Spring Fever League Charter

OCFL SPRING FEVER LEAGUE CHARTER

INFRASTRUCTURE

Paul Mankiewicz will serve as Commissioner for the Spring Fever league. Other league members will assist in the administrative duties as needed. The league membership as a whole will often be asked to vote on key issues.

LEAGUE STRUCTURE

The league will consist of 24 teams arranged in two conferences of three divisions each. Each division will have 4 teams. Each team will play each opponent in its division twice, each team in the other two divisions in the same conference once, and two teams in the other conference once. The two inter-conference games will be against teams with the same preseason ranking within their divisions. One conference will be named the Reilly Conference. The other conference will be named the Mankiewicz Conference. The three divisions in the Reilly Conference will be named the Davis Division, the Byrens Division and the Ramos Division. The three divisions in the Mankiewicz Conference will be named the Nagata Division, the Siemienski Division and the Berro Division.

The conference playoffs will consist of the three division winners and the non-divisional winner (wild card team) with the highest winning percentage. If two or more non-divisional winners are tied for the wild card spot, a special playoff will be conducted among the tied teams to reduce the field to just one team. This special playoff will be considered to be part of the post-season playoff structure and will not be included in the regular season’s statistics. Additionally, any team that finishes the regular season with a .625 or higher winning percentage and does not otherwise qualify for the playoffs will be awarded a wild card berth. The championship game (Super Bowl) will be between the Reilly Conference winner and the Mankiewicz Conference winner.

Each week of the season will start on a Monday and end on a Sunday. The 16-week regular season schedule will be divided into four 4-week segments referred to as “quarters”. Coaches will be required to play all four games in each quarter before 11:59 PM, Pacific Time, on the Sunday in the last week of each quarter.

DIVISIONAL ALIGNMENT: Teams will be assigned to each division as follows:

(A) Each of the 24 teams will be seeded from 1 to 24 in the exact opposite order of the first round of the Spring Fever Free Agent Draft. Thus, the team drafting first will be seeded 24^th, the team drafting second will be seeded 23rd, and so on.

(B) The 1^st seed, the 7^th seed, the 13^th seed, and the 19^th seed will be assigned to either the Davis Division (odd-numbered years) or the Nagata Division (even-numbered years).

(C) The 2^nd seed, the 8^th seed, the 14^th seed, and the 20^th seed will be assigned to either the Davis Division (even-numbered years) or the Nagata Division (odd-numbered years).

(D) The 3^rd seed, the 9^th seed, the 15^th seed, and the 21st seed will be assigned to either the Byrens Division (odd-numbered years) or the Siemienski Division (even-numbered years).

(E) The 4^th seed, the 10^th seed, the 16^th seed, and the 22nd seed will be assigned to either the Byrens Division (even-numbered years) or the Siemienski Division (odd-numbered years).

(F) The 6^th seed, the 12^th seed, the 18^th seed and the 24^th seed will be assigned to either the Ramos Division (odd-numbered years) or the Berro Division (even-numbered years).

(G) The 5^th seed, the 11^th seed, the 17^th seed and the 23^rd seed will be assigned to either the Ramos Division (even-numbered years) or the Berro Division (odd-numbered years).

YEAR OF PLAY

The year of play will be the calendar year in which the league operates.

START OF THE SEASON

The season will begin on the first Sunday before March 1^st. However, if March 1^st is a Sunday then the season will begin on March 1^st.

ROSTERS

The definition of a rated player (for all purposes) is: A player that receives from SOM a passing card, a running card, a pass receiving card, a kicking card, a punting card, a punt-returning card, or a kickoff-returning card, or who’s name appears on a Team Offense card or Team Defense card, in the current year’s card set.

The definition of a non-rated player (for all purposes) is: An owned player that received from SOM a passing card, a running card, a pass receiving card, a kicking card, a punting card, a punt-returning card, or a kickoff-returning card, or who’s name appeared on a Team Offense card or Team Defense card, in a prior year but not in the current year’s card set. A team retains ownership of a non-rated player until cut or traded. Non-rated players count against the maximum limit of 53 players on a team. They do NOT help a team, however, meet the minimum requirements at ANY position. If a non-rated player is cut by a team for any reason he is NOT added to the Free Agent Player Pool.

