Description: The Statistics & Vitals screen is the main screen of the locker room. Also known as the locker room screen, the statistics and vitals screen displays key statistics for each player from the last game and for the season. Player vitals may also be viewed.
Topics
Viewing Vitals/Statistics
Current Salary Total
Salary Cap
Player Sorting
Roster Requirements
Starters (Red Positions)
Subs
Game Time Alignment
Re-Index Team
Swap
Put on DL
Training
Substitute
Nickname
Number
Bench
Negotiate
Negotiate All
Return Man (RM)
Release
Trade Block
Related Topics
Viewing Vitals/Statistics: There are two ways to view all the players on your team. Method one is with the season and last game statistics showing. Method two is with the vitals for each player showing (colored footballs that tell you what their skill scores are in each of the 8 categories in the game). By default, the Statistics view is displayed when you enter the locker room (remember to scroll down, all of your active players are listed, but, you will rarely be able to view them all at once). To view the vitals for your players, choose "Vitals" from the "Locker Room View" drop down list and click "Go". If you would like to view the Statistics breakdown, select "Statistics" and click "Go". The vitals view also offers some important contract information such as a players current salary and the number of years (after this one) remaining in their contract.
Current Salary Total: Your team's current salary total is displayed (in both views) at the top of the screen. It is labeled "Current Salary Total" and is in green. Next to it (in red) is the current league salary cap. A team should be under that cap in order not to incur any salary cap penalties. Players currently on the Disabled List do not count against your salary total, but everyone else on your roster does.
Player Sorting: Players are sorted by position. In other words, all the Quarterbacks are together as are the Halfbacks, etc. An owner may change the order of the players within a position by swapping players. This is important because it could effect who is the substitute when a player is inured and who comes in to replace a player when they are fatigued. It also determines which side of the field a player is playing on (see game time alignment).
Roster Requirements: Each team is held to a minimum and maximum number of players total and a minimum number of players at each position. This is so that each player usually has a backup and teams cannot attempt to skirt the salary cap by carrying 22 great players. The minimum number of players on the team is a league specific value (it may differ from league to league). The standard is 44 players. The maximum number of players that may be on your roster (not including the Disabled List) is also league specific. The standard is 52. In addition to the team maximum and minimum, each position has a minimum number of players that must be on the active roster, not injured or benched, and be able to play the position. These are the minimums by position:
Quarterback (QB) - 2
Halfback (HB) - 2
Fullback (FB) - 2
Tight End (TE) - 2
Wide Receiver (WR) - 3
Center (C) - 2
Guard (G) - 3
Tackle (T) - 3
Punter (P) - 1
Kicker (K) - 1
Cornerback (CB) - 3
Safety (S) - 3
Linebacker (LB) - 4
Defensive End (DE) - 3
Defensive Tackle (DT) - 3
A team must have at least these minimum totals (after a action) in order to manage the position (release, place on DL, trade, etc.). For example, if a team has two Quarterbacks, the game will not let that team release one. If that team has 3 Quarterbacks but one is not able to play because of injury, the game will not allow the team to release one of the healthy quarterbacks because that would leave the team with one quarterback that is able to play. The thing to remember is that you always need the above number of players at each position, that are able to play. The game may invalidate this rule (for example by injuring your starting quarterback, forcing the backup into the starting lineup and making only one available QB, but you are unable to do it through transactions.
Starters (Red Positions): All of your starters have their positions displayed in red. You should have 1 QB, 1 HB, 1 FB, 1 TE, 2 WR, 1 C, 2 G, 2 T, 1 P, 1 K, 2 CB, 2 S, 3 LB, 2 DE, and 2 DT. You should not have more than these numbers and you should also not have less. You should always have these amounts. Injured players can sometimes play, but, cannot always start. The general rule is, if the number of days that a player has remaining in his injury is equal to or less than the number of days between games (usually 4) that player may be added back to the starting lineup. For example, John Doe is injured for 2 more days. You may put him into the starting lineup if you choose. If he were injured for 6 more days, you wouldn't be able to because his injury would be longer than the number of days between games (4). For information on where a player plays (right or left side) please see Game Time Alignment. For information on how to change your starters to different players, please see the Substitute section.
