AcksFFL - FFL Constitution

2008 CONSTITUTION

Preamble

We, the people of the Ack's Fantasy Football League (AcksFFL), in order to promote a more perfect game, disregard domestic tranquility, scout obscure players in faraway places, spend inordinate amounts of money on newsstand magazines with questionable value, peer endlessly over columns of statistics, curse inaccurate injury reports, and revel in our genius when players occasionally perform remotely near our projections, hereby establish this 'Constitution' as the "Official Rule book of Play".

League Format

Conferences: 2
Divisions: 6
Teams: 24

Conference #1

Conference #2

D1	D2	D3
T1	T5	T9
T2	T6	T10
T3	T7	T11
T4	T8	T12

D4	D5	D6
T13	T17	T21
T14	T18	T22
T15	T19	T23
T16	T20	T24

The Division Champion will defend the division for the following year. All other teams will be selected by random drawing at the Draft on a yearly basis.

There will be a thirteen (13) week schedule with weeks fourteen (14), fifteen (15), and sixteen (16) for playoff games and week seventeen (17) for the FFL SuperBowl.

Member Voting Privileges

We currently have two (2) leagues consisting of forty-eight (48) teams in AcksFFL. Each team has one (1) voting right. Owners who have multiple teams have multiple voting rights. Any owner can request a vote during:

Official Events - Official events do not require a 2/3rd membership in attendance. We expect to have 100% participation during these events, but it is not mandatory. If you do not attend, you do not have a vote except by proxy. We currently have four (4) Official Events:
       1) Pre-Draft Picnic
       2) Draft Day
       3) Mid-Year Dinner Party
       4) Year-End Dinner Party
Non-Official Events - Non Official events are all organized events other than the Official Events listed above. A vote requires a 2/3rds membership in attendance. NO proxy voting or phone voting allowed - NO EXCEPTIONS.

Proxy Voting - If you cannot attend a Official Event and you wish to vote on an upcoming topic, you may contact the commissioner anytime before the Official Event begins to proxy a vote on a specific topic.
Note: You cannot proxy a vote request, just a 'Yeah' or 'Nah' on a request you know may be requested..

Head-to-Head match up

The commissioner will match each franchise team against each other every Sunday in a round robin format.
(Resulting in such real-life anxiety as winning by 60 points one week and losing 2 the next!)

Rules Committee

During the season we will have a Rules Committee to arbitrate any differences that may occur, and review all trades. It will be the responsibility of the Commissioner and this Committee to preserve the integrity of our leagues. This includes; but not limited to:

1. TRADES: In the event a trade (or rejected trade) is protested, the Rules Committee will evaulate the contents of the proposed trade. Suggested Criteria:

a. How does it affect the league or conference? Preventing obvious lop-sided trading where 2 or more teams conspire to load up one team with premier players.

b. How does the trade affect each team? Again, preventing lop-sided trading where one team is in desperate need of a player and the other will just use as a backup. Therefore and obvious attempt to stack another team

c. Does the trade present Equal Value to both sides? Evaluate each players Current Value at their position. This can be the very difficult to do; trying to determine a players ‘Current Value’. If a stud player was injured for a few weeks; obviously his statistics will be down. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean his Current Value is down. On the flip side, we CANNOT hypothetically project a players future performance. (We are NOT fortune tellers). So this has to be a delicate balance with a lot of gray area.

d. Why are both teams agreeing to the trade? Maybe one team owner is acting on a hunch that a player will break out, so they are willing to taking a little risk.

2. LINEUPS: The Rules Committee will monitor lineups on a weekly basis to make sure everyone is being competitive. The first time a team is found in violation, the Rules Committee Chairman will notify the owner (and the Commissioner) of the violation. If repeated, the Rules Committee can suggest the league take ownership of the team in order to maintain integrity within that conference. The Commissioner will then decide what course of action to take.

The committee should always rule in favor of the integrity of our leagues first and foremost.

The Commissoner will select one team owner from each Conference to sit on the 'Rules Committee'. The defending Champion is preferred, but not required. The Committee should have at least 2 veteran FFL owners; one of which will be the Chairman. We currently have two (2) leagues consisting of four (4) conferences giving us a four member committee. Trades can ONLY occur inter-conference. Therefore, the member of the committee for the conference in which the trade is involved will NOT be allowed to rule. Leaving the remaining three (3) conference members ruling.

If a committee member is involved (maybe a second team), the commissioner will sit on the committee or if a unanimous decision cannot be made, the commissioner will be the deciding vote.

THE DECISION OF THIS COMMITTEE IS FINAL!!!

Pre-Draft Picnic

There will be a Pre-Draft picnic approximately one week before the draft. Watch our website for date, place, and time. This is an Official Event. Although this is not a mandatory meeting, each member is expected to attend.

Owners can vote on rule changes for the upcoming year and/or conduct any order of business.
Owners are required to secure their teams for the up coming season and declare their 'Franchise Keeper Players'; eight (8) [NEW 2008] with a maximum of one (1) backup per position. **You will be allowed to make changes before the draft (on Draft Day) should a player get injured or dropped off the NFL roster.
The remaining players on the roster will be returned to Free Agency and available for the draft.