CUTDOWN DEADLINE: All maximum roster limits must be met by the CUTDOWN DEADLINE, which is 11:59 PM, Pacific Time, on the third day following the Free Agent Draft. This is also the deadline for moving players to the IR List (see below). Once this deadline is reached, the maximum limits on total number of players, quarterbacks, kickers, punters, kickoff returners and punt returners are in effect for the remainder of the season, including the Supplemental Draft. Any cuts necessary to reach these maximum limits must be submitted to the Commissioner by the CUTDOWN DEADLINE. Minimum positional requirements do not have to be met until the Trading Deadline.

Injured Reserve (IR) List: Up to 3 non-rated players may be placed on a team’s IR List. These players do NOT count towards the 53-player maximum limit. Players must be placed on a team’s IR list by the CUTDOWN DEADLINE. Once this deadline has passed each team’s IR list is frozen until the following season.

Rental Players:

Teams that fail to meet the minimum positional requirements at any roster position will have rental players assigned to their team, at the discretion of the commissioner, in order to bring their roster into compliance. The deadline for meeting minimum positional requirements is the Trading Deadline. Rental players may be taken from free agents in the current card set or from the previous season's card set. These players will be the worst (in the opinion of the commissioner) players available at their respective positions. Rental players will stay on a team's roster for the current season only. They will count towards the 53-man total player limit.

There will not be a draft pick penalty for rental players. Your penalty, if you have a rental player or players assigned to your team, will be that you will have to make room on your roster for these one-year-totally-worthless-junk-players.

Please be aware that this rule applies to ALL positions, even kicker, punter, kickoff returner, punt returner and quarterback. Remember, one of the minimum positional requirements is that you must have a rated QB on your roster with at least 100 pass attempts in the NFL season that the current card set is based on.

ROSTER LIMITATIONS

Pos

is a group of one or more roster positions.

Min

is the minimum number of RATED players that you must have on your team's roster for each positional group.

Max

is the maximum number of RATED players that you may have on your team's roster for each positional group.

QRP

means Qualifying Roster Positions. These are the actual positions listed in the rosters in this workbook that are included in the positional group.

Pos

Min

Max

QRP

2 (5)

none

HB,FB

Please note: The roster position BB is NOT included in the list of QRP's. Therefore, a BB may NOT count towards the minimum requirement for RB.

none

MIN/MAX RULES

none

OLG,ORG,OG

A player rated at multiple positions may be used to satisfy the minimum requirements at any of his rated

none

OLT,ORT,OT

positions. However, he may only be counted ONCE. Example: A player rated at both OG and OT

none

LDT,RDT,NT,DT

may be counted as an OG or an OT, but not both.

none

LDE,RDE,DE

MLB

none

MLB,LIB,RIB,ILB,LB

Exception to the above rule: a player rated at LK, KR, LP, or PR can be used to satisfy the minimum

OLB

none

LOB,ROB,OLB,LB

requirements at kickoff returner and/or punt returner AND, if he is rated at one or more positions other than

none

SS,FS,S,DB

LK, KR, LP, or PR, he may satisfy the minimum requirements at any ONE of those positions.

none

LCB,RCB,CB,DB

1 (1)

2 (3)

A non-rated player will NOT help you meet the minimum requirement for a position.

2 (1)

4 (3)

A non-rated player does NOT count against the maximum limit for a position.

1 (2)

2 (4)

However, non-rated players DO count towards the total roster limit of 53 players, with the following exception:

2 (2)

4 (4)

you may designate up to three non-rated players that do NOT count towards the roster limit of 53 players.

A number in parentheses in the Min or Max columns references a note printed at the bottom of this page.

(1) Note: You MUST have on your roster a minimum of either 1 LK or 2 KR.

(2) Note: You MUST have on your roster a minimum of either 1 LP or 2 PR.

