STRAT-O-MATIC SPRING

FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION SOMSFA

Updated 2/1/2014

 

 

Welcome to the 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

 

·         53-man roster plus 3 man injured reserve with up to all 56 kept from year to year; 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

·         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 except for the Championship game in which both teams use average run / average pass

·         In many cases a coach may designate before the season one or more of his 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, LCB-RCB, LT-RT, LG-RG, LE-RE, LLB-RLB, and FS-SS.

·         Kickers and punters may be drafted only in the rookie/free-agent draft although each owned team must have exactly one of each at all times (except immediately prior to and during the draft); un-owned teams will not draft kickers or punters (note that it is very unlikely that the league will ever have any un-owned teams).

·         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:  penalties, RB fatigue, QB end run limits, LB containment, use individualized fumble ratings, do not allow exceeding longest run, do not allow exceeding longest reception, dumpoff rule, updated sack rule, emphasize 6-rated LBs, looser substitution restrictions (see players switching positions section below for details), empty flat pass = guessed wrong, and single game injuries.

·         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

·         RBs under 25 NFL attempts may only run the ball on third or fourth down with 1-2 yards to go for a first down; within the defense’s 1-5 yard line; or any time when two RBs with 50 or more attempts are injured

·         RBs with 25-49 NFL attempts may only run the ball on third or fourth down; within the defense’s 1-9 yard line; on 2nd down with 1-2 yards to go for a first down; or any time a RB with 50 or more attempts is injured

·         RBs with 50-99 NFL attempts may only run the ball any time during one half (it is the second half unless the coach announces first half on the roster sheet or via e-mail before the game’s coin flip); on third or fourth down; within the defense’s 1-9 yard line; on 2nd down with 1-2 yards to go for a first down; any time in overtime; or any time a RB with 50 or more attempts is injured

·         The “show blitz” defensive formation may not be used except in the fourth quarter or overtime; with 0:01 through 2:00 remaining in the first half; on second, third, or fourth down; within the defense’s 1-19 yard line; or within the offense’s 1-9 yard line – in other words, “show blitz” may be used any time except on 1st down on the offense’s 10-80 yard line in the 1st through 3rd quarters not including the last 2 minutes of the first half

·         The 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 defensive formations (and also the 3-4 formation if a 4-3 defensive card is used) may not be used except in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or anytime in the fourth quarter when ahead by 15 or more points, in overtime, 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 superior FL or SE may not be positioned at 3rd or 4th WR if a lesser WR of the same position (FL or SE) is positioned at FL or SE; the roster for each particular team will define which two players may not be positioned at 3rd or 4th WR.  In addition, the best TE on a team may not play TE2.

·         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 other roster limits which are detailed below

·         Each league member will have 5 weeks to complete a particular block of 4 scheduled games and these 4 games may be played in any order; the regular season will last 16 weeks beginning near early February; while it is possible that a 5-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 5 weeks of time and no requirement that the 4 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 = on (using the card with the fewest penalties)

            Running Back Fatigue = on

            Home Field Advantage = off

            Linebacker Run Containment = on

            Use Individualized Fumble Ratings = on

            Do not allow exceeding longest run and pass = on

            Don’t Allow QBs to get Injured = off

            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

            Injuries = Single Game Injuries

 

 

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.  (I will add to this list as I think of more.)

 

 

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 3 mins 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 under 25 NFL carries = may only run the ball

o   Any time on 3rd or 4th down and 1-2 yards to go for a 1st down

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

o   Any time when two RBs with 50+ carries each are injured

 

·        HB, FB, or RB between 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 between 25-49 attempts

o   Any time in overtime

o   Any time during the second half (or any time during the first half instead if that is either listed on the roster or sent to the opposing coach prior to the coin flip)

 

·        Show Blitz formation may be used only at any of these specific times

o   Any time on 2nd, 3rd, or 4th down

o   Any time in the 4th quarter or overtime

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

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

o   Any time on the defense’s 1-19 yard line

 

·        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 the 4th quarter when either ahead by 15 or more points or in the last 5:00 minutes of regulation

o   Any time in overtime

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

 

·        3-4 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 “CB” may play LCB or RCB 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 the FL may play SE or vice-versa and the LCB and RCB may switch positions

 

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

 

·        A team’s top TE – designated as the first TE listed on the team’s Excel roster – may never be positioned at 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

 

 

 

 

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 his 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 will consist of 24 teams.

