Returning owners should read through everything just as a new owner does. I've restructured the rules and included a Table of Contents and Timeline for quick-reference. A couple points to be brought up first: - If you don't have FTP capabilities, you can use FTP mail or send requests to me for the file(s) you want. (Make sure the request stands out -- or send it in a separate message -- to ensure that I see it.) - If you see a problem with your roster, you have one week to spot it and let me know. (I.e., you make a transaction during Week 3 and it's noted in the weekly report, but the Sunday roster feed to the Site doesn't show the player on your roster. You have until the end of Week 4 to inform me or the situation stands.) 00) Table of Contents ======================================================= Section Description ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 01 'Net Resources 02 RAFFLE '96 Timeline 03 Securing Your Spot for 1996 04 Special Rules for Keeper Leagues 05 Roster Size/Fielding a Team 06 Drafting/Filling the Roster 07 Waiver Wire 08 Trades 09 Lineups 10 Scoring 11 Scheduling 12 Standings 13 Weekly Reports 14 Unresponsive Ownership 15 Miscellaneous 01) 'Net Resources ========================================================= There is an FTP/WWW Site for football information at ftp.vnet.net -- the URL is ftp://ftp.vnet.net/pub/football/home.html. (I'll be spending the off- season rebuilding the Web pages lost last July.) It includes NFL, fantasy football, and RAFFLE information. All posts will be available for those times you accidentally rm the files. :) If you have requests for information you wish to see at the site, send me some mail and I'll see what I can do to take care of it. Likewise, if you have information you wish to contribute, don't hesitate to put it in the /pub/football/incoming directory. There's also a mailing list available to mail to the owners in RAFFLE. To do so, send your mail to raffle@lists.vnet.net. Because this list requires a subscription to send mail, I need to know about any and all address changes -- or you won't be able to submit mail. 02) RAFFLE '96 Timeline ===================================================== NOTE 1: Items marked with an asterisk are RAFFLE deadlines. NOTE 2: Dates after July 1 may change if the NFL changes their dates. Feb 1 RAFFLE '96 rules (what you're reading) should be mailed out by now. Also, the 1996 Draft Order and League Schedules will have been posted (with team numbers only) to the Site. RAFFLE Trading and Free Agency re-open. Mar 1 *Franchise Reservations due -- see Section 03. Apr 20 NFL Draft (concludes on Sunday). Jul 27 NFL Preseason starts (Hall of Fame Game). Aug 3 *Keeper designations due (Lgs I/II only) -- see Section 04. Aug 9 *Initial draft lists due -- see Section 06. Trading Period ends (Lgs I/II only) -- see Sections 04. Aug 16 *Final draft lists due by 18:00 EDT. Aug 17 *RAFFLE draft (concludes on Sunday). Aug 19 Official start of supplemental picks. Aug 26 Last mailing of rosters. Updates of the Transaction files at the Site starts. Sep 1 NFL Regular season starts. Dec 1 End of RAFFLE regular season (NFL Week 14; concludes with MNF). Dec 22 Fantasy Bowl (NFL Week 17; concludes with MNF). <<<<< >>>>> <<< Missing a deadline will result in the loss of your franchise. >>> <<<<< >>>>> 03) Securing Your Spot for 1996 ============================================= To retain your franchise, send a note to me (troan@vnet.net) by March 1 that includes the following information: - your name (as you want it to appear in the mailings) - the E-mail address to which the mailings are to be sent. - your team name (approximately 30 characters). Anything left out defaults to the '95 info -- but I still need the reser- vation in some form. 04) Special Rules for Keeper Leagues ======================================== NOTE: League III is still considered non-keeper going into the 1996 season. By August 3, each team indicates (via E-mail) which ten players they are going to keep for 1996 -- no more than four WRs and three for all other positions. I'll have the full list of players being kept posted shortly afterwards. Off-season activity is allowed with the following restrictions: - Only players with prior NFL experience can be involved. (I know who does and who doesn't.) - Free Agency ends on August 3. - Trading ends on August 9. - Draft picks can be traded, but only for the next two drafts -- 1996/97 picks until August 16; 1997/98 picks August 18 to August 15, 1997; etc... (This means that you can't do a Herschel Walker-type deal and leave RAFFLE immediately afterwards.) 05) Roster Size/Fielding a Team ============================================= The roster is twenty (20) positions. Every week each team will field one of the following formations: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, K, D, HC ("normal") QB, RB, WR, WR, WR, WR, K, D, HC (run-and-shoot) QB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, K, D, HC (three-receiver set) QB, RB, WR, WR, TE, TE, K, D, HC (two-tight end set) Also, two additional players are needed for the tie-breaker. The team defense/special teams (D) position is ONE TEAM chosen to fill BOTH roles on DEFENSE AND SPECIAL TEAMS. Points are awarded for turnover recov- eries, sacks, and points scored. The coach (HC) position will score points based on how the coach of THE TEAM he coaches fared that week. See Scoring for the rest of the details. 