeding longest run, do not allow exceeding longest reception (WR receptions are not limited), dumpoff rule, updated sack rule, emphasize 6-rated LB, looser substitution restrictions (see players switching positions section below for details), empty flat pass = guessed wrong, variable field goal rule, and single game injuries (turned off in the playoffs).

·         The following general options should be turned on:  auto save after each play, do not allow play animation replay, do not allow CM subs for human players, fastest possible animation speed (or no animation)

·         The following general option should be turned off:  “scroll play by play output text”

·         There are no player usage limits except the following for QB’s and RB’s:  QB’s under 100 NFL attempts may not be used except due to injury or blowout (see below for blowout details) and a QB may not be replaced during a drive unless due to injury

·         RB’s under 100 NFL attempts are limited in when they may run the ball.  See the “things to know while playing a league game” section below.

·         The 3-3-5, 4-2-5, 3-2-6, 4-1-6, and 5-6 defensive formations (and also the 3-4 formation if a 4-3 defensive card is used) may not be used except in overtime, with 0:01 through 5:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, anytime in the fourth quarter with a 15 or more point lead, with 0:01 through 2:00 remaining in the first half, on 3rd or 4th down, on 1st or 2nd down and 16+ yards to go, or against any 3 or 4 WR offensive formation (a dime formation may be used if the offense does not have a HB, RB, or FB eligible to run the ball on the play)

·         The top two WRs and top TE on a team may not be positioned at 3rd or 4th WR or 2nd TE; the roster for each particular team will define which two players may not be positioned at 3rd or 4th WR or 2nd TE

·         Only players who are rated at BB, FB, RB, and/or HB are eligible to be positioned at BB; for example, a player who is rated only as a TE may not play the BB position (the offense may use the 1RB 2WR 2TE formation or the “Tight End” formation, however, as examples to get that second TE in the game)

·         During the season each team must have on its roster at least one QB with at least 100 NFL attempts and either at least one RB with at least 100 NFL attempts or at least two RB’s with at least 50 NFL attempts; there are many other roster limits which are detailed below

·         Each league member will have 4 weeks to complete a particular block of 4-5 scheduled games and these 4-5 games may be played in any order; the regular season will last 17 weeks approximately concurrent with the NFL season; while it is possible that a 4-week deadline may be extended a couple of days in extraordinary circumstances league member should make sure to play their games in time and with 4 weeks of time and no requirement that the 4-5 games be played in any particular order that should leave plenty of leeway

·         Poor sportsmanship (swearing, berating, etc.) will not be tolerated

·         Games must be fully completed, deciding not to complete a game is not acceptable

·         If you and your opponent agree to a day and time then if you are not able to make it as soon as you find out that you can’t make it send an e-mail to your opponent and the Commissioner indicating this; no-showing an agreed-upon day and time is to be avoided and if you agree to a time but there is a decent chance that you won’t be able to make it let your opponent know this

·         Commissioner will keep full stats and update the league web page at least every few days

 

 

Game Rule options:

Penalties = off

Player and QB Overusage = off

Running Back Fatigue = on

Home Field Advantage = off

Linebacker Run Containment = on

Use Individualized Fumble Ratings = on

Low-Usage RB Containment = off

Do not allow exceeding longest run and pass = on

Do not limit WR longest reception = on

Exhausted RBs will get Injured = off

Don’t Allow QBs to get Injured = off

Use Split Defensive Ratings = on

Dumpoff Rule = on

Updated Sack Rule = on

In-Game Rest System = off

Emphasize 6-rated LB = on

Great Player Impact Rule = off

Looser Substitution Restrictions = on (with limitations defined in these rules)

Empty flat pass guessed wrong = on

Use Variable FG Rule = on

QB End Run Limits = on

Consider Flat Pass as Runs = off

Use Yards After Catch Ratings = off

Injuries = Single Game Injuries (turned off in the playoffs)

 

 

What is expected of each league member:  play 4 games within a specified 4-week timeframe, understand and follow the rules of the league (enough so that violations do not occur) especially in-game rules, send game results and receive confirmation of receipt, communicate with the Commissioner any unusual issues which arise, check e-mail every couple of days (or e-mail the Commissioner when you can’t do this) near league deadlines (unless you have already sent in your results for that quarter and the Commissioner has acknowledged receipt of each) and whenever reporting a trade, and remain courteous during games and in all league communications.

 

What each league member can expect from the league:  game files will be processed and web page standings will be updated almost every day with web page stats updated likely every few days as results warrant, fair review process of all trades, fair resolution to any disputes which may arise, full draft lists before each draft, full roster lists, game result deadlines which will be adhered to with exceptions only under unusual circumstances, and communication of all league issues.

 

 

THINGS TO KNOW WHILE PLAYING A LEAGUE GAME

 

·        QB under 100 attempts = can only play when there is a QB injury (or blowout which is 17+ point game with 3mins to go)

 

·        Once a drive has begun the QB on the first play must remain in the game throughout the entirety of the drive until the drive or half ends or that QB is injured

 

·        HB, FB, or RB 0-24 NFL carries = may only run the ball

o   Any time on 3rd or 4th down with 1 or 2 yards to go for a first down

o   Any time on the defense’s 1-5 yard line

o   Any time when two HB, FB, or RBs with 50+ carries on the team are injured

 

 ·        HB, FB, or RB 25-49 NFL carries = may only run the ball

o   Any time on 3rd or 4th down

o   On 2nd down and 1-2 yards to go for a 1st down

o   Any time on the defense’s 1-9 yard line

o   Any time when a RB with 50+ carries is injured

 

·        HB, FB, or RB between 50-99 NFL carries = may only run the ball

o   Same as RB with 25-49 NFL carries in addition to the two situations listed immediately below

o   Any time in overtime

o  Any time during an entire half either listed on the roster or sent to the opposing coach via e-mail – if there is no listing on the roster of the eligibility for a particular 50-99 carry RB and notification of eligibility is not made via e-mail that this RB is unlimited in the first half, then it is assumed to be the second half in which this RB is unlimited

 

·        For HB, FB, or RB with a 9.00 yard or greater rushing average (long gain counts as a 45-yard gain) on their card off tackle wrong:  between 75-149 NFL carries = treat as 50-99 carries as above; between 50-74 carries = treat as 25-49 carries as above (these players will be identified on the rosters)

  

·        3-3-5 and 4-2-5 formations may be used only at any of these specific times

o   Any time on 3rd or 4th down

o   Any time in overtime

o   Any time in the 4th quarter with a 15 or more point lead

o   Any time with 5:00 or less remaining in the 4th quarter

o   Any time with 2:00 or less remaining in the 2nd quarter

o   Any time the offense has 3 or 4 WR’s in the game

o   Any time the offense has 16+ yards to go for a first down

o   Any time the offense is goal-to-go at the 16+ yard line

 

·        3-2-6, 4-1-6, and 5-6 formations may be used only at any of these specific times

o   Same conditions as 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 formations

o   Any time if the offense does not have a HB, RB, or FB in the game eligible to run the ball on the play

 

·        3-4 formation may be used only at either of these specific times

o   Same conditions as 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 formations

o   Any time if a 3-4 defensive card is being used

 

·        A player may not switch during a game from left to right (for example, LDT to RDT or SE to FL) or vice-versa unless:

o   He is rated at both positions (for example “DT” may play LDT or RDT at will)

o   There is an injury at that position (for example, if the FL is injured then a SE may play FL during that time)

o   If the offense is in a 0 or 1 WR formation then a FL may play SE or vice-versa and the LCB and RCB may switch positions

o   Any SE or FL who is not one of the top two WRs listed on that team’s roster may play either SE or FL at any time

 

·        A team’s top 2 WR’s and TE – designated as the first two WR’s and TE listed for each team on the Excel roster – may never be positioned at 3rd or 4th WR or 2nd TE in any formation at any time

 

·        A HB may never be positioned at FB in any formation at any time unless he is rated at FB or RB

 

·        A TE may never be positioned at BB at any time unless he is rated at FB or BB

 

·        At the defense’s 1-9 yard line the defense is not allowed to double-team 3 receivers on any one play

 

 

 

 

I.  LEAGUE BASICS

 

There are no fees to be in this league.  Each league member is responsible for playing games and sending results in a timely manner and participating in player drafts as needed.  Each league member will be expected to communicate with the commissioner any issues which arise such as being away from e-mail for more than a few days (on vacation) or scheduling problems.  Each league member must, of course, own the current version of the Strat-O-Matic game with the current season installed and internet access or at least have fairly regular access to a PC with the current version of the Strat-O-Matic game and internet access.

 

This is a very long term league and will very likely be in existence for many years.  Joining the league and once the season starts is a commitment that you are playing the full season at least, please do not join the league if you are unsure about whether you will be able to complete the current season; there will be a clear indication when the commitment begins for that season which will be just before the season begins (which is after all drafts).