 

Each team will consist of no more than 53 players and up to 3 unrated and uncarded players on injured reserve at all times (up to 53+3 players are kept from one season to the next) although shortly after the rookie/free-agent draft teams will likely have more players than this and will be required to cut down to 53+3 at a specific time before the season begins.  Players cut are added into the rookie/free-agent pool.  After teams cut down to 53+3 (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 3-round supplemental draft will be run with the same format and order as the rookie/free-agent draft.

 

In addition to its 53 man roster consisting of players both with and without cards and ratings each team may keep up to 3 players on its injured reserve IR.  Only players who do not have a card or rating in the current set are eligible to be placed on IR.  No player may be on IR for more than 2 consecutive seasons.

 

 

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 QB’s (no team may have more than 3 QB’s with cards except noted below)

·         2 HB’s

·         1 BB (any HB, FB, or BB who is rated a 4 or better)

·         2 FB’s (including BB’s who the computer game allows to be positioned at FB)

·         4 total RB’s (including HB’s and FB’s)

·         1 FL

·         1 SE

·         4 total WR’s (including FL’s and SE’s)

·         2 TE’s

·         2 C’s

·         1 OLG’s

·         1 ORG’s

·         3 OG (including OLG’s and ORG’s)

·         1 OLT’s

·         1 ORT’s

·         3 OT’s (including OLT’s and ORT’s)

·         8 total OL’s (including C’s, OG’s, and OT’s)

 

Defense

·         At least 19 players overall

·         1 LDT (including NT’s)

·         1 RDT (including NT’s)

·         3 DT’s (including LDT’s, RDT’s, and NT’s)

·         1 LDE

·         1 RDE

·         3 DE’s (including LDE’s and RDE’s)

·         6 total DL’s (including DT’s and DE’s)

·         3 MLB’s (including ILB’s, LILB’s, and RILB’s)

·         1 LLB (including LOLB’s and OLB’s)

·         1 RLB (including ROLB’s and OLB’s)

·         3 OLB’s (including LLB’s and RLB’s)

·         6 total LB’s (including MLB’s and OLB’s)

·         1 LCB

·         1 RCB

·         3 CB’s (including LCB’s and RCB’s)

·         1 SS’s

·         1 FS’s

·         3 S’s (including SS and FS)

·         7 total DB’s (including all CB’s and S’s)

 

Special Teams

·         2 PR’s or 1 LP “lone PR” (no team may have more than 3 PR’s/LP’s except noted below)

·         2 KR’s or 1 LK “lone KR” (no team may have more than 3 KR’s/LK’s except noted below)

·         1 P (no team may have more than 1 P at any time)

·         1 K (no team may have more than 1 K at any time)

 

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 RB’s with at least 50 NFL attempts.

 

No team may have more than 3 QB’s with cards once the cut deadline occurs (after the rookie/free-agent draft).

 

No team may have more than 3 PR’s with cards or 3 KR’s with cards once the cut deadline occurs (after the rookie/free-agent draft).

 

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.

 

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 his team’s name once (and no more than once) during his career.  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 any extra 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 – as long as another player on the team is not switched the other way;

2)    If there is an injury then any of the swaps listed in #1 and #2 above may be made for a player in order to fill the position; as an example, if a player positioned at RCB is injured then a LCB may be used at RCB 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

 

For example, if player Smith is rated at RLB his coach may designate before the season that Smith will switch to LLB for the entire season and playoffs and Smith will then not be allowed to play at RLB unless due to an injury.  However, if switching Smith from RLB to LLB a coach may not also switch another player from LLB to RLB.

 

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, 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).

 

 

Who May Play at Each Position

 

Note that if a player is swapped, then consider him as his 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 pure FB may never be positioned at HB)

Fullback

FB, RB, BB     (Note that a pure HB 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 pure TE may never be positioned at BB)

Flanker *

FL, WR

Split End *

SE, WR

3rd Wide Receiver

FL, SE, WR    (Note that the 2 best FL/SE/WR’s on a team may not be positioned at 3rd WR)

4th Wide Receiver

FL, SE, WR    (Note that the 2 best FL/SE/WR’s on a team may not be positioned at 4th WR)

Tight End

TE

2nd Tight End

TE    (Note that the best TE on a team may not 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

Nose Tackle

NT, LDT, RDT, DT

Right Defensive Tackle *

RDT, NT, DT

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

Strong Safety *

SS, S, DB

Right Cornerback *

RCB, CB, DB

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 below

** = 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

 

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.

