FFL Keeper League '09: Season started; FAs available

[Bpow0407]

Hoping to get a few more responses on the questions!
Bump :!:

[jriddle3]

Originally Posted by Bpow0407

It might be an interesting idea (while also retaining interest throughout the off-season and making this a tougher league) to have a short draft (3-4 rounds) before the NFL Draft, then a rookie draft after the draft, and finally a "filler" draft mid-to-late summer... keep your keepers, draft the rest of your core before the NFL Draft (but after Free Agency begins?), grab a top rookie (I think 1 round is all we'd need, but we could do 2 for kicks), and fill out your team as depth charts begin to be solidified in the pre-season. It would cause some people to take some risks up front, and it would make the first few picks in the filler draft very valuable (instead of people getting a "steal" in round 6-7-8 because a player became a starter in training camp).

So, that situation would look like this:
-4-5 Keepers (due in Feb.)
-3-4 Round core draft (late march through April)
-1-2 Round rookie draft in May/June
-4-7 Round filler draft in August.

Or we could just combine the rookie draft and the filler draft, and go with:
-4-5 Keepers
-3-4 round core draft in march/April
-6-8 round filler draft, including rookies, in late July/August.

Hell, if someone wanted to be really risky, they could take a projected top rookie in the core draft in March/April without knowing what team he goes to.

Of the options, I prefer (but don't get excited over)
-4-5 Keepers
-3-4 round core draft in march/April
-6-8 round filler draft, including rookies, in late July/August.


Since we never know which players is going to another team, how rehab is going, who shot their thigh out, and who decided to retire/unretire, the March/April Draft is really a crapshoot that has a serious impact on your team.

:arrow: I would like to see us use the YAHOO! draft system with a time limit and draft cards and do the whole draft a few weeks before the season begins.

This would avoid the slow draft issues and the computer (or the Commish) could pick "best available" for those who fail to meet the time limit.

[drarcher]

Off-Season Potential Rule Changes (please copy/paste with responses)
1. Keepers: stay with 4 this off-season or increase? Increase next off-season?
I would be in favor of an increase to 5 keepers, either this off-season or for next off-season. I have some oher ideas though, see #6

2. Scoring: We currently do not punish QBs for INTs - keep this rule, or make INT's (-1) or (-2) points?
I am in favor of INTs counting as (-1) points.

3. Keeper maximums: keep the same, or increase? (if we increase the # of keepers, we will change the maximums)
I think maximums should be based on starters and since we can start 3RB's or 3 WR's those two should be increased. The idea of limiting is so people can not stash a starter but since we start 3 this would not be the case.

4. Scoring: All FGs are currently 3 points. Keep the same.. or increase the points for 40+ and 50+ yard FGs?
3 points for all FG's. The idea of more points for longer FG's comes from the TD leagues where points are hard to come by and TD's get extra points based on distance.

5. Draft set-up: Straight draft, snake draft, 2 straight rounds and remainder snake, other set-ups??

Snake

6. Any other issues that Team Owners wish to bring up?
I would be in favor of adding a twist to the keepers. We could use the system where you lose whatever pick you used on the player last season. Each year after that, it costs you the next round up. So if you keep Joe Flacco who you got in round 12, it cost you a 12th round pick in tis years draft and if you keep him again next season it will cost you an 11th, then a 10th and so on.

This puts more strategy into the keepers and allows bad teams to "rebuild" qucker by dumping older high picks and gaining more draft picks at the top. We will see more talent in the draft pool as players might dump a star to draft the rookie player.

The trade committee could rank last years keepers for this seasons purposes.

[Bpow0407]

Originally Posted by jriddle3

:arrow: I would like to see us use the YAHOO! draft system with a time limit and draft cards and do the whole draft a few weeks before the season begins.

This would avoid the slow draft issues and the computer (or the Commish) could pick "best available" for those who fail to meet the time limit.

