The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-18
mo CHANGE NEEDED
Most Old Football Players Are Salts
fed With the Present Style
of Game.
No Great Local Sentiment in Favor
of the Elimination of the
Mass Play.

E,.,y fall the cry is raised in certain
7 quarters that the game of football must
j. be ra ideally revised. to make 1t more IN
teresting to the spectators. ana less
DANGEROUS to the players. The much oe
= cried but successful mass play IS the great
buebear of those who would reform the
game. It is pointed out that the. mass
p!ay especially and the line buck1ng game
IN General, is uninteresting to the main
body of the rooters, and that it results IN
the Gripping of large number OF play
ers annually.
Nor is such criticism confined to spec
d tators who are ignorant of the finer polnts
of the game. So well known an authority
as Caspar Whitney asserted last WINTER
at the close of the football season. that
some radical reform was necessary 10
abolish the mass formations whose sue
cess depended upon hammerlng the play
ers of the opposing side into helplessness.
Whitney averred that to eliminate the
mass play it must be made unprohtaole,
and to accomplish this result he suggested
that the number of downs allowed for a
Aye-yard gain be reduced to two, or that
the distance to be gained be increased to
ten yards.
Might Not Improve the Game.
Either of these two plans would I'M
ouestionably make the kicking game more
popular. and render mass plays less Ger
tain Of result. That they would improve
the game, however, Is not so certain. IN
der the present rules a team whose play
ers lack beef can make showing against
heavier and more powerful elevens by su-
perior speed, while a team which lacks
sprinters can often employ the close for
nation, line bucking game, with success.
A change which eliminated mass plays
would render the game less varied and
hence less scientific, although possibly
the rules could be revised so as to bring
the running game into greater favor with
coaches, without altogether doing away
with mass plays.
A game in which end runs and kicking
predominant Is more spectacular, and
more interesting to the average spectator
of football game, for the ordinary root
er cannot appreciate the team work and
scientific play which make consistent line
buckins possible. To the man we'll versed
In the fine points of the modern game,
however, the mass play Is fully as inter-
esting as an end run. He sees and appre-
ciates the work done by other members of
the team to assist the man who carries
the ball.
Several old football players and other
experts this week expressed their views
upon the subject Of a possible revision of
the game the majority holding that there
was no crying need for change George
K Belden the veteran Minnesota back,
said:
Would Be a Retrocesslon.
1.-THE elimination Of mass plays would,
In my Judgment, put the game back where
1t was ten years ago. The game Of to-day
Is an advance over the old contest in
which end runs and kicking predomina ted
Line bucking Is a more scientific style of
play and demands a hi her e order of
teamwork. Eliminate LID bucking and
mass plays, and the line n.en would have
nothing to do save to hold their oppo-
nents, or break through when the other
side had the ball.
"a material change could be made only
by a change in the rules prohibiting GER
tain plays. I think there is no immed-
late need Of change. I believe there
would be more injuries if the running
game predominated than there are now.
Running in the open a player is likely to
sustain a severe injury when he is tack
led, while In mass play the men are often
bruised and battered, but seldom badly
hurt. I think the rooters generally are
satisfied with the present game. 1t GER
tainly affords more opportunities fo1
heady, tricky play, than If certain styles
Of play were eliminated"
William G. Leary, captain Of two cham
pionship Minnesota teams, thought there
was no immediate need for a radical
change in the rules, although he predicted
gradual evolution Of the game which
might bring the running game more into
prominence. He said:
1.-THE open game Is more interesting tC
the casual spectator, who does not appre.
ciate the fine points of the play. Nc
changes in the rules are needed to make
1t possible, but radical changes are nee.
essary to make 1t imperative. The tend.
ency is in that direction.
Consider Wishes Of Spectators.
The wishes of the spectators should
be considered to a certain extent by foot.
ban arrangements and coaches. The mar
who pays 81 or $3.50 to see a game is en-.
titled to be given what he wants tt
the student Of football and the old player
however, mass plays are highly interest
Ing. The veteran appreciates good work
which would be overlooked by the casua
spectator, who sees only the man carry
ing the ball.
"A heavy, slow team cannot play the
open game, and a change making the run
ming game imperative would place man,
teams at a disadvantage and make tn,
championship races less uncertain ant
less interesting. Under the present rules
neither style of play has decided advant
age. and In a contest between a ligh
team playing the open game, and
heavy eleven using mass plays, the re
SUN SIMPLY oSpoiloS upOu Tic perfection
either team shows in it's own style o
game. Changes which would eliminate
mass play and compel the adoption 0
the open game would necessarily be radi
cal and make practically a new game
Whether the new game would be an i'm
1rovement upon the old is very doubt
full
Professor Conway Mcmillan Of the stat
university predicted a gradual evolution
OF the game toward more open play, bu
believed that the game finally would com
to resemble the English Rugby, rattle
than the present running and kickin,
game as practiced by some American col
lege teams. He said:
THE English game Is, in my opinion
further advanced in point of science tina,
the American, and believe the tendenc,
in the future will be toward the Englisl
style. In the British game there are NJ
downs called, play keeping up without in
Permission during the whole period. NJ
time Is allowed to substitute new men
If a player is hurt he either keeps OF
playing, or his team is shy a man for tn
rest Of the. game. Long passes, run
through broken fields, kicking and othe
features commonly styled .open play al
are seen in the English game, which i
much more interesting to the spectacle
than the American game, and also NOR
scientific. I think the Americans will
initiate the British style of play in time
although do not know what the inter
mediate steps will be-