LEAGUE ORGANIZATION

Teams

The league is a keeper Strat-O-Matic computer draft league consisting of twelve to twenty teams. Each FFL team roster is initially based on a selected NFL team roster plus players obtained in the annual preseason draft.

Annual Preseason Draft

The annual preseason draft is a seeded round-by-round draft, using the NFL method for determining draft order. The seeding is based on the team’s playoff finish and regular season record (NFL record if it is the team’s initial season). FFL teams select players from NFL team rosters in the FFL draft pool.

Draft Pool

The draft pool consists of NFL teams that were the base team for each FFL team and an additional number of selected NFL teams. One additional NFL team is added to the draft pool for every two new FFL teams. The additional NFL teams are selected based on a league vote. Ex: twelve FFL teams equal a draft pool of eighteen NFL teams.

Regular Season

The regular season consists of 16 games played in order followed by the playoffs. The teams have two weeks to complete each regular season game, so the season generally starts in October and ends in June.

Playoffs

The playoffs consist of four teams, which will include the top team from each conference and the next two teams with the best records. Any ties will be resolved using the NFL playoff tiebreaker system. The playoff schedule will be determined using NFL seeding rules. Therefore the lowest seed team will play the highest seeded team in each round. In order to qualify for the playoffs, a human must have coached the team in at least 75% of the regular season games.

Game Rules

The games are played using the following computer game rule options: Penalties, Player Overusage 120%, QB Overusage 120%, Running Back Fatigue, Home Field Advantage, Linebacker Run Containment, Dumpoff rule, Updated Sack Rule, Emphasize 6 LB’s, Empty flat pass = guessed wrong and Multiple Game injuries.

 

 

TEAM ROSTERS

Rosters

Each team has a fifty-one-man roster, which consists of an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator, a kicker, a punter, starters and backups for every Pro Set formation position, starters and backups for every base defense position, and three flex positions. Note: Strat-O-Matic requires that a valid roster must be able to play all formations including the 5-6. This means that a base 3-4 defense must have at least 3 players that can play Defensive Tackle.

 

The list of team backups cannot include any of the starters. The league does not use the “Looser Substitution Restrictions” rule, so you cannot swap right and left. Ex: a Right Tackle cannot play Left Tackle but a Defensive Tackle may be listed as a starter or backup at either position.

 

The flex positions can be used for extra backups (including punters or kickers), pure returners, or uncarded/unrated players held over from the previous year. The flex position cannot be used for coordinators.

Coordinators

When a team selects a coordinator, you receive the team cards. The Offensive Coordinator indicates which Penalty card and QB-WR fumble chances are used and the Defensive Coordinator indicates which Defensive cards are used. You may keep the coordinators as long as they are active coordinators on an NFL team in the draft pool. Ex: You draft Marvin Lewis as a defensive coordinator while he is in Baltimore and use the Baltimore defensive cards. The next year Marvin becomes Washington’s defensive coordinator and you use the Washington defensive cards. The following year Marvin is hired as Cincinnati’s head coach, so now you need to acquire a new defensive coordinator.

 

Kick & Punt Returners

Each team must have at least one punt returner and one kick returner. If the punt returner or kick returner is not listed as a solo returner on the Special Teams card, then the team must acquire and play a second returner. Note: If a team chooses to use a solo punt returner without a second returner, than a DB must be listed at the second returner position (The Strat-O-Matic game does not allow a RCB, LCB, SS, FS, S, or CB to play that position).

Trading and Drafting

After the preseason cuts have been made, a team must maintain a valid roster for the rest of the season. When a team acquires players/coaches the team must immediately release/trade players who do not fit within the team roster limits.

Free Agents

After the publication of the Strat-O-Matic ratings preview, teams will lose players who are listed on NFL teams outside of the league draft pool. Teams will receive compensation draft picks for some of the “Free Agent” loses. The compensation is based on their NFL season stats and their position on the ratings preview depth chart. The picks will occur in a round-robin fashion where the teams will pick one player at a time in their draft order (ie Westland picks one, Silverados pick one, Rochester picks one, Westland picks one, Silverados pick one, ... etc.). Teams will not receive compensation picks for Returners, Punters, Kickers, and Coordinators. The compensation picks can be traded.

 

Compensation Pick Chart:

 

1a picks are awarded for:

-          Starting defensive players with a 6 defensive rating

-          Starting defensive players with a 5 defensive rating and a 10+ pass rush

-          Starting offensive lineman with a 6 run block or 7 pass block

-          Starting QBs

-          Starting HBs

-          Starting WRs with 70 + receptions

-          Starting TEs or BBs with 40+ receptions

 

2a picks are awarded for:

-          Starting defensive players with a 5 defensive rating

-          Starting defensive players with a 10+ pass rush

-          Starting offensive linemen with a 5 run block or 5 pass block

-          Starting WRs with less then 70 receptions

3a picks are awarded for:

-          Starting defensive players with a 4 defensive rating

-          Starting offensive linemen with a 4 run block or a 4 pass block

-          Starting TEs or BBs with 39 or less receptions

4a picks are awarded for starting FBs.

5a picks are awarded for all other starters.

6a picks are awarded for all backups.

LEAGUE GOVERNMENT

Membership

Membership in the FFL is voluntary. A member is asked to register with the league Yahoo site (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/FFLTalk/), respond to league e-mails in a timely manner, participate in the league draft, and play all regular season and playoff games. The commissioner has the authority to dismiss a member on the grounds of team abandonment or conduct deemed destructive to the league.

Commissioner

The commissioner, currently Kevin Wilkinson, will run the day-to-day operations of the Founders Football League. The commissioner will validate player transactions, enforce league rules, define penalties for rule violations, and make decisions regarding the league not otherwise delegated to the competition committee.

 

The Commissioner is an elected position and once elected remains in office until he/she resigns or is voted out in a no-confidence vote (requiring 75% of the active coaches to vote no-confidence in a single vote).

Competition Committee

The competition committee will make all rule change suggestions such as team roster requirements, game play rules, draft procedures, and playoff procedures. The rule change suggestions will be submitted to the league for a vote by the active coaches. Rule changes will be accepted if it receives at least 2/3 of the votes in a single vote.

 

The committee will consist of the commissioner, and two other members, currently Larry Wilkinson and Erich Kafferlin. The two members must be coaches in good standing, and will be elected every two years by a majority vote of league members. If a member resigns from the committee the commissioner will name a replacement to finish out the remainder of the term.