XFL League Rules FEES ·               There is not an entry fee into the league this year. The championship team will receive the XFL title belt. ·               There will be 6 team captains and they will hold a draft and select players on January 27, 2013.    Start of the Game  ·               Game time is starting time; we will be playing 5-on-5. ·               The referee shall toss a coin and the away team-captain shall call the toss.  The winner of the toss shall have first choice of the options for the ball for either the first or the second half.  The loser shall have the first choice of which end zone they want to defend.  Teams automatically switch ends at the half.     Game Time and Time Outs ·               Games will be two 20-minute halves of running time except after touchdown scores.  The last two minutes of each half will be stopped for all dead ball situations such as: time-outs, penalties, change of possessions, out of bound plays, incomplete passes, and all scores.  ·               Half time will be 2-minutes ·               The offensive team has 25 seconds from the time the ball is set by the officials to put the ball back into play.  If the team exceeds 25 seconds, officials will call a delay of game penalty. ·               A game or half cannot end on a defensive penalty unless the penalty is refused. ·               Each team gets two 30 second time-outs per half.   Passing  ·               All players are eligible to receive a pass. ·               No forward hand-offs are allowed. ·               At the time of a pass reception, the receiver must have the two feet down and in bounds for a complete pass (Ball in complete control). ·               LATERAL'S ARE ALLOWED   Rushing QB AND Blitzing ·               The QB has seven seconds to throw the ball (timed by a referee) or the play will be blown dead and the offensive team will lose the current down. The ball must be out of the QBs hand when the whistle is blown. The referee has final say, no arguing. ·               The defense can blitz any number of defenders after three seconds (will be signaled by the referee) on any down any number of times. ·               If the defense blitzes, the seven second pass clock is off and the QB can either run or pass the ball. ·               Whether the QB is rushed or not, he can only run the ball one time per drive. ·               If a defensive player crosses the line before the ref signals the "three second mark" it will be a 5-yard penalty, the play will not be blown dead, and the offense will have the option of accepting the penalty and replaying the down or taking the outcome of the play. (Same rules as an offsides in the NFL)    Fumbles ·               All fumbled balls touching the ground are live balls ·               Fumbled balls can be recovered and advanced by defensive players. The only way an offensive player can advance the ball is if it was recovered and in complete posession by the opposing team first.   Flag Belts and Legal "Tackles" ·               Each player must wear a flag belt. ·               If a player loses his flag without being touched by a defender one-hand touch rules apply. ·               Stiff arms by the runner are legal, however you cannot shield your flag by putting your arm down along your side or by holding onto your own flag whether it is on purpose or accidental (The Adrien Rule) ·               The ball is dead if either knee of the ball carrier touches the ground at any time.   Tie and Overtime Games ·               In case of tie at the end of regulation play during the regular season and playoffs, the game will go into overtime with college like rules. ·               In overtime, after a coin toss, each team will get the ball on the opposing team’s 20-yard line and get 4 downs to score a TD. Regular point-after rules apply. ·               Each team will get one 30-second timeout per overtime.   Field Dimensions and Downs ·               The size of the field will be 80-yards by 30-yards, with 10-yard end zones. ·               The field will be divided into 4 20-yard zones.  A team has four downs to cross each consecutive line (First down every 20-yard line marker).  If a team has a penalty which pushes the line of scrimmage behind a new 20-yard line the offense must still pass the original first down marker.   ·               Each 20-yard line marker is a first down. If you complete a pass 10 yards after the previous first down marker, the next 20-yard line marker is your next first down line. ·               You will receive the ball on your own 5-yard line at the beginning of each half and after an opposing teams score.   Number of Players ·               There is a minimum of five players required to start a game.    Punting ·               The referee will ask the offensive team on all fourth downs if they intend to punt or "go for it."  There are no fakes allowed. ·               All players must remain at the line of scrimmage until the ball is kicked. ·               All punts cannot be returned. The receiving team can catch the ball to prevent it from bouncing. Once the kicking team touches the ball after being punted the play is dead. If the receiving team muffs the return, the kicking team may recover as it is ruled a live ball. However on a muffed punt, the defensive team cannot advance the ball, but they will get possession at the spot of the recovery.   Blocking ·               Regular blocking rules apply. HOWEVER, any blind side hits or hits on defenseless WRs, or forceful blocks that knock someone to the ground will be flagged as unnecessary roughness and will be a 15 yard penalty at the end of the play.    Safety and Touchbacks ·               If a team intercepts a pass in the end zone and does not advance the ball out of the end zone it is a touchback.  The ball is put in play on the 5 yard-line. ·               Following a safety, the ball shall be placed on the five yard-line of the team credited with the safety.   Scoring  1.     Touchdown: 6 Points 2.     Safety: 2 Points 3.     Point after touchdown: a.     From 5-yard line: 1 Point b.     From 10-yard line: 2 Points Penalties Section 1: Penalties with a loss of 5 yards and repeat down ·               Delay of game (*Whistle blown to end play). ·               Illegal handling ball forward ·               Offsides (STRICTLY ENFORCED WHEN THE DEFENSE BLITZES BEFORE 3 SECONDS) Section 2: Penalties with loss of 10 yards ·               Delaying start of either half ·               Offensive pass interference (loss of down) ·               Holding, illegal block, or blocking below the waist ·               Clipping, tripping ·               Defensive pass interference (ball spotted at infraction; automatic first down) ·               Guarding the flag ·               Intentional grounding- can only throw the ball away if QB is outside of 3 yards either way from where he snapped the ball (Official has final judgement) ·               Intentional grounding while the QB is in his own endzone is a safety.  Section 3 Measurement of half the distance to the goal line is done inside the 20 yard line. Standings ·               If there is a tie in the standings at the end of the regular season, tie-breakers are broken in this order: 1.     Total # of games played 2.     Head-to-head record 3.     Points Scored Playoffs (THESE WILL BE CHANGED WHEN FINALIZED) ·               Four teams will qualify for the playoffs at the end of the regular season ·               The team with the best record will receive the #1 seed, second best record receives the #2 seed and so on ·               Regular season overtime rules apply in playoffs ·               The bottom two teams in the standings will compete against each other as a “play-in” game. The winner of this game will clinch a playoff spot and the #4 seed.    Sportsmanship ·               If you play the game of football, you are a man. That means there will be no excessive whining or complaining ·               If you are a man, you are going to talk trash and celebrate. That means have fun doing it, but know when enough is enough ·               The refs make the final call, you can argue all you want, but their call is the final and only call that matters                                      *******************************************************************                                                                      THESE RULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE                                    *******************************************************************