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FOOTBALL LEAGUE
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FOOTBALL LEAGUE
CONSTITUTION
NEW FOR 2007
4th Down Rules
Failure to follow the 4th down rule results in the following:
GENERAL CONCEPT
The End Zone Football League (EZFL) is a full draft league that uses all
NFL players from the latest season. All games are played using the latest
version of Action PC Football. All owners MUST own a registered copy of the
game. The End Zone Football League will always strive to be the most fun,
realistic, yet highly competitive league. Fun and good sportsmanship shall
always be the two main ingredients of this league. The league will consist of 20
teams divided into 2 conferences and 4 divisions. The conference shall be known
as the National and American, while the divisions shall be named East West
North South.
TEAM/ROSTERS
Each team shall choose NFL team name .. Each franchise will have that teams
NFL stadium from the game files to be used as their home stadium. Each team
MUST keep their team once it has been assigned by End Zone Football League and
must also keep their home stadium for at least 3 years unless the actual member
owner of the franchise relocates. All teams shall maintain a 50-man roster
throughout the regular season and playoffs. No team may ever exceed the salary
cap after the 50 man roster is set . For the 2007 season the cap will be set at
68,250,000 million. Each team must carry the following amount of players at each
position:
3 QB's (one that will be named your emergency QB), 4 RB, 4 WR, 2 TE, 3 OT,
3 G, 2 C, 3 DE, 3 DT, 6 LB's and at least three must be OLB's, 2 must be
ILB's, 3 CB, 3 S, 1 P, 1 K, 1 PR with at least 16 attempts and 1 KR with at
least 16 attempts.
This will fill up 43 of the mandatory 50 roster slots. The remaining 7 can be
filled anyway the owner wishes. (exception QB limit 3) If a player is lost for an extended period of
time, an owner can petition the committee to acquire a player of the same
position from the free-agent pool. This measure will only be taken if there is
no player on a team's roster to fill the vacant slot. No team may use a player
at a position he is not rated for.
All teams must hand in a protected roster that consists of 35 players or
less on the date specified by the Commissioner. Before the Rookie/Free Agent
draft all, teams MUST have a total of 35 players. . After the initial draft ,
The draft each season will consist of 10 rounds.
Any leftover positions needed to fill out the mandatory 50 man roster shall be
made with Free Agent signings. We will have a Free Agent signing period after
the Rookie/Free Agent draft that will last up until 1 week before our Opening
games. All coaches can make up to 10 free agent moves ONLY. A signing of a
player combined with the release of another player will count as one move. All
teams must be able to fit the signed Free Agent under your cap. At NO time can
a team be over the salary cap after the cut down date.
No team can have more then 3 QB's and one of them MUST be
their emergency QB that was changed to a 5 durability at the start of the
season.
RELEASING/CUT DOWN of PLAYERS
During the off-season we will set a date (about 2 weeks after the new
version is released) where all teams must send in a list of players that they
will be releasing. No team may protect more then 35 players from their roster.
Also all teams must have enough draft picks to reach a total of no less then 50
between picks, Free Agents and players (they may not exceed 50 though).
Example; Team A wants to protect just 30 players. If so, they must have 10
draft picks (Plus 10 FA pick ups) to bring the total to 50 before draft day.
If they have more then 15 draft picks that's fine
So a team's combination of picks (Draft and FA signings) and players must
total 50 but a team may NOT protect more then 35 players.
When a team sends in their list it must have ONLY the players they are
cutting, listed by full name and positions.
Explaining Draft Picks/Cuts/Free Agent moves
All teams going into a new season have 10 draft picks and 10 free agent moves a total of 20 slots, this is before any trading. All teams must cut to 35 so now they have 15 slots to fill with 20 ways to do it 10 draft picks and 10 FA moves.
If a team trades away some of his draft picks then he will have less cuts because he is trading away some of the means to fill the empty holes. So it is always a teams draft picks and Free agent moves added together to get the team to 50 that determines the number of cuts a team can make after the cut to 35.
If a team traded away 5 draft picks and had 5 left and 10 FA moves and his team was at 35 he would then have no cuts because he would need all 15 to get back to 50. Hopefully they would get players back so they won't start at 35
It is always a combination of players on the roster number of draft picks and FA moves left that determine the cuts
All teams have the same Numbers starting out 35 on roster 10 draft picks and 10 FA moves to get a team to 50
EXAMPLE using my team Atlanta
I trade one pick away and gained a player before the draft starts and I have cut to say 33 so after the trade i have 34 players and 9 draft picks and 10 FA moves going in because before the draft I cut to 33 and then the trade brought me back to 34 which left me at 34 and 19 picks to get to 50 (34 + 19 = 53) hence I had 3 cuts left .
