The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-01-29
NEW RULES TALK.
East and West Preparing to Come to

East and West Preparing to Come to
 an Agreement-What Stagg Says.
 In spite of the fact that Prof. Stagg of the University of Chicago and Prof. Everett of the University of Illinois took the trouble to draft new set of football rules, it appears that the re- forms suggested by these men have not been favorabiy received by certain in- stitutions in the west The Uniersity of Wisconsin has signified it's intention to follow the expected forms of the regular football rules committee that will meet at the University A. c. here on February 19. The northwestern university is also in favor of waiting for the eastern experts to makes rules. At Evanston it is said that the changes suggested by Stagg and Everett will not benefit the game, except in minor details. The rules against mass plays are neutralized by exceptions which permit the very thing the committee sought to eliminate, and it is claimed that the changes of injury are not ma- terially lessened. The rule, which per- mits two rush line men to stand be- hind the lines outside of the circumfer- ence of the scrimmage, is regarded as a practical encouragement of mass plays. It Is claimed further that the rule in this instance can be be evaded by small artifces. It provides that if five men besides the quarterback are behind the line, two of them must clear ly play outside of the positions occu- pied by the players at the end of the
 line. An exception is made in the case
 of a lineup for kick, when, if the ball is fumbled, a player may take it and go forward, even if the entire team be be-
 hind it. This leaves the most danger ous form of mass play still permissi-
 ble, and pretended tumble at any time
 would render the play possible. Stagg says, in commenting on this change:
 "In the old rule there was described an imaginary quadrangle which for one dimension had five men on a line, and for the other a line five yards long drawn back from the ends of the line
 as it stood. By the old rule, inside this quadrangle there could be the quarter back and four other players arranged into any formation, while another play CT could be placed anywhere outside oi the quadrangle. This made it practi- cally possible to mass six men on any point in the line, and in several forma- | tions this was done with injury to the | players. Tn the new rules no more thar l three men and the quarterback are allowed to be directly behind the line | Five men must be on the line, and the other two can be played anywhere SC long as they are clearly outside of tht men on the end of the line This does
 not, nor was it intended to do away with the guards back interference ot l Pennsylvania, but it does weaken il and make it less dangerous"
 As has been stated, the football rule: l committee, representing the big easterr 1 universities, might do well to make l Stagg a regular enber representing l the west, and in that manner harmon ize the various reforms that have beer 1 suggested both in the east and the west
 Yale men will favor this idea. for the, | know well enough that Stagg is wei informed in football matters. Tn hi l western college reforms Stagg Ina! | shown undoubted competency, ant
 from his ideas and suggestions tn,
 eastern experts may derive some ben 1 eft.