(3) Note: Maximum limits on kickoff returners: 2 LK and 0 KR or 1 LK and 2 KR or 0 LK and 4 KR.

(4) Note: Maximum limits on punt returners: 2 LP and 0 PR or 1 LP and 2 PR or 0 LP and 4 PR.

(5) Note: You MUST have at least one rated QB on your roster with 100 or more pass attempts in the NFL season that the current card set is based on.

HOW TO ACQUIRE PLAYERS

There are three methods of acquiring players. They are the Free Agent Draft, the Supplemental Draft, and Trading.

FREE AGENT DRAFT

All teams will participate in a 10-round, live chat room draft, to be held on the second Saturday in March. The Free Agent Draft ends with the last pick of the 10^thround. The draft order for each round will be the same. Teams will be ranked in order of their winning percentages from the previous season, in ascending order, with the lowest winning percentage ranked first, with two exceptions: the runner-up in the championship game will always be ranked 23rd, while the winner of the championship game will always be ranked 24^th.

Teams that are tied with the same winning percentages will be ranked in odd-numbered rounds using the following tiebreakers: (1) winning percentage in common games involving the tied teams, with the lowest winning percentage being ranked first; (2) schedule difficulty, with the lowest winning percentage being ranked first; (3) chance. Teams that are tied with the same winning percentage will have their order reversed on even-numbered rounds.

Each team will have one minute to exercise each of their draft picks. Additional time will be given to a coach who is drafting for one or more other teams in addition to his own team, and for coaches that are involved in the active administration of the draft.

Each team will also be allowed to request a 1 minute extension to their time. Each team can do this a maximum of 3 times during the Free Agent Draft. The extension will not be automatic, a team (or the Commissioner) must ask for the extension.

If a team fails to exercise its draft pick in its allotted time, then that team is considered to have passed. A team can also voluntarily announce that it is passing on a draft pick. A team that has passed on a draft pick may exercise it at any time until the conclusion of the draft. Once the 10^th round is completed, a team loses all rights to any draft pick that it passed on.

Draft Pool Eligibility: Only unowned players that are rated by Strat-O-Matic in the current card set may be drafted.

SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT

All teams may participate in the Supplemental Draft. Participation is optional. All players listed in the ALL AVAILABLE FREE AGENTS page in the Draft Workbook will be available for the Supplemental Draft.

The Supplemental Draft is a live, on-line draft to be held in an AIM chat room that lasts exactly 5 rounds. The Supplemental Draft is held exactly one week after the Free Agent Draft at the same time of day as the Free Agent Draft. Each team receives one draft pick in each round and these picks may not be traded. The draft order is the same as for the Free Agent Draft.

A coach may designate another coach to draft for him. Coaches may also submit two lists of players to the Commissioner. The first list contains the free agents that the team wants to draft ranked in the order that the team wants them taken. The second list contains the names of players on the team’s roster prior to the start of the Supplemental Draft that the team wants to cut to make room for the new players, ranked in the order that the team wants them to be cut. Coaches participating in the live draft may only cut players that were on their rosters prior to the start of the Supplemental Draft. Thus, you may NOT cut players that were either selected in the Supplemental Draft or acquired via trade in the Supplemental Draft.

Whenever a coach selects a player in the Supplemental Draft, whether live or by list, he must also immediately cut a player to make room for the player just acquired. A team may NOT announce a trade prior to making the cut. Players cut during the Supplemental Draft will not be added to the free agent pool until the conclusion of the draft and thus are not available to be drafted in the current year.

Coaches that wish to participate in the Supplemental Draft via list must submit their two lists no later than one minute before the start of the Supplemental Draft. Coaches may include conditions in the lists but these conditions must be easy to understand. The Commissioner will do his best when interpreting any conditions but the team submitting the list assumes all risks when including conditions.