Subs: During the course of a game, players tire and need to be replaced. This is partially the reason for the minimum position requirements. When the game substitutes players during the game, it goes down your roster and takes the first available player who is not fatigued or in the game already. It therefore becomes important what the order of your players is on the locker room screen. For example, a team's locker room has the following wide receivers (in this order):
Jones (Starter)
Williams (Starter)
Smith
Jackson
When the team gets the ball, Jones and WIlliams go in. The team runs 4 plays and Jones is fatigued. The game replaces Jones with Smith. One play later, Williams is tired. He comes out. Jones is still resting, so, he is tired, that means that Jackson goes in the game. So now Jackson and Smith are in the game. One play after that, the system checks to see if Jones and Williams are rested. They are, and return to the game.
It is also possible (through substitution) for Jones and Williams to end up playing (at some point) the opposite side of the field. In other words, if Jones was the starting Left WR it is possible that he could play some Right WR as well. If in the above example, Jackson tired, then Jones might go in to play Right WR.
Game Time Alignment: When the game starts to play, it is important for an owner to know who is matching up against whom. The side of the field that a player is on is always referred to from the offense side of the ball (as if looking at the alignment from behind the quarterback). Both offense and defense are referred to this way, so, the Left WR (the Wide Receiver setup to the quarterback's left) would line up against the Left CB (the cornerback setup to the quarterback's left). In all cases the first starter on your roster is the left side of the field. So, in the Subs example, Jones would be the Left WR to start the game and Williams would be the Right WR. In the case of Linebackers, the first LB is the left, the second is the Center and the third is the Right.
Re-Index Team: Each player on your team has an index number that tells the system where to place him in the list of the players playing his position. Owners can't see this index number, but, it is the way the game sorts. Sometimes, after a team makes a few trades, signs some players or removes some players, there can be gaps in these numbers, duplicate numbers and other small problems. One of the problems that crops up is that the Swap button doesn't work. You check the two players to swap, click the button, but, they don't change positions. Clicking the Re-Index button, reorders the index numbers for your team the way you have it set. After a re-index there should be no issue swapping players (at least until you make some additional deals).
Swap: The swap button allows you to switch two players order in the lineup. Check both players then click the swap button. The players (if playing the same position should swap positions on your roster. If they do not, you may need to re-index your team.
Put on DL: When a player is injured, you may place them on the Disabled List (DL). Only injured players may be placed on the DL. To place a player on the disabled list, check the injured player and click the "Put on DL" button. The player will disappear from your active roster, but, should be visible if you go to your Disabled List. Please note that your team still must meet all of the minimum roster and position requirements after the player would be added to the Disabled List, otherwise the computer will not allow you to add that player to the disabled list. For example, if you would only have 3 healthy linebackers if you were to place an injured linebacker on the DL, the game will not allow you to place that LB on the list.
Substitute: The substitute button allows you to replace a player in the starting lineup with another player that plays that position. To use the substitute function, check one player who is a starter and one player who plays the same position and is not a starter. Click on the Substitute button. If you have selected a valid substitute, that player's position will then be in red. The original starter will then not be in red. It is important to note that the replacement must also be healthy enough to take over that starting position and also must not be benched. A player may be added into the starting lineup if they are uninjured, or if the injury they have has fewer than the number of days between games (4) days left.
Nickname: Subscribed users have the ability to give their players nicknames. If you are subscribed, click on Nickname. You are taken to the nickname screen where you may enter the players nickname and click okay. Please note that no vulgar or obscene nicknames may be used. Use of such a nickname is grounds for possible deletion of your team.