The point to always remember is its a combination of players on the roster number of draft picks and FA moves to get a team to 50 and with a clean slate all teams start with 35 on the roster , 10 draft picks , and 10 free agent moves.
Each year proposals for change may be submitted to the Commissioner to be considered for inclusion on the League's rule ballot. Proposals, which are presented, to the League will need 75% favor of the League, to be included in the upcoming year's Constitution. Members who do not vote, will be counted as against the rule proposal. The Commissioner reserves the right to make rule changes, without a League vote, which are both necessary, in the best interests of the League, and in furtherance of the League Constitution. If after a game is played a loop hole or mistake or discrepancies are found in the rules the game will as is it will under no circumstances be replayed unless it can be proven that the winner cheated or messed with the stats
INJURED RESERVE LIST
All teams will be allowed to keep up to 3 players on an injured reserve list.
The first player will cost 500,000; the 2nd will cost 1,000,000 and the 3rd
1,250,000 and will count towards the salary cap. ONLY players rated on a team
roster the previous season and that are not rated the following season by Action
PC Football may be placed on an IR list.
TRADES
Trading is allowed after the End Zone Football League Bowl has been played
till the end of the 2nd week of the season,
however, if anyone makes any "handshake" deals before the new ratings are
released and one coach backs out, the End Zone Football League does not hold
that particular coach responsible. It is highly suggested that everyone wait for
the ratings disk to be released before making any trades. The trading of draft
picks is limited to the following season only. There is no trading during the
draft and FA period.
Both parties must confirm all trades within 24 hrs of the weekly deadline by
email to the Commissioner. If for any reason this is not done, the trade will be
not be accepted by the league. All trades that are confirmed by both parties
will take effect that week. Trading will end after the 2nd week of the regular
season. However, if the Commissioner feels any "wrong doings" are involved it
shall step in immediately. This is to prevent any "fire sales" by person's
intent on leaving the league. Any proposed trade done solely to benefit one team
at the total expense of the other can and will be rejected by the commissioner
if he feels that the trade was not done in good faith. No collusion allowed.
All new owners will take over a team as is and will include the loss or gain of
players and picks traded away by the previous season's owner.
All trades will be sent to 3 to 5 owners either by e mail or AOL AIM if on
line ,preferable not in the same divisions as the teams trading, They will be
picked at random and will provide comments on the trades as to Fairness and
Benefit to both teams and if they agree or disagree to the trade. The majority
of the replies will either approve or disapprove the trades. The disapproved
trades will require re work.
All trades and cut down of rosters will
be in 24 hours before the deadline to provide ample time for rework of the trade
or cut downs NO EXCEPTION
COMPUTER BASED TEAMS
The End Zone Football League will very rarely have computer coached teams.
End Zone Football League members might be asked to play games coaching a team
that is vacant at certain points of the season. If a vacant team makes the
playoffs it will be assigned a human coach to handle its remaining games. At NO
time can any coach swap his current team for a vacant team. No trading will be
allowed with or by any team that is vacant.
In the event that two teams can not play the games H2H then and only then will
the Commissioner will sim the games , neither team will be allowed to play the
computer. Simmed games will be figured into the playoff picture for HFA and the
draft for first round picks. This is to reward the owners that make the effort
to lay the games H2H
ROOKIE/ FREE AGENT DRAFT
The End Zone Football League will hold a combined rookie and free agent
draft. The teams will draft in reverse order of the previous seasons record. The
two teams that play in the previous season End Zone Football League Bowl will
draft last and next to last with the winner drafting last. The expansion teams
will draft after all returning teams that did not make the previous seasons
playoffs. All coaches are expected to attend the draft which is held via AOL
chat on a date specified by the commissioner or submit a DETAILED draft list to
the Commissioner no later then 4 days before the draft. If a coach does not
attend and does not submit a list by the deadline, he will be dismissed from the
league unless he can provide a valid reason for not handling this requirement.
In the case where a replacement coach can't be found, the End Zone Football
League will draft for that team.