 

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 below for cases when a LE may play Right End).

 

Note that the table above does not apply to special teams formations.  When a special team formation is used (such as punt formation) then 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 at all times with the exception of immediately before and during the first few rounds of the draft.  If at any time a team has more than one carded kicker or more than one carded punter (for example, as soon as the new card set is released) then that team must up to a few days before the rookie/free-agent draft trade or cut until having exactly one of each and kickers and punters cut in this manner will be added into the upcoming rookie/free-agent draft.  Also, if a team would like to draft a kicker or punter but already has one with a card on his roster then as soon as he drafts a second kicker or punter he must immediately cut a kicker or punter to fulfill the requirement of one at each position; kickers and punters cut in this manner will be immediately added into the rookie/free-agent pool and available to be drafted.

 

If a player is rated at more than one position which includes kicker and/or punter then if his 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.

 

If a team does not have a carded kicker then with his last draft pick before the end of the 6th round he must take one of the available kickers.  Un-owned teams do not draft kickers.

 

If a team does not have a carded punter then with his last draft pick before the end of the 8th round he must take one of the available punters.  Un-owned teams do not draft punters.

 

For example, if a team has a kicker but would like a different kicker then before the end of the 6th round he may draft another kicker and then immediately cut a kicker; the kicker who was cut may be drafted by anyone prior to the end of the 6th round.

 

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 53 man roster limit.

 

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 in SSFA 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.

 

Players rated at KR or PR may be cut (optionally) before the rookie/free-agent draft and for any of those players drafted in that draft the cutting team will obtain an additional draft pick at the end of that same round in the following season (to a highest of a 5th round pick) unless the player is drafted by the same team, for example if team AAA cuts LK/PR J.Smith and J.Smith is drafted by any other team in the 7th round of the immediately following draft then team AAA will get an additional pick at the end of round 7 in next season’s draft.  The purpose of this is to encourage KR and PR cuts before the draft to help the league avoid running out of cards to draft.

 

 

Defensive/Penalty 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 season the Commissioner will designate a current season NFL team’s penalty card to be used by all teams in the league.  This penalty card will be the penalty card of the current season with the least chance for a penalty.

 

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.  Un-owned 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 record the previous season while playoff teams will draft based upon how far they advanced in the playoffs; this will match how the NFL handles draft order at http://www.nfl.com/standings/tiebreakingprocedures and also the web site http://football.about.com/od/miscinformation/a/detdraftorder.htm adds:  "The team with the lowest strength of schedule percentage wins the tiebreaker and picks ahead of all other teams with the same record.”  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.  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.

 

After the rookie/free-agent draft each team will cut down to 53+3 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 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 un-owned 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.  Un-owned teams need not fill out all roster positions and will simply draft the highest-ranked player still available on the list.  Note that it is very unlikely that the league will have any un-owned teams.

 

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 (and they will count towards the 53+3 player limit but will not count towards specific position roster limits).

 

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 his 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.

 

A few days before the season begins on a date announced by the Commissioner no trades may be made or agreed to until next preseason which is a date announced by the Commissioner near when Strat ships the cards.

 

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 (if desired) and a vote (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 EC 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 his 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 his 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.

 

When a trade is reported to the Commissioner if he believes at first glance that the TRC may have a problem with the trade then he will e-mail the coach who appears to be getting the short end of an apparently clearly one-sided trade (and he will notify the other participant(s)) of his specific concerns regarding the trade and allow that coach to either offer whatever explanation he wants the TRC to consider in their vote or to decide against proceeding with the deal.  As an example let’s say that coach A is new to the league and agrees to a trade with coach B but the Commissioner believes at first glance that the trade appears to be clearly one-sided in favor of coach B.  The Commissioner e-mails coach A of his specific concerns regarding the trade and e-mails coach B that there is a potential issue (so that coach B will be aware that there is a slight delay in the trade resolution).  Coach A may then decide against proceeding with the trade or he may explain his reasoning for the trade to the Commissioner at which time the Commissioner would forward that explanation to the TRC who would then vote.

