|
The Ultimate Football Experience
League Constitution
League Structure
a. League will consist of 24-28 teams in two conferences.
b. Conferences will be the AFC and NFC.
c. Each conference will have 3 divisions with the teams evenly distributed.
d. In each conference, 5 of 12 teams (or 6 of 14 teams) make the playoffs and NFL tie breaker rules will
apply.
e. The NFL’s team scheduling formula will be used using the generator at: http://www.justissports.net/data/schedgen/index.php
f. League play will be in the fall closely aligned to the NFL’s schedule.
g. Owners will select their team name, helmet, colors and stadium.
h. This is a salary cap league
1. The Salary Cap is $90.2 million for the 2008 season.
2. Salary cap increases, rookie salaries, and the league minimum by 2.5% each year.
3. Teams must remain under the salary cap from the declaration date through the end of the UFE Championship
game.
4. Teams may be over the salary cap from the end of the UFE Championship Game until the declaration date.
The declaration date is the date 1-2 weeks after the DKS ratings are officially released to the league as communicated by
the commissioner.
5. If after the declaration date a team is over the salary cap they will lose its highest salaried player
and their first round rookie draft pick. Salary cap penalties will apply. If still not under the cap they will lose their
next highest salaried player and so on until under the cap. These players will become unrestricted free agents.
6. Trades putting a team over the cap will not be allowed.
i. League office will have a commissioner and an assistant commissioner. Should a seat become open a league
vote will be held to fill the open seat.
j. This league is meant to be fun for the owners. All rules are subject to change by submitting a professional
proposal to the league office and requesting a vote. A standard majority is all that is needed to pass a proposal but the
commissioner does have the right to veto a proposal in the best interest of the spirit of the league.
Game Play
k. League will be strictly internet head to head play. If the game cannot be played head to head it will
be simulated. Games will not be played against the computer.
l. Game Files are due as communicated by the commissioner each week.
m. If you have tried to contact your opponent twice during the week and have not heard from them two days
prior to the weekly deadline, please attempt to contact other league members and get a sub.
Game Rules
n. All current NFL rules apply with regards to goal line placement and kickoffs.
o. Instant replay will be "on".
p. Home Field Advantage will be turned on and set to "2" for all teams.
q. Fatigue
1. Game Fatigue will be: 10% - Mild, 20% - Moderate, 30% - Major.
2. Quarterback Game Fatigue will be OFF.
3. Special Teams Season Fatigue will be ON
4. Season Fatigue will be: 110% - Mild, 120% - Moderate, 140% - Major.
5. Playoff Fatigue: Game fatigue will remain as described above. Season fatigue will increase by 15%,
for each level of fatigue, for each week of the playoffs (first week mild would be 125%...second week mild would be 140%...and
so on).
r. Injuries
1. Will be set at NORMAL FREQUENCY and will carry over to playoffs.
2. After a player has been injured his true number of NFL games missed, change his durability rating to 5.
Players injured for only the remainder of the current game are not affected. This rule only applies to full games missed.
When a player is no longer injured, his number of games will be adjusted at that point, durability will remain untouched until
he has missed his true number of NFL games. The league office will be the only one authorized to make any changes to a player’s
games played or durability rating. The league office will inform the league weekly a list of all players whose durability
ratings or games played have been altered.
s. League Type = Draft
t. Penalties will be set to level 3 for all teams during the regular season and to level 2 for the playoffs
Rosters
u. 53 man limit in season
v. Rosters may be above or below 53 at anytime except during the season.
w. Position limits/requirements – there are none.
x. Rookies drafted in the most recent draft do not count against the salary cap or 53 player limits.
y. Utility Players Rule: Each year any team can designate any defensive players rated 5 or less or any skill
position player with KR, PR or RETS a GUNNER, any QB with less than 50 attempts a HOLDER and any OL rated 5 or less a LONG
SNAPPER. Players may play out of position and the automatic DKS penalty of 25% will apply. The game automatically
applies this penalty.
z. Injured Reserve (IR) List: Each team may place up to three players on injured reserve. Those
players will not count against the 53 man roster limit but their respective salaries will count against the cap. A player
placed on the IR must have a durability rating of 2 or less. A newly signed Free Agent cannot be placed on IR.
aa. Taxi Squad: Teams may add up to a 3 man taxi squad during or after the unrestricted free agency
period is completed but before the season starts. Taxi squad players are awarded the salary they received through the
bidding process otherwise they are assigned the league minimum salary if signed after the UFA process. These players may be
restricted. Taxi squad players count against your salary cap. You must communicate players being activated/
deactivated from to the taxi squad prior to the file being sent to the league each week.