Before the draft, each team MUST have a total of 50 players between team ,
draft picks , and FA pick ups combined. Any team that does not meet this
requirement will have its highest picks removed and be given as many picks as
needed AFTER the draft has concluded to reach 50 players. During the draft, any
team wishing to release a player must announce it as soon as he makes his next
pick. The players that are released during the draft can NOT be drafted during
that particular draft. They must be signed as a free agent after the draft and
during the free agent signing period. There is no trading allowed during the
draft.
No team may have less then 40 or more then 50 players once the draft has
concluded. If a team reaches 50 during the draft, their draft day has ended.
Explaining Draft Picks/Cuts/Free Agent moves
All teams going into a new season have 10 draft picks and 10 free agent moves a total of 20 slots, this is before any trading. All teams must cut to 35 so now they have 15 slots to fill with 20 ways to do it 10 draft picks and 10 FA moves.
If a team trades away some of his draft picks then he will have less cuts because he is trading away some of the means to fill the empty holes. So it is always a teams draft picks and Free agent moves added together to get the team to 50 that determines the number of cuts a team can make after the cut to 35.
If a team traded away 5 draft picks and had 5 left and 10 FA moves and his team was at 35 he would then have no cuts because he would need all 15 to get back to 50. Hopefully they would get players back so they won't start at 35
It is always a combination of players on the roster number of draft picks and FA moves left that determine the cuts
All teams have the same Numbers starting out 35 on roster 10 draft picks and 10 FA moves to get a team to 50
EXAMPLE using my team Atlanta
I trade one pick away and gained a player before the draft starts and I have cut to say 33 so after the trade i have 34 players and 9 draft picks and 10 FA moves going in because before the draft I cut to 33 and then the trade brought me back to 34 which left me at 34 and 19 picks to get to 50 (34 + 19 = 53) hence I had 3 cuts left .
The point to always remember is its a combination of players on the roster number of draft picks and FA moves to get a team to 50 and with a clean slate all teams start with 35 on the roster , 10 draft picks , and 10 free agent moves.
FREE AGENT SIGNING PERIOD
After the draft a Free Agent signing period will begin. All teams will be
allowed to sign up to 10 Free Agents only. The process will be as follows each
team will submit a list of Free Agents that they wish to sign. The teams will
be listed in the same order as the draft with each team moving to the bottom
after they sign a player. Tie bids will be won by the team that is higher on
the list then the team that wins moves to the bottom of the list.
GAME PLAY
The End Zone Football League will conduct a 16 game season plus playoffs
and the End Zone Football League Bowl each season. All games MUST be played
head to head using Action PC Football's latest version with direct Internet
play. All games MUST be played in a period of seven days. Any coach who may not
be able to play his game is responsible to get another owner to play his game
for them. This will not be the End Zone Football League 's responsibility. If a
coach can't play his game, then he must find someone to play his game for him by
no less then 3 days before the deadline. If an owner does not follow this
schedule and the league is forced to handle the game for him, a penalty will be
assessed against the owner not participating in that game. Two of these
infractions will be cause for immediate dismissal from the End Zone Football
League
. ***Note; All the league asks is that you make arrangements to get someone if
you can't make it.
The weekly file will be sent out late Sunday night/morning. This means that
the week 1 file will be sent out on Date TBD. The weekly file gets sent out
without fail, Sunday night or Monday morning at the latest, think everyone
should contact their opponent for the that week. Don’t wait for your opponent
to contact you. When you receive an email from your opponent for that week,
answer him right away and set the day/time of the game. This way if either of
you cant make that day you agree on, you can contact someone (IN A LEAGUE WIDE
EMAIL, not just to me asking "what should I do") .
Now if two coaches realize they cant set a day that works for both of them?
Then its up to the VISITING coach to get someone to fill in for him. Its that
simple
All games shall be played as normal NFL rules suggest. If any game is tied at
the end of regulation, one overtime quarter of sudden death shall be played. If
it's still tied after the first overtime quarter, it shall remain as such. In a
playoff game, the game shall be played until a winner is determined. The team
with the faster PC should host games (for speed of play) unless its decided by
the two coaches before they start. During games, the calling of certain plays
will be limited. They are BOOTLEG, TRICK PASS, END AROUND, REVERSE & DOUBLE
REVERSE, HOOK&LADDER and FLEA FLICKER. These plays are considered Trick Plays
and ONLY 2 trick plays PER GAME are allowed. QB Option is not used in the EZFL
and therefore an illegal play.
