Why We Aren't a SIM League

I've studied football for many years. I coach. I have the highest level of accreditation attainable in interscholastic football. I understand what real football is. I've seen rules in SIM leagues where Chip Kelly, Mike McCarthy and Bill Belichick would be kicked out after their first game. There are no clearly defined "SIM" situations, I feel, would apply to every single "real" coach. And because of that, to be clear, outside of cheating and our 4th down rule, we let our members control their own style. It is 100% up to their opponent to stop them no matter what they're doing, even if it's the same play over and over. If you don't want them to keep running it, stop them--like a real coach would be forced to do.

Position Changes

There's a common misconception among SIM leagues that position changes shouldn't occur. That is, you can't have a WR playing TE or a safety playing linebacker. This is inherently false. Jimmy Graham, Jared Cook and Tony Scheffler play in the slot and out wide as a WR as much or more than lining up in the traditional "TE" position.

Mark Barron plays safety and linebacker. JJ Watt plays all defensive line positions AND regularly lines up at TE. Deone Bucannon now plays inside linebacker. Karlos Williams plays both RB and safety. Tavon Austin is a WR yet almost has more yards and does have more touchdowns as RB. Marcel Reese plays FB, TE, WR and RB. He's a hybrid player, and is one of many. Lineman regularly lineup as TEs to not only gain a blocking advantage, but to be thrown the ball in an attempt to deceive the defense. Patrick Peterson dubbed as a WR during his early years. There are many examples of players playing multiple positions and of players switching positions.

My point is this: NFL coaches put players in positions to gain an advantage over their opposition. There shouldn't be any limitations on position changes, as there aren't any for NFL coaches. You are the GM and the coach. It's 100% on you to decide where your players play.

Running The Same Plays

Running the same play is a practice that is shunned by most online communities. I'm not sure why. Ask yourself this: would Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Mike McCarthy, Chip Kelly or even Nick Saban run the same play over and over if they thought it gave them a competitive advantage? The answer is yes. Not only would they do it, but they have done it.

Tom Coughlin runs the slant route more than any other team in the NFL by far. It's their staple. They have the TE hit the flat, and the WR on a slant. You can find them doing it over and over and over again throughout each of their games.

Bill Belichick will do anything it takes to win the game. He'll pass 60 times one game and run 30 times the next. Just ask the Dolphins: Belichick ran it five times against them in one drive to the same exact gap from the same exact formation.

Mike McCarthy is famous for having a simple offense. Everyone knows what they're going to do. No one can stop it because they execute is so well. Even Aaron Rodgers is quoted as saying something along the lines of, if it keeps working, they'll keep doing it.

Chip runs the same plays out of multiple formations. He is, perhaps, most famous for running the same plays time and time again.

Nick Saban ran a counter up the middle against Oregon in the national championship at least 15 times. The. Same. Exact. Play.

My point is this: It's absurd to ask a coach to not do something they know will work. That is the entire point of play calling--putting your players in the best position to execute your offense/defense. You are quite literally asking them not to do their best. That is completely unreasonable. If you don't want them to run the same thing over and over, stop them. And don't use the excuse that it's not "real" football. Any logical coach would do what works.

Running The Hurry Up / No Huddle

I don't know why, but it's shunned by most online communities to continuously run the hurry up. It's not "SIM" football, they say. Well, perhaps they should learn what real football is by asking the Eagles, Patriots, Packers or Broncos. It's silly to put limits on the amount of times one can employ the no huddle. I've seen leagues outlaw it completely during most situations or ones that only allow for a limited amount of times. If the most successful coaches in college and the NFL don't fit your rules, chances are you have it wrong.

Trading

This isn't about what the Raiders or Packers would do in "real life." You are the GM. You are the coach. It is completely on you to make your team better. Unless your real life team won the Super Bowl (Patriots), there were 31 other teams that didn't do enough to put them over the top (so stop using the excuse than an NFL team wouldn't do it. They didn't do enough to win!). I've heard so many times that people want to be "realistic" or that they didn't take over that team to trade all of its players. Look, if you don't want to trade, that's fine. But there's nothing unrealistic about trying to make your team better. If NFL coaches were given a system in which they can trade by making a few clicks on a controller, they would make more trades too. This is YOUR team. Not theirs. Do what is best for YOU.

I'm a commissioner; I'm not a Madden policeman

Two things:

First, the SIM style people are accustomed to right now is completely wrong. If half the NFL coaches and 60% of college coaches would be kicked out, obviously it isn't true football. You are the coach; it's your call. Simple as that.

Second: I studied and continue to study football on an advanced level. If I wanted, I could put together a set of parameters and rules that fit the modern version of football. The "Modern Sim Style," if you will. I don't do it because it's not fun. The amount of effort it would take to make everyone follow the rules would simply be overwhelming. It's rare to go a game week without someone complaining as it is--imagine if we had strict rules regulating a player's every move. That's not for us. We want to be commissioners--not the Madden police. A solid 4th down rule and enforcing sportsmanship is all we need. If you want fake football, despite your quest for realism, join a SIM league. If you want to have some fun, join ours.