 

While some of the details of various league rules and policies are open to future change based upon Commissioner approval there are a couple of league issues which will never change:

 

·         This league will never have a salary system of any sort.  The desired result of parity will be achieved through the location of rookie/free-agent draft picks (winning teams draft last in each round), through the ability of each league member to manage their own team and not give up too much in a trade, and through the trade review process in which clearly one-sided or unethical trades (especially with new league members) will not be allowed.

·         This league will always have a balanced schedule in which teams play each other an equal number of times (with probably one extra game against random opponents as needed) and all playoff spots and seeding will be based upon record only.  Consequently, there will be no conferences or divisions except as required within the Strat-O-Matic game and/or for aesthetics purposes only.

·         This league will always play games via computer, no board game play will be allowed.

 

 

 

II.  ROSTERS

 

 

The league consists of 24 teams.

 

Each team will consist of no more than 55 rated/carded players and an unlimited number of unrated and uncarded players, although shortly after the rookie/free-agent draft teams will likely have more players than this and will be required to cut down to 55 at a specific time a few days after the rookie/free-agent draft.  Players cut are added into the rookie/free-agent pool.  After teams cut down to 55 (after the rookie/free-agent draft) teams may pick up players from the rookie/free-agent pool (and cut an equal number of players) by submitting a list, this 5-round supplemental draft will be run with the same format and order as the rookie/free-agent draft.

 

 

Roster Requirements

 

Each owned team must have as the season begins and all throughout the season at least the following roster positions filled by players eligible to play the position with a card or rating.  A player who has switched positions (see Players Switching Positions) counts as the position he switched to and not the original position; for example, if a coach switches a player from RLB to LLB then that player counts only as a LLB and not a RLB.  A player may fulfill multiple roster requirements as long as he is eligible to play each of those positions:

 

Offense

·         At least 21 players overall

·         2 QBs (no team may have more than 3 QBs with cards after the cut deadline a few days after the draft)

·         2 HBs

·         2 FBs (including BBs)

·         4 total RBs (including all HBs and FBs)

·         1 FL

·         1 SE

·         4 total WRs (including FLs and SEs)

·         2 TEs

·         2 Cs

·         1 OLG (including G)

·         1 ORG (including G)

·         3 OG (including OLGs and ORGs)

·         1 OLT (including T)

·         1 ORT (including T)

·         3 OTs (including OLTs and ORTs)

·         8 total OLs (including all Cs, OGs, and OTs)

 

Defense

·         At least 19 players overall

·         1 LDT (including NT and DT)

·         1 RDT (including NT and DT)

·         3 DTs (including LDTs, RDTs, and NTs)

·         1 LDE (including DE)

·         1 RDE (including DE)

·         3 DEs (including LDEs and RDEs)

·         6 total DLs (including all DTs and DEs)

·         3 MLBs (including LBs, ILBs, LILBs, and RILBs)

·         1 LLB (including LB, LOLB, and OLB)

·         1 RLB (including LB, ROLB, and OLB)

·         3 OLB’s (including all LBs, LOLBs, LLBs, ROLBs, and RLBs)

·         6 total LB’s (including MLBs and OLBs)

·         1 LCB (including DB)

·         1 RCB (including DB)

·         3 CBs (including DBs, LCBs, and RCBs)

·         1 SS (including DB)

·         1 FS (including DB)

·         3 Ss (including DBs, SSs, and FSs)

·         7 total DBs (including all CBs and Ss)

 

Special Teams

·         2 PR’s or 1 LP “lone PR” (no team may have more than 3 PRs/LPs after the cut deadline a few days after the draft)

·         2 KR’s or 1 LK “lone KR” (no team may have more than 3 KRs/LKs after the cut deadline a few days after the draft)

·         1 P (no team may have more than 1 P after the cut deadline a few days after the draft)

·         1 K (no team may have more than 1 K after the cut deadline a few days after the draft)

 

A “lone PR” designated on the roster LP is defined as any player rated at PR who is the only player on a Strat-O-Matic team with a PR card while a “lone KR” designated on the roster LK is defined as any player rated at KR who is the only player on a Strat-O-Matic team with a KR card.  Any LP or LK may be designated on the team as the only PR or KR for that team while any PR or KR who is not a lone PR or KR may not be designated as the only PR or KR for that team.  This is handled in the default depth charts so there is no need to take care of this for your team unless you want to.

 

During the season each team must have on its roster at least one QB with at least 100 NFL attempts and either at least one RB with at least 100 NFL attempts or at least two RBs with at least 50 NFL attempts.

 

No team may have more than 3 QBs with cards once the cut deadline occurs (a few days after the rookie/free-agent draft).  No team may have more than 3 PRs with cards or 3 KRs with cards once the cut deadline occurs.  No team may have more than 1 K with a card and 1 P with a card one the cut deadline occurs.  At all times after the cut deadline, each team must have no more than 55 rated/carded players plus an unlimited number of players who were not rated by Strat that season.  Players who have not been rated by Strat in the current season or in the season before the current season will automatically be cut during the cutdown deadline although a coach may let the commissioner know to keep one or more players at the cost of one of the 55-player roster limit for each of these players retained.

 

In some cases, a team’s starter at one position will serve as the depth chart backup at another position but the Strat game does not handle injuries well in this situation.  Therefore, teams will be assigned in their rosters within the game (but not in their official rosters) 0-0 rated backups as necessary in order to have a non-starter listed as a backup for each position.  These 0-0 rated players will not be considered to be on the team’s roster but may appear in games.  Most teams will not need these extra players assigned but they will be assigned by the Commissioner if needed.  In addition, coaches may request additional 0-0 rated players at any position for use within the game.

 

Each team must be named the same as an NFL team from the current season.  Once a team name is chosen (just after the inaugural or expansion draft) then it cannot be changed unless that NFL team moves cities.  For example, if the Indianapolis Colts is chosen and then for the 2005 NFL season the team moves to Los Angeles to become the California Stars then when the league is using the 2005 season cards (in 2006) the SOMIFA team who was named the Indianapolis Colts must choose a different NFL team as its name or have California Stars as its name.  Duplicate names are not allowed and if multiple teams enter the league at the same time and want the same team name then it is decided by random dice rolls.

 

However, each coach may change the team’s name once (and no more than once) during that coach’s career within the league.  If any team name becomes available (via an event which will be posted on the league’s web page) then up until 3 days other coaches (who have not used their one career team name change) may apply for the new team name and for all of the coaches requesting it the one who has been in the league the longest will get the team name with ties broken by a random method.  After the 3 days then the team name is available to the first coach who requests it.  If a team loses its coach before or after a season then up until 3 days after a new coach takes over the team that team name becomes available to any other coach who requests it; after the 3 days if no-one has claimed the team name then the new coach taking over the team may retain the team name or choose a different one; if the team name is claimed by another coach then the new coach must choose a different team name.  If a team loses its coach during a season then he retains that team name unless and until he decides to change the team name in the future.  In no case may a team name be changed during a season.

 

 

Players Switching Positions

 

Players are not allowed to play “out of position” with the following comments and exceptions (these are clarifications of the who may play table above:

 

1)    At any time without making any announcements a coach may play any CB or S at the 1st DB or 2nd DB position, with the exception that the top 4 DBs listed on the roster may never play the 1st DB or 2nd DB position;

2)    A player who is not rated at BB, FB, RB, or HB may not play BB;

3)    A player who is not rated at FB, RB, or BB may not play FB;

4)    A player who is not rated at HB or RB may not play HB;

5)    A player who is not rated at HB, FB, RB, or BB may not play RB;

 

Immediately before the season begins each coach may designate certain players to switch positions for the entire season.  These switches will be designated on the league roster and players who are switched in this manner are treated as if they are at their new position for the entire season.  These switches may not be made during the game except by announcing the specific switch before the season begins.

 

1)    Any player may make the following switch – SS to FS, FS to SS, FL to SE, SE to FL, LT to RT, RT to LT, LG to RG, RG to LG, LE to RE, RE to LE, LDT to RDT, RDT to LDT, RLB to LLB, LLB to RLB, LILB to RILB, RILB to LILB, LCB to RCB, or RCB to LCB; there is no announcement needed for any DT to play NT, for any ILB to play MLB, or for any player who is rated by Strat for both sides such as a player rated at “G,” “S,” or “OLB”;

2)    If there is an injury then any of the swaps listed in #1 above may be made for a player in order to fill the position; as an example, if a player positioned at RDT is injured then a LDT may be used at RDT for the duration of the injury, no announcement needs to be made, and the player swapped may be different on each play;

3)    When using any formation with 1 WR (FL or SE) then any player rated at FL, SE, or WR may be positioned at FL or SE without having to make any sort of prior announcement;

4)    If the offense is in a formation which uses only 0 or 1 WR (Full House or 3RB 2TE) then the defense may swap its LCB and RCB without making any sort of prior announcement; for example, if the offense is in a Full House formation then the defense may play a LCB at RCB and/or a RCB at LCB

5) Any FL, SE, or WR who is not one of the top two WRs on the roster may play the FL or SE position at any time without any announcement.

