Show I SIX FAR F AR FOOTBALL CHANGES G I 1 kT Rules Committee Modifies I Game to Make it Safe Safet and Yet Interesting t r New York March Harch 28 Six changes in the game of football were decided upon today by the intercollegiate football rules committee at the clone of a s1 s session in this city 1 Removal of the requirement tha that thaI f the player vho receive the ball bull from fro I 0 the runs rune five yards to elthe I aide aide ide before advancing j 2 A requirement that seven Beven me mci men Xii T be maintained by the offense on th tb the theline z line of scrimmage 1 3 Prohibition of the th flying 4 of the game gante Into ton four tonI I periods of fifteen minutes minute each t IiNo No pushing or oz pulling of the run ran ncr Ber to be allowed i 0 6 A requirement that the ball 1 hi hithe ii ei the case ense of an un onside kick must mud the round ground at nt least lead 20 a 0 yards beyond j the line Hue of scrimmage falling failing the member of the team kicking th tb the ball are arc offside The problem before the commute committee was to eliminate BO so s far ar as possible I Ithe the dangers which have attended th thi the game while preserving its fascination I C as a spectacle and Its lt disciplinary am and J educative elements It was felt that the next season would be crucial Either injuries mus must be fewer fet r or there would be serious hazard of a widespread movement t to tc j abolish football The steps decided upon to effect re reforms reforms forms will result In weakening thi Ue ti 1 that thai i power po er of offense so materially It will be necessary to devise means t to toI I the acquired of the de defense defense tense In this purpose two general genera plans are under consideration In the Interval before the next meet meetIng I I o Ing Ins of the committee In Philadelphia will be carried on April 29 experiments I era on n by each member of the committee at his own college and on the result ol of i these experiments will wUl depend the plan which s1 all prevail ll Briefly stated the changes so far fai adopted will result In the elimination 3 to a large extent of mass plays and anc andI I 1 the substitution of open plays i First Change The first change adopted was the re removal removal removal moval of the present restriction that a runner receiving the Jia h ball directly from the snapback must run five yards to toone toone one side This in the opinion of the 4 committee will give the quarterback much larger opportunities to make good runs will otter offer an on opportunity for forI I quicker plays and will create a need J for the exercise of more strategy The second change provides that sev say seven seven en men be kept by the offense on the theline theUne theline line Une of scrimmage This will prevent proven the drawing back of at linemen for of offensive offensive offensive plays and Is a direct blow at mass plays The third change Is the prohibition i Of the diving tackle The flying tackle has been the cause of many injuries 1 IL and the committee was agreed that it must go goThe goL The fourth change consists In the di division division L 1 vision of each half halt Into two periods of ol fifteen minutes each so that the game I hereafter will consist of four fifteen minute quarters The intermission be between between beI I tween the first and second and the third and fourth quarters probably willbe will willbe be shorter than that between the sec second second 0 ond and third This change Is made madeno so no that there may bo ho better opportunity opportUnity to determine the physical condi condition condition tion lion of players Player May Return 3 Another clause under this fourth di division division division vision directs that a player compelled to tc leave the game may return during a subsequent quarter If It he recovers auf suf sufficiently With this opportunity of re returning returning reI I turning to the field It is felt that play players players i ers era will not tax their strength as un under Under I Ider der the old system of barring a player entirely once he Is off the field In 4 connection with this change Mr Hall said it will be necessary to prevent abuse of this rule such as for example the possible withdrawal of an entire team in favor favo of freshmen the with withdrawn withdrawn the of return returning I drawn to tc have privilege c ing In any event no player will be 1 allowed to return more than once The fifth change provides that no ll pushing or pulling of the tho runner with I f the ball Is to be allowed The same samO limitations as are pow Imposed on the use of hands on an opponent will apply to tc the use of at o hands on a teammate This is the committees chief plan of ol breaking up mass plays It means that I whereas In the past the teammates of ol I the man with the ball might lock arms with him pull or drag him along or 01 d provide Interference by running before him with locked arms in the future such euch tactics will be prohibited In analyzing the tho source of injuries ri to players the committee found In the thet t I diving tackles and the repetition of ol rr massed attacks at one point paint were th chief causes of harm The danger from II 11 massed play lies in the combination of ol olIts