I forgot to hold a vote on supplemental rule change suggestions for 2004 during the draft, so I'll just turn this into an idea for '05.

Suggestion: Hold a 'Toilet Bowl' for teams that don't make playoffs. Winner gets the next season's No. 1 draft pick.
Submitted by: The Jayhawks
Comments:
I'd still like to somehow get all teams involved in the postseason somehow if we stick with 10 teams for '05. Here's how this would work:
The two teams with the worst records -- not necessarily the lowest point total -- in each division do not make the playoffs now. Let's take those two teams and pair them up in Week 16 to play in the "Toilet Bowl." The winner of that matchup will pick No. 1 in the next season's draft, and the loser will pick second. Positions 3-10 will be determined by point total.

This should provide extra incentive for those two teams to try to remain competitive and active up until the season's end, and derail any thoughts of "tanking" at the end of the year to secure position in next year's draft. Plus, it should in general add to the Week 16 "Tech Bowl" excitement.

Suggestion: Bonus rival game, 12-team playoffs
Submitted by: The Jayhawks (carry-over from '04 suggestions)
Comments:
This obviously would work in conjunction with a 12-team league, and it works like this: The regular season lasts 12 weeks. Teams play all 11 other teams, then in Week 12 all teams play a certain "designated rival," with the winner getting 10 bonus points instead of the usual five. We could have everyone pair up with rivals before the draft, although there are some natural fits (Gamblers and Jayhawks via family, Strippers and Killers via work, T-Bird and Berserkers via sexual relations).

Following the 12-week regular season will be a four-week playoff in which the two teams with the best records in each division receive a Week 13 bye, and the other eight duking it out for the right to play the top four. Tech Bowl is Week 16, and our usual "run for the roses" with no head-2-head matchups is Week 17.

Of the scheduling options for 12-team leagues, I like this the best, since it should generate a lot of interest in Week 12 for the rivalry games, and all teams -- even scrubs like Jellypop Fighters -- will have a reason to stay active through at least Week 13.

Suggestion: Trim draft to 16 rounds if we go to 12 teams
Submitted by: The Jayhawks (carry-over from '04 suggestions)
Comments:
I like the draft as much as anyone, but I doubt we'll be having a lot of fun when pick 200 rolls around. With 12 teams going 16 rounds, we're making 192 picks, or 12 more than the potential maximum with 10 teams going 18 rounds. Using the old system of 18 rounds with the option to forfeit your final two picks, we could possibly make 216 selections. The pickings will be so slim by that point, there's really no point to drafting those guys.

Suggestion: Award fantasy points on a staggered scale for points allowed by defenses
Submitted by: Jellypop Fighters
Comments:
Defenses that play well enough to hold offenses to 10 or fewer points should be rewarded for their efforts. As of now, only shutouts are worth something. If a defense plays well enough to basically win the game, they should be rewarded. Here is my proposed system:
0-2 points allowed: 10 TFFL points
3-6 points allowed: 5 points
7-10 points allowed: 2 points.

Suggestion: Ditch the combined yardage system and for one that rewards players for each "chunk of yards" they get.
Submitted by: The Jayhawks
Comments:
There are a lot of things not to like about our current "combined yardage" system, and I'll name a few here. For one, there's a cap on the number of points you can get, so a 250-yard day from a running back is worth just as much as a 200-yard day. Secondly, players have the potential to lose points because they lost yards in one category. You see this most with wide receivers, for instance Andre Johnson may get 107 yards through the air -- truly having an impact on the game -- but lose 9 yards on a reverse. Thus, no points. Finally, the current system doesn't fully reward mobile quarterbacks for their contributions. If Michael Vick legs out 150 yards, but only throws for 99, he gets squat, and I don't think that's right.

That said, there are certain benchmark numbers players should hit before having been considered to have a decent impact on the game. This new system would take that into account and alleviate all problems discussed in the above graph. Here is how it would work:

• The first 200 yards passing a player gets would be worth 2 points. Every additional 50-yard chunk is worth 1 point.
• The first 50 yards rushing or receiving a player gets is worth 1 point. Every additional 25-yard chunk is worth 1 point. Note that this scale does not combine rushing and receiving yards; the two are separate.

The new system will result in fewer goose eggs for sure, but not so much that it will have a great impact on scoring. In comparison to the current plateau system, players would receive 1 less point for reaching the top bonus marks, but again there is no limit. I do not think this would result in a big spike in the number of points rewarded for yardage -- as we have been and always will be a touchdown-oriented league -- but would distribute yardage bonus points a little more justly.

Suggestion: Weekly selection of defense
Submitted by: Jellypop Fighters
Comments:
Instead of drafting a team defense, each manager would simply pick a team defense for each week. There would be no limit on how many times you could pick a certain team, and there would be no limit on how many players can pick a defense in a certain week. This would add an element of scouting to the league, as each manager would get to scour the matchups each week and pick whichever defense he feels is most likely to put up a big game. Would also help speed up the draft by eliminating two selections, and you could eliminate the age-old debate of whether or not to carry one or two defenses on your roster.

Comments from the Jayhawks:
This will have a drastic negative effect on the impact of team defenses since most teams will probably start the same one week in and week out. Teams like the Gamblers who usually scour the waiver wire and end up with a good defense, or those who routinely spend an upper-round draft pick for a top-notch defense like the Ravens, will be hurt the most. I don't see any reason to have the team defense position that much more inconsistent with the way the other positions are run.