Contracts
bb. Each player in the UFE will be under a 1-6 year contract.
cc. Signing Bonuses: There will not be signing bonuses.
dd. Minimum dollar amount is $256,000 (2008), $263,000 (2009), $269,000 (2010) per year.
ee. Renegotiation of Contracts for Non-Free Agents:
1. Teams may renegotiate the contract of one non-free agent player per year.
2. The player can not be a current free agent and must have one or more years remaining on their contract
at the time of the renegotiation.
3. The contract may not exceed 5 years and the new salary must be the greater of 75% of the franchise player
salary for that position or a 25% raise over their current salary.
4. No contract may be negotiated for a decrease in salary or years.
5. The contract may be renegotiated up until the season starts.
ff. Rookies
1. Rookie Salaries:
a. Rookie salary structure will increase by 2.5% each year.
b. Rookies will be given a monetary amount slotted according their draft position. See table below for 1st
and 2nd round for the current year and next two years:
c. Third Round picks receive $539,000 in the current year and rookies drafted in 2008 will receive $553,000.
d. Fourth and Fifth Round picks receive $308,000 in the current year and rookies drafted in 2008 will receive $316,000.
e. Sixth and Seventh Round picks receive league minimum $256,000 and rookies drafted in 2008 will receive $263,000.
2. Rookie Contract -Length:
a. Teams may sign rookies selected in the first half first round to a contract with a maximum term of 6 years.
b. Teams may sign rookies selected in the second half of the first round to a contract with a maximum term
of 5.
c. All players selected after round one can receive a contract for a maximum length of 4 years.
Termination of Contracts:
gg. Except for quarterbacks, a player with a durability of 2 or less may be released prior to the declaration
date (date when RFA designations and rookie signings are due) with no cap penalty. Quarterbacks playing in less than 8 games
may be released with no penalty prior to the declaration date regardless of durability.
hh. If the player has a durability above 2 (including a quarterback that played in 8 games or more) and is
released prior to the declaration date then the cap penalty is 30% of the remaining contract (years remaining * annual salary).
ii. If players are released after the declaration date but before the start of the subsequent season, then
the cap penalty is 50% of the remaining contract regardless of a player’s durability.
jj. If a player is released during a season, the releasing team is responsible for paying 100% of the player’s
contract for that season and 50% of any salary due over the remaining life of the contract.
kk. Players that have their contracts terminated prior to the UFA process become eligible for the unrestricted
free agent bidding period. Players released after the UFA process can be re-signed by any team but that team will assume the
remainder of the existing contract at the time the player was cut (i.e. if Team A cuts LT on July 1st and he has 3 years $10
million remaining, then that is what the new team assumes).
ll. New Ownership Free Cuts: If a new owner takes over a team, at the commissioner’s discretion,
they may have the ability to cut up to 3 players at no penalty.
Free Agency
mm. All players in the final years of their contract will become free agents immediately upon the conclusion
of the UFE Championship game.
nn. Restricted and Franchise Tag Designation: Owners will have the option of placing the restricted
tag on up to three free agents. One of these tags can be used as a franchise player tag.
oo. Restricted players and Franchise players will become part of the bidding process held no earlier than
1 week from when the commissioner communicates the list of restricted free agents and their initial tender offer to the league.
pp. Franchise players can be tendered any length up to a 5 year contracts with an annual salary equal to
the average of the top 5 salaries at the players carded position. If a player plays multiple positions, then the position
with the highest salary will be applied.
qq. Restricted and Franchise tags are due to the commissioner by the declaration date which is 1-2 weeks
after DKS rating have been officially communicated by the commissioner.
rr. Restricted Free Agency begins no earlier than 1 week from when the commissioner communicates the list
of eligible players to the league.
ss. A player signed during free agency, whether by his original team or a new team, must play at least
one game for that team before he can be traded.