 

For clarification, during a game a coach may not move a player rated only at LG to RG, a player rated only at SE to FL (unless not one of the top 2 WRs listed on the roster for that team), or a player rated only at SS to FS (or other such swaps).  However, a coach may announce to the Commissioner before the season begins that a particular player rated only at LG will move to RG and in that case this player may play RG throughout the season and playoffs (but then he may not play LG at all except due to injury).

 

Before the start of the season each team must declare their starters at LCB, RCB, SS and FS; these declared starters are the only players who are allowed to play the position except in the event of injury; none of these declared starters may play 1st DB even in the event of injury.  The top 4 DBs listed on each roster reflect the choices of starters at LCB, RCB, SS, and FS.  The exception to this is if the offense is in a 0 or 1 WR formation (see #4 above).

 

 

Who May Play at Each Position

 

Note that if a player is swapped, then consider him as their new position below; for example, if a player is swapped from FS to SS, then he may not play FS unless due to injury.

 

Game Position in Strat

Roster Positions listed on the roster spreadsheet which may play this game position

 

 

Quarterback

QB

Halfback

HB, RB     (Note that a player rated at FB but not HB may never be positioned at HB)

Fullback

FB, RB, BB     (Note that a player rated at HB but not FB may never be positioned at FB)

Running Back

HB, FB, RB

Blocking Back

FB, BB, any HB with a 4 or greater run block rating      (Note that a player rated at TE but not BB, FB, or HB may never be positioned at BB)

Flanker *

FL, WR

Split End *

SE, WR

3rd Wide Receiver

FL, SE, WR    (Note that the first 2 FL/SE/WR’s listed on a team roster may never be positioned at 3rd WR)

4th Wide Receiver

FL, SE, WR    (Note that the first 2 FL/SE/WR’s listed on a team roster may never be positioned at 4th WR)

Tight End

TE

2nd Tight End

TE    (Note that the TE listed first on a team’s roster may never be positioned at 2nd TE)

Left Tackle *

OLT, OT

Left Guard *

OLG, OG

Center

C

Right Guard *

ORG, OG

Right Tackle *

ORT, OT

 

 

Left End *

LE, DE

Left Defensive Tackle *

LDT, NT, DT (if a player is rated only at NT, then their run rating goes down 1 when at LDT or RDT)

Nose Tackle

NT, LDT, RDT, DT (if a player is not rated by Strat at NT, then their run rating goes down 1 when at NT)

Right Defensive Tackle *

RDT, NT, DT (if a player is rated only at NT, then their run rating goes down 1 when at LDT or RDT)

Right End *

RE, DE

Left Outside Linebacker * **

LLB, LOLB, OLB, LB

Left Inside Linebacker *

LILB, MLB **, ILB, LB

Middle Linebacker

MLB, LILB, RILB, ILB, LB

Right Inside Linebacker * **

RILB, MLB **, ILB, LB

Right Outside Linebacker *

RLB, ROLB, OLB, LB

Linebacker (4-1-6)

LLB, LOLB, LILB, MLB, RILB, RLB, ROLB, OLB, ILB, LB

Left Cornerback *

LCB, CB, DB (if a player is not rated at LCB or RCB, then their pass rating goes down 2 when at LCB or RCB)

Strong Safety *

SS, S, DB

Right Cornerback *

RCB, CB, DB (if a player is not rated at LCB or RCB, then their pass rating goes down 2 when at LCB or RCB)

Free Safety *

FS, S, DB

1st Defensive Back

LCB, RCB, SS, FS, CB, S, DB***

2nd Defensive Back

LCB, RCB, SS, FS, CB, S, DB***

 

* = also see Players Switching Positions above

** = teams which choose to use the 3-4 defensive cards may not use at LILB or RILB a player rated on the roster only at MLB unless announcing before the season a swap from MLB to LILB or RILB (or if there is an injury at LILB or RILB then any MLB may fill in at the vacated position); in other words, 3-4 teams simply announce before the season where their MLB(s) will be positioned LILB or RILB, the Commissioner will request this information when the 3-4 card is chosen

*** = the 4 players designated by the coach as starters at LCB, RCB, SS, and FS may not play any other position other than their announced starting positions, and no-one else may play those starters’ announced positions unless an injury occurs

 

For the table above:  1) the first column Game Positions refers to a position listed by Strat-O-Matic within the game while 2) the second column refers to the position listed on the league’s roster sheet.  A team may have any many players switching positions (announced before the beginning of the season) as they want.

 

For example, if a team uses a 1RB 2TE 2WR formation who may play “RB”?  Look on the table for Running Back and it lists that any player rated on the league’s roster sheet at HB, FB, or RB may play Running Back.  As another example, if a team uses a 3-2-6 formation who may play “2nd DB”?  Look on the table for 2nd Defensive Back and it lists that any player rated on the league’s roster sheet at LCB, RCB, SS, FS, CB, S, or DB may play 2nd Defensive Back.  As a third example, who may play RE?  Look on the table for Right End and it lists that any player rated on the league’s roster sheet at RE or DE may play Right End (also see Players Switching Positions above for cases when a LE may play Right End).

 

Note that the table above does not apply to special team formations.  When a special team formation is used (such as punt formation), any player may be positioned at any position allowed within the game since their ratings are not called for and injuries do not occur during special teams plays.

 

 

Special Teams Players

 

Kickers and punters will be treated the same as all other players with the following exceptions.  Each owned team must have one and only one Strat-O-Matic carded kicker and one and only one Strat-O-Matic carded punter by the end of the annual Supplemental Draft.

 

If a player is rated at more than one position which includes kicker and/or punter then if their coach chooses to never use him at kicker or punter for the entire season that player would then not count as that position for roster limit purposes.

 

A kicker’s card includes the team’s kicking card where he is listed by Strat-O-Matic as the kicker and will also include that team’s kickoff card and kick return coverage card.  A punter’s card includes the team’s punting card where he is listed by Strat-O-Matic as the punter and will also include that team’s punt return coverage card.

 

Each team must fill both of their punt return slots filled with at least either two PR or one LP by the end of the Supplemental Draft.  Each team must fill both of their kick return slots filled with at least either two KR or one LK by the end of the Supplemental Draft.  If a team needs a PR or KR slot filled but there are no more players available in the draft at that position then he may instead announce a draft of a rental PR or rental KR (note that if more than one slot needs to be filled then the team must draft more than one rental with separate picks).  To fill a rental PR or KR slot the Commissioner will find an unused player with a very bad card at the position.  Rental players count toward the 55-player roster limit.

 

Any KR who has no more than 20 yards on a roll of 6 and no more than a 39 yard gain anywhere on their card (long gain and TD count as longer than 39 yards) may be used as a lone kick returner (LK), although if the coach chooses to do that (announced before the season) then the player would count as two of the 55-player roster spots.  Any PR who has no more than a weighted combined total of 50 yards on their card (long gain counts as 45 yards and TD counts as 75 yards) may be used as a lone punt returner (LP), although in that case he would count as two of the 55-player roster spots; for clarification weighted combined total means take their yardage on a roll of 2 and add it to two times their yardage on a roll of 3 and add that to three times their yardage on a roll of 4, and so on.

 

Punt returners who a) had fewer than 15 total attempts (including punt returns and fair catches) the previous NFL season, b) are designated by Strat as a #2 punt returner on the card, and c) have a "card average" of 5.0 or more may never be used as a #1 punt returner (but they may be used as a #2 punt returner) -- "card average" is determined by adding up all of the yardage (weighted by location on the card), with a TD counting as 75, and dividing by 36.  The purpose of this is to prevent a low usage PR with a very good card (often a low usage #2 PR's card is a combo from stats of other players) from being a dominant player way above their NFL value.  The roster sheet will indicate a PR limited in this way.

 

 

 

 

Defensive Cards

 

Each team will use the “average run defense / average pass defense” draft league defensive cards.  A few days before the season begins each team will choose whether to use 4-3 or 3-4 defensive cards and that choice will remain for their team throughout the season and playoffs.  See the Playoffs section for defensive cards during the post-season.

 

Teams which choose to use the 3-4 defensive cards must announce prior to the season for any player(s) rated only at MLB whether that MLB will be eligible to play at LILB or RILB (but not both).  These MLB’s will still be able to play MLB but this prevents a 3-4 team from swapping MLB’s left/right in a 3-4 formation during the season.

 

Each team will use the same QB/receiver fumble card which will be chosen by the Commissioner as an NFL team’s QB/receiver fumble card with a rating of 2.

 

 

Rookie/Free-Agent Draft

 

Each year there will be a rookie/free-agent draft consisting of all players who are not on an owned team.  Unowned teams (if any) will participate in the rookie/free-agent draft so that no matter what happens there will be 24 draft picks in each round of the draft.  If a coach leaves the league, then any draft picks owned by that team in the upcoming draft remain in the same position as if the coach remained in the league.