Supplemental Draft picks are untimed. However, if the commissioner feels the draft is dragging he may impose any time limit that he deems appropriate at any time during the draft. Coaches that are drafting “live” who fail to pick within any time limit imposed by the commissioner will pass on the pick. Coaches may voluntarily pass on a pick. Coaches that pass on a pick may exercise that pick anytime during the remainder of the Supplemental Draft. Any draft picks not exercised by the conclusion of the Supplemental Draft will be lost. The commissioner will declare when the Supplemental Draft is over which is normally after the last pick in round 5 but it may be earlier or later as the commissioner deems appropriate.

Supplemental Draft Pool Eligibility: All available free agents at the time of the draft. This includes players not taken in the Free Agent Draft and any rated players cut by teams for any reason. Non-rated players that are cut will not be added to the Free Agent Draft Pool.

TRADING

The trading period begins with the official start date of the season (see START OF THE SEASON, above). The trading period ends at 11:59 PM, Pacific Time, on the 11th day following the conclusion of the Free Agent Draft.

Only players and draft picks may be traded. Teams may trade draft picks that they own in the current year and in the next year only. Teams may NOT attach conditions to a trade.

Each coach participating in a trade must send an e-mail directly to the Commissioner announcing the exact terms of the trade. It is acceptable for only one participant in a trade to send the details to the Commissioner and copy all other participants in the trade, who then simply REPLY ALL to the e-mail and confirm the trade.

The Trade Review Committee (TRC) is comprised of volunteers chosen by the Commissioner who have experience in Strat-O-Matic football. TRC volunteers should be aware that they will be presented with difficult decisions and should have a philosophy consistent with the questionable trade guidelines outlined below. The purpose of the TRC is to make the trade review process as fair as possible and to make the process a group decision. If a member of the TRC is involved in a trade that member will NOT be involved in the review process. In such a case, the Commissioner may ask a non-TRC member to replace the TRC member involved in the trade for that trade’s review only.

Review process:

(1) The Commissioner e-mails all members of the TRC with the details of the trade. The review process lasts from the moment the e-mail is sent until 11:59 PM, Pacific Time, on the third day following the day the e-mail is sent. For example, if the e-mail is sent anytime on a Tuesday, the review process ends at 11:59 PM, Pacific Time, on Friday.

(2) If the Commissioner is involved in a trade then the Commissioner will appoint a moderator from among the TRC members receiving the trade announcement. The sole duty of the moderator is, if there is an objection to the trade, to collect all of the votes and send the final vote count to the Commissioner along with a brief explanation of why the trade was rejected.

(3) If a TRC member believes a trade is unreasonable then the TRC member should object to the trade and call for a vote of approval during the review process. It is expected that all TRC members will discuss the trade among fellow TRC members via e-mail, instant messaging, chat room or telephone. TRC members must NOT discuss a trade with anyone outside of the TRC or with any member of the TRC involved in the trade. If the Commissioner is involved in a trade that is being reviewed then the Commissioner should not be involved in the discussion.

(4) A trade is disallowed if more than 50% of the VOTING members of the TRC reject it. Please note that this means if the vote is tied then the trade is NOT rejected.

(5) If a trade is rejected, there is NO appeals process.

(6) A trade becomes official and binding if the Commissioner receives no notification of rejection before the review deadline is reached.

Guidelines to TRC members for evaluating a trade:

(1) If you feel a trade is unreasonable then you should object to the trade.

(2) You should only consider your value of the players and draft picks involved in the trade when deciding if a trade is reasonable or not.

(3) You should not consider the motives or the intentions of the coaches making the trade. It does not matter why a coach makes a trade.

(4) In trades involving draft picks, your decision to question a trade should not be based on your opinion of the acquiring coach’s ability to make a successful draft pick.

Trades made near the Free Agent Draft: The trade review period for all pending trades will end at the start of the Free Agent Draft. For example, if a trade is made on Friday and the Free Agent Draft is the next day, then the trade review process will end at the start of the draft on Saturday.

Trades made during the Free Agent Draft:

(1) Trades made during the Free Agent Draft must involve at least one draft pick in the current season. All other trades should be sent to the Commissioner via e-mail. The clock will be stopped when the coach announces TRADE in the chatroom. The coach whose turn it is to make a pick will then announce the terms of the trade. All other coaches involved in the trade must then announce CONFIRM in the chatroom to complete the reporting process.

