| The 1999 Nuclear Football League Rules |
- Basic Concept
- Team Composition
- League Organization
- League Schedule
- Scoring Method
- Player Draft
- Playoff Determination and Payoffs
- Roster Changes and Transactions
- Situations Not Addressed
- 1999 Nuclear Football League Structure
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- League is formed by a number of team owners who wish to participate.For scheduling purposes, this shall be an even number of teams.
- A draft order is determined by a random process, and the league holds a draft of NFL players and defenses. A new draft is held each year with all players returned to the draft pool after the season - there are no keeper players retained by a team from one year to the next.
- Each team pays a $45 franchise fee by a predetermined date, prior to the draft. These franchise fees are used for end of season prizes and for the purchase of league software for the Commissioner and coaches
- A predetermined schedule is set up such that teams can meet in head to head competition.
- Trading players and player transactions are allowed after the draft; however, all such transactions are subject to the trade guidelines and deadlines of the league. There is no transaction fee charged for a transaction or trade.
- Each team coach will submit his weekly starting lineup before the teams meet in head to head competition.
- Following the scoring rules, the weekly results of scores and standings are determined and distributed by the Commissioner.
- The season culminates with playoffs and a championship game, using a predetermined playoff structure as a guideline.
BASIC CONCEPT
- Each team roster will consist of 15 players and/or defenses. Each team defense is equivalent to one roster spot.
- Each team will designate 7 players and 1 defense each week as its starters. The starters must be designated by name and must fill the following positions
1 Quarterback
1-2 Runningbacks
1-4 Wide Receivers
0-2 Tight Ends
1 Place Kicker
1 Team Defense
TEAM COMPOSITION
- The league will be organized conferences and/or divisions, the number and composition of which shall be dictated by the number of teams participating.
- The teams in each division will be determined by the Commissioner using a seeding process, based on past historical performance.
LEAGUE ORGANIZATION
LEAGUE SCHEDULE
- Each week, players and defenses earn points for their teams based on their actual NFL performance. The points are determined as follows:
Passing-1 point for each 20 yards passing.
Rushing-1 point for each 10 yards rushing.
Receiving-1 point for each 10 yards receiving.
Place Kicking-1 point for each PAT and a varying amount for each field goal, depending on length, as follows:
Defenses-Variable, based on total yards allowed (rushing yards + passing yards), as follows:17-44 yards ===> 3 points 45-54 yards ===> 4 points 55 yards & over ===> 5 points 0-169 yards ===> 20 points 170-184 yards ===> 19 points 185-199 yards ===> 18 points 200-214 yards ===> 17 points 215-229 yards ===> 16 points 230-244 yards ===> 15 points 245-259 yards ===> 14 points 260-274 yards ===> 13 points 275-289 yards ===> 12 points 290-304 yards ===> 11 points 305-319 yards ===> 10 points 320-334 yards ===> 9 points 335-349 yards ===> 8 points 350-364 yards ===> 7 points 365-379 yards ===> 6 points 380-394 yards ===> 5 points 395-409 yards ===> 4 points 410-424 yards ===> 3 points 425-439 yards ===> 2 points 440-454 yards ===> 1 points 455 & over ===> 0 points - The official stat source of the 1999 Nuclear Football League is The FFLM webpage. Stats from any other source have no significance and are not admissible, except where errors can be proven.
- Once each week’s games are complete, scores are tabulated for each team’s starters and compared to his opponent's starters’ scores. The team with the most points wins the game. RESULTS OF EACH WEEK’S GAMES WILL BE POSTED TO THE LEAGUE WEBSITE, ALONG WITH PLAYER STATISTICS.
- In the event of a tie, the winner is determined by comparing the total points for each team’s reserve players. The team whose reserve players has the most points wins the game (see Roster Changes and Transactions for an explanation of how scores are calculated for players and defenses whose teams are idle in a given week). If the teams have the same amount of reserve points, the game ends in a tie, which counts as 1/2 win and 1/2 loss for playoff determination purposes.
- In the event of scoring errors, the affected team(s) will have two weeks from the time the official results are released (generally the Tuesday following each week’s games) to report the error to the Commissioner, who will review and correct errors as necessary.
SCORING METHOD
- Each team’s coach MUST attend the draft, and draft his OWN TEAM. The ONLY exception to this requirement is EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES preventing his attendance which have received the prior approval of the Commissioner. The Commissioner will decide for such circumstances how the affected team’s draft will be conducted.
- Any football player or defense may be drafted.
- The draft will include 15 rounds. The draft order will reverse each alternating round: the team who selects first in the odd numbered rounds selects last in the even numbered rounds.
- Players and defenses may be drafted in any round, and a team may draft more than one defense.
- There are time limits when drafting players, as follows:
- Two minutes are allowed per pick.
- Four minutes are allowed if a team has two consecutive picks.
