oldguru

Wow, so now I am a Pats fan for asking the question? Not hardly. I feel my question is still unanswered. NFL officials have stopped play for a wide variety of reasons, from illegal forearm pads to illegal face masks and spikes, etc. So........all I am asking is why did they not take the balls out of play, since they handled the balls before every snap?

Again, I am not defending Brady one way or the other. But why is my question above.........not answered by those that believe the NFL is getting it right now? *An NFL official handled the ball before every snap. Why did they not remove the balls from play during the first series, or at some time in the first half?

I am a come lately to this thread. Not trying to defend Brady, one way or the other. However, I have to ask: (maybe some of you already have) *With an NFL official handling the football before every snap......why didn't an NFL official do something before or during the game in the first half. Why didn't they say: "Hey give me another ball, this one does not feel right". Or maybe: "Hey, give me another ball, this one does not feel right". Yes, I repeated myself. Just like the officials handling the ball should have done it sounds like maybe eleven times if need be. So why is this question not been asked or answered to the extent of questioning the role of the ball boys? It just doesn't get as much press. Just asking.

2-divisions -play all teams twice. top 2 teams from each division move to playoffs week-15 & 16th. I would definately start: 2QB 3RB 4WR 2TE 2K 2D (start 15)(30 rd draft)(this would make the league more competitive.)JMO.

You have got to be kidding me. The players pay De Smith alot of money to negotiate for them. You can bet that Goodall thought an agreement was in place, I would bet that the terms were agreed to by De Smith, and would bet that De Smith and Goodall shook hands on the agreement that the owners ratified. What a joke, for De Smith to allow his players to second guess all of the negotiating that has taken place, and not getting the vote done. What the heck does it matter who approved the CBA first? Did the owners screw up that bad by voting before the players? It should not have mattered. Gene Upshaw has to be turning over in his grave. Say what you want, but when Upshaw shook hands with a commissioner on a final CBA........it was a done deal. Sad. Disgusting.

The original owners made a committment when you first went to the Keeper League format. They need to be reminded of that committment. The new owners have also committed to it when they joined the league. Owners should not cry about the rules after they have agreed to them. That is what they also need to be reminded of. IMHO.

This league has been a keeper league when you drafted each of the last 2 years. It was a keeper league when the new owners took over their teams this year. *Every transaction has been influenced by the fact it was a keeper league. (Waivers, adds, drops, trades, etc.) The league should always keep the same format. IMO.

As I read this thread, several posters were saying "this site got it right" or "that site got it right". But almost every site mentioned has originally scored the Meachem "fumble recovery" for the Saints defense. Why? Because the NFL stats has it listed as a fumble recovery in "The Final Defensive Stats" section (although in the misc column) Yet, my question is this: If every site has credited the Saints Defense with a "fumble recovery" by Meachem........how could they not credit the defense with the TD score? *So, maybe none of them got it right. Both the "fumble recovery" and the "TD score" which resulted from it.......kind of go hand in hand to me. Can't have one without the other. Just something else to consider. http://www.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/5...AS_Gamebook.pdf

Section 36 of the NFL rule book mkes interesting reading. My summary: Possession = Offense. NO possession = Defense (It can change during a play, according to the NFL) CODE Section 36 Team A and B, Offense and Defense Article 1 Whenever a team is in possession (3-2-7), it is the Offense and, at such time, its opponent is the Defense. Article 2 The team that puts the ball in play is Team A, and its opponent is Team B. For brevity, a player of Team A is referred to as A1 and his teammates as A2, A3, etc. Opponents are B1, B2, etc. Note: A team becomes Team A when it has been designated to put ball in play, and it remains Team A until a down ends, even though there might be one or more changes of possession during the down. This is in contrast with the terms Offense and Defense. Team A is always the offense when a down starts, but becomes the defense if and when B secures possession during the down, and vice versa for each change of possession. Article 3 A change of possession occurs when a player of the defensive team secures possession of a ball that has been kicked, passed, or fumbled by a player of the offensive team, or when the ball is awarded to the offensive team, or when the ball is awarded to the opposing team by rule. A change of possession includes but is not limited to: (a) an interception of a forward pass; or b. a catch or recovery of a fumble or backward pass; or a catch or recovery of a Scrimmage Kick, Free Kick, or Fair Catch Kick. (d) when the offensive team fails to reach the line to gain on fourth down. (e) when the offensive team misses a field-goal attempt.

