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Okay, now that we are into the Championship Round and Wild Card Round, I thought it might be a good time to get some feedback on our debut NFFC Cutline Championship. We are very pleased with the format we've all created here and honestly we believe the sky is the limit for this format.

The best thing about the NFFC Cutline Championship is that it became a nightly impulse buy for folks during the off-season. Every night you knew that we'd have two time slots open for a 10-team, 26-round draft that would be done in two hours or less. And after you were done drafting, you knew that all you had to do with that team was set a starting lineup each week and manage 3 FAAB periods. Simple enough.

Next year we will add a new online draft room and hopefully make the drafting experience even more enjoyable. And we'll start these drafts earlier this off-season. Be ready to draft after the NFL Draft in many of our formats because NFFC drafts are going to be alive and well this summer.

But let's talk about the format since it's fresh in everyone's head. Give us some thoughts on what you think could be improved in the rules and the format for 2014. We have every intention of keeping this a 10-team format and 26 rounds, so let's go beyond that (the 2-hour drafts just seem so perfect).

Should the regular season be longer? What works better: 9 weeks, 10 weeks or 11 weeks, knowing that anything beyond 9 weeks would have to include an "All Play" format?

Do you like the Weeks 10-12 first round of Championship Round? Would you really run a Week 12 only Championship Round with all of the byes that week if the regular season extended to 10 or 11 weeks?

Do you like the Wild Card setup where teams can earn their way back into the Championship Round? Any changes you'd suggest to the Championship Round and/or Wild Card Round?

Was 3 FAAB periods enough? Too many? Too few? Just right?

Would a price increase from $125 to $150 matter if it helped us guarantee a $100,000 grand prize next year? Eventually the goal would be to fly the 12 finalists to Las Vegas for an unforgettable weekend of fun while playing for the top prize, but there's still some work to do to get to that point. Still, that's why we're asking for suggestions because we really believe in the potential for this contest and the sky is the limit here.

Thanks for any feedback here and good luck the rest of the way in the NFFC Cutline Championship.

Greg Ambrosius wrote:Would a price increase from $125 to $150 matter if it helped us guarantee a $100,000 grand prize next year? Eventually the goal would be to fly the 12 finalists to Las Vegas for an unforgettable weekend of fun while playing for the top prize, but there's still some work to do to get to that point. Still, that's why we're asking for suggestions because we really believe in the potential for this contest and the sky is the limit here.

So far, so good for me. Someone posted several days ago a comment about the week 15 champ round dropouts that I thought was worth looking into.

Getting to $100k should be the goal and a slight bump in price probably helps, just don't forget about the rest of the top 5. One of the reasons I took as many teams as I did was having multiple chances at a nice payday anywhere in the top 5 and a check no matter where I finish if I make the final round of the cutline.

kjduke wrote:

Greg Ambrosius wrote:Would a price increase from $125 to $150 matter if it helped us guarantee a $100,000 grand prize next year? Eventually the goal would be to fly the 12 finalists to Las Vegas for an unforgettable weekend of fun while playing for the top prize, but there's still some work to do to get to that point. Still, that's why we're asking for suggestions because we really believe in the potential for this contest and the sky is the limit here.

So far, so good for me. Someone posted several days ago a comment about the week 15 champ round dropouts that I thought was worth looking into.

Getting to $100k should be the goal and a slight bump in price probably helps, just don't forget about the rest of the top 5. One of the reasons I took as many teams as I did was having multiple chances at a nice payday anywhere in the top 5 and a check no matter where I finish if I make the final round of the cutline.

Agree. This is the ONE contest that should go to lengths to firm up those top 5, 10 spots because the sense of accomplishment (you feel like you're at death's doorstep for months) just getting there needs to be rewarded.

Quahogs wrote:

kjduke wrote:

Greg Ambrosius wrote:Would a price increase from $125 to $150 matter if it helped us guarantee a $100,000 grand prize next year? Eventually the goal would be to fly the 12 finalists to Las Vegas for an unforgettable weekend of fun while playing for the top prize, but there's still some work to do to get to that point. Still, that's why we're asking for suggestions because we really believe in the potential for this contest and the sky is the limit here.

So far, so good for me. Someone posted several days ago a comment about the week 15 champ round dropouts that I thought was worth looking into.

