NFFC Rules Discussion For 2013

[Greg Ambrosius]

Now that we are in Week 11, it's time to start talking about some Rules Changes for 2013 NFFC. I will put out a survey before the end of the NFFC regular season and then have results before the end of the NFFC season. That will give us enough time to plan accordingly for 2013 NFFC and to get things rolling for next season. Our goal is to get our rules and formats up much earlier next season and get the ball rolling on everything for our 10th anniversary season!!

So let's compile a couple of rules questions and see what needs to go on the ballot. I don't think we have a big list of rules questions, but let me start with these and please feel free to add to them:

The first one involves FAAB for 2013 and whether we should keep it as is or move it. I'm providing 2 options. Here we go:

In 2012 the NFFC changed the FAAB deadline to a full FAAB on Wednesday night and a secondary FAAB on Friday nights because the NFL now has a game every Thursday night. FAAB has worked very well this year, but we want your feedback on which option you'd like to see for 2013. Here are the choices:

** Two FAAB periods: full FAAB late Wednesday night; a second FAAB on Friday night that includes only the remaining unselected free agent players (what we have now). No cut players from Wednesday can re-enter the free agent pool for Friday.

** Two FAAB periods: Wednesday night for just the players on both Thursday Night teams and a full FAAB on Friday for all remaining available free agents. No cut players from Wednesday can re-enter the free agent pool for Friday.

The second rules change is as follows:

** The NFFC currently provides Special Teams points only to the TEAM that scores a touchdown. So if Devin Hester scores on a punt return, only Chicago gets those 6 points. Keep it as is.

** On a Special Teams touchdown, the NFFC would give 6 points to the TEAM and 6 points to the individual player who scored the touchdown. So if Devin Hester scores on a punt return, Chicago's defense gets 6 points and Hester gets 6 points. Change it to this format.

Any other suggestions? Feel free to add to the list or discuss the two rules changes above. We'll have plenty of time for the latter and a chance to have every owner vote shortly. Thanks all.

[Cocktails and Dreams]

Easily best as is. If all players aren't available at the same time it is a mess. For example, you have a QB on bye so you need a QB. Someone playing Thursday night is your 2nd option. You have no idea if you get your first choice on Friday or not. One of seemingly endless reasons the 2nd choice is a bad one the more I thought about it. Would easily prefer a method that involves all players being evaluated together at the same time. The way it is now provides that.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Easily best as is. If all players aren't available at the same time it is a mess. For example, you have a QB on bye so you need a QB. Someone playing Thursday night is your 2nd option. You have no idea if you get your first choice on Friday or not. One of seemingly endless reasons the 2nd choice is a bad one the more I thought about it. Would easily prefer a method that involves all players being evaluated together at the same time. The way it is now provides that.

Chad, just as a clarification because in your post above and in talking with Alex there was a misconception on how this would run. Let me explain the second option:

ALL PLAYERS are viewable and available for bidding on Friday night like we have it. You can make your bids throughout the week and STATS then runs free agency on Wednesday night just for bids on let's say players for the Colts and Jaguars who played this week. You find out the winning bids on Wednesday night and now have 2 more days to tweak your other bids. No new free agents enter the process. You haven't been locked from making previous bids and now just have 48 hours to make all of your bids. You've had the full week like in the past to make your bids and after Wednesday night you just tweak your bids, knowing full well now which free agents you got on Wednesday.

Now this process would take a lot from the IT department to make it happen as I suggested above. We looked at this process last year and had a plan in place and then opted for the full Wednesday FAAB. So there's a lot to talk through on this, but that's how I envision it. Any other way would be too tough for players.

So again: FAAB starts Friday night like it does now, you bid on all available free agents right away, STATS processes only Thursday Night players on Wednesday and then you have 2 days to tweak your remaining bids knowing who was picked up on Wednesday. Does that make more sense?

