A: SCHEDULE
  1. The regular season will consist of 13 games.
  2. Each team will play division opponents twice (4 games).
  3. Each team will play non-division opponents once (9 games).Return to Table of Contents

B: TEAM ROSTERS
  1. Each team will be comprised of 16 active players, distributed as follows: 1 Quarterback (QB), 2 Running Backs (RB), 2 Wide Receivers (WR), 1 Tight End (TE), 1 Kicker (K), 1 Defense/Special Teams (DST), 8 reserves of any position. In addition, each team's roster will feature 3 inactive spots designated as "Injured Reserve."
  2. The system for announcing weekly starting lineups is a "substitution" system, rather than a "declaration" system. Each team will designate its initial starting lineup prior to Week 1's games. For each subsequent week, teams only need to announce any changes/substitutions to the "current starters" (i.e - previous week's starting lineup).
  3. The deadline for announcing starting lineups/changes is 1:00 pm EST on Sunday. For games played on days other than Sunday, the deadline is before kickoff of the first game on that day.
  4. A "current starter" will be continue as the starter unless a change/substitution is declared before the deadline for the day that player's game is to be played.
  5. If a "current starter" is replaced on the roster, either by add/drop, trade, or injury-replacement, the new player will be listed as the "current starter" unless and until the owner properly declares otherwise.
  6. Each team's starters will be designated by an "S" next to their name on the "Team Roster" section of the team page.
  7. The following measures will be taken in the event that an owner fails to get his starters in on time:
    1. Week 1 failure: Leauge Office will determine the team's starters after the week's games have been completed by using the lowest scoring, active (not on bye and not "injured" as defined below) players at each position.
    2. Failure after Week 1: Use previous week's starters, making any corrections for byes, trades, or injuries using lowest scoring, active player at that position.
    3. No email or message board contact for 4 straight weeks: League owners can vote to strip owner of franchise if attempts to establish contact and verify owner's intentions to remain in the League are unsuccessful.
  8. A player may start in any position for which he is officially listed by his NFL team. (Example: Kordell Stewart can only be started as a RB or WR if the Pittsburgh Steelers list him on their roster as a QB/RB/WR.)
  9. Defense/Special Teams are chosen as a combined unit of that team. (Example: An owner who chooses the Denver Broncos gets the points scored by both the Broncos' Defense and the Broncos' Special Teams [as defined below].)
  10. Each team will designate 3 players as Franchise Players, who will be kept for the following season. This decision will be made public by each owner no later than 1 week before the following season's draft.
  11. A team maintains all the players it has on its roster at the end of the season throughout the offseason, until the Saturday before the Draft, when Franchise Players must be disclosed. At that point, all unprotected players are released and become members of the pool of draftable players.Return to Table of Contents

C: THE DRAFT
  1. The draft will normally be held on the Saturday night 8 days before the NFL's Opening Day. In the event that this Saturday falls on the Labor Day Weekend, the Draft will be moved to the Friday night before the NFL's Opening Day. The Saturday between the Friday Draft Day and the NFL's Opening Day will be used in case a problem arises on Friday.
  2. The draft will consist of 13 rounds plus a 1-round Practice Squad Supplemental Draft. Only current or former NFL players may be drafted.
  3. Each round will consist of 1 pick for each team in the League.
  4. The 13-round draft will be conducted as follows:
    1. The drafting order for the first round will be determined by each team's performance in the previous year. The picks will be determined in this order:
      1. Picks 1-6: by Won/Loss record from the previous year from among the teams who failed to make the playoffs, in order from worst record to best record;
      2. Picks 7-10: by Won/Loss record from the previous year from among the playoff teams who failed to advance to the Brief Bowl, in order from worst record to best record;
      3. Picks 11-12: by the outcome of the Brief Bowl, with the winner picking last.
    2. The drafting order for each of the even-numbered rounds will be determined by the drawing of numbers. This order will then be reversed for the subsequent odd-numbered round.Return to Table of Contents