 

In the rookie/free-agent draft non-playoff teams will draft in reverse order of their regular season record the previous season while the draft order for playoff teams is based upon how far the team advanced in the playoffs (the championship game winner drafts last, the championship game loser drafts second-to-last, the two teams which lost in the semi-finals games draft third-to-last and fourth-to-last, and so on).  Teams participating in a mini-playoff game but not a playoff game (see playoffs section below) will not be considered as playoff teams for draft positioning.

 

Ties for draft positioning are broken by a) head-to-head winning percentage (including mini-playoff games) in which the team with the higher winning percentage head-to-head drafts higher in odd-numbered rounds (if a team involved in a tie did not play any of the other tied teams, then skip this step altogether) and b) strength of schedule in which the team with the tougher regular season schedule drafts higher in odd-numbered rounds.  Teams in which ties were broken by tie-breaker draft in reverse order of each other in even-numbered rounds.  For example, teams AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, and EEE each went 9-7 during the regular season.  Team AAA advanced to playoff round 2, BBB lost in playoff round 1, while CCC, DDD, and EEE did not make the playoffs so those 3 teams are involved in tie-breakers (in this example CCC wins the tie-breaker with DDD second and EEE last).  In this situation AAA will draft the highest of these 5 teams in every round, BBB will draft second-highest of these 5 teams in every round, CCC will draft in the middle of these 5 teams in odd-numbered rounds and first of these 5 teams in even-numbered rounds, DDD will draft second-highest of these 5 teams, and EEE will draft highest of these 5 teams in odd-numbered rounds and in the middle of these 5 teams in even-numbered rounds.

 

The rookie/free-agent draft will proceed until all players eligible are drafted or 10 rounds, whichever comes first.  All players in the rookie/free-agent pool who are not drafted will remain in the pool of un-owned players.

 

After the rookie/free-agent draft each team will cut down to 55 rated/carded players with those cuts being added into the rookie/free-agent pool.  Shortly after cuts are made a supplemental draft will be held with the same format and order as the rookie/free-agent draft.  This draft will be held by the Commissioner using lists submitted by each coach who wants to participate.  Each team must cut one player for each player picked up in the supplemental draft, so that their roster does not exceed 55, with each cut being added into the rookie/free-agent pool.  After the supplemental draft the rookie/free-agent pool will be “locked” until next season.  Supplemental draft picks may be traded just as rookie/free-agent draft picks may be traded.

 

All unowned teams (if any) will use in all drafts an ordered draft list created by the Commissioner (with advice from various sources) and consisting of all players eligible for that draft.  This list will be available before each draft for everyone to see.  Unowned teams need not fill out all roster positions and will simply draft the highest-ranked player still available on the list.

 

Players who are not rated by Strat-O-Matic with either a card or rating are not eligible to be drafted in the rookie/free-agent draft although they may be kept on a team if the coach chooses.

 

If a league member is unable to attend a draft, then that league member may send a detailed list with instructions someone else to use or he may designate someone not in the league to execute their draft picks.

 

 

Trades

 

Each coach participating in a trade must send an e-mail directly to the Commissioner announcing the exact terms of the trade.  After the cut deadline which is shortly after the rookie/free-agent draft each team involved in a trade must be receiving the same number of players as they are giving up.  Trades for draft picks may only include the current and/or next season’s rookie/free-agent draft.

 

Each team must have at all times at least either one first round draft pick, two second round draft picks, or a second and a third-round draft pick for next season’s rookie/free-agent draft.

 

Several days before the season begins on a date announced by the Commissioner (for the fall league this is typically when Strat releases the computer game) trading season begins.  Between the time when a season ends and the time the next trading season begins, no trades may be made or agreed to.  While league members may discuss trades during this off time, they may never commit to any trade even on a handshake basis, so that it is never allowed to indicate “I have already traded the player” except during trading season.  When it is not trading season, it should be understood by all league members than any trade talk is not at all binding in any way.

 

The trade review committee (TRC) is comprised of volunteers with anyone who has been in the league for at least one year and agrees with the basic philosophies of the TRC being eligible.  TRC volunteers should be aware that they will be presented with difficult decisions and should have a philosophy consistent with the questionable trade guidelines outlined below.  The purpose of the TRC is to make the trade review process as fair as possible and to make the process a group decision so that no one person is blamed for a decision which someone may disagree with.

 

All trades are reported by each participating party directly to the Commissioner.  Any trade review process and vote will not include anyone directly participating in the deal.


1) Trades involving at least one new league member:  All trades will immediately go to the TRC for a discussion and vote and all participants in the trade will be notified of this.  The vote's result will become official no less than 3 days after the Commissioner has acknowledged receipt of the trade from all participating parties (although the resolution time is often much less than 3 days with 1 day being the average); if the vote is that the deal violates league guidelines (i.e. the deal is disallowed) then the Commissioner will summarize the TRC's general opinions in an e-mail to the trade participants (with cc to the TRC); the TRC discussion will be confidential among the TRC but the vote and majority opinion summary will be published on the web page.

 

Additional clarification:  teams coached by new league members will be protected by the TRC more than other teams to avoid new league members from being taken advantage of either intentionally or unintentionally.  The intent is not at issue here, the fairness of the trade is what counts the most; too often new coaches will enter a league, make poor choices in trades (either due to not knowing much about the league or in some cases not caring much about the league), and then quit the league leaving the league in a bad spot with a poorly managed team.  The purpose of protecting teams coached by new league members is to avoid this situation.


2) Trades involving no new league members:  all trades become official once the Commissioner acknowledges receipt of the trade from all participating parties; the Commissioner will immediately post the trade on the web page which the TRC will check every day and if anyone on the TRC believes that the trade violates league guidelines then they may call for an immediate vote at which time the trade is automatically put on hold and all participants in the trade will be notified that a vote will occur, the TRC would then vote within the 3 day timeframe with the same procedures as #1; if no-one on the TRC calls for a vote of the deal within 3 days then the deal will not be disallowed (unless a special circumstance occurs such as if it turns out that the deal was illegal).

 

Examples of questionable trades:

a) A coach knowing or even suspecting that he is in their last year in the league trades away an inordinate amount of future value (young players and/or draft picks) in a trade for present value veteran players and the trade is deemed imbalanced overall from the perspective of a hypothetical coach who would be staying in the league for years;

b) A coach who becomes disenchanted with the league and no longer takes it seriously makes an imbalanced trade;

c) A coach who takes advantage of a new player by ripping him off in a trade, the ripoff may even be slight and unintentional and yet still be a deal which clearly disadvantages the team of the new player;

d) Any trade in which one team involved in the trade benefits much more than another team involved in the trade due to the second team hurting their own team intentionally or unintentionally.

 

The above examples are not all-inclusive; other possibilities exist.  It is left to the judgment of the TRC to determine what is questionable.  It is strongly desired that the situation in which a team gains success by making trades which at the time fairly clearly disadvantages other teams does not occur as the league becomes a lot less fun when teams get stronger due to unfair trades.

 

Trades may only consist of exact and spelled-out combinations of players and/or draft choices.  No money or unspecified exchanges for trade value (for example, “future considerations”) may take place; however, a future consideration may be involved in a trade if it is exactly defined (including any conditions) in the trade.  Only draft choices of the next beginning (and/or currently in process) rookie/free-agent draft are eligible to be traded.  Trades may not include any player rentals; for example, a trade in which coach A trades player Smith to coach B with a condition that in the future player Smith is traded back to coach A is not allowed.

 

 

 

 

 

III.  GAMEPLAY

 

All games will be played online based upon schedules posted by the Commissioner (generally 4 games per 4 week period).

 

Before the season begins the Commissioner will send league files so that optionally the league will be created on each league member’s computer.  Before each quarter of the season the Commissioner will send out pregame files to facilitate the ability to play games.  Each league member will have four weeks to play a particular block of four games in any order they choose.

 

Each league member must play their own games.  However, if a league member would like someone who is not in the league to play a particular game then he may e-mail beforehand both their opponent and the Commissioner and the Commissioner will likely approve the swap.  If a league member would like to set up a situation in which their team is shared among others then that is okay as long as before each game the opponent and the Commissioner is notified (and the Commissioner acknowledges) who will be playing the game.  In no case will anyone who is in the league either on a full-time or shared basis be allowed to play games for a different team unless specifically approved by the Commissioner (who will likely not approve this unless very pressed for a deadline).  If a team is suddenly without a coach then the Commissioner will find someone to play the game and will make sure that the replacement coach has a strong interest in winning the game (i.e. if it turns out that it needs to be another league member then it will not be someone with any interest whatsoever in having the team he’s taking over lose the game).

 

The following Strat-O-Matic game options will be used:  RB fatigue, QB end run limits, linebacker run containment, use individualized fumble ratings, cannot exceed longest run, cannot exceed longest reception (WR receptions are not limited), updated sack rule, dumpoff, emphasize 6 LB, open flat = wrong, variable field goal rule, and single game injuries (turned off in the playoffs).  Everyone should make sure that they have the save after each play option turned on.  Also, unless both coaches agree otherwise each coach must turn animation either off or to the fastest possible level as otherwise the game proceeds too slowly for many people.

