OTL Rules Page
Section 1: About Us, Settings, Advance Times, Streaming
Section 2: Scheduling Games, Sims, AP and Force Wins/Losses
Section 3: Gameplay Rules
Section 4: Special Rules vs CPU
Section 5: 4th Down Rules
Section 6: Overtime Rules
Section 7: Abusive play
Section 8: Sportsmanship
Section 9: Trading Players
Section 10: Rosters/Depth Chart/Position Changes
Section 11: Superstar / X-Factor Ability Limit / Changes
Section 12: Free Agency
Section 13: Offseason schedule
Section 14: Preseason
Section 1:
About Us
OTL is a league for Madden players who enjoy a sim style football experience. This franchise maintains a strong focus on keeping the competition as fun and realistic as possible. If you don’t enjoy competitive nature and are the type to play your game and disappear, this league is not for you. We prefer active players who contribute to the league. Our community has been playing together for years, and it wouldn't be possible if our members didn't enjoy sticking together for so long.
Advance Times
Advance will be approximately every 36 hours, but games must be scheduled within 24 hours of advance or they will be subject to sim after the last scheduled game (Early advance if all games are completed)
Streaming
Streaming is REQUIRED in this league and must be done on Twitch. The HOME team is responsible for either streaming or asking opponent to stream in the case of connection issues. If a stream cannot be started a commissioner MUST be contacted. You must also set your twitch account to archive broadcasts.
Section 2:
Scheduling Games, Sims, AP and Force Wins/Losses
We use Discord to communicate and schedule with each other in OTL and downloading Discord is a requirement of membership in this league.
It is expected that ALL members contact and/or respond to your opponent within 24 hours of advance. Failure to do so may result in a force loss or sim.
To be eligible to have your opponent set to auto-pilot or recieve a force win, you must show proof that at least 1 DM on Discord was sent within 24 hours of advance. Once proof is shown, the unresponsive party will be set to auto-pilot or a force loss. If there is no set time between 2 users after 24 hours post advance, the game will be at risk of being simmed if all other user games are completed.
It is your choice if you wish to take the force or play your opponents auto-pilot. Should you choose to play the autopilot you get 1 chance to play that game. Any disconnections, quitting, leaving to do an errand etc… will result in either a sim or force loss if there is proof (via stream) that you were losing when you quit.
Section 3:
Gameplay rules
OTL is a SIM style league. Nobody in this league wants to play or face a “MUT” style of arcade and gimmicky gameplay. We all want the gameplay of the league to mimic the NFL. The rules below are here for a reason and they will be enforced, be sure to read them because ignorance to the rules is not an excuse for breaking them.
- Custom playbooks are not allowed
- Playmaker on offense is banned
- No line-drive punting is allowed
- Any punt that is intentionally kicked into the ground and skips past the return man is considered a “line-drive” punt and will be seen as a violation. If the wind is an issue on a punt that will be taken into account when reviewing the play
- Defense must rush a minimum of 3 pass rushers on EVERY PLAY
- Pass rushers can be linebackers, lineman or defensive backs but any player who is on a spy or dropping into coverage will not be considered a rusher
- You may not user lurk with any defensive lineman. If you are usering the DL you must be pass rushing.
- You may also not manually adjust any defensive lineman into pass coverage. If they are in coverage it must be a defensive play that calls for it organically. (QB spy is not considered pass coverage)
- You are NOT allowed to move any players pre snap that you are not usering at the time of the snap. For example, you cannot move your defensive backs around manually to cover zones and then take control of a linebacker to user during the play.