If a team is not secured or declared by the end of this picnic, the owner will risk losing that team to new members looking to join our leagues. The Commissioner maintains a list of new members and is authorized by the league to give away these teams at the end of the picnic. The new member will then be required to secure the team and submit the keepers immediately.

**In the event a team has not been declared, the league will declare the keepers and the owner will not be allowed to make changes on draft day - NO EXCEPTIONS.

Draft Day

A Draft Day will be set somewhere in the last half of August. (Usually a week before NFL kickoff).Watch our website for date, place, and time. This is an Official Event and IS a mandatory meeting; each member is expected to attend.

Owners can conduct any order of business for the upcoming year EXCEPT rule changes.
Draft Order will be based on the previous season’s final standings. The worst team will draft first (1st) with the Super Bowl Champions drafting last (12) in each round. In the inaugural season there will be a random drawing. #1 will pick first in the odd rounds with #12 picking last, and #12 will pick first in the even rounds with #1 picking last.
Owners will draft players from Free Agency in the order previously defined. Owners may conduct trades throughout the draft. Each owner will be allotted a sufficient amount of time to draft each player. Once your time has expired, the next team can immediately make a selection.
Owners will be provided with two (2) draft sheets to record their draft selections. One (1) will be turned into the League Commissioner at the end of the draft.
Owners may also be given a complimentary 'Cheat Sheet'. It is not the responsibility of the league to provide this, nor guarantee its accuracy. This is merely to help speed the draft up.

*If you arrive late and miss your allotted draft positions, you will be allowed to fill in those spots AFTER the final round. If you do not attend; or fail to have someone present drafting for your team, you will lose your draft order and your roster will be filled in at the end of the draft by attending team owners.

Rosters NEW 2008

Each franchise will maintain a minimum of fifteen (15) active players on their roster and be held accountable for fulfilling a starting lineup each week.

	QB	RB	WR	TE	K	Def	Total
Roster	2	3	4	2	2	2	15
Starting lineup	1	2	3	1	1	1	09

Starting line-ups must be turned in each week before 12:00 CST (noon) on Sunday. For Thursday and Saturday games; only the players in these games must be submitted before the game. The rest of your lineup can be submitted on Sunday. No alternate players.

After the first week, the software automatically inserts the previous weeks lineup and you only need to modify if you are changing your lineup.

You are NOT required to make changes in your lineup from week-to-week. However, Our Rules Committee will be monitoring the lineups and any team found not-competing could end up losing their team.

Injured Reserve (I/R) - Owners can place a player on I/R if the player is listed on the 'NFL's Injury List' as Questionable, Doubtful, or Out. This protects the player and frees up a roster spot for a replacement player. The owner may not start any player on I/R. Once that player plays in a NFL game he must be removed from I/R, and space must be made for him on the active roster or waived. Our Current software provides a warning message of I/R violations. If an owner fails to do this, the Commissioner has the option of removing the player from I/R and dropping the player that replaced him on the active roster.
Trading Players - Owners can and are encouraged to trade between themselves and submit the trades online. Trades can involve players and/or future draft picks.

· The trade deadline is Saturday @ 12:00 CST (noon).

· The Commissioner MUST evaluate and Approve or Reject each trade..

· All Inter-Conference owners are encouraged to review each trade and have the right to protest by notifying the Commissioner or Rules Committee Chairman BEFORE the start of Sunday’s games.

Ø If a trade has a protest, the trade will not take effect until after it has been reviewed by the Rules Committee. The Rules Committee has 1 week to make a decision. If no decision is made, the Commissioners’ Ruling is final! (normally they rule quickly, preventing any delay)

Ø If there are no objections to a trade, the trade will become final and the players can be used for Sunday’s games.

Pre-Season Trading: All pre-season trades will be reviewed by the Commissioner (or someone appointed by the Commissioner) to assure equal value to both teams and fairness to their conference. Although it is difficult to determine the value of a player at pre-season; All teams MUST attempt to make even value trades. Draft Picks may be used as part of the trade. If the Reviewer feels a trade is not equal, he should (but is not required) make suggestions on how to even out the trade. This decision is FINAL!

Season Trading Deadline: The last week of our regular season, generally Week 13.

NO TRADING DURING OUR PLAYOFFS!!!

Free Agency - A free agent is a NFL player not already on a FFL Roster in your league. Owners can make adjustments to their rosters through the waiver wire before the F/A Deadline.

F/A Deadline: 12:00 CST (noon) on Saturday

The software will award the first available player per position based on the waiver wire standing each week, with the worst team getting first choice. If there is a discrepancy in the waive wire results, please bring it to Da Commish’s attention immediately to be resolved. This is an attempt to keep a more balanced league.

Pre-Season: There are NO F/A transactions allowed before the Draft. Between the Draft and the 1st week of the regular season all F/A transactions are first-come/first-serve.