 

The following general options should be turned on:  auto save after each play, do not allow play animation replay, do not allow CM subs for human players (unless you are careful not to allow this to cause you to violate rules), fastest possible animation speed (or no animation).  The “scroll play by play output text” option must be turned off to avoid a game crash (and also slowness) associated with this.

 

If a game becomes disconnected then the game automatically saved after the last play should be loaded and play should continue or, better yet, if the game appears to be stuck or disconnected then manually save the game and load that save.  If there are any game protests for some reason then the game should be manually saved (if the protest occurs during a game and it may impact the rest of the game) and the Commissioner should be notified; the Commissioner, after reading the opinions of those involved in the protest, may apply a ruling (if the ruling is fairly obvious) or he may put the issue to a league-wide vote but in any case the issue will be resolved fairly quickly (within days); the Commissioner’s ruling on these issues is final.  If a coach frequently disconnects after a big play goes against him (and when re-connecting the play has been nullified) then if the league determines that this (or any other unethical behavior) is on purpose then he may be expelled from the league as cheating of any sort will not be tolerated.

 

During the regular season a person may watch (via spectator mode) any game if and only if both coaches of the game agree to allow that person to watch.  See Playoffs section below, however, for the policy during the playoffs.  Spectators should never talk strategy during the game even if asked by one of the participants.

 

Coaches may not be abusive or rude in any way to other coaches and may not exhibit poor sportsmanship.  This includes but is not limited to swearing, berating, constant complaining, delaying the game by purposefully taking extra time to call plays, intentionally disadvantaging one’s own team’s chance of winning the current game for the purposes of increasing draft position or to just end the game without even trying to catch up at all, etc.  If any of this sort of thing occurs then it should be reported to the Commissioner either via cut-and-paste of the game screen with the objectionable chat, sending the game log file if the chat occurred in the game screen, or simply letting the Commissioner know.  In general if the Commissioner agrees that the behavior is inappropriate (and believes that he understands the facts of the case) then he will likely issue a warning and if the problem persists then that coach may be expelled from the league.  If the behavior is borderline the Commissioner may not say anything to the coach and wait until receiving a second complaint before issuing a warning.  This issue will be handled on a case-by-case basis and generally the Commissioner will solicit advice from other league members in most cases (and certainly if a league member will possibly be dismissed).

 

If you and your opponent agree to a day and time then if you are not able to make it as soon as you find out that you can’t make it send an e-mail to your opponent and the Commissioner indicating this; no-showing an agreed-upon day and time is to be avoided and if you agree to a time but there is a decent chance that you won’t be able to make it let your opponent know this.

 

 

Gameplay Rules

 

QB’s with fewer than 100 NFL attempts that season may not appear in a game unless another QB on the team is injured or in the last 3 minutes of a game in which the score is not within 16 points either way.  For example, with 3:00 or less remaining in the game if the score is 35-18 then it is permissible to use a QB with under 100 NFL attempts.  If a QB with fewer than 100 NFL attempts legally enters a game then he is eligible to play during the rest of that game.

 

Once a drive has begun then the QB on the first play must remain in the game until the drive or half ends or that QB is injured.  A drive is considered to end when any of the following occurs:  punt (though not a fake punt), field goal attempt (though not a fake field goal), fumble recovered by the defense, touchdown, interception, safety, and unsuccessful conversion attempt on 4th down.

 

Players positioned at HB, FB, or RB with fewer than 100 NFL rushing attempts have limits defined in the “things to know while playing a league game” section near the top of this document.

 

The “show blitz” formation is allowed at any time.

 

The 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 defensive formations may not be used except in any of the following situations:

 

* all 15 minutes of overtime

* fourth quarter with a lead of 15 or more points

* 0:01 through 5:00 remaining in the fourth quarter

* 0:01 through 2:00 remaining in the first half

* third or fourth down

* against a 3 or 4 WR offensive formation, including against the 3WR 2RB formation

* when the offense has 16+ yards to go for a first down

* when the offense has goal-to-go at the 16+ yard line.

 

For teams using a 4-3 defensive card, use of the 3-4 formation is not allowed except in any of the situations listed above for the 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 formations above.

 

The top two WRs and top TE on a team may not be positioned at 3rd or 4th WR or 2nd TE; the roster for each particular team will define which two players may not be positioned at 3rd or 4th WR or 2nd TE.  Superior in this case refers to the sum of the numeric ratings reflecting each receiver’s flat/short/long columns (these ratings are no longer listed on the roster) so that 6-5-3 is superior to 4-4-5; in the case of a tie the receiver with the higher NFL average per catch is considered superior or if that does not break the tie then there is no restriction in this case.

 

Method to determine the "top 2" WRs and top TE on each team:  Each WR and TE is given a rating 0 through 6 on each pass type (flat, short, and long) based solely on completion chances; for example, a 19/26 short pass receiver is a 5, while a 2/6 long pass receiver is a 2 on the long pass.  These 3 numbers are added up to give one number representing the WR or TE.  The two highest number WRs are listed on the roster ahead of other WRs on the roster, and the highest rated TE is listed on the roster ahead of other TEs on the roster, where ties are broken by yardage per completion for the player in that NFL season.  For example, if a WR is a 4-4-6 that adds up to 14 which is "better" than a WR who is a 5-5-3 which adds up to 13.  Brief explanation:  flat right combinations of completion out of 36: 0-18 = 3, 19-24 = 4, 25-26 = 5, 27+ = 6; short right: 0 = 0, 5 = 1, 8 = 2, 11 = 3, 16 = 4, 19 = 5, 22 = 6; long right: 0 = 0, 2 = 2, 3 = 5, 4 = 9, 5 = 12, 6 = 15.

 

Only players who are rated at BB, FB, RB, and/or HB are eligible to be positioned at BB; a player who is rated only as a TE may not play the BB position (the offense may use the 1RB 2WR 2TE formation, however, as an example to get that second TE in the game).  Also see the section on “Players Switching Positions” above.

 

Before the start of the season each team must declare their starters at LCB, RCB, SS and FS and these players will be the first 4 DBs listed on the roster.  These declared starters are the only players who are allowed to play the position except in the event of injury, and none of these declared starters may ever play 1st DB even in the event of injury.  The only exception to this is if the offense uses a 0 or 1 WR formation in which case the LCB may play RCB and vice-versa.

 

A team’s kick return lineup must have two kick returners indicated unless there is a “lone kick returner” (designated as LK on the roster, see roster limits section for details) as the sole kick returner.  Default depth charts will take care of this so this paragraph refers only to those who manually adjust depth charts.

 

A team’s punt return lineup must have two punt returners unless the player listed at first punt returner is a “lone punt returner” (designated as LP on the roster, see roster limites section for details).  Default depth charts will take care of this so this paragraph refers only to those who manually adjust depth charts.

 

Teams are not allowed to attempt to block a punt during the first half of any game.  If the punting coach notices that an opponent has tried for a blocked punt during the first half, then the punting coach is advised to manually save the game and notify the opponent that this is not allowed, although this is not required, and then proceed with the punt, without any penalty unless the punt is actually blocked.  If a punt is actually blocked during the first half, then after a brief discussion to agree with what occurred, the coaches should disconnect and then reconnect the game using either the manually saved game from before the punt or the “_autosav2” which loads the game from before the blocked punt.  The commissioner will set the default computer manager of each team not to attempt a blocked punt in the first half of a game, so if a blocked punt is attempted in the first half of a game that would be due to the coach either changing the computer manager on their own or else manually choosing to block the punt.

 

If a coach violates one of these rules during a game, then their opponent should immediately – before clicking to choose their formation or play -- type in the chat area the words “not allowed” (so that this phrase will appear in the log file for the Commissioner to review, if needed) followed by a brief description of what was done wrong and then should wait for an affirmative response before proceeding.  The coach committing the violation must then call a timeout before the actual play call so that the mistake does not actually occur in the game.  If for whatever reason a timeout cannot be called (as examples:  if the problem wasn’t noticed until too late, if the violating coach has no timeouts and the opponent doesn’t want to call a timeout, if the violation involved a RB running on a play in which he should not have been allowed to run the ball, or if the violating coach does not agree that a violation is occurring) then play should continue and after the game at least one of the coaches should send an e-mail to the Commissioner and to their opponent with the game’s log file attached (the log file contains the chat log) and a brief explanation of what happened (and the other coach should also send a brief explanation).  If for some reason the coach against whom a rule was violated specifically does not want to report the incident then he is not obligated to report it.  A coach who repeatedly violates the rules will be penalized or worse, though one or two occurrences will not initiate a penalty other than perhaps a warning.

