Position Changes
•    Superstars AND Superstar X-factor player’s may ONLY switch positions with CM approval. Failure to ask for approval will result in immediate dropping of a development stage.
•    All changes that don’t fall under the ‘permitted any time’ must be posted in the position change forum.

•    The following position changes are permitted at any time:
o    Left to right / right to left at any position (IE LOLB to ROLB, RE to LE)
o    Offensive line position swapping (IE C to RT, LG to LT)
o    Linebacker position swapping (IE LOLB to MLB, MLB to ROLB)
o    Safety position swapping (IE FS to SS, SS to FS)

•    All other position changes must fit these requirements
o    Quarterbacks
Size requirements: None
Attribute requirements: THP 75+, SAC 65+, MAC 65+
o    Halfbacks
Size requirements: None
Attribute requirements: CAR 75+, BCV 80+
Note: Player will receive -10 to CTH, RTE, CIT, SPC, & RLS ratings. Players will not receive these attributes back if moved back to their original positions.
o    Fullbacks
Size requirements: < 6'4, 230+ lbs.
Attribute restrictions: <85 SPD
o    Wide Receivers
Size requirements: <240 lbs., <6'7
Attribute requirements: SPD 80+, CTH 75+, RTE 65+
o    Tight Ends
Size requirements: 6'3+, 235+ lbs.
Attribute requirements: RBK 60+, IBL 60+
o    Offensive Line
Size requirements: 270+ lbs.
Attribute requirements: None
o    Defensive Tackles
Size requirements: 280+ lbs.
Attribute requirements: None
o    Defensive Ends
Size requirements: 235+ lbs.
Attribute requirements: None
o    Linebackers
Size requirements: 210+ lbs.
Attribute requirements: STR 70+, TKL 80+, PUR 80+, BSH 70+, POW 80+
Note: Some leniency will be granted on DE --> OLB swaps that don't quite meet above requirements when a player meets an EDGE archetype. These will be treated on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by a commissioner.
o    Cornerbacks
Size requirements: None
Attribute requirements: MCV or ZCV 70+
o    Safeties
Size requirements: 185+ lbs.
Attribute requirements: ZCV 70+

SML OFFICIAL RULES

I.    EXPECTATIONS
General Goals
•    The goal is to be a true realism league.  This means that gameplay, team building, and general owner behavior are designed to simulate the NFL as closely as we reasonably can without sacrificing fun. It will never be perfect, but we will work towards the closest balance we can find.
•    To this end, we will attempt to avoid excessive rules wherever possible, but at times, it may become necessary to put restrictions on gameplay or team building mechanics that expose or exploit flawed AI.
•    The expectation is to complete seven full seasons in a single Madden cycle, running roughly August through May/June with a break to recharge before the next cycle. Depending on league interest, we may go further than seven seasons.
•    There will be simulated seasons. Seasons 1, 3, 4, and 6 will be full user seasons. Season 2 will be simulated up to the Super Bowl, and the Super Bowl will be played. Seasons 5 and 7 will be simulated up to the Wildcard round, and the playoffs will be played in full.
•    General Discord activity and playing your games each week is a requirement. Teams are not permitted to go on auto pilot because they are losing. Teams may occasionally be permitted to go on AP for an extended stretch for “life” reasons but should be discussed with a commissioner first. Extended absences will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
•    Quitting in the middle of a game because you are losing or disagree with how an opponent is playing is strictly prohibited and will be punished by immediate removal from the league. Record any evidence and contact a commissioner with any issues so they can be handled appropriately.
•    Streaming is required. If neither team wants to stream, the burden falls on the away team.

Communication
•    Don’t be an awful person in chat or DMs.
•    Any concerns or issues should be addressed privately via Discord DM with Isaias or any other commissioner.
•    Issues should not be aired out in public chat.
•    Discord DMs will be used frequently as a means of communication between you and the league commissioners as well as between individual members. Keep it respectful. Anything found to be considered toxic or abusive will be handled swiftly.
•    Please do not flood other members DMs with excessive trade offers. They have their own lives and schedules too. It’s ok if they do not respond immediately. Please be respectful of this.

