Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-09-14
NEW FOOTBALL RULES.
From Thorn il Will be Hard to Predict
This Falls Plays.

mittee on rules. For few years the
rules have been allowed to crystalline
so that the coach and players have been
given an opportunity of building upon
q secure foundation certain methods of
rlay. which have from season to sea-
son been developed to higher degrees of
nerfection. The spectators had pro-
pressed in a remarkable manner in the
understanding of the final points of the
rules and play until ehey were very
nearly as keen as the officials in de-
tecting anything wrong with the CODE
and had become remarkably clever in
anpreciating the finer points and for
NATION plays, as well as the duties of
the individual players.
With it all had come, however, a de-
sire on the part of the spectators of the
football field, from their view in the
grand stands, to have the game simpli-
fed. and this element. combining with
those who had come to believe that
mass plays, so-called, were dangerous
n,oduced a party of protestants in ia
vor of another form of play and body
that must be listened to. whether any
| form of play can ever be devised IN
game involving such personal contact
| that shall be free from danger is de-
cidedly doubtful, but neither the parent
nor spectator can be more DESTROYS of
this than are the rulemakers and play
| ers.
| The rulemakers began their sessions
| in March, and after having collected
by mail a large number of plans of the
various followers of the sport and haV-
ing Succeeded in securing many sug-
gestions, went into session and con-
tinied their meetings as often as the
members could get together during a
period of some three months.
The resolutions passed at their first
meeting gave something of an idea OF
their position on the subject. They eX-
pressed the desire to make such altera-
tons as should render the criticism
less and to consider in detail the
propositions already submitted and any
new ones they might be offered. The
result of all these meetings was the
production of the football rules as they
stand for 1903. -
There are two views to be- taken of
these rules. The first IS that OF the
spectator and the second that of the
player This article puts before the
spectator the facts as to these rules
and the changes that he is liable to see
brought about by them. Another arti-
Gle will follow, taking the matter from
the standpoint of the players and coach.
In the first place the spectator as he
looks out on the field will see that its
middle section, that is. the Space
bounded by the two 25-yard lines, and
the side lines, is marked out likes q
za.z n
yard line to the goal line is gridiron,
DIS of old. The object of this marking.
as was the object of the five-yard lines
originally, is to assist the referee in
determining rapidly distances without
resort to a tape measure. The trans
verse lines throughout the field are to
indicate whether side has made the
necessary five yards in three attempts,
but the longitudinal lines used in. the
middle section are made necessary by
Va new rule
| 1t will be remembered that there was
q time i'm the history of the game when
the quarter back, that is, the man who
first receives the ball from, the snap
back in the scrimmage, could himself
| carry the ball forward. After some
years a law was made preventing the
quarterback from carrying the ball
forward beyond the line of scrimmage.
The new rule of 1868 gives him chance
once more of becoming runner with
the ball. He will, however, not be per-
mitted to plunge through the middle of
the line, but he must go at least five
yards out that is toward the ends of
the line, from the place where the ball
was snapped back.
With this marking it will not be a
difficult thing for the referee to decide
whether the player runs five yards out
or not Under this rule there may be
more or less dipute as to whether the
man soes far enough out. This would
be more liable to prove the case if the
quarterback was allowed to run with
the bail inside, that is, between the %
yard line and the goal. 1t is hardly
probable that there will be Il great
amount of dispute over this, provided
the quarter back runs out beyond the
tackle. This is, however, a weakness
of the rule, but it is hardly liable to
prove serious.
The spectators will soon have accus-
toned themselves to this checkerboard
effect At this point the spectator may
| expect 10 see llle payers DIS tueN COME
running upon the field present a COM
plete change of appearance from that of
/ former years. owing to the fact that
| there has been legislation regarding the
heavy armor. Some may even antc-
pate seeing the contestants appear upon
the gridiron, as lightly clad as a man on
| race track, or like the bare kneed
| English players In this the spectator
will be disappointed for while the rules
will be strictly enforced regarding the
protecting armor, it probably will not be
so markedly different in appearance
from that of the old. The heavy sole
leather helmet will probably he replaced
by soft leather with pneumatic cushions
with padding running around the top.
From the grand stands, however, the
appearance of the cap will not be far
different from that of the old.
The spectators, however. can rest as
sured that this season there will be no
hard or unyielding substance worn on
the players that is not so padded on the
outside as to render it harmless to other
players. 1t is hoped that quite a good
deal of this will be discarded.