(2) Once the reporting process is complete, the Commissioner (or the acting Commissioner, if the Commissioner is not present in the chatroom), will ask in the chatroom if any members of the TRC object to the trade. If any TRC member does object, he should IM the Commissioner (or acting Commissioner) and NOT announce his objection in the chatroom. If the Commissioner receives an IM from a TRC member within 15 seconds of the Commissioner’s call for objections, then the draft process will be suspended and a review will be conducted via IM between all members of the TRC that wish to vote.

(3) When the review process is complete, the member of the TRC who initially objected should IM the Commissioner with the results of the vote and, if the trade is rejected, a brief explanation of why the trade was rejected. The Commissioner will then announce the results of the review in the draft chatroom and the draft will continue. There is no appeals process for a trade that is rejected by the TRC.

First-Year Restriction: There is no restriction on the ability of first year coaches to trade.

Trades after the maximum roster limits are in effect: The maximum roster size of 53 players and the maximum positional limits are enforced at the CUTDOWN DEADLINE. Trades that are made after the CUTDOWN DEADLINE, and before the Trading Deadline, must involve an equal number of players for all teams involved in the trade and may not violate any maximum positional limit or the 53-player maximum roster size limit.

Trading Deadline: No more trades may be announced after 11:59 PM, Pacific Time, on the 11th day following the conclusion of the Free Agent Draft.

PLAYOFFS

The winner of each division will qualify for the playoffs. The non-divisional winner in each conference with the best winning percentage will qualify for the playoffs as a wild-card team. Any team finishing the regular season with a winning percentage of .625 or better and that does not otherwise qualify for the playoffs either as a division winner or as the non-divisional winner in its conference with the best winning percentage will qualify for the playoffs as a wild-card team.

CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS: The seeding in the conference playoffs will be based solely on the winning percentages of each team qualifying for the playoffs. Whether a team is a division winner or a wild-card team will have no bearing on the seedings. The team with the best winning percentage will be seeded #1, the team with the second-best winning percentage will be seeded #2, and so on. The #1 seed is guaranteed a BYE in the first-round of the playoffs.

CONFERENCE PLAYOFF MATCHUPS:

(1) FIRST-ROUND: The #1 seed gets an automatic BYE. If, after removing the #1 seed from the first-round matchups, there is an even-number of teams, then all of the remaining teams will play in the first-round, with the highest seed matched-up against the lowest seed, the second-highest seed matched-up against the second-lowest seed, and so on. If there is an odd-number of teams, then the #2 seed gets a BYE in the first-round and all remaining teams play with the highest seed matched-up against the lowest seed, the second-highest seed matched-up against the second-lowest seed, and so on. The home team in each matchup will be the team with the better seeding.

(2) SECOND and SUCCEEDING ROUNDS: If there is an even-number of teams remaining in the playoffs then all teams will play, with the highest seed matched-up against the lowest seed, the second-highest seed matched-up against the second-lowest seed, and so on. If there is an odd-number of teams, then the highest-seeded team gets a BYE and all remaining teams play with the highest seed matched-up against the lowest seed, the second-highest seed matched-up against the second-lowest seed, and so on. The home team in each matchup will be the team with the better seeding.

SPRING FEVER SUPER BOWL: The two conference champions will play in the Super Bowl for the Spring Fever championship. While one team will be designated the home team, the game will be played at a neutral site, and the home field advantage rule will be disabled.

TIES

The general rule governing all ties is that tiebreaking rules only apply to seeding or to determining division winners when the loser of the tiebreaker will still qualify for the playoffs as a wild-card team. No team can be eliminated from the playoffs by any tiebreaking rule.

Division title: Ties for the division titles are always resolved first, before the resolution of any ties for the wild-card spot. If two or more teams are tied for a division title, the division winner will be the team that wins one of the following tiebreakers, in order of precedence: (1) The team with the best winning percentage in common games between the tied teams (also known as “Head To Head”); (2) The team with the best winning percentage among games played between members of the same division (also known as “Divisional Record”); (3) The team with the most difficult schedule; (4) The team with the most regular season wins by 9 or more points; (5) Chance. If the loser of a tie-breaking procedure for a division title will not qualify for a wild-card berth, then the winner of the division title must be determined using the same tiebreaking rules that are used for Wild-card spots (see below).