[Money]

Greg,

I don't think that clears it up. If you have to replace a player and your first choice is a Sunday player and your second choice is a Thursday player. If you wait and bid on the Sunday player and don't get him you don't have the opportunity to have secured your second choice who has already played. I'm sure no one will want to utilize two roster spots securing the Thursday player and then going after your first choice, the Sunday player.

If the bids are processed on Wednesday, you then know that you have one or the other, not both.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Greg,

I don't think that clears it up. If you have to replace a player and your first choice is a Sunday player and your second choice is a Thursday player. If you wait and bid on the Sunday player and don't get him you don't have the opportunity to have secured your second choice who has already played. I'm sure no one will want to utilize two roster spots securing the Thursday player and then going after your first choice, the Sunday player.

If the bids are processed on Wednesday, you then know that you have one or the other, not both.

I understand that Joe. Two teams' worth of players would be bid for first. So you are right, your second choice could be gone by Friday's bidding. It's possible that could happen and thus that's one of the downfalls of not having all players bid on at once. That's what makes the Wednesday setup so nice. If not missing your second choice is stronger than pushing back the bidding for 30 other teams two days then we can and will definitely stay with the current setup. I just want to give everyone two options going forward and stick with a plan. Thursday Night Games are never going away and we now have one year under our belt with the current setup, so let's see if it's still the best setup. I can already see two votes that it is!

[Cocktails and Dreams]

Easily best as is. If all players aren't available at the same time it is a mess. For example, you have a QB on bye so you need a QB. Someone playing Thursday night is your 2nd option. You have no idea if you get your first choice on Friday or not. One of seemingly endless reasons the 2nd choice is a bad one the more I thought about it. Would easily prefer a method that involves all players being evaluated together at the same time. The way it is now provides that.

Chad, just as a clarification because in your post above and in talking with Alex there was a misconception on how this would run. Let me explain the second option:

ALL PLAYERS are viewable and available for bidding on Friday night like we have it. You can make your bids throughout the week and STATS then runs free agency on Wednesday night just for bids on let's say players for the Colts and Jaguars who played this week. You find out the winning bids on Wednesday night and now have 2 more days to tweak your other bids. No new free agents enter the process. You haven't been locked from making previous bids and now just have 48 hours to make all of your bids. You've had the full week like in the past to make your bids and after Wednesday night you just tweak your bids, knowing full well now which free agents you got on Wednesday.

Now this process would take a lot from the IT department to make it happen as I suggested above. We looked at this process last year and had a plan in place and then opted for the full Wednesday FAAB. So there's a lot to talk through on this, but that's how I envision it. Any other way would be too tough for players.

So again: FAAB starts Friday night like it does now, you bid on all available free agents right away, STATS processes only Thursday Night players on Wednesday and then you have 2 days to tweak your remaining bids knowing who was picked up on Wednesday. Does that make more sense?

That was my understanding on how it would work. The major reason I would hate to see that type of system is because all players are not evaluated at the same time. I have never heard of a system in which all players aren't available at the same time. And for good reason. You cannot logically do faab that way. Another example involving last nights game. Lets see I have bye and injury trouble at wide out. I need a fill in or take a zero. I don't think anyone is worthy of a huge bid. Lets say Nate Washington, Titus Young, Broyles, and Shorts are available and I want them in that order. I am completely hamstrung as I don't know if I am going to win the Washington Young or Broyles bid. So I am forced to bid on Shorts just in case because I cannot access all players at the same time? And if I do win him, I have to play him as I don't know if I will win the others on Friday. It is a mess. I would be for any system where all players are available at the same time. And since I don't think one should have to base decisions on the Thursday game the week prior, that leaves one option as easily the best. The way it is now. Even prior to this years every week a large majority of the places I play had Waivers run by Thursday morning anyway. Of the places I played last year, 6 of 8 ran them prior to Thursday at noon, even when there were no Thursday games. Never once heard a complaint from anyone that it was too early. Then you are also able to access all players at the same time, and make conditional bids. It is one of those ideas that seem like a good one at the surface, but is an awful idea when taking a closer look at it. Heck, even when I spoke to you a couple weeks ago, I didn't think going to it was a bad idea. But thinking about it more, the more reasons I think it would be a bad idea.