D: PRACTICE SQUAD
  1. At the end of the Draft, a 1-round Supplemental Draft will be held for the purpose of stocking each team's Practice Squad.
  2. The order of the Supplemental Draft will be determined in the same manner as the 1st Round of the regular Draft.
  3. Choosing a player in the Supplemental Draft costs a team the use of an add/drop for the upcoming season. A team may choose to "pass" and not select a player, thereby avoiding the use of the add/drop.
  4. Making a selection in the Supplemental Draft is the only way to assign a player to a team's Practice Squad.
  5. A player selected in the Supplemental Draft is assigned to the selecting team's "Practice Squad." This player will be designated on League rosters with the notation "[PSP]" after his name and on team pages with a "PS" after his name.
  6. Practice Squad players ("PSP") are inactive and not eligible for use during the season. As such, PSP's do not count toward a team's 12-player active roster limit. Because they are not part of a team's active roster, PSP's can not be designated as "injured" for purposes of acquiring an injury-replacement player.
  7. A team can activate their PSP by using a second add/drop and releasing a player from their active roster to make room.
  8. After the season, PSP's remain on a team's roster until the designation of Franchise Players prior to the next season's Draft. At that time, a team with a PSP has 3 options:
    1. Release the PSP to the pool of players available for drafting along with the other 9 players from the active roster who have not been named as Franchise Players;
    2. Keep the PSP as one of the team's 3 Franchise Players for next season, thereby releasing 10 players from the active roster;
    3. Keep the PSP as PSP for next season, in addition to the team's 3 Franchise Players, at the cost of an add/drop from the upcoming season (in the same manner as when the PSP was originally drafted in the Supplemental Draft). If this option is taken, then that team is ineligible for that season's Supplemental Draft, as a team is only allowed to have 1 player on its Practice Squad at a time.
    Return to Table of Contents

E: SCORING
  1. A player gets credit for any points he scores while participating in an offensive play.
  2. A team engages in an offensive play any time it snaps the ball. However, if the ball is actually punted, then any points resulting from the play is credited to that team's Defense/Special Team and not to the individual players involved.
  3. Touchdown Pass = 4 pts
  4. Touchdown Run/Catch = 6 pts
  5. 2-pt Conversion Thrown = 1 pt
  6. 2-pt Conversion Run/Catch = 2pts
  7. 300 yards passing = 3 pts
  8. Each additional 100 yards passing = 3 pts
  9. every 100 yards combined rushing/receiving = 3 pts (for RB's and WR's)
  10. every 50 yards combined rushing/receiving = 3 pts (for TE's and QB's)
  11. Field Goal = 3 pts
  12. Extra Point = 1 pt
  13. Defense/Special Teams Touchdown = 6 pts
  14. Safety = 2 pts
  15. 0 - 3 Points Allowed By Defense = 10 pts
  16. 4 - 10 Points Allowed By Defense = 5 pts
  17. 11 - 20 Points Allowed By Defense = 2 pts
  18. Any scoring play of 50 yards or greater = double pts
  19. Punt/kick returns for touchdowns count for that team's Defense/Special Teams, not for the individual player who made the return. (Example: A punt return for TD by Joey Galloway would only count for 6 points for the owner who had the Seattle Seahawks Defense/Special Teams, not for the owner who had Joey Galloway.)
  20. Defensive/Special Teams' scores include Interceptions for TD's, Fumble Recoveries for TD's, Punt Returns for TD's, and Kickoff Returns for TD's.
  21. Fake field goals and fake punts for TD's are NOT special teams' scores, but rather offensive plays. (Example: The Kansas City Chiefs line up for a punt with Marcus Allen as the signal-caller. Instead, it's a fake, with the punter throwing a pass to Allen, who scores a TD. The owner who has Marcus Allen gets the 6 pts for the TD Catch, not the owner who has the Kansas Chiefs Defense/Special Teams.)
  22. Player scoring will be in accordance with the official boxscores listed at either ESPN.com or NFL.com.
  23. There are no longer bye-week carryovers for points scored in the previous week by a K or DST. As with all other positions, a substitute K or DST must be started in order to avoid getting no points from that position.
  24. Only the points a player accumulates while on a WLFL roster will be added for a season-long total.Return to Table of Contents