Getting to $100k should be the goal and a slight bump in price probably helps, just don't forget about the rest of the top 5. One of the reasons I took as many teams as I did was having multiple chances at a nice payday anywhere in the top 5 and a check no matter where I finish if I make the final round of the cutline.

Agree. This is the ONE contest that should go to lengths to firm up those top 5, 10 spots because the sense of accomplishment (you feel like you're at death's doorstep for months) just getting there needs to be rewarded.

very much agree

Couldnt agree more with these guys, one of the few contests I've ever seen where the top payouts are all great, not just one big carrot (I know... that's what draws people in because they all think they are going to sign up and just win the grand prize... riiiiight). Keep in mind, most people who play in this contest won't win a dime. 9 out of 10 people in the league don't win anything in the regular season, then you have to make it to the top 12 of almost 400 or top 20 of 555. Those are LONG odds. A few years of not winning a thing will turn a lot of people off so at least keep it if you do make it to that final week its not just a winner take all feel. Hell, might want to even think about giving those who get eliminated in week 15 their entry fee back. That would be nothing compared to the overall prize pool

$150 is totally fine with me. Especially considering I'm sure you'll still have packs if you want to get your teams slightly cheaper (nothing like a 10 pack!)

I loved just having 3 FAAB weeks. I don't know how they pick the number of teams off on each bye week in the NFL because they seem to change a lot but if they change I would vote having the FAAB weeks be before the big bye weeks. Not a big deal though.

I personally feel like every eye is on what if we have a cut on a week that has byes but if you drafted Calvin Johnson he was off in week 9 so your chances of getting in were lowered too. I have zero problem with a cut on a bye week if it makes the contest better. You know the rules before the draft and that factors in who you draft. It adds even more strategy

I like the format with only 3 faabs . I would also play more if there was a nice kick back for 5 or 10 or 15 teams .Also, I sure am glad your finally going to upgrade that weak draft room . IMO that has been a major drawback for years . I hope this time it is big enough to read without glasses .

got heeem wrote:I like the format with only 3 faabs . I would also play more if there was a nice kick back for 5 or 10 or 15 teams .Also, I sure am glad your finally going to upgrade that weak draft room . IMO that has been a major drawback for years . I hope this time it is big enough to read without glasses .

We totally agree with the feedback so far and we'll look at Week 15 and how we handle those Championship Round teams that are eliminated. Yes, we could do something more there.

As for the strong distribution of prizes among the 12 finalists, we totally agree and that's why we set this up the way that we did. If we are able to eventually raise the top prize to six figures, the other prizes would rise accordingly and the Wild Card prizes would come along too. We believe with drafts starting in May like the old FFOC did that we can double the number of participants for this format. We're bullish on this format, we're bullish on the distribution of prizes to the top teams, and we're bullish on the quick drafts/impulse buys each night. We're lovin' this format.

As for the online draft room, our baseball guys will see the improvements first and can tell you how much it's improved. Not only will you be able to see the names better Mark, we'll even have pictures of players so that you know for sure who you are drafting. Look for solid improvements there as each sport will have new online draft rooms in 2014.

Since a 10 team format and 26 rounds seems like a lock. Here is what I would suggest.....

1) Have "all play" for as many weeks as it takes to get through the byes. For example....this year you would have 9 games against an opponent and 3 weeks of "all play". This would get rid of all the "well I am gonna have x amount of players of during the cutline process". Make it so everyone has to "pit" in the regular season.

2) Keep the 3 FAAB periods. It is perfect for not having to tedious FAAB during the season.

3) Raising the entry to $150 is a good idea if overall prizes are added. Would love to see 2 people get $$$$ in each league.

That is pretty much it......great fun concept. Looking forward to seeing it grow!

BillyWaz wrote: 1) Have "all play" for as many weeks as it takes to get through the byes. For example....this year you would have 9 games against an opponent and 3 weeks of "all play". This would get rid of all the "well I am gonna have x amount of players of during the cutline process". Make it so everyone has to "pit" in the regular season.

I know it's a short regular season, but I like having some early playoff excitement in a side game.

We have 12 team and 14 team contests so the 10 team is a nice change of pace. I do think however that with a short regular season, less Free Agency opportunities, and multiple teams (6) on byes during weeks 8 and 9 that head to head should be dropped and we use only total points to determine standings.