[Cocktails and Dreams]

Backing up the time to help the most get things done right I would be all for though. If that meant a 2 am deadline or something to give people more time to do it that would be just fine. Those that would struggle to get a lineup in before work, could still get up a half hour early and get the Thursday guys in without issue. It is a tricky issue that everyone needs to work together on to find the best solution that allows people ample time to get it done, but also in a way where fantasy waiver wires are not bastardized in any way.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Backing up the time to help the most get things done right I would be all for though. If that meant a 2 am deadline or something to give people more time to do it that would be just fine. Those that would struggle to get a lineup in before work, could still get up a half hour early and get the Thursday guys in without issue. It is a tricky issue that everyone needs to work together on to find the best solution that allows people ample time to get it done, but also in a way where fantasy waiver wires are not bastardized in any way.

Our FAAB deadline can really be at anytime. The key is to make sure it's fair for everyone and not too taxing on everyone. You know people sit right there and make sure they didn't miss anything and then wait for the results. Making it as late as possible could force folks to stay up as late as possible. That might be bastardizing the process, too, but we're game if the consensus wants it later.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm interested in all viewpoints on this and then look at the survey results. Again, if you have other rules proposals, post them here and we'll add them to the list. Thanks all.

[got heeem]

Backing up the time to help the most get things done right I would be all for though. If that meant a 2 am deadline or something to give people more time to do it that would be just fine. Those that would struggle to get a lineup in before work, could still get up a half hour early and get the Thursday guys in without issue. It is a tricky issue that everyone needs to work together on to find the best solution that allows people ample time to get it done, but also in a way where fantasy waiver wires are not bastardized in any way.

hold on now i get up early enough . i will vote to keep it the same . i have way to many teams to do it before work .

[Cocktails and Dreams]

Backing up the time to help the most get things done right I would be all for though. If that meant a 2 am deadline or something to give people more time to do it that would be just fine. Those that would struggle to get a lineup in before work, could still get up a half hour early and get the Thursday guys in without issue. It is a tricky issue that everyone needs to work together on to find the best solution that allows people ample time to get it done, but also in a way where fantasy waiver wires are not bastardized in any way.

hold on now i get up early enough . i will vote to keep it the same . i have way to many teams to do it before work .

Gotcha. The only players that would be needed to be put in are guys you targeted potentially that would be playing Thursday. Your lineup would be tentatively set already. I would think it would take about 20 minutes to do 50 teams. I am personally fine with it as is too on the time. Just seems that one problem is the time crunch on some folks, so going to something that is later but still allows for everyone to get lineups done when they are ran would be the best in my view. What time that is I am not sure. But any bit of time helps those with many teams.

As to Greg's point, I personally don't look at the bids until the next day typically. I am too exhausted after doing them all day. That would be a choice each person would have to make. But there is no news coming in late at night. So people will not be gaining information by being up later and doing faab later. Would just think it could potentially help some people(especially West Coast), while hurting far fewer. I highly doubt that anyone would struggle to get a lineup in between 2 or 3 am and kickoff on Thursday. This day and age of smartphones, Ipads, etc that just should not be an issue. So why not give folks more time if they want to use it. Won't change much for the others, other than not being able to see the bids until waking up. But that doesn't impact the game itself, so I don't think it is bastardizing anything. West coast folks would probably be in agreement. And people that have busy schedules on Wednesday and Wednesday evening have some time to make adjustments if they are willing to stay up a little later to get it done. Would bridge the gap between those that want more time(which is a big reason for wanting the Thursday players only system for many) and still allowing for conditional bids to be made properly like many others want.