tt. Restricted Free Agent:
1. Restricted Free Agents – Designation and Compensation
a. Any restricted free agent automatically receives a 1-year tender offer of 5% (Tier 1) of that position’s
Franchise Player Salary from the team restricting them (i.e. the bidding starts at that salary – for a RB in 2005 it
would be 5% of $10.715M or $535K). If the team restricting this free agent loses this player they will be awarded a draft
pick in the upcoming draft from the team signing this player in accordance with the following formula: # Rank all players’
salaries from the prior year; # Divide players into groups of 20% by annual salary; Top 20%=3rd round pick; 21-40%
= 4th round pick; 41- 60% = 5th round pick and so on.
b. The league office will make public the salary tiers as soon as possible to allow owners to see where their
free agents will be grouped and to allow ample time for GM’s to make decisions.
c. A team may further restrict a RFAs movement by increasing the tender offer to 2yrs and 30% (Tier 2) of
that position’s Franchise Player Salary. If the team restricting this free agent loses this player they will be awarded
a 2nd round draft pick in the upcoming draft from the team signing this player.
d. A team may increase the tender offer to be 3yrs and 50% (Tier 3) of that position’s Franchise Player
Salary. If the team restricting this free agent loses this player they will be awarded a 1st round draft pick in the upcoming
draft from the team signing this player.
e. The final tender is the Franchise player tag. The tender is the average of the top 5 salaries at the players
carded position. Length of contract is up to 5 years and initially determined by the team assigning the designation. The compensation
rewarded to the restricting team for not matching any offer is two #1’s in the current year. If two #1's are not
owned in the current year then the compensation is one #1 in the current year plus a #1 and a #5 in the next year. Teams
that do not own the required compensation are not permitted to bid.
f. All tender offers must be designated prior to the designation date and may not be changed once established.
2. Restricted Free Agent Process
a. Bidding for restricted free agents will be held on a web site with a discussion thread on each Restricted
Free Agent (RFA). The Commissioner will post RFAs on a web site (EZ Boards).
b. Each day 20% of RFAs are put out for bid.
c. Players will come up for bid in alphabetical order.
d. Each team, except the team owning the rights, will have the option to bid on the player.
e. The bidding on each player will last no more than 21 days but will end as soon as the high bid held
for 24 hours. Ties will be handled by a blind bid on the 22nd day.
f. If the high bid remains unchanged for 24 hours then the commissioner will lock the thread and the team
with the high bid will be awarded the player and the restricting team will then be given the opportunity to match (24 hours).
3. Restricted Free Agent – Bidding
a. Please use the league template to help you with the bidding process.
b. The highest total index is the winning bid.
c. The index is calculated by using the following bidding formula: Salary Year 1 + (60% Salary Year 2) +
(40% Salary Year 3) + (25% Salary Year 4) + (.10% Salary Year 5).
d. Bids will be made in years/annual salary/total salary/index. All free agent bids will be submitted in whole dollars
in increments of not less than one thousand dollars.
i. When you enter the information onto the site enter in the following manner:
1. Click on the message.
2. Click on "Post a response" – this is critical because otherwise your bid will not be linked.
3. Put your team name in the "Author" space and your bid in the subject line.
4. Push "Submit Response". Your bid will then show up with a time date stamp.
5. If you are the team with the rights, please post your decision to match or take the comp on the site as if you were
posting a bid.
e. Each bid must either increase the total years with salary remaining the same or increasing (i.e., 1st
bid 2 years @ $3M; 2nd bid 3 years @ $3M) or a decrease in years and an increase in annual salary(i.e. 1st bid 2 years @ $3M;
2nd bid 1 year @ $5M). Under no circumstances will the successive bid be a decrease in annual salary (not realistic). Salary for subsequent bids may not be lower than the previous bid even if produces a higher index.
The index is the deciding factor not the salary.
f. Where the most current bid was under $1 million the subsequent bid must be an increase of at least $50k,
where the most current bid is between $1 million and 2.999 million the subsequent bid must be an increase of at least $125k,
where the most current bid is between $3 million and $4.999 million the subsequent bid must be an increase of $200k, and so
on… (Increases of $75k for each 2 million increment). The subsequent bid must also beat the previous bid based on the
formula above.
g. At the conclusion of the bidding on a player the team owning the players rights can chose to match the
high bid. By matching the team is matching the years and annual salary.
h. Maximum contact length is 5 years and minimum annual salary is the league minimum.
i. No bid may place a team over the salary cap.
j. A bid cannot be withdrawn once it has been posted.
k. The final bid may not be changed only matched (i.e. whatever the final bid is – that’s what
it stays).