I think its now possible to set up a yahoo league as a keeper league and do a draft on there - I'll look into it when FF '09 opens up in the summer. I know they started adding keeper league settings and stuff this year, but I'm not sure if it was just for premium leagues or not.

[Bpow0407]

Originally Posted by drarcher

6. Any other issues that Team Owners wish to bring up?
I would be in favor of adding a twist to the keepers. We could use the system where you lose whatever pick you used on the player last season. Each year after that, it costs you the next round up. So if you keep Joe Flacco who you got in round 12, it cost you a 12th round pick in tis years draft and if you keep him again next season it will cost you an 11th, then a 10th and so on.

This puts more strategy into the keepers and allows bad teams to "rebuild" qucker by dumping older high picks and gaining more draft picks at the top. We will see more talent in the draft pool as players might dump a star to draft the rookie player.

The trade committee could rank last years keepers for this seasons purposes.

That is definitely an idea worth looking into and makes this league a little tougher and more strategic.

Would players picked up at FAs/on waivers count as a last round draft pick, then? And if you have 2 players that you drafted in the 5th round (through a trade), and wanted to keep both, I'm guessing you're have to lose your 5th and 4th round pick?

[J-Pass]

Do we really need another way to make bad teams good? Didn't SG win this year and wasn't he one of the worst teams last year?

Why do we all keep wanting to fix something that isn't broken? A few minor rule changes, that's cool... but why is everyone suggesting we reinvent the wheel?

[Bpow0407]

Originally Posted by J-Pass

Do we really need another way to make bad teams good? Didn't SG win this year and wasn't he one of the worst teams last year?

Why do we all keep wanting to fix something that isn't broken? A few minor rule changes, that's cool... but why is everyone suggesting we reinvent the wheel?

Honestly, the whole "lose the draft pick used on your keepers" idea just makes this league more legit, IMO. To me, its not about giving an advantage to the bottom teams or anything like that. It might help the bottom feeders, who knows, but I think it makes this league a bit tougher to play in, and that's a good thing.

[Bpow0407]

Living has put his in resignation from the league. We'll look to find a new owner for his team in the near future.

[J-Pass]

Originally Posted by Bpow0407

Honestly, the whole "lose the draft pick used on your keepers" idea just makes this league more legit, IMO. To me, its not about giving an advantage to the bottom teams or anything like that. It might help the bottom feeders, who knows, but I think it makes this league a bit tougher to play in, and that's a good thing.

How would that work for players we took beyond the year prior? Like.. I didn't draft Adrian Peterson last year. I did the year before, so do I lose my 1st this year because I took him in the 1st (of our expansion draft)?

And what if we trade players we draft.. say I trade Marshawn Lynch, a 1st rounder, for someone taken in the 3rd. Do I still lose a 1st? It's a tricky business. If you can find a FAIR system that works, I'm down with whatever.

But let's not just change things for the sake of changing them.

[drarcher]

Originally Posted by J-Pass

How would that work for players we took beyond the year prior? Like.. I didn't draft Adrian Peterson last year. I did the year before, so do I lose my 1st this year because I took him in the 1st (of our expansion draft)?

And what if we trade players we draft.. say I trade Marshawn Lynch, a 1st rounder, for someone taken in the 3rd. Do I still lose a 1st? It's a tricky business. If you can find a FAIR system that works, I'm down with whatever.

But let's not just change things for the sake of changing them.

Peterson would be a 1st. For keepers last season we would have to look at where they were drafted on average in normal leagues (easy to do on yahoo). Then everyones 4 keepers from last season would be put in order 1 - 4 and that would represent rounds 1 - 4. This would mean all first round picks from this last season would actually be 5 round picks.

It doesn't help bad teams per se, it adds another level of strategy. It also makes a better player pool each season as teams might kep a lesser player who was a 9th round pick over a star who was a second round pick.

[drarcher]

Originally Posted by J-Pass

How would that work for players we took beyond the year prior? Like.. I didn't draft Adrian Peterson last year. I did the year before, so do I lose my 1st this year because I took him in the 1st (of our expansion draft)?

