As is the case with most things in life, we all must follow a set of rules. We here at the CSL are no different. The league has been created as a source of recreation and fun. We certainly want to promote a competitive environment in our league...but not at the expense of fun & sportsmanship. Unfortunately everyone has a different version of what they think fun is. This, of course, is the reason we need rules. The CSL staff has been working hard on generating basic rules that will keep the integrity of the league intact, while still keeping the games enjoyable. Below is a growing list of rules that have been proposed. Some of these rules, if broken, can mean the end of your term as owner of your team. Please read the rules carefully, so as not to make one of these mistakes. Ignorance of the rules is not an acceptable excuse. It is your responsibility as an owner to become intimately familiar with the rules in place & ensure that you follow them accordingly.

Remember, rules are subject to change and can only be changed by members of the CSL staff. If you feel that a rule is unjust or may need to be rewritten, send our Commissioner an email, and we will be happy to revisit the rule.

NOTE: League rule changes noted in "Red".

I. Fair Play & Sportsmanship

1. Please respect your peers. Offensive gestures & comments are not condoned nor tolerated. Repeat offenders will be excused from the league. Let's have fun.
2. Keep trash talking to a minimum. We emphasize good sportsmanship in our league & trash talking just isn't part of our agenda. If problems persist, disciplinary action will be taken to the offending parties.
3. Play within the spirit of the game. What this rule basically means is that running the same play over and over 20 times a game is not realistic football. Going for it on 4 and 37 in the first quarter is not realistic football. Five onside kicks a game is not realistic football. We think you get the point. If you are going to be an owner in this league it is important to remember that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Be imaginative. No one is saying you can't do your "money play"...just mix it up with the other 200 plays in your book. Seeing as this is the most severe rule we have established a 2 strike policy. Any owner who plays against someone who feels that person is not living up to this rule, has the ability to report this person to the Commissioner.
   1. Participants should continue to play normal football (not purposely running out the clock) until the final 2 minute warning in the 4th quarter (with the possible exception of the Mercy Rule).
   2. Participants are not allowed to "ice" a kicker by taking a time out while the kicker is in the act of lining up his field goal, PAT, or punt. If you are in the wrong defensive formation, you will know this before they are lining up their kick, and you can take your time out at this time.
4. Try to utilize the majority of your playbook. It makes the game more enjoyable if a person is not running the same 3 - 4 plays every series.
5. Use your common sense and football knowledge when faced with long yardage situations. If it is 4th and forever and you are deep in your own territory, you know what should be done. This helps keep respect among coaches.
6. Be a good sport. Antics like running up the score are not good for the CSL. There will be no awards given for margin of victory. Therefore if you are ahead by a comfortable margin and your opponent cannot stop the clock, try to run out the clock as much as you can.
7. Do not abuse “money plays” that take advantage of an AI flaw in the game. An example of a glitch that can not be exploited is the punt block glitch.
8. Discretion should be used with the no huddle offense. Please do not abuse it. There is a time and place for the hurry up. If you choose to use this strategy in a given situation, ensure that your opponent has a reasonable amount of time to select the defensive player of his choice.
9. Onside kicks should not be used repeatedly if not necessary. It's ok to try to catch your opponent off guard once in a while, otherwise use the onside in the proper situations.
10. Do not abuse the audible system. Audibling several times during one play is not condoned. A person doing this on several plays is not promoting good game play.
11. Please make your subs in between plays. Try to do this as quick as possible and not on every play. There are restrictions on position substitutions. They are as follows:
    • QB may only play QB unless it's a “trick” play
    • HB may play FB, TE or WR
    • FB may play any OL position, HB, WR, or TE
    • WR may play HB, TE
    • TE may play any OL position, TE, FB, or WR
    • OL may play any OL position
    • DL may play any DL position and LB
    • LB may play any DL position, any S position
    • CB may play any DB position, LB
    • S may play any DB position and LB;
    No offensive players on Defense and vice versa except in the special circumstance that that player plays both ways in real life (i.e. Allen Rosum of the Packers, Deion Sanders) No restrictions on special teams subs. You are not allowed to substitute for the kicker on kickoffs unless the kicker is injured.
12. QBs are only allowed to drop back 7-10 yards during pass plays (except when under extreme duress by the defense). This rule is in place to prevent the popular tactic of dropping your QB 10-20 yards deep to allow your WRs time to break free from defensive coverage. Any owner found abusing this rule will be subject to league discipline and/or dismissal from the league.
13. QB Roll-outs are deemed legal. However, be careful that you are not dropping the QB too far back from the line of scrimmage. The 7-10 yard rule still applies to Roll Out plays. Please do not abuse the Roll Out.

II. Quitting & Pausing

Players are allowed to forfeit rather than "quit". Forfeited games are counted as a loss against the player's record. When doing so please let the other player know what your intentions are. Just disconnecting and leaving the game with no valid reason is prohibited & the offending owner will be subject to league discipline and/or dismissal from the league. If an emergency should arise, you should contact the Commissioner & your opponent as soon as possible. If an owner gets angry and just pulls the plug then they will be subject to expulsion from the league. Multiple forfeits will result in league discipline & ultimately dismissal from the league. To avoid forfeits, please do not start any games you know you can't finish.

Please refrain from pausing the game multiple times during a game or pausing for extended lengths of time. If pausing the game is a must, please let your opponent know why you have paused the game via ICQ and/or email. Repeat offenders of this tactic will be subject to league discipline and/or dismissal.