4. Restricted Free Agent – Compensation
a. In all cases, if the bidding team does not own the required draft pick then:
i. the next highest pick that the team has in the current year’s draft is awarded (i.e. player required
a 4th round pick, the team with the winning bid does not own a 4th rounder for the current year’s draft but does own
a 3rd round pick – then the 3rd round pick is awarded.);
ii. If they do not own that pick then the compensation will be awarded from next year’s draft based
on the table below:
|
Award in current year’s draft |
Equivalent award in next year’s draft |
|
1st Round |
1st Round + 5th Round |
|
2nd Round |
1st Round |
|
3rd Round |
2nd Round |
|
4th Round |
3rd Round |
|
5th Round |
4th Round |
|
6th Round |
5th Round |
|
7th Round |
6th Round |
If they do not own the pick as prescribed in the table above, then they must refrain from bidding on the
player or if they have bid that bid will be considered void.
If a bidding team is in the position of having to award the same draft pick to more than one team, then the
first bid completed (when the 24 hours expires) receives the current year draft pick. The next completed bid would receive
a draft pick according to the rule described in above.
If a team owns multiple picks in a certain round and they win a player during the RFA process, they will
have the choice of which pick to give up. They must declare which pick they are giving up before the team owning the rights
to the player is required to make a decision to match or not. The team with the winning bid must still use the pick
in the current year first. (Example: Team A submits the winning bid on player X, the rights are owned by team
B, requiring the team A to give a 3rd round pick to team B. Team A has three third round picks in 2006 and one in 2007.
Team A must inform team B which pick in 2006 (2007 pick not available since the team owns pick in 2006) they are giving up.
Team B, then makes a decision to match or not.) Once a decision is made by each party, it is final and may not be changed.
uu. Unrestricted Free Agent Bidding
1. The unrestricted free agent period will be held annually as designated by the Commissioner.
2. All carded Players not currently under contract to a UFE team are eligible to receive bids. Uncarded
players are not eligible to be signed during this phase. You may keep uncarded payers on your roster if they go from carded
to uncarded from year to year.
3. Bidding process Free agent bidding phase:
a. Week One: (i) Any player bid on during this week must have a minimum salary of $1,925,000 a year (an owner
can always bid more than the minimum salary). (ii) There is no minimum amount of years the contract must have.
b. Week Two: (i) Any player bid on during this week must have a minimum salary of $900,000 a year (an
owner can always bid more than the minimum salary). (ii) There is no minimum amount of years the contract must have.
c. Week Three: (i) Any player bid on during this week must have a minimum salary of $385,000 (an owner
can always bid more than the minimum salary). (ii) There is no minimum amount of years the contract must have.
d. Week Four: (i) Any player bid on during this week must have a minimum salary at least equal to the
league minimum salary (an owner can always bid more than the minimum salary). (ii) There is no minimum amount of years
the contract must have.
e. Rules used for each week:
i. No team may place any bids that would put them over the salary cap.
ii. The night before bids are due, the commissioner, or his delegate, will send out an email declaring that
week # is now open. All owners will have 24 hours to send in their closed bids for any player(s) they wish to bid on.
iii. The following night, and each night of the week after, the commissioner, or his delegate, will send
out the results of the first day of bidding.
iv. Owners will then resubmit bids.
v. No owner may resubmit a bid on a player they did not place a bid on the previous night.
vi. The resubmitted bid must be higher than the winning bid from the night before.
vii. To win a player during this phase of free agency an owner must be the highest bid two nights in a row.
viii. If a winner hasn’t been declared by the 5th night then only owners who were the highest bidder
at least one night will continue bidding until a winner is declared.
ix. Bids will be submitted to the commissioner by 10pm Eastern time each night during the period. Commissioner’s
bids are due to the assistant commissioner by 8am Eastern Time.
x. Bids must be submitted using the Free Agent Bidding Form on the website.
xi. Maximum contract length is 5 years and minimum salary is $256,000.
xii. Winning bid is that with the highest total index as previously describe in RFA section.
xiii. RFA bidding rules apply.
xiv. Players not bid on during the UFA bidding period may be signed by any team prior to the trade
deadline (week 6 of the season) by submitting a claim via e-mail to the commissioner. If the player was previously released
by another team after the end of the formal free agent bidding phases, that player must be signed to the same contract terms
as were assigned to him with the former team. All other free agents will be signed to 1 year/ league minimum salaries.
