strat28_2021.html

Welcome to STRAT 28. 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.

· 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, counting the playoffs for order of finish

· League issues such as rules or administrative changes can be discussed in the league’s message board giving coaches an opportunity to provide opinions and sometimes a vote. You can also email the commissioner (Dennis Crowley) your ideas. Since I am doing the majority of the work I reserve the right to implement rules that I think are important.

· 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 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, FS-SS, LCB-RCB, LT-RT, LG-RG, LE-RE, and LLB-RLB

· Kickers and punters may be drafted in either the rookie/free-agent draft or the supplemental draft. 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

· 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, 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. (No 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 75 NFL attempts may not be used except due in a blowout (see below for blowout details) and a QB may not be replaced during a drive

· 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 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 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 3^rd or 4^th down, on 1^st or 2^nd down and 16+ yards to go, or against any 3 or 4 WR offensive formation

· The top two WRs and top TE on a team may not be positioned at 3^rd or 4^th WR or 2^nd TE; the roster for each particular team will define which two players may not be positioned at 3^rd or 4^th WR or 2^nd 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 75 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 scheduled games and these 4 games may be played in any order; the regular season will last 16 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 games be played in any particular order that should leave plenty of leeway

· 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

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.)

· QB under 75 attempts = can only play when there is a 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

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

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

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

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

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.

To determine which team winds up in which conference we will be conducting a Conference Alignment Draft (CAD) at the beginning of the pre-season. Starting with the Super Bowl champion and going in reverse draft order you will choose if you want to join Conference A or Conference B. This accomplishes quite a few things: It should produce two balanced conferences. If you have a particular coach (buddy) that you love to play each year you can choose to join his conference. If there is a coach that beats you like a rented mule and you want to avoid him until the Super Bowl you can choose to join the opposite conference. Or if you prefer to play late games and see one conference has a bunch of west coast cats in it you can jump over there.

For example, Nathan won the championship so he would have the first pick. He would go into Conference A. Denver, who lost the Super Bowl, would pick next. He could choose to go into the SAME conference as Nathan, or go into the other conference. If Nathan looked like he was about to enter a huge rebuild, maybe Denver would choose to be in his conference for the upcoming season. But if Nathan looked like he had a good team again, Denver would probably choose to go into the other conference.

This would continue back and forth and the coaches with good teams would be looking to join the weaker conference and the coaches with bad teams might be looking to join the stronger conference. This would continue until one conference had 14 teams in it, at which time all of the remaining teams would automatically go into the other conference.

In this way, we will have competitive balance every season and also a different look to each conference as well. It will add some fun to the season and I think you will like it once we give it a try.

Some important points:

1. You will play every team in your conference once (13 games). And you will then play three out of conference games determined randomly.

2. You will still need to finish at 9-7 or above to make the playoffs.

3. The conference champions will meet in the Super Bowl.

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 unlimited round supplemental draft will be run with the same format and order as the rookie/free-agent draft. This was previously only a three round draft but in order to help teams meet the minimum position requirements it is now unlimited. You can draft as many rounds as needed but you will need to send a corresponding cut with each selection.

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:

· 2 HB’s (no team may have more than four HB's who have 25 or more carries. HB's with less than 25 carries do not count against the maximum of 4 carded HB's)

· 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)

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-Maticteam 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.

Dirty Dozen Rule: The worst (It is no longer limited to just 12) non-LP and non-LK returners, as listed on the Card Rankings tab of the roster spreadsheet can be used as a "lone kick returner" or "lone punt returner". Spirit of the rule: If you have a crappy returner you can use him as an LP or LK.

During the season each team must have on its roster at least one QB with at least 75 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).

Players rated at any Special Teams position count against both the Special Teams position and the player’s non-Special Teams position. In addition players rated at HB and any non-HB position count against both the HB and non-HB position (including any special teams designation).

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

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;

2) 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;

3) 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 RT his coach may designate before the season that Smith will switch to LT for the entire season and playoffs and Smith will then not be allowed to play at RT.

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).

Before the start of the season each team must declare their starters at LCB, RCB, SS and FS; these declared starters must play in their designated positions while in the game. None of these declared starters may play 1st DB or 2nd DB. The exception to this is if the offense is in a 0 or 1 WR formation (see #3 above).

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.

** = 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; 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

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 “2^nd DB”? Look on the table for 2^nd 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 2^nd 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 teams 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 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.

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.

Dirty Dozen Rule: There will be a number (not always a dozen) of kicker returners and punt returners that will be known as the Dirty Dozen (it is no longer just 12 though) of the worst non-LP and non-LK returners, as listed on the Card Rankings tab of the roster spreadsheet can be used as a "lone kick returner" or "lone punt returner". These will be marked with an asterisk on the spreadsheet in the Card Rankings tab. Spirit of the rule: If you have a crappy returner you can use him as an LP or LK. 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 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 5^th 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 7^th 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.