- If the time limit has been exceeded, the next team in line will then be allowed to pick. The team which exceeded the time limit can still take his pick at any time prior to the end of the draft, unless prior arrangements have been made with the Commissioner.
- Draft picks may be traded as desired; however, these trades must be reported to the Commissioner. There are no provisions for trading current year players or draft picks for future years’ draft picks, either during the draft, or the course of the season.
PLAYER DRAFT
- Given a 12 team, three division league, each of the three division champions will qualify for the playoffs. The three remaining teams with the best records which are not division champions will also qualify for the playoffs as “wildcards”. The two division Champions with the two best records will receive first round byes. The third division winner will play a first round game against the lowest seeded wild card team, while the other two wild card teams also face off in a first round matchup. The winners of these two first round games will advance to the semifinals to meet the two division winners who received first round byes.
- The following criteria determines division winners, wildcards, and how teams will be seeded in the playoffs:
- Best won-lost-tied record.
- Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied record in games between the clubs).
- Best won-lost-tied record in games played within the division.
- Best won-lost-tied record in common games.
- Best net points in all games (net points=starters points).
- Strength of schedule (won-lost-tied record of teams played).
- Coin toss.
- End of season payoffs are as follows:
- First place-60% of prize pool.
- Second place-25% of prize pool.
- Third place-15% of prize pool.
PLAYOFF DETERMINATION AND PAYOFFS
- After the draft, teams may trade players and defenses.
- After the draft, teams may waive players and defenses and pickup other available players and defenses.
- Team rosters must never exceed 15 players and defenses. For every player or defense added to a team’s roster, another must be dropped or traded.
- Once a player is dropped by a team, he is placed on waivers and is eligible to be picked up by any other team according to the following process:
The waiver list (list of players dropped by all coaches) will be published by the commissioner by 6:00 PM on Tuesday of each week along with the regular scores, standings and stats. Coaches interested in acquiring said players will have until Noon Friday to make a claim on a waived player. If no claim is made on a player by the Friday deadline, the player becomes a free agent and is available to any team on a first-come, first-served basis. If more than one team makes a claim on a given player, the player is awarded to the team which placed a claim with the lowest cumulative season points at that time. Any player dropped (waived) after the 6:00 PM Tuesday list is published will NOT be available until the FOLLOWING week’s list is published.
- Players which are NOT DROPPED by other teams and are already on the free agent list are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- There is a limit of 3 transactions per team per week. Multiplayer trades count as one transaction.
- All trades are subject to Commissioner review and approval.
The intent of Commissioner review is not to prevent trades which are made in good faith for the purpose of improving all teams involved, but rather to prevent the illegal "dumping" of players from one team or teams to another team or teams with the intent of not benefiting all teams involved. - All roster changes and starting lineups must be submitted fifteen minutes before game time (12:45 on Sunday at the latest). For any games played prior to Sunday, such as Thursday or Saturday games, each team must designate its starters for those games fifteen minutes before game time but can wait and submit its remaining lineup by 12:45 on Sunday. Players who are involved in games prior to the normal 12:45 Sunday deadline MUST BE POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED AS STARTERS at least fifteen minutes before game time; they do not automatically start.
- The following are acceptable methods for submitting starting lineups:
- Getting a copy (E-mail, Talking to, or Voicemail)to the Commissioner (x 4810) or his opponent.
- Coaches must still ensure the Commissioner receives their lineup via e-mail at the earliest available opportunity.
- Other means are unacceptable and will be disallowed.
- As a courtesy coaches should transmit a copy of each weeks starting lineup to their opponent for that week.
- The trade deadline will be 12:45 PM Sunday, Week 10 of the NFL Season. The Normal Transaction Deadline will be 12:45 PM Sunday, Week 13 of the NFL Season. After this teams will be allowed position-for-position transactions (QB for QB, WR for WR, etc.)
- ALL TRADES AND TRANSACTIONS SHALL BE TRANSMITTED TO THE COMMISSIONER. ONCE APPROVED, THEY WILL BE POSTED TO THE LEAGUE WEBPAGE.
- If a team fails to submit a weekly lineup, his previous week’s lineup will be used. Players who are involved in games prior to the normal 12:45 Sunday deadline MUST BE POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED AS STARTERS at least fifteen minutes before game time; they do not automatically start.
- Each NFL team has one off week (bye) this season. To address this, coaches will be allowed to carryover stats for players who will be off during a given week from the previous week. The carryover players can be designated once they have earned the carryover stats.
- Carryover players MUST be on a team’s roster when the carryover stats are earned in order for that team to use the stats in the bye week.
- For situations not addressed in these rules, all decisions made by the Commissioner are final.
SITUATIONS NOT ADDRESSED
Alpha
- Dominators
- Rough Riders
- Scorpions
- Sodbusters
Beta
- Burnouts
- Nawlins Cajuns
- Pigskin Princes
- UBU Sports
Gamma
- DC Alleycats
- FI's
- Shockers
- Texas Vipers