| Show Punt and Punch Make an Unbeatable Football Combination Eddie Mahan I u Says BY EDWARD W. W MAHAN LL team I Hint that la Is In punts punt it Ii n fl ii d punch Cal CHII win about Aboul any game ganse that It engages engage In R The L basis I of fe feI play I after all Is the I punt The e ex exchange cx- cx change of kicks continues almost I from flom the tue first two t minutes of play to toI those points point the last hUit minute Between I of time the ball has hae doubtless been worked Into such a position that n a touchdown can be made and anti that is when the punch Is III needed Punts lunts and punch make an unbeatable A team may not make a a. success or of because It has a very fong rong punter however There la lit laa lita Isa a desirable combination of playing ox- ox that Is required to weld a foo foot foot- ball bali eleven Into a polished proposition A man who can an kick sixty yards consistently consistently consist consist- may his own ends and permit permit per per- mit It the e opposition to gain more 10 In t the r runback than if IC the h kicks ere acre traveling only forty ards yards Then th-re th Is le a necessity for tor a punter who can send Isis his kicks t to spots In the gridiron where h rt It Is most t difficult for the e to get them And again of course it Is to be bc desired that a punter give Ive a disconcert disconcerting ing twist to a ball as It leaves his toot foot In order to make It harder to catch The team with the bu superior punter does doell not always win but It ought to If IC the tile teams team's general uses his head and gets ets the most value out of ot the circumstance that he has the better kicker A Quarterback quarterback quarterback who hasn't the highest understanding understanding under under- standing of the fine points of ot football can let the efforts of the craftiest and most skilful punter g go to waste And on the other hand a R. clever general can canet ret et et every Inch of advantage even when ills ide own kicker is being outdistanced If lie he calls for tor kicks when the time Is best belt sui suited led Punt Basis nasis of PlaY Play When I say that the tile punt is the basis of ot play m my assertion may be miscon miscon- It Tt is not the basis of play in that it does not count in points But Dut consider what a game football would be without punting Ima Imagine lne two good college college col cot lege teams battling with each other with- with out being able to resort to a punt They would simply maul each other In trying to push the ball against hostile linemen and the game would develop Into a short ft parade te rte between ia nf the e ew yard 35 ti ar lines 1 espo very likely It certainly w would take k a powerful power power- ful Cui UI offensive team to score a touchdown without the aid of ot a timely punt now and then Since the punt does not count in the r. r points scored for It hardly can be called Il Ilu u the 1 lIt Ia I Iten effect t. t But t it Is In nine cases s out t of often often ten the cause of a touchdown The strongest offensive teams team ao no not rely on their skilled line buckers and run end ners to carry the ball bail the length of the for tor a touchdown but instead they use the punt as the preliminary and paramount manoeuvre Te by which to get In place for or opening a real drive toward the enemy's goal line Watch a Harvard football team in its manoeuvres Suppose the Harvard eleven receives the kickoff It will try a rush I I probably and then put Soon the punt will wll be returned There will be very little lit littie little lit lit- tle tie doing in all probability until the Harvard lIar Har yard vard team gets the ball in Its possession over the middle line of the gridiron In Instantly Instantly In- In the tactics change When I the ball is within fifty yards ards of ot the enemy's last white line Harvard opens up Its offensive of of- ot- ot f drive This procedure does not I lead to a a. touchdown always but It may bring the ball within scoring distance by the kick drop-kick method which Is half halt as good But as soon as the drive has been stopped the Harvard team will toy along along- with the opposition so long as the hail ball Is in Its own territory waiting for tor forthe the tho moment when again Harvard will wIlt have the ball In the enemy's territory o Then the drive Is started once more The chart of any big bis game came will show that the teams Just manoeuvre for an opening to get the ball bait into the enemy's territory and then driving tac mac tics and the punt Is the means of carryIng carryIng carry- carry Ing lag on the tile manoeuvring It must be taken taken tak talc en for tor granted ranted of at course that there are areno areno no breaks In the game As soon span as a break comes comell such as all a fumbled tumbled punt which the kicking side Bide recovers the toyIng toy toy- toying ing tactics are abandoned and the rush for tor the goal line ensues The side that punts the ball always has the hope that the opposing back will drop the kick and players should be trained to be ready for tor a fumbled tumbled punt even If It one occurs only once out of ot fifty chances s. s Up to the Quarter It Is for tor the quarterback to watch the sidelines constantly and see if his own punter is gaining ground or Is being out- out kicked It is very