II.    WEEKLY SCHEDULING
General Notes
•    This league is geared towards and full of casually competitive, mature players who lead busy lives and work or are in school full-time. As such, members are expected to generally be prepared to start their weekday games between 4 PM and 9 PM PST.
•    Games can of course be played at any mutually-agreed-upon time, but assuming both players make a reasonable effort to schedule and a conflict still exists, the commissioner team reserves the right to grant a force win to the person whose availability adheres closest to this window.
•    We will advance every three days (72 hours). Early advances will occur when all games are completed.
•    A clear and visible effort to schedule games with your opponent must be made in the Discord scheduling channels. Force wins will be awarded if this does not occur. All scheduling should take place in the corresponding week’s scheduling channel for transparency.
•    Please be specific in regard to time zones when scheduling.
•    No-showing for an agreed-upon time without giving your opponent the courtesy of a heads-up in advance is grounds for immediate forfeit. Repeated no-shows may be grounds for removal from the league.
•    Games where an opponent is unavailable or there is a CPU team will always be simulated with a force win for the user-controlled team. However, the game can be straight simmed if requested by that user. No User-vs-CPU games will be played.

III.    ROSTER CONTROL
Roster Requirements
•    Every team must maintain a full 53-man roster at all times.
•    You must roster a minimum of two quarterbacks.
•    You must roster a kicker and a punter.
•    You are not required to roster a fullback. However, no running backs may line up at fullback in any under-center formation. When using an under-center formation, you may only use a backup tight end. Choosing not to roster a fullback and using under-center formations that include a fullback frequently will be heavily scrutinized and possibly punished. If you are consistently using formations that include a fullback, you should roster a fullback.

Trades
•    Trades with CPU controlled teams are strictly prohibited.
•    All trades are required to be submitted to the trade committee for approval before they may be completed in-game. Trades must receive three approval votes from the committee to be approved.
•    Pick-for-pick trades that occur during a slug or live draft do not need committee approval. Abusing this policy is grounds for removal from the league.
•    No players may be traded during live drafts. Players may be traded during slug drafts but require TC approval.
•    New members may face stricter restrictions in an effort to protect the long-term health of the league.
•    The following restrictions apply to all trades.
o    Players on Years 1-3 of their rookie deal may not be traded. Pure roster fillers may be granted leniency by the trade committee.
o    Stars in their prime who are in the beginning or middle of a multi-year contract.
o    Veterans or aging stars near the beginning of a multi-year contract.
o    Exceptions may be granted for teams in heavy rebuilds but are unlikely.

Position Changes
•    Superstars AND Superstar X-factor player’s may ONLY switch positions with CM approval. Failure to ask for approval will result in immediate dropping of a development stage.
•    All changes that don’t fall under the ‘permitted any time’ must be posted in the position change forum.
•    The following position changes are permitted at any time:
o    Left to right / right to left at any position (IE LOLB to ROLB, RE to LE)
o    Offensive line position swapping (IE C to RT, LG to LT)
o    Linebacker position swapping (IE LOLB to MLB, MLB to ROLB)
o    Safety position swapping (IE FS to SS, SS to FS)

Resigning Players
•    No player may be resigned to a contract longer than four years unless the player specifically requests that length. If a player does ask for more than four years, you are welcome to offer as many years that they request but you must send a screenshot of the contract demands to Isaias via Discord DM. Failure to do so will result in the contract being shortened to four years with no cap clearing.

Free Agency
•    Stage 1 will be simulated. No offers are permitted.
•    No player may be signed to a contract longer than what the player requests in free agency. If this rule is broken, the contract will be shortened to the duration that the player requested with no cap clearing.
•    The highest offer on a player may not be removed or reduced once it reaches 100 points. You may retract an offer if it’s not the highest offer or if it’s below 100 points.
•    There is an offer floor for each stage of free agency. Every offer must meet a minimum point threshold.
o    Stage 2: 50 points
o    Stage 3: 40 Points
o    Stage 4: 35 Points
•    In an effort to accommodate all schedules and prevent last-minute sniping favoring some schedules over others, we will have a closed period in the final hours of each stage of free agency. During the closed period, the following restrictions apply:
o    You may not remove ANY offers, regardless of the amount or whether they are the highest bid.
o    You may not bid on ANY new players. You can only bid on players who have an existing bid from your team.
o    If you are not the highest bidder, you may only match the highest bid. You may not raise the highest bid.
o    The high bidder may not increase his offer further. The highest bid is locked during this period.
o    Any player who is released during the closed period is not eligible to be signed during that stage. The player will be open for bids in the following stage.