NOTE: If after a game is played a loop hole or mistake or discrepancies are
found in the rules the game will as is it will under no circumstances be
replayed unless it can be proven that the winner cheated or messed with the
stats
LIMITED PLAYER USAGE
The EZFL will strive for realistic player usage every season by using the
games fatigue system. The fatigue will be set as follows_ game fatigue will be
turned on during the regular season. Season fatigue will be set at 110% for all
levels. The only players that MUST limit their actual attempts are kick return
and punt return specialist. No Punt Returnee may have more returns in the EZFL
then their actual NFL total from the previous season (Fair catches do not count
towards return attempts). The only exception to this is players who have 16 or
more attempts. These players are considered unlimited.
For every 10 attempts it moves up one more so if a player as 165
attempts he will be allowed 16. In case of an injury during a playoff game, the
RB with the next highest attempts in real life will be allowed to add the
remaining attempts to his total. An example; if your RB has 222 attempts that
would give him 23 for the game. If that RB is injured after 10 attempts, then
the RB with the next highest attempts total can add the remaining 13 to his
total. This will work it self down the line in case of multiple injuries.
Any RB with 300 or more attempts is unlimited and any QB with 400 or more
attempts is considered unlimited per game. The game fatigue will ALWAYS be in
effect though.
ALL kick/punt return men must have at least 16 returns to be considered
"unlimited". A team may use any return man they want but if the player has less
then 16 returns he can only be used for his exact amount of attempts for that
particular season. The Commissioner reserves the right to adjust these settings
at any time as necessary in order to promote realistic player usage.
FORMATIONS
. NO offensive lineman may line up in
the backfield. Any team found violating this rule will be penalized.
EMERGENCY QUARTERBACK RULE
Each team MUST have a quarterback with 30 attempts or less. Each team MUST
announce its emergency quarterback to the Commissioner four days before opening
week. Then I will change the durability of each teams 3rd string QB (the one
with 30 attempts or less) to a 5. This QB will be designated as your 3rd QB. I
will then announce all the 3rd string QB's for each team in an email to the
entire league. If your team ends up with two QB's with under 30 attempts then
that team can name either one to be its 3rd string QB and that will be the one
that gets a 5 durability.
A team can ONLY activate 3 QB's for a game. One must be their "announced"
emergency QB.
In a possible case where a team might find itself with only two QB's due to
injuries to the others; that team may sign one of the league minimum free agent
QB's for use till one of its regular QB's return. After one QB returns to a
team, that team must release the QB that they picked up off the free agent list.
Any team that's forced (because of injury) or elects to use their 3rd
string QB may not use his starting quarterback for the remainder of that game.
AFTER GAME PROCEDURES
After each game is played, the person that hosts the game will be
responsible for sending the league commissioner the game file. The host of each
game is also responsible for sending the game box score to all league members.
Both files can be sent by clicking the appropriate buttons after a game is
completed Any host that does not send these required files will face penalties
set by the commissioner.
PLAYOFFS
At the start of each season the EZFL Bowl site will be announced by Al
Ginglardi (who founded our great league).
The teams that will qualify for a playoff spot will be all 4 division winners
plus 2 wild card teams in each conference. The wild card teams will be the 2
teams with the best records other then the division winners. It is possible that
3 teams from a division can make the playoffs. The teams will play the
conference playoffs with the highest seed playing the lowest (ex: 1 vs. 4, 2 vs.
3). The two division winners will be seeded # 1 and 2 according to record. The
teams that win their respective conference shall meet in the EZFL Bowl for the
coveted End Zone Football League Title. All injuries and games played will
carry over throughout the playoffs.
Playoff Fatigue Settings
The playoffs
The stats and injuries will
not be reset Fatigue setting will remain the same There
will be no increase in fatigue setting for playoff teams. The game automatically
takes care of the fatigue settings for playoff teams
TIE BREAKERS FOR PLAYOFFS
All ties in the EZFL shall be broken by using the actual NFL tie breaker system.
The following procedures will be used to break standings ties for
post-season playoffs and to determine regular-season schedules.
NOTE: Tie games count as one-half win and one-half loss for both clubs.
TO BREAK A TIE WITHIN A DIVISION If, at the end of the regular season, two or
more clubs in the same division finish with identical won-lost-tied percentages,
the following steps will be taken until a champion is determined.
