The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-11-09
What q tumble or Wild Pass BY
the QUARTER Back May
Mean.
Tho Manner In which Signals arc Given
styles Of Passing tho BALI
The Wings.
Written for THE HELENA INDEPENDENTLY

back, and he il expected to receive 10 undel
i'll conditions, coming fast or slow, with 4
bound or not, straight or crooked, for the
ball Ia in play ~ soOn a. the csnter passes
and he must deliver il to . third person
before a gain can be attempted. A tumble
Dr. q wild pass is q bad set back and maj
mean a touchdown and victory. a. it did in
he run which Dean, Of Harvard, made il
he Yale-Haryard game last year, whom he
broke through the Yale rush line at q most
ppportune time and Selling the ball. which
had been snapped back erookedly and FUN
pled. made his f%orty-yard dash and placed
he ball down behind the Yale goal.
In assuming the position for receiving the
ball the quarter-bac should stand ~ far
away from the center rusher AZ he can and
10 able to give him the signal conveniently
or swapping the ball. II he is careless on
his point he will every 10Y and then re-
beive q reminder from some long-armed
esnter rusher or guard, who will reach over
nd grab him before he has passed the ball.
remember seeing Victor Harding, of the
Harvard eleven. spring headlong over the
Yale center rusher and perform this very
eat at an exciting point in the Yale-Har-
YaIu K&Ul6 O1 4CCts j NO hlkn6A ~ tAO u
o be snapped is usually given by pressing
he thumb on the inside of the calf Of the
90. It used to be given much higher up,
ut q change of place was found necessary
n account Of the trickery OF opponents,
Who sometimes would reach over and give
he signal before the quarter back was in
sadinsss. This always resulted in either q
oss of ground or the ball.
The quarterback should never give his
brivate signal to tho center rusher for the
all until the captain has given the signal
or the play, and then only after he com
brehsnds it himself. In a we'll drilled eleven
ignalfor a play the moment 1t is given,
nd yet il is not a rare thing even in
important games for signals to be
mixed or the key numbers to be left out.
n that case the quarter back should not
ignal for the ball until the signal for the
Play is made plain OF q new n given. It
} now quite common to have the quarter
ack give the signals for the play whether
. liz captain or not.
There are three styles of passing a ball
sed by quarter backs. Hodge, the we'll
nown Princeton quarterback, was accus-
omed to use both hands in passing the
all. This insured accuracy. but placed
brown. Beecher, Yale's famous quarter
ack, used only one hand. In doing this
o swung his arm eidewise and forward,
ust below the level OF the shoulder, and
as able to pass a long distance with great
ccuracy. In his day long passes, which
+ the superior work of the end rushers,
Eere frequently made to the end rusher on
he side of the field.
Indeed, / remember seeing such a pass
nade in the first football contest l ever
Iitnessed. 1t was in the Yale-Princeton
.-.- - 600 ILL., .e,- sl.A l.
as very sk1llful in passing, was Yale's
uarter-back. l remember, too, how it
drilled me at a certain point in the game
khcn / was expecting the ball to be passed
b the hnlf-back. Terry. for a run Twombly
urned quickly and sent the ball full half
be width of the field to the end rusher,
no caught it on a run and went for forty |
ards down the field before he was stopped
" Princeton's full back. Dean, of Har-
ard, used still another style of passing.
ie pitched the ball underhand with an
asy, natural swing of the arm. The latter
lyle is tho quickest Of the three, for no
me is lost in raising the arm into a posi-
on for delivering the ball.
We turn now to the two wings, which are
ach made up of = tackle and IN end
usher. We will consider the position OF
ickle first. Perhaps We can get a better
lea of the style of men best suited for
mis- position by describing star players.
Z tnebc, Glii, u luis, Anu CoWan, OF
frinoeton, stand as ideal men in this posi-
on; while Rhodes, OF Yale. and Upton.
Harvard, follow closely after. In Gill
nd Cowan we also find perfect physical
~ualities for the position. Built about five
pet nine inches in height, weight from
20 to 175 pounds. deep, round bodies.
Rms and legs very large and heavily
luscled, swift runners, quick in movement,
ard, sure taeklers, good blockers, brilliant
miners with the ball, and withal possessing
n aptitude for the game with almost I'M
mited capacity for head work, they stand
nequaled in this position. Rhodes and
pton are lighter. weighing about 100
ounds, and are not 80 strongly put to-
ether. They are slightly quicker in their
Movements, possessing more fiery natures,
hich give to their tackling, especially
hen interfered with, q sort Of desperate
r~illianoy. They also were good gamers
18th tho ball. / think that it was true
both Of them q know it was true Of
nodes from playing alongside of him),
bat they possessed unconquerable wills on
10 foot ball field, and nover let up for a
Roment.
There, chen, in epitome, are tho qualities
fine tackle should possess. Emphasis ia
i'd upon q%uickness in getting through the
ne, sure talking, getting down the field
b u kick, and in running with the ball.
In breaking through the line the tackle
hould play far enough away from the
uard to insure his not getting tangled up
it'll him, for it is his duty on nearly all
ccasions to 60 through the lines as quickly
b possible for taokling. II ia q constant
uestion with him whether to 20 on the
aside or the outside of his opponent. That,
t course. should be affected somewhat by
he distance he is separated from the
bard, and whether he il able to compre-
end the play tho opponents are about to
AXE. II there ia a probability OF q play
Found his end, it would be exceedingly
angsrous to 20 on the inside Of his oppo-
|ent, for the tackle is chief assistant of the
I'D rusher on such a play. On the other
land, il the play ia through the center, he
hn be of the most service by going Though
b the inside.
The end rushers fill two OF the most i'm
brtant positions OF tho eleven as q rule,
pr they have the duty Of preventing the
Png runs of the game. It Ia m unusual
hing for a long run to be made through
pc line on account of the excellent sup-
|ort the rusherB have ,behind the limo; but
" n rusher once get round the end with
he or " interferers ahead of him, as is
kually the case on such runs, and he is
kelly to 20 q long distance down the field
nd not unusually make a touch down.
|or this reason tho end rusher must be a
me tnclilsr even in the face Of interior
hce, II for the same and other reasons
b should be a quick man and a fast rum
|er. At the same time the p~oaition requires
cautious, heady player TO know when to
his position for assisting iii another
art Of the field, and also just how to trent
biz interferers 10 that he cun tackle tho
hnher or give the tackle a chance to do no,
! ID not enough for the end rusher sim-
~ TO force the runner to 90 inside OF