Number: Subscribed users have the ability to give their players numbers. If you are subscribed, click on Number. You are taken to the number screen where you may enter the players number and click okay. Please note that a list of the current numbers assigned to players on your team is displayed. You may not duplicate numbers. You must assign a unique number to each player.
Bench: The bench option in the Locker Room is a way by which an owner may tell the system that they do not wish a player to play in a game. Benching a player means that he will not play (unless needed due to injury). Benching a player is still subject to all rules regarding Minimum Roster Requirements. Benched players will be highlighted in gray. Their salary still counts toward your salary cap. They just won't play in the game.
Negotiate: All players in Franchise Football have contracts. This is how long a player will play under those terms for your team. Teams do not have to pay player salaries. Salaries only count against the salary cap. The final year of a player's contract is year 0. Players may elect to allow you to negotiate with them before that, but, all player will negotiate in year 0. If you check a player and then click on the negotiate button you are taken to the negotiate screen (provided the player qualifies to be negotiated with). On the negotiate screen, you will be told how much money the player is asking for, how much they currently make, and how many years they have remaining in the contract. You may enter your offer (salary, years and signing bonus) and click "offer". If the deal is to the players liking, he will accept it and sign with your team. If not, he will reject the offer and you may negotiate with him again tomorrow. The number of years in the contract amends the amount of money a player will want. It will increase the amount of money. This attempts to take into consideration training and natural increases that will occur over that period. Unlike in real life, long term contracts don't make less money per year than a short term contract because it is assumed that the team will attempt to improve the player. The signing bonus brings the amount the player will accept down. It is not, however, a one to one relation ship, meaning, if the player is asking for $4,000,000 per year, offering him a 1 year deal with a $3,000,000 bonus will not make him sign for $1,000,000. The bigger the bonus gets, the more impact it will have, but, the overall impact decreases as the bonus increases. For example, if a team offers a player a $1M bonus, he may sign for 10% less than he would have, if a team offers a $3M bonus, he might sign for 12% less than he would have, and if a team offers him a $10M bonus, he might sign for 13% less than he would have. You see, the increased bonus is improving the percentage, but, the incremental increase is shrinking.
Negotiate All: Since there are so many players to negotiate contracts with on a Franchise Football roster, this button has been added to easily "re-up" contracts with several players at once. When you click on the Negotiate All button, you are taken to the Negotiate All screen. Negotiate All only works on players that have 0 years left in their contracts. It also only offers those players 1 season deals (remainder of this season and all of next season). So, if you want to negotiate long term contracts, you will have to use the negotiate option. On the Negotiate All screen, you have one option, a drop down box that allows you to offer all of the players with 0 year contracts a little raise. You can elect to raise all 0 year player salaries 0%-20%. It is very important to note that unlike the negotiate screen, the negotiate all screen does not start with a player's "asking price" it starts with their last salary and goes from there. So, you are offering a percent increase to their last contract, not their asking price (which is usually more). For example, a player on your team has a zero year deal, and is making $1,000,000. Offering all players a 2% increase would try to sign this player for 1 year at $1,020,000. Not all players will find these contracts acceptable. Some players will take the deals, some will not. If a player accepts the contract, then, you are all set with that player, if a player doesn't he has been negotiated with today. You may try to offer him a deal again tomorrow. It is also important to note that if you have already tried to negotiate with a player today and he has a 0 year contract, he will not be negotiated with again if you try to use Negotiate All.
Return Man (RM): The punt and kickoff return man has a green RM by his name. If no one has an RM, the return man is selected by the computer each game. To choose a return man, check the player you wish to make the return man, and click the "Return Man" button.
Release: Checking a player or Players and clicking the Release button will release those players from your team. Contracts are guaranteed, so, teams may have future obligations to a player (See Guaranteed Contracts). When released, that player will go to the free agent pool and may be signed by other teams. When releasing a player, you must meet the minimum roster and position requirements without the player in order to release them. If you do not, the player will not be released.
