PNFL

The "Innovator's Vault" (Custom Gameplan Folder)

Description: Each season, an owner who actively creates and submits new custom plays (e.g., a minimum of 4-8 unique plays per season) will be granted access to a special 'Innovator's Vault' or 'Custom Gameplan Folder'. This folder allows them to store a limited number of their own created plays (e.g., 5-8 plays) that are exclusive to their team for the duration of the regular season.

These plays would not immediately enter the general play pool available to all teams. At the end of the regular season, or after a specified period (e.g., after Week 10), these plays would then be released into the general play pool for all teams to potentially use in the playoffs or subsequent seasons.

Logic & Strategy:

•Encourages Creation: Provides a direct, tangible benefit for creating plays: exclusive strategic advantage for a period.

•Awards Creators: Creators gain a unique edge, rewarding their effort and ingenuity.

•No Penalty for Non-Creators: Teams that don't create plays are not penalized; they simply don't receive this exclusive early access.

They still get access to all plays in the general pool, including those eventually released from the Vault.

•Strategic Depth: Forces creators to think strategically about which plays to keep exclusive and when to release them. It adds a layer of strategic planning beyond just play design.

•Realism: Simulates a team's proprietary playbook development, where certain schemes or plays are kept under wraps until a crucial moment or until they are widely adopted across the league.

Implementation (Low Overhead):

•Submission & Tracking: Owners submit plays to the commissioner for review and approval into their 'Innovator's Vault'. A simple shared google spreadsheet or a dedicated forum page.

•Play Pool Integration: The commissioner or Jerry/Rich would manually add plays from the Vault to the general play pool at the predetermined release date.

•Verification: A quick check to ensure plays are indeed 'new' and unique (not slight variations of existing plays).

Pros:
•Strong incentive for play creation.
•Provides a direct competitive advantage.
•Adds a strategic element to play management.
•Relatively low administrative overhead if submission and release are streamlined.

Cons:
•Requires manual tracking and release by the commissioner.
•Might lead to some initial imbalance if a creator designs exceptionally powerful plays, though the delayed release mitigates this.

Have been in favor of this since I joined the league; it's never received widespread approval, probably because there are more coaches who don't regularly create plays than those who do.

•Verification: A quick check to ensure plays are indeed 'new' and unique (not slight variations of existing plays).

Charlie is correct in that there are no secrets once shown in the NFL. I also have no want to have to spend extra hours studying film to see what a new play is doing. Adding to game planning time is a huge con. Teams can't even get their PPP's in now.

This in my opinion is another nuance making the PNFL different and why it outlasted other leagues.

Anything that keeps coaches spending hours in the play editor vs scouting and gameplanning for their opponent is fine with me.

^^^^^

I support Sean’s plan. I see the same old plays or their clones every week on Friday Night Lights. New and innovative play designs need to be encouraged to keep this old game fresh.

This isn't realistic but more importantly it is bad for the league. Any things that add more time to game planning will shift the balance of fun vs time commitment. If it shifts too much will lead to coaches leaving or checking out of game plan which is bad for the league.

I think what Shawn is proposing would be a net positive for the league, it should be adopted for next season.