- Any adjustments made pre-snap must be made using Madden’s built in pre-snap adjustments
- You cannot hot route a Running back when running a play action pass play. Any hot route adjustments that eliminate the animation of the QB faking the hand-off will not be permitted
- Play Action on 3rd/4th down and 8 yard or more
- Calling play action on 3rd/4th down and long (8 yards or more) is not permitted
- Scrambling should not be abused and regardless of the exceptions listed, users are NEVER permitted to stand on the sideline and wait to throw the ball to a breaking receiver
- The following are the only situations you should be scrambling with your QB
- Read-option calls
- Receivers are not open (must be a reasonable amount of time to scan progressions)
- The pocket is collapsing and/or the QB is escaping obvious pressure
- No-Huddle - You are allowed to use a hurry up no-huddle offense in the following situations
- ONCE per possession
- Inside of 2 mins left of either half
- You are down 17 in the 3rd Q or losing by 2 possessions in the 4th Q
- Goal Line Offense should only be used inside either 10 yard line OR in a 3rd/4th and 1 situation.
- Chewing the clock can be used if one of the following applies
- 4 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, winning OR losing
- 2 minutes remaining in 2nd quarter
- Each team’s leading receiver needs to have less than your second & third reception leaders combined. Failure to meet this will result in a benching of the player in violation
- Each team must have a minimum of 10 rushes and 10 passes per game.
- Failure to meet this minimum will result in punishments on a per season basis
- As general rules we request “sim” play from all players in specific scenarios
- On Offense, you cannot call the same play twice in the same drive (punt if you do)
- Must use a diverse mix of plays and formations on both Offense and Defense (do not stay in the same formations or concepts all game)
- On Offense do not run dive/toss/stretch concept over and over again and on Defense do not play cover 2 or cover 3 every snap, mix up your coverages.
Section 4:
Special rules vs CPU
Playing games against the CPU has been banned due to constant abuse by members attempting to run up stats.
Section 5:
4th Down Rule
4th down conversions can be attempted if one of the following applies:
- You are at or past midfield and it is 4th and 4 or less
- You are losing by 14 points or more in the 2nd half
- Anytime in the 4th quarter (unless you are up by 2 possessions)
- You are allowed TWO COACHES DECISION per game. Coaches Decision is defined as you being able to go for it on 4th from anywhere on the field at any point during the game.
Section 6:
Overtime Rules
Overtime rules will be the same as the regulation rules posted above with the following differences:
- 4th downs can be attempted at any time
- If you get ball to start OT, no chewing clock allowed during first possession
Section 7:
Abusive play
-Violations of the rules should be reported to a commish. Please include a rough time point in the game as we do not have time to watch streams all day
-Report rule violations both when you win and lose so your complaints are not mistaken for being a sore loser.
Disconnecting/Quitting
-If an owner pauses during a game do not resume the game until discussing with them when they are ready.
-Intentionally disconnecting during a game will result in immediate expulsion from the league
-In the event that one owner is disconnected because of server issues the game should be stopped and restarted. It is up to the two owners to come to an agreement on if the game should be entirely restarted or if the game should be played back to the point it was when it disconnected.
-Any disconnections, quitting, leaving to do an errand vs a CPU will result in either a sim or force loss if there is proof (via stream) that you were losing when you quit.
Section 8:
Sportsmanship
Running up the score on your opponent is strictly forbidden. The following rules help maintain the integrity of the league
- If you are winning and the game can be ended by kneeling you must kneel - if you need a 1st down to secure win and your opponent is calling timeouts this does not apply
- If you are losing on defense late in the game calling timeouts to prolong the game is also banned
- When winning by 25 points or more in the 4th quarter:
- Turn on chew clock
- Run the ball on 1st and 2nd down
- You may throw on 3rd down, but only to convert 1st down. Do not attempt a 50 yard pass on 3rd and 2
- If opponent is out of time-outs late in the game, kneel the ball
- If the game gets out of hand and a user is leading by 40 points in the second half BOTH TEAMS MUST:
- Immediately sub out your starting QB
- Immediately sub out your starting RB
- Chew clock no matter how much time is left in the game
- Run the ball on 1st and 2nd down
- You may throw on 3rd down, but only to convert 1st down. Do not attempt a 50 yard pass on 3rd and 2
Section 9:
Trading players
- Each eligible team can trade up to 3 times each season, 1 extra trade may be granted if users provide league content that season (Articles, Presser, etc)
- Draft day trades that are picks for picks do not count towards the total
- Trades are voted on by the commish to help keep the trade in balance. The following rules state which players are eligible to be traded to any team:
- Players must have been on a contract longer than 1 year. They are allowed to have 1 year remaining on a multi-year deal, but their total contact length must be more than a single season. However, players MAY be traded on the franchise tag.