Wild-card: Ties for the wild-card spot are resolved by a special single-elimination tournament. EXCEPTION: If all of the teams that are tied for the wild-card spot have a winning percentage of .625 or better then all of the tied teams qualify for the conference playoffs as wild-card teams and there will be no special single-elimination tournament.

SPECIAL SINGLE-ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT FOR THE WILD-CARD SPOT: Seeding in this special tournament will be the same as for the resolution of division titles, except that “Divisional Records” will only be used if all teams involved in the tie are from the same division. If in any round of this special tournament there is an odd-number of teams, byes will be awarded to all but two teams, the two teams that are seeded last and next-to-last. These two teams will play, with the winner advancing to the next round. If in any round of this special tournament there is an even-number of teams, all teams will play, with the match-ups following this general guideline: The highest seed will always play the lowest seed, the second-highest seed will always play the second-lowest seed, and so on. The home team in any game will be the team with the better seeding. The winner of this special tournament will become the wild-card entry in his conference’s championship series.

PRIZE SCHEDULE

The cash prizes are funded by the estate of my late father in his memory. They in no way change the "no fees" policy of Spring Fever. There are no fees of any kind in Spring Fever. All prizes will be awarded following the conclusion of Spring Fever’s Super Bowl.

For each regular season win: $3 (Ties do not count as a win)

For making the playoffs: $50*

For winning a Round 1 game or getting a Round 1 BYE: $100**

For winning a Round 2 game: $200

For winning the Super Bowl: $300

Total Prize Pool= $1,784 (Assuming the playoffs only last three rounds. See the exceptions below.)

*The following teams are considered to have made the playoffs: Division winners, wild card teams, teams qualifying for a special, single-elimination tournament for the wild-card spot.

**Because of ties it is possible for the playoffs to exceed three rounds. Any team winning a game in a playoff round prior to the final three rounds, as well as any team qualifying for a BYE in those additional rounds, will be awarded $50.

SPRING FEVER GAME RULES

Player Positions: General Rule: A player may play any position that the Strat-O-Matic Football game allows him to play. A player may switch positions at any time that the Strat-O-Matic Football game allows him to switch. There are three exceptions:

1. A quarterback with fewer than 100 pass attempts in the NFL season that the current card set is based on may not play. See QB Usage Restrictions, below, for the exceptions to this rule.

2. A KR may never be a lone kickoff returner. Only a LK may be designated as the sole kickoff returner in the depth charts. However, a LK does not have to be designated as the sole kickoff returner in the depth charts and can be used as one of two kickoff returners in the depth charts.

3. A PR may never be a lone punt returner. Only a LP may be designated as the sole punt returner in the depth charts. However, a LP does not have to be designated as the sole punt returner in the depth charts and can be used as one of two punt returners in the depth charts.

The chart, below, is designed to help you understand what the SOM game allows. However, the SOM game, not this chart, is the ultimate authority on what is allowed, subject to the three exceptions listed above.

Game Position	Roster Positions that can play this game position
Right Tackle	ORT, OLT, OT	Game Position is the position that is listed in the depth charts
Right Guard	ORG, OLG, OG	in the Computer Manager and on the playing field
Center	C
Left Guard	OLG, ORG, OG
Left Tackle	OLT, ORT, OT
Quarterback	QB
Fullback	FB, HB, BB (may not run if no running card)
Halfback	HB, FB
Blocking Back	Any FB or TE or any HB with a run blocking rating of 4 or higher
Running Back	HB, FB
Flanker	WR
Split End	WR
3rd wide receiver	WR
4th wide receiver	WR
Tight End	TE
2nd tight end	TE