j h Its speed solidity and persistence The Thea a Impact of three or four men locked to together together gether Into one compact body when 4 I hurled time after time against the same C opponent resulted In the exhaustion at oi atthe atthe the man BO so attacked and frequently In his serious Injury r Cannot Use Uso Hands Hande The strict limitation on the use of hands bands will mean that attacks hereafter l 1 must be made by the tho players individually ally While the men forming the In Interference 9 may run shoulder to shoulder shoulder der they will not be permitted to hold each other Thus th task of the de defense del deJ tense fenee in breaking up Interference be becomes becomes becomes l J comes much easier The sixth change prescribes that an onside kick must advance the ball 20 yards from the line of gf scrimmage That Is II if It the ball strikes the n ground short of the 20 yards the of offense tenSe becomes offside This rule Is la also aimed at mass plays One reason for tor massed plays under the old rules lays las In the fact that tackles were un unprotected unprotected unprotected protected because the secondary offense was drawn back to meet forward passes and onside kicks It Is IB felt that un under under 9 der deT a requirement the second secondary secondary ary offense can come up sufficiently t to protect the tackles with reasonable safety Having made these six changes to c throw safeguards around the game tile the committee took up lp p a discussion of two J plans for directing the style of play playIng playIng Ing and strengthening the offense Ottense suf sufficiently to balance the new now opportunities for defense J i i The Tb first plan contains two main 1 features 1 limitation of the for tor forward ward pass to territory behind the line of scrimmage 2 limitation of the width of scrimmage lines These two provisions of crt plan One cohere In a Jl gen general general general eral design to make forward passes and an L quarterback runt runs better ground gain gainers gainers ers er by opening up the play and com corn compensating i the weakness of the offense i IB Is other ways Thin Out Plays Playa t r Two schemes seh emes for the defining of the width wl Ul of ot scrimmage lines Unas were pro proposed proposed 1 posed Oae he ne was wa an arbitrary limit of five litre yards on each side aide de at of the ball bU the theother theother 1 other was wu limitation of ot the line Une of de do defense doI ii tense to the width wi th of ot the line Une of the I offense everything that leads len ls to tl thin Q out the line lne mass plays By Byth th the UG th tn Ute hope kope t r IT 01 l both to strengthen it and thus to make end runs runa more moro profitable Under Tinder this system if It the tho runner In circling the end were not boxed almost before he got under way he could reach free tree ter territory territory territory at either side of the line of scrimmage with a good chance for gaining ground The main objection BO so far raised to this first plan is that it may result In too tao much scoring This will be de determined determined determined by experiment It is probable probable probable able that the distance to be gained will willbe willbe willbe be raised to fifteen yards in three downs with a possibility that less dis distance distance distance tance will be required as the goal line is reached or that four downs instead of three will be allowed with the same gain required The second general style of play un under under under der consideration provides for te tc tta yards distance to be bo gained The for forward forward forward ward pass under this plan would be allowed beyond the line of scrimmage with the present requirement of run running running running ning to either side five yards from the center and with the additional condi condition condition condition tion that on forward passes the ball may be received only by the men on the end of lines Unes or by the backs At pres present es ent the tackles are allowed to receive the ball ballIn ballIn In case of an uncompleted forward pass the ball is to be brought back to the point at which the pass is made mode and the play is to be counted as one down This loss of a 0 down is the only penalty attached except that In case the man who passed the ball had hail first carried it toward his own goal the distance he ho ran backwards would bo be lost to his team Encourage Forward Pass Such decreases In the penalty at attached attached attached to use of the tho forward pass will operate the committee feels fer Is for great greater er use ulle of the play It Is also desired to afford protection to the man receiving lug ing the ball on a forward pass but what manner of protection has not been determined The problem is one of the most difficult raised for solution At the beginning of the second and anCi fourth periods teams are to change chango goals the ball being put in play at tho the same relative position as it was waa in the preceding quarter Many other points were discussed I such as whether the kickoff shall be retained and whether goal shall be kicked after touchdowns have bees beer made were not settled Decision on such details depends on the general style of ot play ultimately adopted |