easy for tor spectators fh the stands to watch the length of ot punts and Judge accurately accurate the distance gained 1 in an exchange but it Is not so easy to learn that much from th the gridiron Itself I Explains How and When to Use the Punt I II Io II r o I I I I 1 4 Only a close scrutiny of the figures at the ends of ot the cross marks can indicate to a quarterback how much his kicks are ing or losing Probably the tensest second for a football football foot toot ball player is that in which he lie is about to catch a punt He knows that within a fe few v yards of him there are are- hostile players bounding down on him ready to tackle him hint as soon as he makes Sits his catch And he ho knows ills Mis may 1 be bt that if It he drops the punt chances of ot recovering it will be 1 than his provided they are anywhere near him Every player however steeled his Ills nerve may be be experiences that tear in a instant as the ball sails to toward toward toward to- to ward him It is a a. point on which ani op opposing op- op posing ng t team earn will press a a. man Suppose your team teem punts to the enemy from around Us its own yard 30 line and the opposing back fumbles near the center of ot tho field allowing one of your own men mento mento mento to recover It Is not good policy for your team to o begin I Its d drive then even et etaW ab J if fo tile tHe ball bail aW I is a little bit t over the middle mark marl In Inimical territory At that In Instant Instant instant In- In stant the opposition should be nettled by what has hos happened and the quarterback on your team should at once call for tor another another another an an- other kick to be directed at the same man who ho has just fumbled the first punt He may so ruffled over his first error that he will mako make another blunder If he muffs the tho ball this time and your our t team m recovers the ball will be well ell within scoring distance and It Is then time to commence the allied drive V When hen a bad break In tn luck has a team temporarily demoralized de de- de- de moralized It is the most advisable thing to keep plugging at the weak spot until you ou see that all the opponents have re recovered recovered recovered re- re covered their composure A Crisis It Is one of tho the tenets of the Haughton system to play fast tast when you have bave your opponents on the run and slowly when i gaining I ground comes e eh h hard I suppose f l erf nga t this idea Is based on n psychology hO o but whether it is 15 or not I know that It U works well When the enemy weakens I we always vi sd ed to plug him hard One EDDIE MAHAN I Famous Harvard star who writes ex exclusive exclusively ex- ex I y for f this department blow after another would usually be too hard for tor a 1 team to sustain however game and dogged the men were When adversity comes in bunches the weaker team gives In more readily They dont don't have time to recover themselves and they are bewildered It is good Judgment judgment judgment Judg judg- ment to open up a variety of plays plas when the opponents are dazed for Cor or variety will surely ly Increase their dizziness When gaining ground becomes hard It ItIs ItIs Is tool foolhardy hard to run the offensive plays speedily and go up against a stone wallon wallon wall wallon on every try Then is the time for tor the team with the ball to slow up to look over the defensive enemy and perhaps see a weak spot A brief wait walt may al allow allow atlow at- at low a Q team to get its breath and then go In for a supreme effort There Is one more contingency enc when It Is good policy to play slowly If your team Is ahead b bv bi a small margin and there is only a short time left to pia play your our team wants to handle the bail ball care care- full fully Play as slowly as you can without without with with- out delaying t the game avoid plays I In I eng mS which v there is even a slight chance for r a fumble Cumbie and do everything accurately ata at ata ata a sacrifice to speed This idea holds good I ever even when you have the enemy on I run One more i touchdown will do you no particular good if Jt you are already ahead and In your our zeal to run up a score I In the last few tew minutes you may make I a misplay that will allow some lucky opI op op- op I to pick up the ball bail and race un unexpectedly unexpectedly unexpectedly un- un expectedly for tor a touchdown that may tie or even defeat you IOU Change Attack Again suppose you are ahead by a s slight margin have only a few more minutes to play and you OU are force to I punt from behind your own goal line Here is a crisis A blocked kick will probably defeat you A punt that falls too short may permit a free tree chance at a placement kick which will defeat you ou If It you happen to be the punter who is placed In this squeamish position it Is Isu I up u to you to use good Judgment aVd abd L quickly If you are Just three points ahead In the score and you ou see the ends pressing you closely closely- as you ou are about to I kick it would be better for you to make a safety and present your opponents with I two points rather than risk making a hurried put that might lead to a free place kick with the three points ahead L before the safety yOU jou are one point ahead I after it has been made you OU have haye used up a minute or so