 

If despite communicating a violation the opponent does not receive a chat acknowledgment that a violation is in the process of occurring then play should proceed (and the log file sent to the Commissioner after that game).  If, however, another unacknowledged violation occurs then that play should proceed but after that play the game should be saved by the home coach and the Commissioner contacted by both coaches; also, at least one of the coaches should send the log file to the Commissioner.  The Commissioner will listen to both sides of the story, looking at the log file for any info, and make a ruling so that the game can proceed from the saved game spot.  If the two coaches disagree on the facts then there’s not much which can be done other than to play the rest of the game with both coaches noting any continued perceived violations; however, lying to the Commissioner is considered cheating and will not be tolerated.  It is not expected that anything of this sort will occur but it is listed in this document just in case.

 

In any case, if you see a violation by your opponent then communicate it and if it repeats and the coach does not seem willing to acknowledge the mistake (and stop it from then on) then save the game and contact the Commissioner before proceeding.

 

Examples:

 

1)            Coach A sees that coach B is playing 3-3-5 at an illegal time:  coach A should say “you are playing 3-3-5 but it is not legal here”; coach B should say “sorry, I will call timeout”; coach A should click their play; coach B should call timeout – no further action needed.

2)            Coach A sees that coach B’s only RB’s in the game on 1st down are not eligible to run the ball:  coach A should say “fyi your RB’s aren’t eligible to run”; coach B should say either “thanks, I will call timeout” (and then he should call timeout) or “that’s okay, thanks anyway” – if a violation does not actually occur then no further action needed.

3)            Coach A sees that coach B ran the ball with a player not eligible to run:  coach A should say “he was not eligible to run that play”; coach B should say “sorry”; if this happens a second time then the same thing should occur; if this happens a third time then up to the discretion of coach A both coaches should save and stop the game to be picked up after getting the Commissioner involved – in any case coach A should notify the Commissioner of the violation(s).

4)            Coach A sees that coach B has an illegal WR set at 3rd or 4th WR but it’s too late to call a timeout:  coach A should say “I didn’t see it earlier but you aren’t allowed to have that WR at 3rd or 4th WR”; coach B should (double-check the roster if needed and) say “you’re right, sorry about that” – no further action needed; however, if this issue repeats then coach A should notify the Commissioner after the game.

5)            Coach B is rude to coach A:  coach A may handle this as he sees fit as long as he is within the boundaries of good sportsmanship and ethics – after the game coach A should notify the Commissioner with game logs or screen shots if available.

 

In addition, a coach may not remove the backups listed in their team’s depth chart in order to remove the chance for an injury to occur.  If an injury roll comes up in the game but no injury occurs because there is no backup listed (due to a coach manipulating their team’s depth chart) then this will be indicated in the show board game details and the game log which should be sent by the opposing team to the Commissioner who will investigate to see if the coach was in violation of this rule (which would amount to cheating).

 

Double-teaming of 3 receivers by the defense (choosing the double-team option for 3 receivers, regardless of whether or not the receiver is otherwise “open”) on any one play is not allowed at any time within the defense’s 1-9 yard line.  If the offensive coach just before clicking to snap the ball notices this game violation, then that coach has a choice of a) pointing it out in chat within the game and the coaches would agree to disconnect before snapping the ball and reconnect using the autosave, and then when re-connecting the defensive coach is required to call a timeout (if a timeout is available) before calling the next play; b) the offensive coach may choose to point out the issue but then go ahead and snap the ball, and in this case the defensive coach is required to call a timeout (if a timeout is available) before calling the next play; or c) the offensive coach may choose not to point out the issue.  If the issue is not noticed until after the ball is snapped, then only options b and c are available.  If a play is snapped then it will count, and loading a previous save game is not an option.  If the defensive coach notices the mistake, then that coach should point it out when noticed and the offensive coach may choose from a (if the ball has not yet been snapped), b, or c.

 

 

 

IV.  PLAYOFFS

 

The teams with the best records will make the playoffs.  One fewer than half (rounded down) of owned teams in the league will make the playoffs.  However, any team which did not win more games than it lost will be disqualified from the playoffs which may lower the number of teams participating in the playoffs.

 

Playoff seeding is determined by the number of wins with a tie counting as 4/10 of a win.  The following format will be used based upon the number of teams making the playoffs (seeding is indicated with the team with the most wins earning the #1 seed and so on; semi-colons separate the playoff rounds):

 

·         4 teams:   #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3; the winners of the first round play each other for the championship

·         5 teams:  #4 vs #5; the winner of the first round vs #1 and #2 vs #3; the winners of the second round play each other for the championship

·         6 teams:  #3 vs #6 and #4 vs #5; the lowest-ranked winner in the first round vs #1 and the highest-ranked winner in the first round vs #2; the winners of the second round play each other for the championship

·         7 teams:  #2 vs #7, #3 vs #6, and #4 vs #5; the lowest-ranked winner in the first round vs #1 and the other two winning teams vs each other; the winners of the second round play each other for the championship

·         8 teams:  #1 vs #8, #2 vs #7, #3 vs #6, and #4 vs #5; the highest-ranked winner in the first round vs the lowest-ranked winner in the first-round and the other two winning teams vs each other; the winners of the second round play each other for the championship

·         9 teams:  #8 vs #9; same as 8 team format with the winner of the first round taking the #8 spot above

·         10 teams:  #7 vs #10 and #8 vs #9; same as 8 team format with the highest-ranked winner of the first round taking the #7 spot above and the lowest-ranked winner of the first round taking the #8 spot above

·         11 teams:  #6 vs #11, #7 vs #10, and #8 vs #9; same as 8 team format with the highest-ranked winner of the first round taking the #6 spot above, the second-highest-ranked winner of the first round taking the #7 spot above, and the lowest-ranked winner of the first round taking the #8 spot above

 

Ties for playoff seeding will be broken in the following order:

 

·         Head-to-head winning percentage against all teams tied (if any of the teams involved in the tie, then skip this step altogether)

·         Strength of schedule of tied teams – add up the wins and losses of each opponent (doubling the numbers if playing a team twice) and calculate winning percentage; teams facing a higher winning percentage win this tie-breaker.

·         Random die roll

 

However, no team will make or be denied the playoffs due to a tie-breaker and if there is a tie for the last playoff spot(s) then a mini-playoff will occur before the playoffs begin.  Seeding in the mini-playoff will use the same tie-breaking procedures as above.

 

If 2 teams are tied for the last playoff spot then they play each other with the winner making the playoffs.

 

If 3 teams are tied for the last playoff spot then the second highest seed will play the lowest seed and the winner of that game will play the highest seed with the winner of that game making the playoffs.  If 3 teams are tied for the last 2 playoff spots then the highest seed will play the second highest seed and the loser of that game will play the lowest seed and the loser of that game will miss the playoffs.

 

If 4 teams are tied for the last playoff spot then use the 4 team playoff chart above to determine the winner of the mini-playoff.  If 4 teams are tied for the last two playoff spots then #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3 with both winners making the playoffs.  If 4 teams are tied for the last 3 playoff spots then #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3 with the losers playing each other and the loser of that will miss the playoffs.

 

Playoff and mini-playoff games will be played with the same rules as regular season games, except that injuries are turned off.  Playoff and mini-playoff games will not count in regular season stats.

 

Each playoff and mini-playoff game should occur within no more than a two-week timeframe with hopefully only a one-week timeframe and the Commissioner should be kept informed regarding all playoff and mini-playoff scheduling issues (for example, if a game is scheduled for a particular day or time).

 

During the playoffs (but not the mini-playoffs and not the championship game) the team with the higher seed will use the average run defense / good pass defense card (4-3 or 3-4, same as during the regular season) while the team with the lower seed will use the average run defense / average pass defense card (4-3 or 3-4, same as during the regular season).

 

During the playoffs (but not the mini-playoffs) if any member of the league wants to watch a game (via spectator mode) then the game’s participants should make reasonable accommodations to allow it.  Reasonable accommodations do not include making any sort of modifications in scheduling the game, attempting reloads to allow the spectator to watch, or any other action which would significantly inconvenience or delay the game.  Reasonable accommodations include communicating the time of the game to a member of the league expressing a desire to watch the game, allowing the spectator into the room in the game lobby (if he is present on time) so that he may watch the game, and communicating the ip address to allow the member of the league to watch the game.  Spectators should never talk strategy during the game even if asked by one of the participants.  If a person not in the league wants to watch a playoff game then that should be allowed only if both participants agree.

 

 

 

 

 

V.  SOMIFA INAUGURAL DRAFT – Information for historical purposes only

 

This section details the procedures used for the inaugural draft for the 2002 season and will likely outline the procedures used for most expansion drafts.

 

The inaugural draft will be held on two consecutive Saturdays – August 30th and September 6th each beginning at 8:00am Pacific Time – mostly before the NFL season begins and will be conducted live via internet chat room to be announced.  All participants must be present in the chat room (or if there are severe technical difficulties participants may use AOL IM to message the Commissioner live during the draft while checking for live draft updates on a web page but the IM option is to be used only as a last resort).  However, it is acceptable for a league member to participate in the draft via detailed lists sent to the Commissioner at any time.  It is also acceptable for a league member to designate someone else to participate in the draft for their team as long as that other person is not another league member and is not participating in the draft for another team.  Only players who have cards or ratings on Strat-O-Matic’s 2002 season disk will be eligible to be drafted.

