ECFL Rules

1.00-League Overview
1.01-Draft
1.02-Player Improvements
1.03-Player Retirements
1.04-Free Agents
1.05-Trades
1.06-Roster Rules

2.00-Playbooks
2.01-Offensive Formations
2.02-Offensive Players
2.03-Defensive Formations
2.04-Defensive Players
2.05-Special Teams

3.00-Preseason
3.01-Regular Season
3.02-Playoffs
3.03-ECFL Bowl
3.04-Pro Bowl Players
3.05-Pro Bowl
3.06-MVP

4.00-Offseason
4.01-Rules Changes/Adds
4.02-Expansion
4.03-Team Decisions

1.00-League Overview

The ECFL is an NFL style, draft based league, with player improvements and retirements. The ECFL will be broken down into, the offseason, preseason, regular season, playoffs, ECFL Bowl, and Pro Bowl.

1.01-Draft

In the offseason there will be a 5-round rookie draft. Draft choices for the very next season only can be traded, not draft choices for future seasons. The draft order will be determined by the following format:

1. Team with the worst record
2. 2nd worst team
3. 3rd worst team
4. 4th worst team
5. wildcard loser with worst record
6. Other wildcard loser
7. Championship game loser with worst record
8. Other Championship game loser
9. ECFL Bowl losers
10. ECFL Champions

Tie breaker will be exactly as NFL. The teams that are tied will go to strength of schedule. Whichever team had the easiest schedule, will pick first.

Drafts will be held online. Either using yahoo IM, AOL IM, or by email. Any coach who cannot attend must rank all the players he would like to draft. The first player on his list will be selected, and on down, as long as still available.

1.02-Player Improvements

After the last preseason game has been played, each coach will submit a list of 10 players. 3 of those players will go up in one attribute. The players who go up will be randomly selected, as well as which ability they go up in. Speed can never improve beyond 50. There is no exception to this rule. After week 5 of the regular season, each coach will select one player from his team and one attribute he would like raised. That attribute will then go up to the very next level. Right after the Pro Bowl, each coach will then once again submit a list of 10 players, only players who can not be submitted were the ones that went up right after the last preseason games. The player that went up at the midway point may be submitted. 3 out of 10 of those players will go up, again randomly decided. After the Pro Bowl all rookies will also go up on one attribute. The only exception to this rule is that in the first season, no ones rookies will be automatically improved. This is due to the player ages.

1.03-Player Retirements

Once a player finishes his 7th season he is eligible for retirement. If a player reaches his 10th season, he will automatically be retired at the end of his 10th season. The following list will determine retirement:

After 7th season---33% chance of retirement
After 8th season---50% chance of retirement
After 9th season---66% chance of retirement
After 10th season---100% chance of retirement

1-QB
1-HB
1-FB
4-WR
5-OL
2-TE
1-KK
4-DL
5-LB
3-CB
3-S

2.00-Playbooks

By opening day of the regular season all teams must have a minimum of 20 offensive plays. At least 20 offensive plays must have a sample of 1 and a colored in AI box. There is no required percentage of running plays to passing plays, as long as playbook equals 20 plays or more. Only 2 screen passes will be allowed per playbook. Any mirrored play counts as 2, not 1. All playbooks must be password protected. There will be no importing of any playmaker teams in the game, except of course your own . There is no limit to the amount or the AI of defensive plays.

2.01-Offensive Formations

All offensive plays must be in NFL style format. The many changing ways of the NFL is to either have a full backfield or even an empty backfield. Some teams line up halfbacks and fullbacks as wide receivers. All of these formations will be considered legal as long as all of the rules to offensive players are followed.

2.02-Offensive Players

The QB must always be lined up behind the center. He can either be in the shotgun or up tight, but must always be directly behind. The QB will not be able to line up behind any other player, or anywhere else on the field, except behind the center. The QB can never kick the ball. The kicker is the only player allowed to punt, kickoff, and kick field goals and extra points. The kicker will never be allowed to throw a pass, or run with the ball. The kicker may only kick the ball.

In most cases you can line up your runningbacks(HB, FB or HB, HB) anywhere you choose. No formations can be designed to fool the AI of the playmaker game. If you want to line up both backs either out wide or on the line of scrimmage, you must go with an empty backfield. The backfield is referred to as the area behind the QB inbetween the tackles. You can line up a RB wide and one in the backfield as long as no other player is in the backfield with the RB. On all running plays your ball carrier must be lined up behind the QB, unless the QB is in the shotgun. If the QB is in the shotgun the ball carrier must be within 2 yards of the QB and not up along the L.O.S.

TE and WR are pretty much the same. These players can line up anywhere on the field as well as long as the same basic rules apply. 1-Must always have exactly 7 men on the L.O.S. 2-TE and WR can not take the place of your RB. For example an illegal formation would be to line up your WR in the backfield and your HB out wide. These type formations fool the game, and gives the offense too much of an advantage. The only time it is allowed to line up a WR or TE in the backfield is if all of your RB in the game at the time are also back their. All coaches should remember we want this to be kept like real NFL style formations, so no wacky formations will be allowed. All Offensive Lineman must be lined up no farther apart than one body length, and must be in the T-G-C-G-T format.