06) Drafting/Filling the Roster ============================================= The draft will be 15 (or 6) rounds. The pre-draft submission from each team will need: - the team name (so I'll know which team the list is for). - a draft order of preference for picking positions (i.e., draft my high- est available RB for round one, WR for round 2, etc.). This ordering will play a major role in the shape and [lack of] strength(s) of your team. Remember, Keeper Leagues only have six rounds. - a position-by-position draft ordering in a single column. Those three- column lists that we've received in the past were difficult to work with during the drafts -- especially as we were doing the third one. Please use this order to make the draft easier for us to do: QB, RB, WR, TE (if you're drafting any), K, Defense (D), Coach (HC). *** Do realize that you will NOT get all of your desired top choices, so make your lists as long as possible. If your list runs out before the drafting is over, I'll choose the highest remaining player for the position from "Fantasy Football Pro Forecast 1996" published by Fantasy Sports Publications, Inc. The Crystal Ball sections starts on page 84 and will be used -- including predicted finishes for the teams (for HC) and DST ratings. NOTE: Some owners make use of Top 50 (or some other number) lists. Please place them at the top of the list (just after the position preference list). If you put any conditions on the list (i.e., no more than two from any posi- tion), place that between the round-by-round instructions and the Top 50 list so that it's not missed. Draft lists are due by August 9. Changes can be made (via COMPLETE list re- placements) until August 16 at 18:00 EDT. At that time, the draft lists will be rolled down to the RAFFLE offices for the weekend's draft activities. The additional positions will be filled by supplemental picks. These addi- tional picks can be taken anytime after the draft results are posted, but before the start of the season. They're FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED -- just let me know what your choices are. ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ The draft will occur during the weekend of August 19-20. I'll mail and post (to the Site) the initial rosters and draft results after all three drafts are completed. ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ The draft order is available from the Site. For League III, the order was determined by random drawing. For I/II, it is based upon when the team left the playoffs in '95 (with normal tie-breakers applying). NOTE: for the 1997 draft (and beyond), the four teams that don't make the playoffs will compete for the first four draft picks. The winner (best record/most points) gets the #1 pick, runner-up gets #2, and so on. This will prevent someone from throwing in the towel and ensuring himself the first draft pick. 07) Waiver Wire ============================================================= Obtaining an unselected player is perfectly legal (and will probably be necessary for most of us). Please wait until the weekly reports have been sent before starting any waiver wire activity. During the first three weeks (and weeks with a Thurs/Fri game) owners can acquire unselected players on a first-come, first-served after the weekly summaries are posted. Experience has shown that the good selections are taken during the first month. Therefore, it'll be a good idea to stay on top of things (and be an active trader) during the first several weeks of the season. After the first three weeks of play (without a Thurs/Fri game), the windows for each team will be given in the weekly summary. The worst team will get to choose first as long as the request is sent BEFORE the given deadline. Do note that the team whose deadline is first has priority for getting un- claimed players. NOTE: This does not mean that you can't draft after the end of the dead- lines. It simply gives the weaker teams the ability to become better by getting the developing players first. After the deadlines it's first-come, first-served. 08) Trades ================================================================== Trades between teams are OK at anytime except between league posts (usually 11:00 Sunday to Tuesday evening). The only thing to do is for both owners to let me know so that you don't get flagged for an illegal substitution, resulting in a blank starting position. (I need to hear from both owners to ensure that one team isn't trying to get away with anything. So far, no one has ever tried to do so.) REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN TRADE ONLY WITH TEAMS IN YOUR OWN LEAGUE. 09) Lineups ================================================================= Lineups for each week will need to be submitted to me TWO HOURS BEFORE THE START of the first game each week (usually Sunday at 11:00 AM EDT/EST). For weeks with Thurs/Fri games, players involved in the game(s) are locked two hours before the [first] game -- no changes can be made to their status. The other players on the roster can be benched/started until the normal deadline for lineups. Lineups will be mailed after 11:00 Sunday. Any lineup submission you make will copied/returned (or the arrival acknow- ledged) within 24 hours. If you don't get an acknowledgment, you need to resend it before the deadline. If you choose to keep the same lineup, you don't need to submit anything. Likewise, if you wish to change your lineup you need to submit a new one or I'll use the lineup from the previous week. If there's a player that doesn't play in a particular week, it is the owner's responsibility to field another player for that position for the week. Since several teams will have the same week off, you'll probably have more than one player on your own team that won't play--hence the large rosters. For players that play multiple positions (i.e., Eric Metcalf as RB and kick returner for the '94 Browns), see the Scoring notes. 