We suggest that if you need to pause the game for an extended period of time (emergencies do happen from time to time)...that you communicate directly via your USB keyboard or USB headset with your opponent & let him know what is going on. At that point, the two of you can decide how you want to handle the situation. If you can't come to an agreement on how you want to complete the game (i.e., starting a new one, using the score at the time of the disconnect, waiting for a few minutes, etc.), then situation will be brought before the Commissioner for a decision.

Use of the R1 button should be restricted to selecting your defensive player to control & for the offense to look at the defensive coverage prior to starting the play. Use of the R1 button to draw the defense offsides, throwing off an opponent's kicking game or similar situations will not be tolerated. Any owner found abusing this rule will be subject to league discipline and/or dismissal from the league. If an opponent is drawn offsides while you were using the R1 button, do the right thing & decline the penalty.

III. Game Procedures

1. Owners are not allowed to skip games. If circumstances prevent you from playing your games on time, you must notify both the Commissioner & your opponent(s) as soon as possible. You are making a commitment when you join the league. If you can't be an active member in the league, please don't join.
2. You may submit game summaries on the NFL League Games forum. It's a great way to interact with the rest of the owners in the league & allow us to get some insight on how your games went. Be sure to be a good sport & don't take this as an opportunity to bad mouth your opponent.
3. Game disputes will be handled by the Commissioner. Records can and will be changed in the event that someone is entering incorrect stats.
4. You are required to play the scheduled games for the given week. If you are going to be unable to complete your games in a given week, please contact the Commissioner for an extension by midnight on Wednesday of the given game week. Under certain circumstances, teams will be given up to a 1 week extension. If the games are not completed at the end of the extension period, the game will be simulated. The owner found to be responsible for the game not being played will be subject to disciplinary action.
5. All league games are to be played in Legend Room #1 with a quarter length of 6 minutes. Use of multiple hot routes on offense is acceptable and can be selected, if desired, by either team.
6. Owners have until Wednesday of a given game week to get in touch with their opponent on the Scheduling League Games forum. Failure to contact your opponent via the league forums by midnight Wednesday of the given game week will result in a forfeiture of the game. This will be left to the discretion of the non-offending team. The game will be simulated for statistical purposes.
7. Mercy Rule: If at anytime a team gets ahead of another team by 35 points, at that point the winning team is expected to play ball control and not score anymore. Run the clock down. If you get to the 20-yard line of your opponent and reach fourth down, either kneel down or punt the ball instead of attempting the field goal.

   If at anytime the losing team scores, than you can bring the game back up to a 35-point margin.

   If a team is clearly beaten, and the winning team continues to run up the score at the end vs. downing the ball, they will be warned for unsportsmanlike play. The first violation results in a 1 game suspension. Next violation results in a 2 game suspension. Any additional violations warrants removal from the league.

   No team enjoys losing, but we all do lose. Just keep the scores respectable. 72-14 isn't acceptable and it makes a mockery of the CSL. Respect the other owners, and realize some teams do not have the talent regardless of how much you really could score.

8. Voice Chat: The use of voice chat during league play is NOT required, but highly encouraged. If voice chat is not used, owners should use a USB keyboard to keep communication lines open during game play.

IV. Vacations & Extended Absences

If you are going to be unable to play your scheduled league games for any extended period of time, be courteous enough to your opponent(s) & to the rest of the league to make an attempt to complete your games ahead of schedule. Especially in those cases when we know well in advance of our absence. Be sure to contact the Commissioner & your opponents regarding your absence and let us know when you expect to return. If you fail to do so, your game will be simulated while you are away & your opponent will be awarded the victory. Undoubtedly emergencies will occur, and these situations will be handled on a case by case basis.

V. Failure To Finish Match

Although it does not happen often, it is possible that you or your opponent may be disconnected from the game or the Internet entirely before your match is finished. If one player was clearly losing at the time of disconnect, then that person should be a good sport & take the loss. If there was no clear winner at that point in the match, you will need to schedule a rematch.

VI. Divergence Issue

If an owner is found to be purposely taking advantage of the "Divergence Issue" error during league play, they will be immediately dismissed from the league with no exceptions.

VII. Cheating

It goes without saying that we won't tolerate cheating of any kind. This includes, but is not limited to, breaking league rules, reporting false results, filing false complaints against owners, or otherwise tampering with the integrity of the league & its members.

If you suspect your opponent is cheating, you can pause the game, and move your cursor to the Gameplan menu item, and leave it there for 20-30 seconds. This notifies your opponent that you question their gameplay and tactics.

If you are certain your opponent is cheating, you should pause the match immediately and take down the applicable stats & game information (i.e., quarter, time remaining, etc.) & then report the suspicious activity to the Commissioner as soon as possible. Quitting a game is no longer condoned as an acceptable way to protest a game. By recording the information mentioned above, you will be able to "continue" the game at the point in which you left off in the event that your complaint against your opponent is found to be an invalid one. You do not need to report the match as a loss. The situation will be resolved by the Commissioner on a case by case basis.

VIII. Fill In The Blank

We can't cover every aspect of gaming in our rules. We have tried to be as thorough as possible and cover all the basics, however, just because something is not listed doesn't mean that it is allowed. Use common sense. If it is something that will adversely effect other players and you might think twice about doing it, it's probably against the rules. The Commissioner has the final say in such matters. If you have a specific question, please feel free to contact him directly.