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. Un-owned teams (if any) will participate in the rookie/free-agent draft so that no matter what happens there will be 28 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, c) strength of victory in which the team that beat teams that have a higher win total drafts higher in odd number rounds, d) random. 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 53 (+3 non-rated/non-carded IR) 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.

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.

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 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).

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.

All games will be played online based upon schedules posted by the Commissioner (generally 4 games per 4 week period). An extra week may be added during holiday periods at the

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: RB fatigue, QB end run limits, linebacker run containment, use individualized fumble ratings, cannot exceed longest run, cannot exceed longest reception, do not limit WR longest reception, updated sack rule, dumpoff, emphasize 6 LB, open flat = wrong, variable field goal rule). 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 75 NFL attempts that season may not appear in a game except 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 75 NFL attempts. If a QB with fewer than 75 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. 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 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 defensive formations may not be used except in overtime, in the fourth quarter with a 15 or more point lead, on third or fourth down, with 0:01 through 5:00 remaining in the game, 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.

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

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.

PLAYING A “CB” OR “Defensive Back” AT LEFT CORNERBACK OR RIGHT CORNERBACK

Players who are rated at “CB” are used when an additional defensive back is needed to fill out a formation. Typically they are called nickelbacks or slot cornerbacks. They are not rated to play Left Cornerback (LCB) or Right Cornerback (RCB) as they did not primarily play those positions. However, they can be used as substitutes in those positions with the following adjustment: If the CB is rated as a “6” defensively then count him as a “4” defensively when playing LCB or RCB. All other CB’s should be counted as a “0” defensively when playing LCB or RCB. Note that this rule also applies to those players rated as “Defensive Back” when positioned at LCB or RCB. IMPORTANT: This rule only applies to the 2017 and later NFL season when Strat-O-Matic started rating CB’s specifically as slot cornerbacks.

Before the start of the season each team must declare their starters at LCB, RCB, SS and FS; these declared starters must play their designated positions when they are in the game. None of these declared starters may play 1st DB or 2nd DB. 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.

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.

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 1^st 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 3^rd or 4^th 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 3^rd or 4^th 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.

Starting with the 2018 card set the league will be divided into two conferences. The teams with the best records in each conference will make the playoffs. Typically around 6 or 7 teams from each conference will make the playoffs. There is no set number but you have to finish over .500 to qualify. 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 from each conference that qualify for 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

· 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.

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 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.

This section details the procedures used for the inaugural draft for the 2016 card set season.

We are lowering the pass attempt threshold for QB's from 100 attempts to 75 attempts.

The inaugural draft will be held by drafting via the forum. We will draft one round a day for 53 days starting on August 10th, 2018 and continuing until October 1st, 2018. We will draft one round a day, the only exception to this is if we complete more than one round in a day then everything on the schedule moves up a day. For example, if we start drafting early and complete round 1 before August 10th, then the draft moves up one day and August 10th is now the official start of round 2. For each day/round I will post a schedule with times that you are expected to make your draft pick. If you won't be around to make your pick then send it to the Commissioner or another league member and they can post it for you. The times listed next to your name is the time your 15-minute window to make your pick starts.

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.

In order to reduce the work involved in running the draft and tracking things each team will only be allowed to make 5 trades during the draft. Once you hit this level do not make any more trades until the draft is complete. If you try and make another trade and ask the other coach to wait until the draft is over to announce you are in danger of having the trade rejected by the TRC. That could adversely affect your team. DO NOT DO THIS! You can trade players or picks. You will stop drafting once you hit 53 players. If at the end of round 53 you have fewer than 53 players you will be allowed to submit a list to the Commissioner to fill out the remainder of your roster.

Please be mindful of your position minimums and maximums. There will be a Supplemental Draft in the year of the Inaguraul Draft. (I originally thought we might not need one, but I see no problem having one. The order will be serpentine with the team drafting last in round 1 of the inagural draft going first in the supplemental.)

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
3^rd Wide Receiver	FL, SE, WR (Note that the 2 best FL/SE/WR’s on a team may not be positioned at 3^rd WR)
4^th Wide Receiver	FL, SE, WR (Note that the 2 best FL/SE/WR’s on a team may not be positioned at 4^th WR)
Tight End	TE
2^nd Tight End	TE (Note that the best TE on a team may not be positioned at 2^nd 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
1^st Defensive Back	LCB, RCB, SS, FS, CB, S, SC, DB***
2^nd Defensive Back	LCB, RCB, SS, FS, CB, S, SC, DB***