Any team that breaks any of these rules will be forced to release the player with no cap clearance. We expect these to be self-policed with plenty of screenshots.

Scouting
•    Trading scouting information / draft board with another member to gain an advantage over other users is grounds for severe penalty up to and including removal from the league. This is simply unacceptable.

IV.    GAMEPLAY
The Pillars
•    Play it like you see it on Sundays. Our goal is realism.
•    Mix up your play calling, specifically with offensive passing plays
•    You must rush at least 3 defenders. Zero exceptions. QB spy players do not count.
•    No intentionally exploiting the CPU AI
o    The best example of this is a “nano blitz.” This is a sure-fire way to get kicked out.
•    No play-action passes on 3rd and 5+.
•    Ballhawk must be set to OFF.

Play Calling Specifics
•    No one enjoys playing someone who runs the same plays and concepts for an entire game. Mix up your play calling on both sides of the ball! A specific pass play shouldn’t be called from the same formation 3+ times per game. Concepts can be called more often out of different formations and looks, but the same concept shouldn’t be abused.
•    We are more limited in variety when it comes to run plays, and thus, more leeway will be granted in how often the same plays can be called. That being said, you still have plenty of options to mix things up.
•    Read options and RPOs should not be abused. They are absolutely acceptable. They are a part of the NFL. That being said, it is rare for a team to build an offense around these plays exclusively. However, we will not limit you to a certain number of times these plays are run. Like all plays, try to vary your formations and looks.

Fourth Down
•    Going for it on fourth down is permitted in realistic circumstances. We are not going to enforce strict rules here, but you shouldn’t be going for it on 4th down from your own 40 unless it’s late game desperation time. Situational aggression is permitted (IE 4th & 3 on your opponent's 35-yard line, on the goal line, etc.)

Hot Routes
•    Excessive audibling, hot routing, and user motions are prohibited.
•    Audibles out of a bad play due to an unfavorable look or hot-routing a single receiver is permitted, but you should not be changing 2-3 WR routes per play.
•    Pre-snap adjustments such as pass protection changes, smart routing the depth of a route, flipping run direction, calling for additional blockers, or “fake” adjustments are not viewed as hot routes or audibles. These can be called without restrictions.
•    You should not be manually motioning players frequently. While this is not prohibited, a player should not go in motion multiple times on a play. Keep it to what you see on Sundays. Additionally, any motion that is not pre-designed in the play will come with the expectation that the defense will be provided with time to adjust prior to the snap.

No Huddle
•    No huddle is permitted in limited doses. Within two minutes of each half, no huddle is permitted in full. Outside of these ranges, teams may run the no-huddle for 2-3 plays at a time. It is not permitted on every drive, and it is not permitted as a base offense.
•    Additionally, no huddle offenses must allow the defense to adjust prior to the snap, unless the clock is truly ticking down to the final seconds of a half.

Stat Padding
•    Padding stats is not permitted and will be monitored. This includes both running up the score and individual player stat padding Stat padding can involve a single game, a single player in a single game, or a single player over an extended period of games. Take a knee when you can run the clock out. Bring in your backups when the game is in control. Treat people with respect. This is our league.
•    We want gameplay to align as closely as possible to the NFL. While we are invested in attempting to have our league stats mirror what is seen on Sundays, we are more interested in having gameplay mirror the NFL. These two things do not always work in tandem. As a result, some stat categories are going to be different than what we see in the NFL (sacks, interceptions, etc.), and we know that on the front end.

Playbooks
•    Playbooks must be declared prior to the start of each season. You may not change midseason. Exceptions may be granted to teams out of the playoff race on a case-by-case basis.
•    A maximum of three users may use a given offensive playbook in a season. First rights of refusal will be given to teams in using their default playbook. You may not declare a playbook that has already been declared by three users. There are no restrictions on defensive playbooks.
•    Custom offensive playbooks are prohibited.
•    Custom defensive playbooks are permitted.

Miscellaneous Gameplay Items
•    Playmaker is prohibited.
•    Quick-snapping is prohibited. Offenses must always give the defense a few seconds to make pre-snap adjustments, except when only seconds remain in a half or before a two-minute warning.
•    Cancelling play action post-snap is prohibited.
•    Hot routing a featured RB to block on play action is prohibited.

League Name:     Sawgrass Madden
Password:      Schuck