10) Scoring ================================================================= Basic Scoring: TD scored 6 points 2-pt scored 2 pts TD pass 3 pts 2-pt pass 1 pt Field Goal 3 pts Extra Point 1 pt Safety 2 pts (Team Defense/Special Teams) Sack 1 pt (Team Defense/Special Teams) Turnover Recovery 1 pt (Team Defense/Special Teams) Coach's TEAM wins 4 pts Coach's TEAM ties 2 pts Performance scoring: Rushing/Receiving 1 pt/10 yds (0-9 is 0 pts, 10-19 is 1, etc.) Passing 1 pt/20 yds (0-19 is 0 pts, 20-39 is 1, etc.) Kickers' Fgs 45-54 yds gives 3 additional points 55 yds or more gives 6 additional points Def. Sack Yardage 1 pt/5 yds (0-4 is 0 pts, 5-9 is 1, etc.) Coaches' Margin of Victory 1 pt/10 pts over opponent (a 10-7 win gives nothing extra while a 65-16 blowout gives four additional points for a total of eight points) In the event of a tie, the tie-breakers (TB) are checked. Starting with the home team (as designated in the schedule), if the first TB scored a 2-pt Basic Score or better, the home team wins. If not, go to the visitor's first TB. If he scores (same conditions), the visitor wins. Keep going back and forth until one of the TB scores. If no TB scores, the game ends as a tie. A qualifying Basic Score is one of the following: safety, rushing/receiving a two-point conversion (but not throwing for one), FG, TD pass, TD score, HC tie, HC win. NOTE 1: If a player is selected for an offensive position but scores during special teams play (punts/kickoffs), ONLY the special teams (D) gets the points. For example: Eric Metcalf runs a punt back for a TD. Team #2 has him as an offensive player, but Team #1 has the Browns' D. Team #1 gets the points since Metcalf scored the TD on a punt return. Had he scored the TD during an offensive play, Team #2 would get the points instead. In short, the team that gets points is the one that had the player in the proper posi- tion. I.e., Deion scored two TDs in a game in 1993--one as a WR and one as special teams. The team who had him as a WR would get one TD and the Atlanta D would get the other 6 points. NOTE 2: If a coach goes down with a medical problem (i.e., Buffalo's Marv Levy in 1995), the assistant takes over in the RAFFLE roster. This means that you choose the HC for the overall record of the team rather than the record of that specific person. 11) Scheduling ============================================================== There are nine divisions across the three leagues. League I consists of the Sisko, Kira, and Dax divisions; League II has the Picard, Riker, and Data divisions; and League III has the Kirk, Spock, and Scott divisions. The RAFFLE regular season is during weeks 1-14. Weeks 15-17 are devoted to the RAFFLE playoffs. Check the Site for each League's schedule. Playoffs: The top eight teams will be going to the playoffs. They will be seeded 1 to 8 based on record (with the usual tie-breakers applied as needed) -- with the Division Winners seeded 1-2-3. When one of these teams loses, they will play another team that lost at the same level that week. The home teams are the highest-seeded teams at each level. (If the eighth seed upsets the top seed the first week of the playoffs, that team will still be on the road -- just like in the NFL.) The last four teams will play each other. After the three weeks, they will be ranked by their records during the "mini-tourney". (See the Drafting section above for draft order implications.) 12) Standings =============================================================== Standings will be decided by: Overall record Points for (most points) Head-to-head Conference record Points against (most points) Coin toss (witnessed by as much of the Competition Committee as possible) By the time the end of the season rolls around, we probably won't have to drop below the head-to-head line--but you never know! 13) Weekly Reports ========================================================== Every week, the following information will be mailed/posted: Standings for the week Final scores for the week Waiver Wire and Trades for the week Next week's games The order for waiver wire activity for this coming week (when there are trade windows) If you notice a scoring error, etc., in the report, you have until 18:00 (eastern) the following Wednesday to let me know about them -- this will finalize problems before the next week's lineups are mailed out. 14) Unresponsive Ownership ================================================== If an owner is not heard from by the Commissioner for four consecutive weeks, the Commissioner will send a note to the owner (cc'ing the Competi- tion Committee members) asking whether the owner wishes to maintain owner- ship of the team. If a NO is returned (or no response within three days), the Commissioner becomes the temporary owner of the team until an owner is found (via Usenet). If a YES is returned, the owner maintains ownership of the team. If a second four-week period elapses with no communication from the same owner, the Commissioner automatically takes over temporary ownership until a new owner is found. The only exception is when the owner lets the Commissioner know that he/she will be away from the computer for an extended period of time (a couple of weeks or more) and not have access to Internet and/or necessary the RAFFLE materials. 15) Miscellaneous =========================================================== There is no monetary requirement for this league. We are a league that believes in being run by the owners. In pursuing this course, there is a Competition Committee that meets once or twice a year to modify the rules. Any owner can submit a proposal to be considered. League-wide votes (all 36 owners) are occasionally held, but they tend to be rare. I am always open to changes in the rules, but the discussion will always be done during the off-season. The Competition Committee members are: John M. Troan League I --- Trouncers (Commissioner) Mark Mickunas League I --- Bloopers Allen Wiles League II -- Airballers Eric Witzgall League II -- Yankees If you have any questions, feel free to drop me E-mail. (I check my mail most evenings when I'm in town.)