F: THE POSTSEASON
  1. The team in each division with the best regular season record will be crowned that division's champion. The team with the best record among the remaining 4 teams in the conference will qualify for that conference's wild-card spot.
  2. The Division Champion in each conference with the best record at the end of the regular season will have a bye for the 1st-round of the playoffs. The remaining Division Champion will host that conference's Wild-Card team in the Wild-Card game.
  3. The Division Champion who had the 1st-round bye will host the winner of the Wild-Card game in the Conference Championship Game.
  4. Order of tiebreakers:
    1. head-to-head record
    2. division record
    3. conference record
    4. points scored
    5. bench points scored
  5. In case of a tie among 3 or more teams: proceed down the list of tiebreakers until one team is eliminated; then return to the first tiebreaker and proceed down the list with the remaining teams. Repeat this process until only one team remains.
  6. Wild-Card games will be held on week 14 of the NFL schedule. Conference Championship games will be held on week 15 of the NFL schedule.
  7. The two teams with the worst records who miss the playoffs will play in the Toilet Bowl during Week 14.
  8. The Brief Bowl will be held in Week 16, between the two Conference Champions. The winner of the Brief Bowl will be the undisputed WLFL Champion, receive the coveted Rendleman Trophy, and get the League's Championship banner on its homepage.
  9. Week 17 will feature the League's Pro Bowl. The owners in each conference will jointly pick a Pro Bowl team for that conference from the players currently on the rosters of their teams. The owners in each conference are free to create their own method of selection for choosing players. Each Pro Bowl team will consist of the normal 8 starters and 4 reserves (in case of a tie). The winning conference receives the bragging rights of Conference Supremacy.Return to Table of Contents

G: TRADING
  1. An unlimited number of trades may be made until the Trading Deadline.
  2. The date for the Trading Deadline will be 11:59 pm EST on the Saturday prior to Week 10's games.
  3. After the Trading Deadline, trades will be prohibited until after the Pro Bowl.
  4. Trades may include any number of players, owners, add/drops and draft picks for the next season.
  5. Trades must be balanced, such that each team results with the same number of players and draft picks for the next season.
  6. Players on Injured Reserve may be traded. The owner trading the injured player immediately loses the injury-replacement player from his/her roster. The owner receiving the injured player may immediately pick up an injury-replacement player.
  7. Injury-replacement players may also be traded. The player received in return for the injury-replacement player immediately becomes an injury-replacement player, as defined below under Injured Reserve. The injury-replacement player traded immediately becomes a normal roster player.
  8. Practice Squad Players ("PSP") may also be traded. However, the use of an add/drop (in addition to the add/drop used to draft the PSP) is required by the team trading its PSP.
  9. No Rentals: Owners may not trade players with the intent on "trading back" after a certain period of time. A vote of the disinterested owners will determine whether the intent to "trade back" existed at the time of the trade.
  10. A trade is considered complete and official once the details of the trade have been posted on the Message Board. Such a trade can only be rescinded upon the agreement of all owners involved in the trade.
  11. All trades must be posted on the Message Board in order to inform the other league owners. Trades not posted on the Message Board will not be considered valid.
  12. Trades posted between 1:00 pm EST on Sunday and Midnight EST on Monday Night will not be considered official until Tuesday (after midnight).Return to Table of Contents

H: ADD/DROPS
  1. At the beginning of each season, each team will be given 8 add/drops.
  2. Add/drops may be used during the regular season to release a player for any reason and pick up a new player from the pool of NFL players not currently on a WLFL roster.
  3. Use of add/drops is limited to one per week.
  4. Add/drops not used before the last regular season game are frozen -- they may not be used during the playoffs.
  5. The position of the player dropped need not be the same as the player added.
  6. The dropping of one player and the adding of another player is done simultaneously.
  7. Add/drops may not be used at any time on Sundays or Mondays.
  8. Add/drops are done on a first-come/first-serve basis between Tuesday morning at 12:00 am EST and Saturday night at 11:59 pm EST. In order to preserve the integrity of a first-come/first-serve process, add/drops need to be announced using the WLFL Online Message Board, which will provide a date and time stamp for each entry. Disputes between owners as to who added a certain player first will be resolved by who posted first on the Message Board.
  9. Add/drops may be traded.
  10. Offseason Add/Drops:
    1. If a team has any Add/Drops remaining after the season's end, that team may use them at will at any time before the date of the NFL Draft.
    2. After the NFL Draft, a team wishing to acquire a player not currently on a WLFL roster may only do so by using one of that team's 5 Add/Drops from the upcoming season.
    3. Any Add/Drops used in the offseason can only be used to acquire a player who was on an NFL roster for any length of time the previous season. Players not on an NFL roster the previous season can only be acquired through the Draft.
    Return to Table of Contents