- Players signed in the offseason cannot be traded in the first year of their deal. If a player was signed to a 3 year deal (in the off-season), then you must wait until year 2 before trading them
- Players previously acquired via trade MUST play on your team for 1 full season before they can be traded again.
Section 10:
Roster/Depth Chart
- Must have 53 players on the roster before playing any game
- You are only allowed a max of ONE MENTOR per position
- Must have all depth chart positions filled (every numbered slot)
- FB position cannot be assigned to any RB
- TE position cannot be assigned to any WR
- S position cannot be assigned to any CB
Sub LB Rule - You are only allowed to have 1 safety at the sub LB position and they must fit the following criteria
- Weight => 205 lbs
- Speed LESS THAN 90
- Tackle AND Strength AT LEAST 65
Sub DT Rule - Sub DT must fit the following criteria
- Weight => 265 lbs
- Speed LESS THAN 85
Player Edits
- You are not allowed to change a player’s throwing motion or throwing hand
Position Changes
- If a play has abilities (Superstar or X-Factor) any position changes must be submitted for approval and the position change must be done by a commissioner
- All changes are logged in transactions so don’t think you can be sneaky. When you are caught the player will be moved back and bumped down to Star dev.
- As a general rule the following are examples of position changes that are fine to make without submitting for approval (assuming the player does not have abilities)
- Any position on OL could be moved to another position on OL
- MLB to OLB and FS to SS changes are fine (FS to SS / MLB to ROLB)
- DE to OLB is acceptable (OLB to DE and DE to OLB)
- DE to DT ONLY allowed if player fits BOTH of the following
- Weight > 279 lbs
- Strength > 79
- Speed < 85
- All other position changes will need approval by the commissioner team which will be handled on a case by case basis
Section 11:
SUPERSTAR / X FACTOR LIMIT
- Each team is allowed a maximum of 10 players with Superstar / X-Factor abilities
- A maximum of 5 on either side of the ball (you cannot have 4 on offense and 6 on defense)
- If a Star player becomes a Superstar you must choose between demoting that player or demoting another ability player already on your roster down to Star.
- In order to have a valid roster you must have a maximum of 10 players with abilities. You will not be permitted to play a game with a total of 11 Superstar / X-Factor players on your roster OR more than 5 on either side of the ball.
QB OFFSEASON DEV BUMP
- If you receive a year end dev upgrade for your QB this will only be honored if your QB has a positive TD to INT ratio (40 tds 40 ints is not positive).
- A QB with 40 tds but 80 ints did not have a good year and even if the game awards the year end upgrade it will be stripped.
- A QB who throws 50 or more interceptions on the year will be demoted one development trait. (i.e. Star development QB Anthony Richardson finishes with 70 ints, he will be demoted down to normal development)
ABILITY CHANGES
- Broken/Irrelevant Abilities
- If your player has an ability that is not relevant for the position, at commissioner's discretion, they will award you with a low level ability for that player immediately. For example, a MLB that earns BOGO or a RB with Return Man would be eligible. You could apply to have this changed immediately and you will be granted a low level but relevant ability along the lines of balance beam or secure tackler.
- You are only permitted to have 1 ability per position group. For example, you cannot have 2 cornerbacks with acrobat but you could have 1 cornerback with acrobat and 1 safety with acrobat.
- You will have the ability to apply for a change of ability for any of your Superstar or X-Factor players. This needs to be done in the offseason or prior to the regular season trade deadline. However, the requested ability must comply with the league thresholds for that ability (Ability threshold section below). For example, a DT with 75 block shed would not be eligible for Inside Stuff and a RB with 80 trucking would not be eligible for Freight Train.
