Show TOO BIG lEEWAY IN fORWARD PASS Advance of Play May Demand Great Change in Foot Football Football Football ball Rules NEW RULES ARE IMPORTANT ALL TEND TO MAKE OFFENSE AND DEFENSE EQUAL BY EDWARD R BUSHNELL Football coaches and others who have nave I been following closely the tI modern ern trend trendo of o the game came are unanimous in the belief I that the coming season wilt will some BOtne radical changes cba in the use 1188 oC or the forward pass paR and that the perfecting of this till play will wUl either revolutionize the game or will cause caune cau e the introduction of radically ift w rules rule This Thia conclusion to I based on the the fact that last year was wae the first ince since the coming of tb the forward pM pass pa that coaches in the elUt at least lea really seized and worked out the of oC the play pia When the forward pass was as first fe re eastern coaches coach were almost i unanimous in their opinion that the play had no future beyond its Ils use nee as ae an oc or occasional occasional trick play Ax As A a 8 result re the new ne offense e was almost totally disregarded dl and during the first two years yeara there were not a few championship games in which the play was used no more than once in a single le half So risky was it con eon considered considered that coaches refused to try it itin ItIn itIn in any formation until they the had seen Men it successfully fully operating by some seine other team Another evidence of this spirit was that until last year the forward pass was operated by only one player But du during during during ring the past season there was an awak await awakening aWAkening ening to its Ita possibilities poe Coaches en endeavored endeavored endeavored to have at least two men who could throw the ball with the result that the offense was greatly varied This variation is certain to be widely extended this fall for now the tendency will wilt be to employ at least four men In handling the forward past pass And in this connection connection connection tion it may be stated that other things being equal any an team that t t has a com corn combination combination of good running backs becks all of whom can operate the forward pass paa in ina Ina ina a variety of plays play will have an offense that will raise havoc with pretty nearly any defense The perfection of this sort of a for forward forward forward ward passing game is bound to bring about a 3 condition of affairs similar to that which first resulted r in the legalia legalizing legalizIng ing of the play The forward pass was made legal in order to weaken the de defensive defensive defensive side of the game Which had grown too strong When this condition becomes a reality the football rules com coin committee committee will have another problem Tm till its hands bands And if the signs are read aright might i the time is not far distant when they will Wilt willbe willbe be confronted once oni more with the situ situation situation atlon of three years ago A A Stagg coach of the University of Chicago and anda a member of the rules committee has already gone on record as of the opinion that the working out of o new possibilities with the forward pass pay will ultimately re result result sult suit in some new rules that will restrict strict the play in question Changes in Rules Although the changes in the rules under which w the game will be played this fall faU are not very radical compared with some of previous years they are nevertheless of extreme importance These changes rather than being alterations in the game tend to eliminate unfairness In the th rules and to make the offense and defense more equal The following are the Important changes in the 1909 rules 1 The value of a goal from field whether er a place or a drop kick is reduced from 4 to 3 points 2 The side aide having a kick out has hu the option of making the kick as under the theold theold theold old rules or putting the ball down for a scrimmage on their line lineIn i 3 i In case cale an end rush rueh of the offending I side sid I stands more than one foot back of the lino J ll of scrimmage but less than a yard ard back he is I not eligible to receive a for forward forward forward ward pass Of these three changes chances the first two are probably of the most moat importance There is is already a wide divergence of opinion as to the wisdom of the committee in re reducing reducing reducing the value of a goal from field It will wili be noticed that the rules committee acts on OR this tills point at regular Intervals usually after a season eaon in which two or three big teams have bae developed a star goal kicker Several years ago they re reduced reduced reduced the value of such BUch a goal from i Ii to toc 4 c points Now they have bave decided that it itis itIs is 18 worth only 3 points They argue from the standpoint that a touchdown l Is 18 at least equal to two field goals and that the latter method of scoring places a premium on chance On the other hand the advocates of the kicking game claim that the chief criticism cism clam against the field goals comes from rom those teams which persistently perl neglect this method of scoring For instance Glenn Warner of the Carlisle Carll le Indians in hi insists slats with g good reason rn that the field fil goal gol kicking is III something that can cn be de do developed de with the as a other scoring Iring devices device devic and that If other colleges collee col e would woul devote vote more mor attention to coaching men for goal kicking no DO team would have an undue o advantage There Tee is no doubt that the kicking advant game Is 18 sadly sly neglected Indeed Inde it would be b gme pertinent to ask if it i Ute the committee would not be 0 doing don the game gme a service if it increased rather than de tie decreased creased arc the value Ince of the field feld goal gl Better Beter for fol Defense No student of the th game ga can n have any anything a an thing but praise for the action acton of the rule pral makers in giving Iving the defending side the tb option of t a a kick out or putting the ball ballIn In play by scrimmage e on 01 its is yard ard line lne A single instance of the injustice injustice tice tic of the old rule compelling the kick out will Illustrate the improvement this change cha 1 will wl make mae In the game e between Pennsylvania Pen and Cornell Cornel in tn 1906 a very strong wind was sweeping down don the field fiel Just before the wa close of oC the game Cornell Corl worked the ball cos down inside Pennsylva l bl tow nias line Une and was wal held for fo downs down Pennsylvania Penn was obliged to t kick from behind the goal gol posts and an In the face of a young cyclone As was wa to have been n expected the kick went but a few yards yarda In fact fad going out of o bounds on the five yard line hines gin Once On more inure Cornell Cornel was held hl and again lne Pennsylvania had ha to kick The Tue ant result was w precisely the same the ball bl being kicked out of o bounds bunds once more on the line In Thus the PennsylvanIans Pennsylvania had ha absolutely no chance to extricate themselves It so 8 happened that the game ended Just Ju t then gme neither side having scored or Any Anyone one who has witnessed many games will recall rel instances in which the game wi side off with the aid al of the wind or an ai a exceptionally strong kiCKer has hu been able to kick the ball bl over Oer the goal line This play robs rob the defending side gl of Ine a chance to properly protect it itself Itself self for it i cance gives the team tea that tat should hould have hav been on the defensive an opportunity I ity to run back the kick off and anti put the ball bl in I play by scrimmage within striking strikIng I ing Ig distance of the opponents goal got It Italo also alo takes tak away from the offending side able the opportunity to make a fair catch and then kick a goal gol from field The purpose of ot the committee comit in fixing a zone pr within which an end must stand to be b eligible to receive the forward forwar puss pass is for the benefit of the officials There have been numerous instances in h touchdowns have been disallowed because the officials did not agree agre as a IB to t the po position alden of an end ed in taking the forward pass Pa Inasmuch as B it I will wi not always be bean bean bean an easy ey matter for the official to deter determine mine mie just what is the position of oC the end there will wil probably be some som conflicts of opinion about abut it but the new ne rule will wi reduce ruc them greatly Although the committee hd baa ha been quick enough to make such Buch changes chaDa in the therle rules as will wi simplify the work wok of the officials they have been extremely slow to make mke changes to benefit the spectators A case c in point is their refusal to pass passa a rule compelling the players to be num numbered ps bored bere according to their positions The principal benefit to be b derived derive from such sucha a system would be that the spectators by reference to their programs would be beable b beable able to Identify their players plyer Nowadays it is virtually impossible for forone forone forone one in the stands Band to recognise roh his own brother in helmet headgear and the other habiliments of modern football This is the system that is i followed in England where wh sym the uniforms are extremely simple and there is l consequently much greater reason rean for such h a system in this country |