I: INJURED RESERVE
  1. Each team has a limit of 3 roster spots designated as "injured reserve" (IR).
  2. A player may be placed on IR for any injury, regardless of severity. However, eligibility for Injured Reserve does require that the player appear on the NFL's weekly injury report.
  3. Players who are unavailable due to disciplinary suspensions, retirements, incarceration, or other non-injury related reasons are not eligible for placement on Injured Reserve.
  4. Once placed on IR, a player must remain on IR until the announcement of Franchise Players the following season, at which time the player must be protected or released.
  5. An owner who places a player on Injured Reserve may pick up an injury-replacement player from the pool of NFL players not currently on a WLFL roster.
  6. Placing a player on IR removes him from a team's active roster. The injury-replacement player assumes the IR player's place on the active roster.
  7. Players on Injured Reserve will be listed under the heading of "Injured Reserve" at the bottom of the team roster on team pages, and will have a next to their name on the League-wide roster lists.
  8. There is no longer a separate time period for IR transactions. A player may be put on IR and replaced at any time that an add/drop could otherwise be exercised.
  9. A player on the IR may be traded, but only to a team with an available IR slot.
  10. There is no longer a "right of first refusal" system regarding IR transactions. These transactions will now work just like add/drops, on a "first-come/first-serve" basis.
  11. A player picked up as an injury replacement during the playoffs is automatically returned to the free agent pool at the conclusion of the playoffs. Once the playoffs are over, that player can be picked up by any team through the use of an off-season add/drop.Return to Table of Contents

J: RULES COMMITTEE
  1. The purpose of the "Rules Committee" ("RC") is two-fold:
    1. Act as a screening process for new rule proposals;
    2. Provide quick resolution of questions of rule interpretation during the season.
  2. The RC will be comprised of 4 League members - 1 from each division. Each division will be charged with selecting its representative to the RC.
  3. A "Rules Czar" will be elected by the entire League. The function of the Rules Czar is primarily administrative - receiving questions of rule interpretation and new rule proposals, and forwarding them to the members of the RC for review and decision. The Rules Czar has no vote on matters before the RC, except in cases of rule interpretation in which a 2-2 tie must be broken (similar to the role of the Vice President in the U.S. Senate).
  4. Election of the RC and the Rules Czar will take place at the Draft.
  5. Rule Interpretation:
    1. Questions for which the League's current rules do not provide an explicit answer will be put before the RC for decision.
    2. A decision by the RC becomes the status quo unless overturned by a majority vote of the entire League.
    3. Decisions which require the tie-breaking vote of the Rules Czar will automatically be submitted for League-wide vote.
  6. New Rule Proposals:
    1. Proposals for either creation of a new rule or a change in the current rules should be emailed to the Rules Czar, for forwarding to the RC for consideration.
    2. If a proposal is approved by at least 2 members of the RC, it will automatically be presented to the entire League for a vote, with final approval requiring the vote of a majority (7) of the League's owners.
    3. If the RC rejects a proposal (by either 3-1 or 4-0 votes), then the proposal will NOT be presented for League-wide consideration.
    4. Proposals that are rejected (either by the RC or by League-wide vote) may not be re-proposed until the following season.
    5. Proposals that are approved by League-wide vote will go into effect the following season, unless the League vote dictates otherwise.
  7. Decisions of the RC will be posted by one of its members on the League's Message Board by creating a new topic for each decision under the category of "Rules Committee." Only RC members will have the ability to create topics within that forum. Return to Table of Contents