- If you have applied for a change of ability and it is granted that ability is now locked and will not be eligible to be changed again for a minimum of 2 full seasons. You will not be able to change abilities annually, if you choose one and do not like it you will not be eligible to change this for another 2 seasons so think carefully before applying.
QB
- Pass Lead Elite/Set Feet Lead
RB
- 80 Strength
- 90 Truck AND 90 Break Tackle
- Tank (80 overall power back)
- 80 Strength
- 90 Break Tackle
- Arm Bar (85 overall power back)
- Bulldozer (85 overall power back)
- Bruiser (90 overall power back)
- 80 Strength
- 90 Truck and Stiff Arm
- Juke Box (85 overall Elusive back)
- 90 Change of Direction
- 90 Juke
- Spin Cycle (85 overall Elusive back)
- 90 Change of Direction
- 90 Spin
- Evasive (90 overall Elusive back)
- 90 Change of Direction
- 90 Juke AND 90 Spin
WR/TE
- 90 Short, Medium, AND Deep Route Running
OL
- Edge Protector (90 overall pass protector)
- 90 Pass Block Power AND 90 Pass Block Finesse
DT/EDGE
- Inside Stuff (85 run stopper)
- No Outsiders (85 run stopper)
- 90 Power Move OR Finesse Move
- 93 Power Move OR Finesse Move
LB/CB/S
- Lurker (90 pass coverage)
- Inside Shade/Outside Shade
- One Step Ahead (90 man to man)
- 90 Zone (Defensive Backs)
- 80 Zone (Linebackers)
- 90 Man (Defensive Backs)
- 80 Man (Linebackers)
Section 12:
Free Agency
- During the offseason free agent period, teams may not offer a contract any longer than a 4 year deal. In the event that a player requests to be signed for 5 years, you must send a screenshot of the offer page proving this to be true.
- Regular season player/free agent signings:
- There is no cap limitation when it comes to resigning, but NO 6-7 year deals are allowed. Otherwise, the rules above are being followed.
- Starting week 1 of the regular season until week 3 of the regular season, each team is permitted one FA pickup per week
- Starting WEEK 4, there is no limit on FA pickups
- If your roster is well below the 53 minimum, YOU NEED APPROVAL TO FILL YOUR ROSTER -- it will be with players that are UNDER 70 overall and who are not practice squad eligible.
- Releasing then signing a player
- Any team that releases a player during the season, MUST wait at least 2 weeks before they can re-sign that player as a free agent. This is to prevent teams from cheating the salary cap system. If you release a player in week 3, you cannot sign that player until week 5.
- Practice squad stealing will be turned on starting in WEEK 4 so make sure to put anyone on the active roster you don’t want to risk losing prior to WEEK 4
Section 13:
Offseason schedule
- Offseason will be completed at a time that is convenient for the majority of the league. We want as many as possible to participate, but we understand when it comes to a 32 man league, everyone cannot win.
- The draft will start after free agency bidding. The draft will consist of all 7 rounds. During the draft, you may trade PICKS ONLY with the following rules:
- You may only trade picks with other users
- Draft pick trades will NOT count towards the season trade limit
- Must notify commissioners before any trade
Section 14:
Preseason
- IT IS YOUR JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR ROSTER HAS 53 PLAYERS AND IS UNDER THE SALARY CAP TO START THE SEASON BY SIGNING ENOUGH PLAYERS IN THE OFFSEASON. You can fill your roster with players that are UNDER 65 overall and who are not practice squad eligible - FORCE LOSSES WILL BE GIVEN TO ANY USERS NOT COMPLIANT AFTER WEEK 3
- If you miss the offseason there will be exceptions to filling roster with non practice squad eligible players under a certain overall as stated above
- YOU WILL EARN APs for being significantly short on players
- If it is a constant issue you will be removed from the league