Playoffs: All lineups are effectively frozen at the start of the playoffs (Week 13). Free Agency(F/A) transactions are ONLY allowed by teams that are still alive; however a reverse transaction will also be made to bring the lineups back to the last week of the regular season once your team is eliminated or the conclusion of the playoffs. This rule serves two purposes. 1) Keeps eliminated teams from picking up potential F/A’s who are needed to help playoff team’s advance. 2) Keeps Playoff team’s from having an unfair advantage of selecting F/A for next year over the eliminated teams.

Scoring

Official Source for Game Results will be provided by the software being used (REALTIME). If there is a discrepancy, notify Da Commish’s so he can check into it and if necessary make adjustments accordingly. All discrepancies must be challenged before the next Saturday- Scores will not be adjusted for previous weeks. Points are awarded to each individual player upon a scoring situation in NFL play.

	Pts	Play
All Positions
	6	Touchdown
	2	2-pt Conversion
Passing
(Changed 2006)	.1	per 2.5 yards
Rushing / Receiving /TE
(Changed 2006)	.1	per 1 yards
Kicking
	3	Field Goal
	1	Distance 30-39 yards
	2	Distance 40-49 yards
	5	Distance 50+
	1	Extra Point
Defense / Special Teams
	1	Fumble Recovery
	1	Interception
	1	Sack
	3	Blocked Field Goal
	1	Blocked Extra Point
(Changed 2006)	.1	All Return Yardage - per 2 yards (Punt, Kickoff, Interception, & Fumble Recovery)
	1	Points Allowed = 8-14
	2	Points Allowed = 1-7
	5	Points Allowed = 0 (ShutOut)

FFL Playoffs
The top eight teams will make the Championship Playoffs, and the last place team in each conference will make the Toilet Bowl Playoffs.

Championship Playoffs

Division Champion (DC) - The Team with the most points in each Division after week #13 will be declared the 'Division Champion'.
Wild Card (WC) - The five (5) teams with the best record that did not win their division will be declared a 'Wild Card' team..
All Division Champions (Seed: DC#1-3) and All wild cards (Seed: WC#1-5) will make the playoffs.

Round 1 (Week #14)- Conference Playoffs
Game #1: WC#5 -vs- DC#1 Game #3: WC#3 -vs- DC#3
Game #2: WC#4 -vs- DC#2 Game #4: WC#2 -vs- DC#1
Round 2 (Week #15) - Conference Playoffs.
This round depends entirely on the Winners in Round 1.
Game #1: The winner with the best seed will play the winner with the worst seed.
Game #2: The other two winners from Round 1.
Conference Championship (Week #16)- The winners of Round #2 will play for the Conference Championship
SuperBowl Championship (Week #17) - The 2 Conference Champions will face off for the Title and bragging rights for the coming year.

In the event of a tie , the following Tie-Breaker rules will apply:

To make the Playoffs: During the Playoffs:

Overall Record                                          1. Total Yards (Starters Only)

Divisional Record                                       2. Head-to-Head

Head-to-Head Record                               3. Overall Record

Total Points Scored                                    4. Total Points Scored

Head-to-Head Points Scored                     5. Divisional Record

Coin flip                                                     6. Highest Single Game

                                                                  7. Coin flip

** Every game of the season is important. You never know when you will need one. (Just like the NFL)

Toilet Bowl Playoffs

The two (2) teams with the worst record will make these Playoffs.

Toilet Bowl Championship (Week #17) - The loser will win the trophy.

Mid-Year Dinner Party

Sometime around the middle of our FFL season we will have a Mid-Year Dinner Party. Watch the Message Board for date, place, and time. This is an Official Event. Although this is not a mandatory meeting, each member is expected to attend.

This is a great opportunity to make additional trades. 'Brag' or 'Sulk' about your season so far with fellow FFL members.

We will have a meeting to examine the pro's & con's so far this year. Members can vote to make changes in our league for the next season.

Year-End Dinner Party

Sometime following the NFL's SuperBowl, AcksFFL will have a year-end dinner party. Watch Message Board for date, place, and time. This is an Official Event. Although this is not a mandatory meeting, each member is expected to attend.

Trophies, Prizes and Awards will be given out to honor our winners. A great meal will be served by our members.

We will have a meeting to examine the pro's & con's for the year. Members can vote to make changes in our league for the next season.

WORLD WIDE WEB Site - www.acksffl.com

All team information and statistics will be posted on the world wide web. By participating, you are authorizing the league to publish on this web site your contact information - including (but not limited to) your name, email and telephone number.

Constant Rules

AcksFFL leagues must remain FUN, FAIR, and COMPETITIVE!
In an attempt to keep our league simple, fair, and fun. Additional Rules will ONLY be permitted to prevent foreseen arbitration.
The rules of this constitution attempt to remove problem areas and try to minimize arbitration. They are not perfect but, they do work for the most part. All areas that fall outside our written rules will be handled by the Rules Committee & Da Commish. All Decisions are FINAL!

GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY THE SEASON!!!