of or valuable time and you have f first down O on our own yard 20 line i with plenty t of r chance to play slow slow- I ly Iy waste time and advance the ball tr front from dangerous f territory t rl As I intimated t above the e long distance punter is not always the most moat desirable Long distance alone means nothing A pair pall of ot slow ends or even fairly fast ones can be giving the opponents op opponents op- op a chance to run back the punt every time there is a kick In a trying Irvine I time time a punter who can boot the bail to some spot in the gridiron where the opposing op opposing op- op posing backs must wait for tOr It to bound your ends to V c cover cover It at th the same name time Is I more valuable than a punt punt- i I er fOr who tin cin III lIn send l the th lull hall soaring In a straight are art for fos' OJ 11 sixty I five ni gIrds ls During my rm period 1101 of ln j on use the ard varsity train I slid con II punting If H It IN is n ii trying Irving moment mOll when a n. back In is al about 10 to catch n a punt I can also allO assort that It 1 IH is trying when you ou ar arg about to get off a u kick with the Ihl op opposing op op- posing linemen crashing In on you ou After Home some P. P practice I made elt Immune from tIle tho efre fear o of a blocked 1 kick The usually 8 I Ia f kc he heTo To excellent Interference t that the other he Har ITar Harvard a and vard Id I'd players gave their kicker made mad it easier for me of course but even then there w wr were re many times hInes when a lineman came within an inch of blocking n m kick On a Rainy Day I discovered red that a well placed kick goes oe from fifteen to thirty yards tart further farther her than a hurried kick so 80 I resolved to take m my time ab about ut kicking In addition taking my time allowed my ends to geta get t a start down the field It came nl about out that I would hold hol holthe the ball until the last lant possible Instant then Instant then kick It The rule forbidding linemen from roughing the kicker helps a lot of cow course but even then I was sometimes bowled over ac accidental accidentally accidentally ac- ac by opposing men who couldn't stop atop themselves even after I had got awa away the punt If Jr the opposing linemen pressed me mehard mehard hard I would sometimes tube fake a punt walt wait until the tile ends were almost 1 upon ne and antI then rush around on the outside outside outside out out- side of the end who was Wl coming at me hardest This Tills play idal can call be tried by any punter punier provided It Is In not the last down There were several times on fourth down when the pass was poor or the chance of ot making a clean cleats kick was out of the question question ques ques- tion lion when I faked a 1 kick and then ran around the end for tor a gain but It Is not worth taking a 0 chance on OJ when the play Is fourth down clown I have found that a Il punter should safeguard safeguard safe safe- guard himself and antI Ills his kicks by br always I being at least fifteen yards yarda from the sidelines when he reels off a It punt It IsI is advisable to get fifteen yards awn away even I though a down Is wasted to get inlo Into that position When n a I. I kicker takes his lila position near the sidelines an opposing I end will often take a chance chane and anti cut cutI straight In to block bIonIc the kick Unless a I punter Is 18 absolutely sure that the opposing ing ends will be taken care of b by his own men he lie should not try a kick from tram a point near the sidelines The wind counts heavily In punting and here hern again the quarterback must have his Ills brain working all the time I your our side is in possession of ot the ball and it becomes necessary to kick kicki against I the wind d the quarter should l u p play i S for a lull In n the wind i and then let t tp the punter get it away quickly while th t the draft Is dormant Sometimes Sometime It will be beto beto beto to a teams team's advantage to kick a down earlier than usual In order to catch the I wind when It Is blowing at its weal weakest est On a rainy day when the tile ball is soggy all t the players are r aware r of the fact that f le let tir tiro oo r the ball bail will not o travel r so far when It Is kicked and they play accordingly But a crafty kicker can place his punts so that I the opposing backs with SIl slippery ry footIng footing foot foot- ing lug cannot succeed In reaching the punt until after It has bounded again This will give your own ends a chance to get down Iown The opponents cant can't handle a slippery slippery slip slip- pery ball with the same accuracy as when it is dry and on a fumble your chances of recovering will be Improved Take Your Time I I becomes a difficult proposition proposition prop prop- on a rainy day The ground is Js I soggy and the ball will wll not bounce off ott the ground as it would do on dry turf The result is that a kicker drop-kicker is likely likely like like- ly to kick the ball straight ahead where it Jt may hit one of his own linemen and bound back instead of at making a drop- drop kick A kick lc from placement has a much better chance hance to succeed on a rainy day daythan daythan than a kick drop When the other side is punting there I are a few r rules to o obey beyond those f eYs eU dictated by |