Left End	LDE, RDE, DE
Left Tackle	LDT, RDT, NT, DT
Nose Tackle	LDT, RDT, NT, DT
Right Tackle	RDT, LDT, NT, DT
Right End	RDE, LDE, DE
Left outside linebacker	LOB, ROB, OLB, LB
Left inside linebacker	LIB, RIB, MLB, ILB, LB
Middle linebacker	MLB, LIB, RIB, ILB, LB
Right inside linebacker	RIB, LIB, MLB, ILB, LB
Right outside linebacker	ROB, LOB, OLB, LB
Linebacker	LOB, ROB, MLB, LIB, RIB, OLB, ILB, LB
Left Cornerback	LCB, RCB, CB, DB
Strong Safety	SS, FS, S, DB
Right Cornerback	RCB, LCB, CB, DB
Free Safety	FS, SS, S, DB
1st defensive back	LCB, RCB, SS, FS, CB, S, DB
2nd defensive back	LCB, RCB, SS, FS, CB, S, DB

Base Defense Declaration: Each coach must declare his base defense (3-4 or 4-3) by 11:59 PM, Pacific Time, on the 11th day following the conclusion of the Free Agent Draft. No team can change its base defense declaration after this deadline.

Defense Cards:

There are 15 different defense cards (called DRAFT LEAGUE DEFENSE CARDS by Strat-O-Matic) used in Spring Fever. They are identified by type (4-3 RUN, 3-4 RUN and PASS) and quality (EXCELLENT, GOOD, AVERAGE, POOR and VERY POOR).

Each team in Spring Fever will use ONE defense card for running plays and ONE defense card for passing plays. The run defense card to be used will be determined by the team’s declared base defensive alignment (4-3 or 3-4) and the Combined Rating Values (CRV) of the team’s best defensive linemen and linebackers. The pass defense card to be used will be determined by the CRV of the team’s best linebackers and defensive backs.

There are 4 different methods for calculating the CRV, depending upon the team’s base defensive alignment:

1. 4-3 RUN DEFENSE: Total the defensive ratings of the two best DEs and the two best DTs (subtract one from the defensive rating of a NT being used as a DT). Add to this sum half of the defensive ratings of the two best OLBs and half of the defensive rating of the best MLB. Retain all fractions: do not round.

2. 3-4 RUN DEFENSE: Total the defensive ratings of the two best DEs and the best NT (subtract one from the defensive rating of a DT being used as a NT). Add to this sum half of the defensive ratings of the two best OLBs and three-fourths of the defensive ratings of the two best MLBs. Retain all fractions: do not round.

3. 4-3 PASS DEFENSE: Total the defensive ratings of the two best CBs and the two best Ss. Add to this sum half of the defensive ratings of the two best OLBs and half of the defensive rating of the best MLB. Retain all fractions: do not round.

4. 3-4 PASS DEFENSE: Total the defensive ratings of the two best CBs and the two best Ss. Add to this sum half of the defensive ratings of the two best OLBs and one-fourth of the defensive ratings of the two best MLBs. Retain all fractions: do not round.

Here are the CRV thresholds required for each quality level. Remember that there is NO rounding. For example, 29.75 does NOT qualify for EXCELLENT.

EXCELLENT= 30

GOOD= 27

AVERAGE= 24

POOR= 21

VERY POOR= Less than 21

The “Quarterback Starter/Reliever” rule in Autumn Wind will not be used in Spring Fever. Quarterbacks may be substituted just like any other position although they are bound by the QB Usage Restrictions rule that immediately follows.

QB Usage Restrictions: Quarterbacks who attempted fewer than 100 passes in the NFL season that the current card set is based on may NOT be used in a Spring Fever game. The number of passes attempted by each quarterback in the NFL is listed in the OTHER column in the rosters. There are two exceptions:

(1) Injury replacement: If a team’s starting quarterback is injured, a quarterback with fewer than 100 NFL pass attempts may play. Once the injured quarterback is able to return to the game the play restriction on quarterbacks with fewer than 100 NFL pass attempts is once again in effect. The starting quarterback is defined as being the quarterback that participates in a team’s first offensive play in a game.

