USSL  Mission Statement
United States Simballers League was created with the most hardcore NFL football fan in mind.  We thrive on having a core membership who appreciates challenges and pushing themselves to perform within the competition-based set of rules.  Here at USSL we also take NFL based approaches to contract structures, trade values, etc.  SIM means to simply play the game as you see it on Sunday and our ultimate commitment is to bring that experience to every game we play.  WELCOME
USSL HIGH STANDARD
1.     Protect and Know the Rules – This is imperative as it is the lifeblood of the league.  Understanding our rules will play a major role in your becoming a core member of USSL.
2.    League Chat Etiquette – This pertains to the league “Discord” app: game scheduling and chats are to be done via Direct Messaging between you and your opponent, this is so we can keep the general chat open for league news,  NFL updates, etc.  NO PROFANITY, RACIAL SLURS, INAPPROPRIATE PICTURES are allowed in the main chat.  We have members who live different types of lifestyles and we expect professionalism to be maintained.
3.    Respect Your Opponent – Always make a point to say “good game” to your opponent in a win or loss this is the most honorable thing you can do as it requires discipline and respect for yourself and for others.

USSL will advance every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10 am Eastern time.
Please schedule your games no later than the advance day this is mandatory for all members.  This rule is to ensure you are giving your opponent and yourself ample time to schedule and get the game played. If this rule is not followed your membership will be terminated.  Thanks for your cooperation in this matter.
Gameplay Rules
SIM, basically means play the game as you see it on Sundays, everyone's interpretation of what's seen varies, so our are rules designed to support conservative types, as well as more aggressive coaches as both exist in real life also.
Some in-game decisions can be justified by what we see on Sundays, however week to week, there are things that we see on Sundays that don't always transfer over to the actual video game itself due to programming, bugs, glitches, etc.
If you have to ask yourself if it's SIM odds are it's not.

4th Down and Fake Punts/FG's-
4th and 1 or less inside your opponent's territory from the 45-yard line to the Goal-Line in your opponents territory you may go for it, NO RESTRICTIONS IN THIS SCENARIO.
Down 14 or more in the 2nd quarter under two minutes, you may go for it.
Down 21 or more in the 3rd quarter, you may go for it.
Down 14 or more in the 4th quarter, you may go for it.
Under 3 minutes in the 4th quarter, you may go for it 
When you’re between your own 40-yard line and the opponent's goal line you may punt the ball out of bounds.  From your own 39 to your own endzone you’re required to punt in the field. Failing to follow this rule could lead to you being dismissed from the league.
In situations that do not meet the mentioned requirement use good judgment. (That's why saving your coaches call is important)
Two Point Conversions- Will be allowed, with a limit of TWO ATTEMPTS PER GAME. In the event, you are looking to tie the game (Example: down 12-14 after the TD), this will not count towards your two allowed attempts.
Coach's Call
At any point in the game on 4th down, you may choose to go for it regardless of your position on the field. LIMIT ONE PER GAME.
Fake FG's and Punts-Lets face it, they are apart of the game so they will be available. LIMIT ONE PER GAME, this is also considered your ‘Coach’s Call’
Game-play-
1-     No shift blitzing (shifting LB's left to right or manually moving up and down towards the Line Of Scrimmage CONTINUOUSLY UNTIL THE BALL IS SNAPPED to confuse O-Line A.I. at the snap, whether via the entire LB group or via user control).
2-    A minimum of a THREE MAN pass rush is required-AT ALL TIMES and a QB Spy doesn’t count.
3-    No quick snapping to bullet pass to a slot receiver or TE immediately after the snap "streak hot route/seams" pass to the TE aka "Hot Potato".
4-    DO NOT spam the ''spin'' button as a ball-carrier
5-    The QB Sneak and the FB dive are allowed at a maximum of 2 ATTEMPTS each per game.
6-    DO NOT manually re-position players on FG/Punt Coverage
7-    We DO NOT allow the playmaker feature to be used, AT ALL i.e. Manually re-routing receivers after rolling out.
8-    Milking the clock/Chew the Clock feature is NOT ALLOWED unless 2 mins before the half and final minutes of the game. More on this see (No Huddle)
9-    Swerving with the LS as the ball carrier is not allowed, if you're looking to make a move, or cutback behind the LOS a ball carrier move is mandatory, as well as in the open field to avoid a tackle. 
10-  Drop-backs. QBs are only allowed to drop back 5-10 yards during pass plays (except when under immediate duress by the defense). If you need to extend a play scramble and if nothing's there take the sack or throw it away.
11-   Mix up your play calls run/pass/formations/personnel groupings- This adds to the competitiveness of the game, as well as the integrity of our league.  Offense: Vary your runs, vary your formations, and vary your routes. Do not resort to go-to plays on most 3rd downs. We all have tendencies, but let’s open up the playbook for this league. The Pass/Run ratio can be at a maximum of 65/35 over a 4 week period and will be monitored quarterly. This means every 4 weeks that you can be passing 65% at the absolute max. If it is noticed that you’re overly relying on a specific player/play/formation then you could be removed. 

