Show WOODRUFF ON FOOTBALL I ExFcnnsylvania Coach Gives a Point or Two of Value in Rules I Pursuant to my promise to take up tho question of certain rules I would like to begin with the lb decision which caused BO much dUcusolon In 1 tho ChlcagoNorth western game Tho play wa as follows Northwestern kicked l thrt bull over Chicagos goal line I had done this before In the game and each limo Sheldon had calM the hail down behind his own goal line thus bal Inc king a touchdown Ho had done thlo In away a-way which though not required by rule waa marked He had picked up the ball carried It toward tho purple ends wlto were charging down upon him for a Hti p or two and then Pointedly touched tho bal to the ground with both hands jirob ably Baying Down nt the ame Trol I Hay thIs was not required by the rules becauBo a ball need not be placed on tho ground in order to be down Either the mnn In pousoijrlon of tho ball muat call Down or tho referee must rut bal cal down for him The referee uauallv uul thIs by blowing his ual whlatlo hut niuy do BO cither by word of mouth or by l a de cision In his own mind Them are times yhon It IK the I duly of the referee la tm Jti i clara the ball down Such TclrCo Lmo la I when the runner has been tackled and the pro gross of the bal definitely stopped Much more so when the runner fairly Krnsped b y his opponents Is being carried backward back-ward or when he Is In n cramped I posh l ton and thoro will be no danger to him personally If his opponents are not plopped In fact the best rtilo I know for a rpfereo to follow Is to decide the ball down at any lime when tho runnor IR tackled and atlll has tho ball In possession posses-sion but stands more chance of loss of round or of the hall than ho docs of ma icing moro ground by wrenching away or by being helped forward by his opponents oPlonenlB Under such circumstances tho rofcren may not bo able to make his whistle go or his volcci heard and the runner may bo dragged backward or may IOHO the ball The referee should neverthelejg give tho ball down for tho runner whoro he decided de-cided It In the above case It Iu the referees duty to declare tho bail down whether the run ior says anything or not but there are cases In which I would bo not only I un just but iv usurpation of power for the officIal to declare the bull down For Instance In-stance 1 team Is playing a trick play Toko the delayed pass for example In this play tho quarterback pretends to pass tho bal to ono runner who plunges ahead with tho bulk of tho Interference The quarter meantime holds tho bill rnorp or less concealed the moro the bet ter until tho defending team hap Its ac tlvliles fully engaged trying to stop tho supposed play Having delayed the pass In this manner tho quarter now gives the bRI to anothQr player to plunge the line In another part or to go around the I enl Suppose the referee should blow his whls tlo bccauso ho saw the quarter standing still with tho ball Ho I would defeat tho play and do ao without a shadow of right rlll since tho man In possession of the hal has not been tackled and the progress of ho ball has not been otoppod prOlIIS9 balls ball-s standing still hut mere cessation bal notion cannot bo called stoppage of progress pro-gress In any commonsetiHu way rot another example of I time when the lmc referee has no rIght to declare the ball dead Is the ono directly under discussion Sheldon had markedly mado ono or more touchback Tho purple players took It for granted that he would continue to do cOltnu ao every tlmo the hal was kicked across tho peal line Therefore when the bal rolled behind the gosh they did not continUe contin-Ue to rush after Sheldon and compel 1 him to say down or he tackled Notlclm that 10 opponents were In his way Sheldon properly ran or walked the ball out Into tho Held and was finally tackled at mld field The referee mado him take a touchback touch-back nevertheless Such decision leR a dfclslon was manifestly wrong because tho ball had not been downed by the man in possession of It and the referee surely could not de and clnro held It down until the runnor was tackled Il happened that a similar play occurred In the WlsconslnBelolt Ram on the same day I was referee In that game and was embarrassed by tho fact that toward the end of the frame when Belolt was grow lag careless the players of that team took It for grantedthat I touchback had been made whercns the Wisconsin player In possession of the bal was merely holdIng hold-Ing I uncertain what to do I waited for him to act and was compelled to ask him whether ho wanted tho hull down before his wits came to his rescue I didnt take him long to decide that ho didnt want the ball down but preferred to make a run especially at a tlmo when his opponents wore Inviting him to do no He ran to uldflcld BeloIt tried to object but could find no reason for objection AH dlffloully with regard to this play can bo removed by remembering that to be behind a goal lino wIUi 0 ball In not different dif-ferent In the eyes of the rules from beIng In tho field of play You may run with tIme ball kick It pass It to another of your own side or call U down Your opponents oppon-ents are Just as much obliged to tackle you to get the ball down behind Limo line as in the Held Suppose a fullback caught n punted ball In the field of play and walked with It or even stood atlll without making It a all catch Then suppose the opponents made no attempt to atop him because he was walking or because ho stood ntlll for awhile In such n cam no body would think that tho referee must call the ball down or that the defending ceCcndlnf team could complain because ground was gained Chlcagoi Tribune |