 

If the Commissioner or someone else is using a list sent to him by a league member and a draft mistake is made then regardless of whose fault it is the mistake will stand unless a correction can be made which does not impact other league members; for example, if the Commissioner misreads someone’s list and accidentally drafts Smith instead of Jones then unfortunately the pick of Smith will stand unless Jones was taken by an un-owned team later in the draft in which case Jones could be substituted for Smith.  While the Commissioner does have some latitude here a decision on any issue of this sort will likely be whatever does not impact other league members directly.

 

There will be no more than 16 participants in the inaugural draft with the remainder of the 24 teams (called “un-owned teams”) drafted by the Commissioner with the use of a specifically ordered draft list created beforehand by the Commissioner (with possible advice from others).  This list will be available for everyone to see and league members who are not able to participate in a particular part of the draft may use it to prepare their detailed draft list if they wish.  The list will focus on players who have future value and will consider player age, NFL team status, and strength of player card or rating as well as other similar factors.  Un-owned teams will draft at the end of each round and will simply draft the highest player on the list regardless of position (except for QB, see below); these teams will make sure after pick 26 to have drafted exactly two or three QB’s.  Un-owned teams will not draft kickers or punters so kickers and punters will not be on the draft list; also, un-owned teams need not draft punt or kick returners or any other specific positions other than QB although they will be limited to the same maximums on QB’s as all other teams.

 

The inaugural draft will last for a total of 28 rounds – 26 individual players, 1 team defense, and 1 pre-set group of backups.  The Commissioner has posted a detailed spreadsheet containing all eligible players (all players listed on Strat-O-Matic cards or ratings for the 2002 season).  After the live portion of the draft the Commissioner will include at least 24 groupings each containing 21 backup players with the intention of setting each of these groupings as approximately equal in draft value.

 

Between the two live portions of the draft each league member will via e-mail draft 1 team defense (including defensive run and pass cards and penalty card) to be used for only the current season.  Only 4-3 defensive cards are eligible to be drafted and before this draft the Commissioner will eliminate the top five 4-3 defensive cards from this draft.  Un-owned teams will not participate in this draft.

 

On the first live Saturday chat room draft each team will draft 13 players at any positions.  No team may draft a second QB before the fourth round but other than this there are no restrictions beyond the general restrictions on rosters (no team may have more than 3 QB’s).

 

On the second live Saturday chat room draft each team will draft 13 more players at any positions as a continuation of the previous Saturday’s draft.

 

During the live drafts each participant has no more than 2 minutes to make their pick after the previous team made its pick.  If the 2 minutes expire then the Commissioner will assign the highest player on the draft list (at a position which that team doesn’t have yet if it’s the first 20 rounds of the draft) to that team.  Participants should be actively preparing for their next pick at all times with contingencies for if the players they want are gone so that they may make their pick within the 2 minutes.  Trades of inaugural draft picks are not allowed through trades may be agreed to after a pick.  The Commissioner may or may not announce a 5-10 minute break during the draft as needed.  It is anticipated that each Saturday draft will last approximately 3-7 hours (depending upon how many people will be drafting live) and as indicated above it is acceptable at any time for a participant to leave and submit a list for their next pick(s) or even for that entire portion of the draft.

 

Since the Commissioner will be a participant in the draft he will not look at any league member’s draft lists sent to him until he has no picks before the list’s next pick.  Consequently, lists should clearly indicate draft instructions with hopefully no room for subjective interpretation.  Lists may be detailed and have various conditions as long as these are presented in a clear and logical manner and if requested the Commissioner will offer advice before the drafts on how this may be accomplished and will agree to preview sample draft lists if that would be helpful.

 

At the end of the draft each team will have 47 players plus a defense/penalty card.  Each owned team must draft exactly one kicker and exactly one punter in the live 26-player portion of the draft.  The backup player groupings will each include at least one RB, at least one TE, at least one WR, at least three OL’s, at least two DL’s, at least two LB’s, and at least three DB’s plus of course many others.  The backup player groupings will not include QB’s (there will be approximately 10 QB’s available after the draft, 3 of those with 50+ attempts).

 

After the entire draft is complete teams may attempt to pick up one or more players from a list of players not taken by sending a list of desired pickups and an equivalent number of cuts.  These pickups will be handled as a separate draft in reverse order of the backup groupings portion of the draft.

 

Each league member will receive many days before the draft a random number 1-100 determined by percentile dice roll (with ties broken by another die roll) to determine draft positions (the dice roll for the Commissioner’s team will be performed by someone other than the Commissioner).  Higher numbers draft ahead of lower numbers in each odd-numbered round of the live draft (which includes all 26 rounds).  Lower numbers draft ahead of higher numbers in each even-numbered round of the live draft, in the defensive/penalty card draft, and in the backup players groupings draft.  Un-owned teams will be drafted by the Commissioner (from the exactly defined list) at the end of every round in every portion of the draft (except the defensive/penalty card draft).  Die rolls may be traded in their entirety though only before the live portion of the draft.

 

For example, a league member who has a die roll of 16 will draft fairly low (though ahead of the un-owned teams) in the first, third, fifth, etc. rounds of the live draft; will draft fairly high in the second, fourth, sixth, etc. rounds of the live draft; will draft fairly high in the defensive/penalty card portion of the draft; and will draft fairly high in the backup groupings portion of the draft.

 

 

 

Expansion Draft – this section is obsolete and applied only to the 2003 season expansion

 

Each year there will be an expansion draft in which new league members will draft their teams from the expansion pool.  The number of total teams – including newly drafted teams and un-owned teams – participating in the expansion draft will be 24 minus the number of owned teams.  If any team loses its owner for the upcoming season (someone leaves the league) then that team will be added into the expansion pool.  As an example, if there are 15 returning coaches and 3 new coaches then the 3 new coaches will participate in the expansion draft along with 6 un-owned teams (15 + 3 + 6 = 24) for a total of 9 teams participating in the expansion draft.  A new coach may not take over an existing team except to finish only the current season if taking over a team after the expansion draft (if a coach quits in the middle of the season, for example).

 

If a player in the expansion pool does not get rated in the current disk then he may be drafted as normal by a new coach or an un-owned team.

 

In each expansion draft all new coaches will always draft ahead of all un-owned teams in each round.  New coaches will be assigned a random number signifying draft order and the draft will run in reverse order in even-numbered rounds (although all un-owned teams will still draft last in each round).  The only exception to all of this is if in any season there is only one participant in the expansion draft then one of the un-owned teams will be drafting as if it is a new coach (and will be drafted by a live person) and so will draft ahead of the new coach in either even-numbered or odd-numbered rounds.  The expansion draft will go through 42 rounds.  All players in the expansion pool who are not drafted by a new coach or by an un-owned team are entered into the rookie/free-agent pool to be eligible in the next rookie/free-agent draft.  Expansion draft picks may not be traded, see the section on trades below for further details.

 

In general a league member may not abandon their team into the expansion pool and draft a new team.  However, an exception may be made by the Commissioner (with strong advice from other league members) in rare circumstances if the coach has had particularly bad luck with injuries or player development and the coach did not trade away future value for present value.

 

 

 

 

[The following section is obsolete and referred to when we had fewer than 24 full teams.]

 

Un-owned teams will have draft picks in the rookie/free-agent draft evenly interspersed among owned teams to total 24 picks in each round.  The following chart will be used based upon the number of owned team picks in a particular round.  Team # represents an owned team while D represents an un-owned team interspersed evenly throughout the round.