 

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 his 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 his 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 his 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:  injuries, penalties, RB fatigue, QB end run limits, linebacker run containment, use individualized fumble ratings, cannot exceed longest run, cannot exceed longest reception, updated sack rule, dumpoff, emphasize 6 LB, open flat = wrong, variable field goal rule, and single game injuries.  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 successful fake punt), field goal attempt (though not a successful fake field goal), fumble recovered by the defense, touchdown, interception, safety, and unsuccessful conversion attempt on 4th down (although if a play involving any of these is overturned by a penalty then the drive has still not ended).

 

Players positioned at HB, FB, or RB with fewer than 25 NFL rushing attempts that season may not run the ball except on third and fourth down and 1-2 yards to go for a first down, at the defense’s 1-5 yard line, or if two other RBs with 50 or more NFL attempts on the team is injured.  Players positioned at HB, FB, or RB with 25-49 NFL rushing attempts that season may not run the ball except on third and fourth down, at the defense’s 1-9 yard line, on 2nd down with 1-2 yards to go for a first down, or if another RB with 50 or more NFL attempts on the team is injured.  Players positioned at HB, FB, or RB with 50-99 NFL rushing attempts that season may not run the ball in the first half (or second half if that is announced by the coach in the roster sheet or to the opposing coach prior to the coin flip) except on third or fourth downs, at the defense’s 1-9 yard line, on 2nd down with 1-2 yards to go for a first down, in overtime, or if another RB with 50 or more NFL attempts on the team is injured.

 

The “show blitz” formation is allowed at any time except first down within the 10-80 yard line (where the “80” yard line is at the defense’s 20 yard line) – in other words, it is not allowed on most first downs (except near either goal line) but it is allowed on all other downs.  In addition, “show blitz” is allowed any time in the last 2:00 minutes of the first half and any time in the fourth quarter or overtime.

 

The 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 defensive formations may not be used except in the last 5:00 of the fourth quarter, anytime in the fourth quarter when ahead by 15 or more points, in overtime, on third or fourth down, with 0:01 through 2:00 remaining in the first half, against a 3 or 4 WR offensive formation, when the offense has 16+ yards to go for a first down, or 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 restricted in the same way as the 3-3-5 formation above.

 

A superior FL or SE may not play 3rd or 4th WR if a lesser WR of the same position (FL or SE) is positioned at FL or SE.  Similarly, the best TE on a team may not play 2nd TE.  On each year’s roster there will be a notation indicating which are the superior FL’s and SE’s, and the best TE, on each team for the purposes of this rule and the default depth charts for 3 and 4 WR formations should be set following this rule.  Superior in this case refers to the sum of the numeric ratings reflecting each receiver’s flat/short/long columns (these ratings are 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

If a coach violates one of these rules during a game then his opponent should immediately – before clicking to choose his 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 his 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 his 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 his 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 his 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).

 

 

 

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 5/10 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:

 

1.    Head-to-head winning percentage against all teams tied

2.    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

3.    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.  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) 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).  However, in the Championship game both teams will use the average run defense / average pass defense card.

 

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.  INAUGURAL SEASON – Information for historical purposes

 

This section outlines the procedures used for the inaugural season for the 2011 season.

 

The inaugural draft consisted of groups of a few players to draft from.  This saved time and also prevented coaches from focusing on only the present cards and ratings or on only future cards and ratings since each group of players contained players with present value and players with future value.  Each round of the draft consisted of groups of players of the same position such as round 1 contained all QBs and RBs, round 2 contained all DTs and ILBs, round 3 contained all WRs, and so on.

 

The order of drafting in each round was determined by a preset grid in which a coach would be assigned a random number via online lottery and that would determine his draft position in each round from the preset grid.  An example was the coach who drafted 2nd in round 1 drafted 23rd in round 2, 20th in round 3, 9th in round 4, and so on.  The goal of the preset grid was for each coach to have a fair chance at obtaining preferences for player groups.  The grid and the player groups selected in the draft are linked on the league’s main web page.

 

Trading was not allowed in the inaugural season.