Any possible violations to the playbook, the coach will have to submit his password to the commissioners to check over the plays in question. If the play or formation in question is judged to be illegal it will be deleted. After the playbook investigation the coach will then be allowed to re-protect his playbook. If the same play happens to pop up again, the coach formally charged will have to forfeit his next game.

2.03-Defensive Formations

Defensive formations should also be set up like NFL style. Obviously there is more leeway here due to the various and almost unlimited amount of different formations. But most formations should follow the basic 3-4, 4-3, nickel, dime type formations.

2.04-Defensive Players

DL can only line up on the defensive line. No other players may be inserted as DL. All players must stay at the positions they were originally assigned to. LB can line up anywhere from the defensive line to 8 yards behind the line. No LB will be allowed to line up past 8 yards down the field. CB and S can line up anywhere on the defensive side of the ball. No defensive player may be assigned the catch symbol unless the play is a return play. Random checking of playbooks may be done. Any coach who violates these rules will forfeit his next game.

2.05-Special Teams

Due to the AI of the game of Playmaker, there will be no fake kicks allowed for any reason. Any coach lined up in a kicking style formation, must kick the ball. Coaches can go for it on fourth down as long as their regular offense is on the field and they are using an offensive formation. 2-pt conversions will also no longer be allowed. Kickers are the only players allowed to kick the ball. Kickers may never pass the ball.

3.00-Preseason

Preseason from year to year will be anywhere from 1-4 games. Commissioners decision from year to year. Rosters may contain up to 50 players during the preseason, and the 20 play offense rule may be avoided based on each individual situation, must be approved by commissioner.

3.01-Regular Season

The Regular season will be 10 games. Each team will play its division opponents twice, and then play 2 games against crossover division teams. After our first year the crossover games will be determined by record. Ex. Worst team in East will play the worst team in West, etc.

3.02-Post Season

The best 3 teams from each division will go into the postseason. The East and West division winners will each get a first round bye. Seeding for the playoffs will be based on better record first, if tied then go to head to head games, then go to division record, then go to better point differential, then go to coin flip.

3.03-ECFL Bowl

The ECFL Bowl will consist of the East champion versus the West champion. Whichever of the two teams holds the better record, will decide if they would prefer to be home or away. The coach will have 24 hours after the championship game to decide. If no decision is made, then the team with the better record will be home.

3.04-Pro Bowl Players

After the last regular season game is complete, and before the first post season game, all coaches will submit a list of 25 players they feel deserve pro bowl honors. Here is a breakdown of the following 25 players each coach must vote for:

1-QB
1-HB
1-FB
4-WR
2-TE
1-KK
4-DL
5-LB
3-CB
3-S

Each coach will only be allowed to vote for 5 of his own players and no more. Due to the lack of stat keeping on Offensive Lineman, each teams best lineman will go to the Pro Bowl. This will also gurantee each coach will get at least one player in the Pro Bowl. Out of the 25 players voted for, the starters will be determined on who received the most votes. Ties will go to the better statistical season.

3.05-Pro Bowl

1 week after the ECFL Bowl is played, the Pro Bowl will be played. After the ECFL Bowl all coaches must submit 3 plays (1 off. Passing play, 1 off. Running play, and 1 defensive play.) Each Pro Bowl playbook will contain 10 offensive plays and 5 defensive plays. These plays that are submitted will be the only plays allowed to be used. All plays submitted will have an equal chance to be called during the game. Teams will alternate each year between home and away.

3.06-MVP

Along with the voting for Pro Bowl players, each coach will also make one choice for League MVP. No coach will be allowed to vote for his own player. The player voted as MVP of the league will get 1 ability attribute raised. It will be the coaches choice which ability he wants to increase. Remember speed can never improve beyond a 50.

4.00-Offseason

After the Pro Bowl and all the awards are given out. The ECFL will take a week or two off. During the off time, no transactions will be allowed. After the short break there will be a free agent period, a draft period and then we start with preseason all over again. The offseason schedule will be released sometime at the end of the Post Season.

4.01-Rules Changes/Adds

After the season ends, all coaches will have the opportunity to submit a list of rules they would like added or changed, why they want them added or changed, and what the new rule would be. The Commissioners will then compile this list and send it out to a vote. It will take 7 out of 10 coaches to approve a rule change or addition.

4.02-Expansion

If the league office feels that there are an even number of interested candidates that would be good for our league to join, an expansion vote will go out to all the coaches. Coaches will vote on two issues. 1-Vote to accept expansion or not (6 out of 10 coaches would be needed to approve expansion) and 2- Vote for how many expansion teams get in. Must be an even number, and must have 6 out of 10 for approval.

4.03-Team Decisions

At the end of the season, any coach desiring to either move his team or change his team colors. Must ask written permission to the commissioners. A decision will then be made within 48 hours.