12-  Matching up personnel is fine (base offense vs base defense, or nickel and dime vs the spread)
In an effort to promote, and encourage the USSL SIM standard "any Dime, 3-2-6, 1-3-7, Quarters, or any other defense with 6 DB's.’’ is NOT ALLOWED, unless it is 3 WR or more.  This is not a realistic defense to call vs the run and it’s been proven to be unrealistically effective defending the run in Madden.
Each user builds their team to suit their personnel as well as their preference in offensive or defensive philosophy, whether it's a spread passing attack, or three yards and a cloud of dust; to an aggressive man blitz to a conservative bend don't break zone scheme.
13-  HB Flat Passes-We're not saying you can't throw to your HB in the flats, but when your HB has 10-15+ receptions in the flats in a game something's wrong.
14-  Motioning WR's/TE's/HB's -These things are completely fine, just make sure that your motioned player comes to a COMPLETE stop and that the defender in trail gets an opportunity to reset his position on passing plays, (obviously this does not apply to the Auto-Motion Plays). This also applies to motioning HB's out of the backfield as well.  If you're motioning a player for the run to gain additional blocking the motioned player must be clear of the Tackle’s or Tight End's "outside" shoulder at the snap. DO NOT snap the ball while the motioned player is in the backfield.
15-  QB Rollouts- Rolling out is a part of football, but it only happens when the play calls for a bootleg, or the pocket breaks down and the QB has to buy time or scramble for a gain...no one should be hiking and darting to the sideline...on that note, this also applies to WR Screens and HB Screens, do not roll out to one side, and try to throw a screen pass back to the other.
With the addition of RPO play-calling mix it up, no teams QB should exceed 25% of their teams carries (Season Total as games can vary weekly in the amount of carries received).
16-   Manually repositioning more than one player on defense- is something we DO NOT allow. You may move the player you are manually controlling (your user) all you like.
If you would like to reposition other players use the tools that are included in the game (LB/D-Line/Coverage shifts/Show blitz etc.) If you're in man defense and your match-ups are miss-aligned you can use ("X" + RT) to reverse your play and that should fix the issue.
If it does not you may adjust, but do not use manual adjustments to exploit the game.
17-  Goal Line Formation - Can only be used in short-yardage situations, 1 yard or less, or inside the five-yard line where there are no restrictions.
18- No Huddle- IT SHOULD NEVER BE USED AS A BASE OFFENSE, please reserve its use for 2 minutes left in the half, down 21 or more in the 3rd, and 14 or more in the 4th. Mixing in a play once or twice is allowed, but use it sparingly.
If you’re WINING by 21 or more in the third or 14 or more in the 4th you may use the ‘chew the clock’ feature. This matches up with 4th down attempts/hurry-up offense rules for trailing teams, so this should be fair to both sides.
19-  Substitutions- ALL FORMATION SUB PACKAGES "IN-GAME" CAN BE USED via the Right-Stick.
20- Play action pass MAY NOT be canceled by using the right trigger or by blocking the HB.  Play action pass is not allowed on 3rd and 7 or longer.
Manual Depth Chart Substitutions allowed: If it's not listed it’s not allowed.
TE allowed to go to WR (4th or lower on depth chart only)
FS/SS allowed to go to CB (3rd or lower on depth chart only)
HB allowed to go to FB (EXCLUDING FB DIVE PLAYS)
FB allowed to go to HB
HB allowed to go to WR (4th or lower on depth chart only)
FB allowed to go to TE
TE allowed to go to FB (EXCLUDING FB DIVE PLAYS)
All Linebacker, D-Line, and O-Line groups are interchangeable as well as FS & SS
S to LB - must be at least 6' and weigh at least 220+ (89-speed max)

Utility Edits
DB to FS (only) - (89 speed max)
S to LB - must be at least 6' and weigh at least 220+ (89-speed max)
WR to TE - must be at least 6'2 and weigh at least 230+ (87-speed max)

Players' numbers need to stay in the NFL Format for numbers.
•    1 – 19: Quarterbacks, punters, and kickers
•    20 – 49: Running backs and defensive backs
•    50 – 59: Centers (or 60-79 if this range is taken)
•    60 – 79: Defensive linemen and offensive linemen
•    80 – 89: Receivers and tight ends (or 40-49 if this range is taken)
•    90 – 99: Defensive Lineman and linebackers

Position Changes
Player positions can only be changed during the offseason AFTER the draft and must be approved by an admin beforehand. During the season position changes may NOT take place barring season-ending injury to a starter.

Also, users are allowed ONLY ONE ''Utility'' position edit per season per side of the ball, and it must be submitted for approval, and fit the guidelines.

These are the most common ones we see in the NFL, if you can think of others let me know (we may add it to the Summer Admin Discussions for future reference), also this ONLY applies to CFM DRAFTED players to keep the core roster integrity intact unless we get proof of a real-life change (team site / NFL.com/ etc).
With all that being said, as always we appreciate the time you spent reviewing this, if any changes occur to the guidelines you will all be notified. With that being said we look forward to seeing you all on the field