They may not receive a restricted free agency designation at the end of that season. In the event two teams bid on a
player during the same week, the team with lowest winning percentage the previous year will be awarded the player.
4. Compensatory Picks for the loss of free agents (not players cut only true free agents)
a. These picks would be determined after the summer free agency period. These picks are restricted and may
not be traded. The picks would be awarded for the upcoming draft at the end of rounds 3 through 7 in draft order (similar
to the NFL) based on the following formulas:
i. 3rd Round pick for a player that received an annual salary of $6.5 million or greater.
ii. 4th round pick for player that received an annual salary of $5 or greater.
iii. 5th round pick for player that received an annual salary of $3.5M or greater.
iv. 6th round pick for player that received an annual salary of $2M or greater.
v. 7th round pick for player that received an annual salary of $1M or greater.
b. Maximum compensation is 3 picks per team
c. Any free agents picked up during the season will become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season
and may not be restricted. They will be signed to the league minimum and will count against the cap.
d. Free agent acquisitions through week 6 of the regular season are allowed.
Rookie Draft
vv. The rookie draft will be held during the week communicated by the Commissioner but as close to after
the completion of the NFL Draft as possible.
ww. The draft will be seven rounds with one round per day for a period of one week.
xx. Each team will have a half hour time slot to make their selection. If the time slot elapses and no choice
has been made the next team may pick. The skipped team my then make their selection at any time up until 11:59pm Eastern Time.
If no selection is made by that time the pick is forfeited. The League Commissioner automatically assigns the highest drafted
player from the NFL draft at the end of each round to any team that forfeited their pick
yy. Draft order will be determined as follows: (NFL tie breaker rules will apply) which are as follows:
1. The team with the lowest winning percentage at the end of the previous season drafts first in the Draft.
2. The rest of the teams are placed in order from lowest winning percentage to the highest.
3. The UFE Champion drafts last, even if they do not have the highest winning percentage.
4. The UFE Runner-up drafts next to last.
5. Strength of schedule for the previous season is the first tie-breaker for teams with the same winning
percentage.
6. Divisional and conference records are the next step in the tie-breaking procedure.
7. As a last resort, a coin toss is used to determine the order of selection for teams with the same winning
percentage.
8. If a playoff and non-playoff team end the season with the same winning percentage, the non-playoff team
selects before the playoff team regardless of strength of schedule
zz. Only players eligible for that calendar year’s NFL draft will be eligible.
aaa. Players drafted in the rookie draft are placed on a reserved list. They do not count against our salary
cap or roster requirement until the conclusion of the UFE Championship game.
bbb. Rookie annual salaries are outlined above.
ccc. Owners must submit contract lengths to the commissioner by the declaration date the following year.
ddd. Owners may elect not to sign a drafted player and that player would become an unrestricted free agent.
Trading
eee. Trading of players and draft picks will be allowed from the conclusion of the UFE championship game
to week 6 of the regular season.
fff. Uneven trades such as 2 players for 1 or 3 draft picks for 1 are permitted except during the season.
ggg. Trades made during the UFA process will be effective 1 minute after the deadline that bids are due
for that day.
hhh. Trade review:
1. If within a 24 hour period of a trade being posted to the league 4 or more owners question the fairness
of the trade the trade will be reviewed by the league office. The league office will make a decision within 24 hours.
2. However note that past sins (unfair trades in the past) will not be a reason (benchmark) for the league
to allow an unfair trade in the future. If the trade is deemed to be so unfair that it impairs the competitiveness of the
league, it will be overturned. This will come up for voting again. Just remember that any decisions are not personal.
iii. Trades must be submitted to the entire league via the yahoo group e-mail and confirmed by both owners.
jjj. Trading must involve an even number of players (I.e. two for two etc…) during the season and neither
team may violate the salary cap as a result of the trade.
Unowned Teams
kkk. The league either assumes ownership or assign ownership within the league to make transactions on the
team’s behalf until an owner is found. No trades- free agency only.
|