(2) Blowout rule: If there is 5:00 or less remaining the fourth quarter, and one team is ahead by 17 points or more, then either team may play a quarterback with fewer than 100 NFL pass attempts. However, if at any time in the final five minutes the difference in the score is less than 17 points, then the play restriction on quarterbacks with fewer than 100 NFL pass attempts is once again in force.

Restrictions on the Usage of the 3-3-5, the 4-2-5, the 3-4 and the 4-3 Defensive Alignments on 1^st and 2^nd down: The defense may not use the 3-3-5 defensive alignment or the 4-2-5 defensive alignment on 1^st or 2^nd down. The defense may not use the 3-4 defensive alignment on 1^st or 2^nd down IF the team’s base defensive alignment is the 4-3. The defense may not use the 4-3 alignment on 1^st or 2^nd down IF the team’s base defensive alignment is the 3-4. EXCEPTIONS: If the offensive alignment contains 3 or 4 wide receivers AND only one running back (HB or FB) OR there is 2 minutes or less remaining in the first half OR ANYTIME during the 4^th quarter or any overtime period THEN the defense may use ANY defensive alignment on 1^st or 2^nd down.

Restriction on SHOWING BLITZ: The defense may NOT elect to SHOW BLITZ on 1^st down. EXCEPTION: The defense may SHOW BLITZ on 1^st down with 2 minutes or less remaining in the first half OR ANYTIME in the 4^th quarter or any overtime period.

Penalty For Rules Violation: The penalty for violating any of the above restrictions is the loss of a timeout. The timeout must be taken by the offending team at the earliest possible opportunity. If the rules violation occurs in the first half and the offending team has no more timeouts then the timeout must be taken in the second half at the first available opportunity. If the rules violation occurs in the second half and the offending team has no more timeouts then the timeout must be taken in the overtime period, if there is one, at the first available opportunity.

STRAT-O-MATIC GAME RULES

SOM Game Rules That Are Used In Spring Fever: QB End Run limits, Running Back Fatigue, Home Field Advantage, Linebacker Run Containment, Use Individualized Fumble Ratings, Do not allow exceeding longest run, Do not allow exceeding longest reception, Dumpoff Rule, Updated Sack Rule, Emphasize 6-rated linebackers, Looser substitution restrictions, Empty flat pass = guessed wrong, Use variable FG rule, Single Game Injuries.

SOM Game Rules That Are NOT Used In Spring Fever: Penalties, Player Over usage, Quarterback Over usage, In-Game Rest System, Great Player Impact Rule, Use QB Starter File, Exhausted RBs will get injured, Use actual team interception returns.

SOM League Options That Are Used In Spring Fever: Show “Other Highlights” On Boxscore, Tie Games Count In Standings, Save Play Logs For Every Game.

SOM Game Options That Are Used In Spring Fever: Brief play by play, No play animation, Show board game details, Auto Save after Each Play, Do not allow play animation replay, Show “Other Highlights” on boxscore, Do not allow CM subs for human players, Use Strat-O-Matic terminology for plays.

SOM Game Options That Are NOT Used In Spring Fever: All other game options may not be used in Spring Fever unless with the mutual consent of both coaches in a game. However, the use of game sounds, crowd sounds and play break sounds can be decided by each individual coach. The use of play animation is NOT allowed unless with the mutual consent of both coaches. If both coaches want to use play animation then the slider must be set to the fastest speed unless both coaches mutually agree to a slower speed.

STATS

It is the responsibility of each coach to e-mail the POST file, the BOXSCORE file, the LOG file and the BALL POSSESSION file to the Commissioner at the forbin@prodigy.net mailbox. The POST file can be found in the SEND folder after the conclusion of the game. The LOG file can be found in the LOGS folder, which is inside the LEAGUE folder for the current Spring Fever season. The BOXSCORE file and the BALL POSSESSION file can be found in the REPORTS folder for the week in which the game was scheduled. The POST file can also be found in the POST folder for the week in which the game was scheduled. FYI: these are the same four files that are required in Autumn Wind and in Frozen Tundra.

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