And what if we trade players we draft.. say I trade Marshawn Lynch, a 1st rounder, for someone taken in the 3rd. Do I still lose a 1st? It's a tricky business. If you can find a FAIR system that works, I'm down with whatever.

But let's not just change things for the sake of changing them.

Lets be honest, no team benefited more from our desire to make bad/new teams competitive as you.

[J-Pass]

Originally Posted by drarcher

Lets be honest, no team benefited more from our desire to make bad/new teams competitive as you.

I wasn't arguing that. When it was Tanny and I in the expansion draft, I made some good decision in taking Adrian Peterson first, then got lucky with Tom Brady in the 3rd becoming a more productive QB with Moss and Welker.

[J-Pass]

We should either confer as a group to decide on who should fill GM vacancies or we should hold it to a group vote.

That's how they do it in the real league, that's how we should do it here.

[drarcher]

Originally Posted by J-Pass

We should either confer as a group to decide on who should fill GM vacancies or we should hold it to a group vote.

That's how they do it in the real league, that's how we should do it here.

I am not against that. While we should be fair to potential GM's we should also be fair to current GM's.

[Bpow0407]

Originally Posted by drarcher

I am not against that. While we should be fair to potential GM's we should also be fair to current GM's.

Our policy has always been to have a wait list and make decisions from there. We do not guarantee that being on the wait list means you will be in the league. Usually Yankees and I discuss the wait list and take other factors into consideration, including how active a member is, if we've seen them remain active in other FF leagues, etc.

As for group vote or whatever... I'll be honest, J-Pass - you weren't someone I would have necessarily made a first ballot Keeper Leaguer, but I did make sure that you got in here when you were at the top of the list.

You even referenced, whether jokingly or seriously, the fact that the wait list is what made you get into this league, and that you probably wouldn't have if we were "playing favorites" or going out of order:

Originally Posted by J-Pass

if they were playing favorites, do you think I would've gotten picked?

[J-Pass]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer4life

wouldn't that eliminate the purpose of having a waiting list?

I think the waiting list should just be a guideline to who's available, and we should follow it. That said, we should still vote on the potential GMs on the list.

You'd likely see the benefit of our first vote (if we had one) lol.

[Bpow0407]

Originally Posted by J-Pass

I think the waiting list should just be a guideline to who's available, and we should follow it. That said, we should still vote on the potential GMs on the list.

You'd likely see the benefit of our first vote (if we had one) lol.

Since you brought this up in the thread, I'll say publicly what I just said to you in a PM.

I'm not in favor of simply eliminating the waiting list. Half the league got into this league via the first come, first serve nature of the waiting list.

I would be in favor of the following plan, however:
--We close the wait list - no more names will be added.
--We add an "interested parties" list, where we will list anyone who says that they are interested in joining.
--When all names on the current wait list are added to the league, express that they are no longer interested in joining, or drop off the face of SRM-Earth, we eliminate the wait list all-together.
--Once the wait list is eliminated, we use a private "group vote" to add new members from the "interested parties" candidate pool.

I think that moves us in the direction that some of you want to go - owners vote in new members - while not creating an unfair situation for those that are currently on the wait list.

[drarcher]

Originally Posted by Bpow0407

Our policy has always been to have a wait list and make decisions from there. We do not guarantee that being on the wait list means you will be in the league. Usually Yankees and I discuss the wait list and take other factors into consideration, including how active a member is, if we've seen them remain active in other FF leagues, etc.

That seems appropriate to me.

[YankeesSuck888]

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been around on SRM lately.

Anyways, I seem to agree on all the views that are agreed upon by most posters (but I think all FG's should count as 3 points). The draft idea Archer brought up sounds very intruiging. I'll be sure to talk to Bpow, as well as you guys, in the next few days regarding these and other issues.

I'm also okay with either 4 or 5 keepers.

[Bpow0407]

bump..