 

1) For 8 teams:  #8, D, D,  #7, D, D, D, #6, D, D, #5, D, D, #4, D, D, #3, D, D, D, #2, D, D, #1

2) For 9 teams:  #9, D, D, #8, D, D, #7, D, D, #6, D, #5, D, D, #4, D, D, #3, D, D, #2, D, D, #1

3) For 10 teams:  #10, D, D, #9, D, #8, D, D, #7, D, #6, D, D, #5, D, #4, D, D, #3, D, #2, D, D, #1

4) For 11 teams:  #11, D, #10, D, #9, D, D, #8, D, #7, D, #6, D, D, #5, D, #4, D, #3, D, D, #2, D, #1

5) For 12 teams:   #12, D, #11, D, #10, D, #9, D, #8, D, #7, D, D, #6, D, #5, D, #4, D, #3, D, #2, D, #1

6) For 13 teams:  #13, D, #12, D, #11, D, #10, D, #9, D, #8, D, #7, #6, D, #5, D, #4, D, #3, D, #2, D, #1

7) For 14 teams:  #14, D, #13, D, #12, D, #11, #10, D, #9, D, #8, #7, D, #6, D, #5, #4, D, #3, D, #2, D, #1

8) For 15 teams:  #15, D, #14, #13, D, #12, D, #11, #10, D, #9, #8, D, #7, D, #6, #5, D, #4, #3, D, #2, D, #1

9) For 16 teams:  #16, D, #15, #14, D, #13, #12, D, #11, #10, D, #9, #8, D, #7, #6, D, #5, #4, D, #3, #2, D, #1

10) For 17 teams:  #17, #16, D, #15, #14, D, #13, #12, D, #11, #10, #9, D, #8, #7, D, #6, #5, D, #4, #3, D, #2, #1

11) For 18 teams:  #18, #17, #16, D, #15, #14, #13, D, #12, #11, D, #10, #9, D, #8, #7, D, #6, #5, #4, D, #3, #2, #1

12) For 19 teams:  #19, #18, #17, D, #16, #15, #14, D, #13, #12, #11, #10, D, #9, #8, #7, D, #6, #5, #4,D, #3, #2, #1

13) For 20 teams:  #20, #19, #18, #17, D, #16, #15, #14, #13, D, #12, #11, #10, #9, D, #8, #7, #6, #5, D, #4, #3, #2, #1

14) For 21 teams:  #21, #20, #19, #18, #17, D, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, D, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, D, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1

15) For 22 teams:  #22, #21, #20, #19, #18, #17, #16, D, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10, #9, #8, D, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1

16) For 23 teams:  #23, #22, #21, #20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, D, #11, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1

 

Expansion draft picks may not be traded.  However, a coach may come to an agreement with an expansion coach to make a trade for an expansion player and that trade may, if participants decide, become binding on a coach who already has a team but it is never binding on a coach participating in the expansion draft.  For example, returning coach A makes an agreement with new coach B in which coach A would trade for player “Smith” which coach B will draft.  Coach A may decide to make this a binding agreement and if so then cannot ethically turn back on the deal once Smith has been drafted; however, coach B may back out of the deal even if he ends up drafting Smith.  If coach B drafts Smith and then both coaches announce a trade involving Smith this trade is binding as usual for both parties as long as it is a legal trade in other respects (the trade will be voted on by the TRC, for example).

 

 

 

[The following paragraph has been removed for the 2004 season as it is too difficult to police.] 

 

A player traded away from a team may not rejoin that team via trade until at least two pre-seasons (calendar years) following the initial trade.  For example, if player John Smith is traded away from team A in 2004 then team A may not receive John Smith in a trade until at least 2006.  This does not apply to cutting a player or picking up a player in a draft.  The main purpose of this rule is to eliminate one-year player rentals.

 

 

 

 

Player Switch Draft (left/right) – this section is obsolete with the new features of v4 and was never used

 

In some cases a player may “switch sides” to play the position on the left or right side opposite of their rated side.  The following is a complicated description of the relatively simple process, necessary to cover all the possibilities.

 

A) In some cases:  LT may be switched to RT and vice-versa, LG may be switched to RG and vice-versa, LDT may be switched to RDT and vice-versa, LE may be switched to RE and vice-versa, LILB may be switched to RILB and vice-versa, LLB and LOLB may be switched to RLB and ROLB and vice-versa, and LCB may be switched to RCB and vice-versa;

 

B) If a player was rated by Strat to be allowed to play the left (or right) side of a position indicated in A above in the previous Strat season then he may be switched to play the right (or left) side of that position in the current season; for example, a player rated at DT in the 2002 Strat season who is rated only at RDT in the 2003 Strat season may be switched to play LDT (but not DT which would have allowed him to play both);

 

C) If a team has two or more players rated by Strat to be allowed to play the left (or right) side of a position then the player with the lower rating (or the same rating if two players at the same position have the same rating) may be switched to play the right (or left) side; when considering player ratings in this case the run block, run defense, or pass defense ratings takes precedence over the pass block or pass rush ratings; a maximum of one player per team may be switched due to this option.

 

Approximately a few days before the rookie/free-agent draft (which is after the expansion draft) players from the un-owned pool of players will be assigned to teams to replace players who will be switched for the purpose of playing games; no actual player swap will be involved on the roster but for the purposes of playing the game player swaps will occur.  This process will be handled as a draft – and called the “player switch draft” -- with assignments made by the Commissioner.  Once a player is switched in this manner the player may not be switched back and the replacement player will be used by the team for the rest of the season; once the season is over the switch ends.  For clarification, the replaced player is completely removed from that team’s roster within the Strat game.  Once a player is removed from a team’s roster then he is available for another team to take later in this player switch draft.

 

Only a player of the same or lesser rating will be assigned:  an offensive lineman without a 7 pass block rating may not be replaced by an offensive lineman with a 7 pass block rating, an offensive lineman with a 0 pass block rating may not be replaced by an offensive lineman with a pass block rating greater than 0, a non-0 and non-7 pass blocking offensive lineman may be replaced by any offensive lineman with a lower run block rating; a defensive lineman may not be replaced by a defensive lineman with a pass rush rating higher by 3 or more; a linebacker may not be replaced by a linebacker with a pass rating higher by 5 or more.  As examples:  a 5-2 offensive lineman may be replaced by a 5-2, a 5-0, a 4-5, or lesser rating but not by a 4-7 or 0-7; a 6-0 offensive lineman may not be replaced by a 0-2; a 5-3 defensive lineman may be replaced by a 5-3, a 5-0, a 4-5, or lesser rating but not by a 4-6 or 0-6; a 5-9 linebacker may be replaced by a 5-12-1*, a 5-3, a 5-0, a 4-12-1*, or lesser rating but not by a 4-12-2* or 0-12-2*.

 

Players who play multiple positions (including returners) are not eligible to be taken from the un-owned pool in this manner unless their positions and ratings (beyond the left/right swap indicated here) are exactly the same as the player they are replacing (returners are not eligible at all).  As examples:  a LB may not replace a RLB, a 4-8/5-8 LDE/DT may not replace a 4-8/4-8 RDE/DT, a LCB/PR may not replace a RCB/PR, but a LCB may replace a RCB/PR.

 

Each coach may present a list of their team’s players to be switched to the other side and a clear indication of what minimum rating would be acceptable for the switch.  As examples:  “I would like my 5-5 LDT switched to RDT, I would accept as low as a 5-0 but I would not accept a 4”; “I would like my 6-3 RE switched to LE, I would accept as low as 6-0 and even as low as a 5-0 or 4-2 but I would not accept a 4-1 or 0-2”; “I would like my 5 RCB switched to LCB, I would accept only a 5 and would not accept a 4”; “I would like my 0-12-2* LE switched to RE, I would accept only as low as a 0-12-1*.”  If there is no player available during this coach’s pick then the switch will not occur and the next valid switch on the coach’s list will be implemented instead.

 

The “player switch draft” will occur in two completely separate parts, one for players satisfying criteria B above and then one for players satisfying criteria C.  Each part of this draft will occur with teams in the same order as the first round of the rookie/free-agent draft and both will be conducted completely by the Commissioner at one time.

 

Here is a detailed hypothetical example of this draft starting with criteria B eligible players.  Coach A finished last place last season and so has the first pick of the rookie/free-agent draft and also each portion of the player switch draft.  Coach A has player John Smith who was rated at RLB in the previous Strat season and is now a 5-5 rated LLB in the current Strat season and coach A indicates that he would like to switch Smith to RLB via criteria B and would accept as low as a 5-0 rated LLB.  Player Robert Johnson in the un-owned pool is rated as a 5-4 RLB (there are no 5-5 RLB’s) and so coach A has Robert Johnson replace John Smith on their Strat computer game roster (but not their true roster).  Next up in the draft is coach B with player Chad Buckley who was rated at LB in the previous Strat season and is now a 5-6 rated LLB and coach B indicates that he would like to switch Buckley to RLB and would accept only as low as a 5-4.  However, there is no RLB remaining in the un-owned pool rated between a 5-4 and 5-6 and so this selection does not occur (coach B’s next valid replacement, if any, on their list would occur).  Next up in the draft is coach C with player Stan Humphrey who was rated at OLB in the previous Strat season and is now a 6-0 rated LLB and coach C indicates that he would like to switch Humphrey to RLB and would accept as low as 5-0.  There are no other 6-0 RLB’s in the un-owned pool and the highest-rated 5 RLB (while still less than or equal to 5-4) is player Ed Harvey at 5-1 so Harvey replaces Humphrey on coach C’s Strat roster.  Next up is coach D with player Ron Clemens who was rated at DB in the previous Strat season and is now a 5 rated RCB and coach D indicates that he would like to switch Clemens to LCB and would accept as low as a 4 rating.  Player Don Raymond is a 5 rated CB in the un-owned pool so is not eligible for this switch but player Jerry Wells is a 5 rated LCB in the un-owned pool so Wells replaces Clemens.  Once each coach has switched a player (or has exhausted their list of criteria B eligible players) the draft will continue again with coach A.  Once the draft has been completed for all criteria B eligible players then the draft for criteria C eligible players will begin starting again with coach A.