I like H2H on weekly games for the competitive matchups. I would never want to change the weekly matchup format. But at the end of the year, I like the tye breaker that choses the best team for the year. That is total points scored. *At the end of the year, I believe H2H tye breakers favor a team which did well on a given week, not for the season. As I mentioned earlier, catching someone on a heavy bye week or the week one or more of his players gets injured in the first Qtr......does indeed give you the win for the week (as it should)......but it shouldn't be the tye breaker at the end of the season if you end up with the same records. JMO. Using H2H tye breakers with more than one team involved, you should listen to flahawker. Determine their records playing each other (all 5 teams). Winning percentage wins. With this H2H "round robin" like method, that flahawker and I have suggested, it does become pretty simple.

You stated that: "you must first get out of your division". Is this a league rule? If a league rule.... it would seem team B stays home. I personally believe that when you need a tye breaker to decide final league standings, or a tye breaker to decide playoff seeds. Total points for the season is the preferred tye-breaker, instead of Head to head. (along with decimal scoring). The tye breaker should chose the best overall team for the season at this point. Not which team got lucky on a given week. JMO. Especially when bye weeks and injuries are factored in a given weeks outcome. Division winners should always recieve the top seeds regardless of records, IMO. If you then go to best record first, and then total points as the tye breaker for the 3 wild cards, you won't have as many problems. edit: for what it is worth, when I use to have deal with head to head tye breakers, I often found when more than two teams were involved that it was a royal pain for me and the league. So if more than two teams were involved.....I would determine each teams record playing just the teams involved in the tye breaker. This therefore would meet the definition of head to head with the 5 teams involved. This round robin like record would then be used to determine the tye breaker. Knowing that this method would sometimes end up with a different number of games played between the teams, I would then determine who loses the tye breaker, not who wins the tye breaker. The team with the most losses stays home. This was the best method for me. The teams that would tye with the most losses would then be determined by another round robin like record comparison between each other, again with the team with the most losses staying home. If at any point when the teams left are all tied with the same number of losses, I would go to the 2nd tye breaker, which was usually total points. *Like I mentioned, total points is much easier and fairer to me in determing the best team to win the tye breaker. I do not miss head to head tye breakers which occur this time of year.

Some other ideas you might consider for next year which discourages tanking. In some of the leagues I play in we have adopted: 1. Something I really like: Low score each week......pays high score each week #20.00 (self funding outside league pot) Creates good nature trash talk each week, and no one wants to pay for being low score each week thru the end of the regular season. 2. In re-drafts, I personally don't believe that having the worst record should give that team the first pick in next years draft. JMHO. I prefer: A. Randomizer computer selection for all draft positions (several sites provide draft ranomizers for free) B. A variance we use in a couple of leagues: we will worst to first the top finishers with the six teams making the playoffs based on reg season finish (league reg season champion getting last pick, etc), and then random drawing the bottom six finishers to see who gets 1 thru 6 in next years draft. This bottom feeder lottery so to speak, negates any reason to consider tanking to get a better draft pick. 3. If an owner starts a player who is on bye, or on an NFL suspension, or on the NFL IR, he is fined $20.00. With this rule, if someone fails to set their lineup in a non-competitive way, or just forgets for any given week.....they pay the fine. (this encourages active participation from all owners during the season) I could see how this could be hard to enforce in many leagues. But it works in a couple of mine. No one wants to be the aszhole that doesn't set his lineup in a competitve way. *Just a couple of ideas for your consideration. These suggestions are just that. Suggestions. I am not trying to say that by mixing or matching any of these ideas that my way is better than anyone elses. You may pick and chose for yourself if you feel that one is worth consideration. HTH.

A muff or a fumble should be treated the same way to me. Whether a guy muffs a punt or a hand-off, it still results in a fumble recovery. JMHO.

Good advice.

The Redskins seem to sux on both sides of the ball. They really do not know how to score......and they do not know how to keep the other team from scoring. I guess I am just repeating myself.