New-York tribune., 1900-10-07
ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
LEADING ELEvENs GETTING INTO FORM
CHANGES IN THE RULES-A
GENERAL OUTLOOK.

The mob Of football candidates on all the lead
ing gridirons has been weeded out and sifted
down rapidly in the last week. and it IS now
becoming possible TO size up the chief features
Of the work among the big elevens. Whole con-
stellations Of alleged stars have set, never to
rise again. while few real planets are beginning
10 glimmer above the horizon, and some are
likely 10 make a brilliant showing in the foot
bail world this season.
As he's been indicated II one or two special
dispatches TO The Tribune, the tendency on the
part Of even the leading candidates is at this
time of the season to show up their individual
merits 20 the coaches rather than 10 strive for
team play This viii not last long. however, and
with hard driving and pounding each individual
player must soon give way and work for the
team play which is absolutely essential One
point which the coaches without exception, are
trying 10 hammer into the rushers this season is
the disaster Of offside play. Games have been
Won and lost by leading teams owing to the
irTraction Of the technical rules on ofside play,
and the coaches are beginning to realize that
there is no point that they should instI earlier
into their pupils on this same subject OF Off
side play there has been slight change in the
rules this season TO the effect that the penalty
shall be simply ten yards lost to either side that
breaks the rule. Formerly il was arranged that
this has been changed as just described. An
other change in the rules distinctly 10 be COM
nended is that providing for loss of ten yards
70 the eleven which permits any coaching from
the side lines. Last season side line coaching
was highly disagreeable aspect Of the whole
season, and considerably marred its brilliancy.
Side lire coaching was especially noticeable in
one or two Of the games in which Columbia took
part, and also on the part of some Princeton
players at New-Haven. Some Yale men de-
clared that the Tigers could not have won the
game had It not been for the help they received
from side line coaching. That, Of course. is not
the case: but, at any rate, ii was distinctly
evil which called for sharp remedy. No other
changes Of material consequence have been made
3n the rules since last year, when it was found
that the changes Of the year before, the method
pf scoring, etc, worked well.
A WEAK LINE AT HARVARD
In another weeks time all Of the leading
elevens will have some good. stiff practice games
on their hands. and not until then will it be
possible to get a real line upon what their later
fern will be. At the same time there has been
enough practice to indicate the worth Of many
candidates and the strong and weak points Of
the leading teams. Harvards eleven is clearly
81 q more chaotic state than Yale, Princeton or
Pennsylvania, and, compared TO the Harvard
team OF q year ago this time, the Crimson is in
a poor way. Il IS perfectly plain what the
trouble is this season j is a lack of high class
material for the Crimson rush line. All the con-
5Csion. weak work and feeble efforts that have
marked the Harvard team this year can be
boiled down 10 the one weakness Of very ordi-
nary rush line material Harvard's strong de-
fence has crumbed away with the loss Of all
three centre men, and it viii be a wonderful
centre OF Farvard's line this year. Burnett the
doughty centre rush Of last year, is perfectly
fl, but conditions prevent his playing While
I5oal one OF the best guards that ever wore a
Harvard uniform, may be prevailed upon TO
come out, he is in the Law School, the
chances are II viii be necessary TO i'll his boots.
T5e same, Of course. Is the case with the guard
skip left vacant by the graduation Of Captain
Burden. There are a lot Of big, husky chaps