Two Clubs
1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, if applicable.
5. Best net points in division games.
6. Best net points in all games.
7. Strength of schedule.
8. Best net touchdowns in all games.
9. Coin toss.
Three or More Clubs
(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are eliminated during
any step, tie breaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format).
1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games among the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
5. Best net points in division games.
6. Best net points in all games.
7. Strength of schedule.
8. Best net touchdowns in all games.
9. Coin toss.
TO BREAK A TIE FOR THE WILD-CARD TEAM
If it is necessary to break ties to determine the three Wild-Card clubs from
each conference, the following steps will be taken.
1. If the tied clubs are from the same division, apply division tie breaker.
2. If the tied clubs are from different divisions, apply the following steps.
Two Clubs
1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. Best average net points in conference games.
5. Best net points in all games.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best net touchdowns in all games.
8. Coin toss.
Three or More Clubs
(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are eliminated, tie
breaker reverts to step 1 of applicable two-club format.)
1. Apply division tie breaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in
each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a
division upon application of the division tie breaker remains the same for all
subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the
three Wild-Card participants.
2. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the
others or if one club has lost to each of the others.)
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
5. Best average net points in conference games.
6. Best net points in all games.
7. Strength of schedule.
8. Best net touchdowns in all games.
9. Coin toss.
When the first Wild-Card team has been identified, the procedure is repeated to
name the second Wild-Card, i.e., eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in
each division prior to proceeding to step 2, and repeated a third time, if
necessary, to identify the third Wild Card. In situations where three or more
teams from the same division are involved in the procedure, the original seeding
of the teams remains the same for subsequent applications of the tie breaker if
the top-ranked team in that division qualifies for a Wild-Card berth.
OTHER TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURES
1. Only one club advances to the playoffs in any tie-breaking step. Remaining
tied clubs revert to the first step of the applicable division or Wild-Card tie
breakers. As an example, if two clubs remain tied in any tie-breaker step after
all other clubs have been eliminated, the procedure reverts to step one of the
two-club format to determine the winner. When one club wins the tie breaker, all
other clubs revert to step 1 of the applicable two-club or three-club format.
2. In comparing division and conference records or records against common
opponents among tied teams, the best won-lost-tied percentage is the deciding
factor since teams may have played an unequal number of games.
3. To determine home-field priority among division titlists, apply Wild-Card tie
breakers.
4. To determine home-field priority for Wild-Card qualifiers, apply division tie
breakers (if teams are from the same division) or Wild-Card tie breakers (if
teams are from different divisions).
TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURE FOR SELECTION MEETING
If two or more clubs are tied in the selection order, the strength-of-schedule
tie breaker is applied, subject to the following exceptions for playoff clubs:
1. The Super Bowl winner is last and the Super Bowl loser next-to-last.
2. Any non-Super Bowl playoff club involved in a tie shall be assigned priority
within its segment below that of non-playoff clubs and in the order that the
playoff clubs exited from the playoffs. Thus, within a tied segment a playoff
club that loses in the Wild-Card game will have priority over a playoff club
that loses in the Divisional playoff game, which in turn will have priority over
a club that loses in the Conference Championship game. If two tied clubs exited
the playoffs in the same round, the tie is broken by strength of schedule.
If any ties cannot be broken by strength of schedule, the divisional or
conference tie breakers, whichever are applicable, are applied. Any ties that
still exist are broken by a coin flip.
PENALTIES
Any team that is found in violation of the league rules will be penalized by the
Commissioner. All penalties will be reviewed and discussed by the rules
committee before being handed out. The Commissioner has last say on all matters
pertaining to penalties. All penalties will be handed out as a "punishment fits
the crime basis" except for those outlined under the GAME PLAY section of this
Constitution or where a direct penalty is stated. All penalties that are handed
out are final.
Any coach suspected of unethical practices in the EZFL will be put under review by the Commissioner's office. The Commissioner may ask advice from other 1st & 10 members, but it is ultimately under his discretion on how to handle the situation. Situations that could result for a Commissioner's reviews include, but are not limited to:
GENERAL PARTICIPATION
All coaches are expected to participate in scheduled chats, drafts and any
other requests made by the Commissioner. Please try and do your part in
making the EZFL the best league possible. It's very important that you respect
the rules and honor the work that is put into the EZFL on a daily basis. All
coaches are expected to keep the best interest of sportsmanship in mind at all
times and to respect each other