New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-21
ON THE GRIDlRON.
SEASON TO BE EXCITING.
Nezc Football Rules Should Make
Things Interesting.

their work (too well finished it in many cases. ii
is to be feared and the administers have already
begun to take over the squads for daily work pre-
pnratory to the great pgskn battles Of the
yea- Only the recruiting sergcants and the
driIlrnasters make even reasonably fair
guess as to the quality OF the seasons material.
and even they are frequently likely to err be-
Ii is consequently impossible to hazard the parest
the season Of 1903. For several reasons, howeNer,
it more than likely that the season now now
Interesting in the history of the game
First and foremost Of these reasons come the
radical changes made in the playing rules by the
rules committee This committee is made up OF
Paul Dashiell famous umpire and referee
John c. Bell. l.. VI. Dennis. X. D. Wrenn. Harvard
famous quarterback: ]. B. Fine. and Walter Camp
for many years Yale's principal football adviser.
1t may therefore be safely assumed that the alteTa
tons agreed upon are the result OF the 9es' oTas
biIity OF the changes now conceded that they nave
agftation on the part of those who believed that
adherence to the old conditions was bound 10 orlhS
even the ultimate death. of the sport. The commit
tee has also been influenced In its work by scores
of suggestions made for its benefit by those closest
identified with the success Of the game in derent
parts of the country.
OF course. the chief Indictment OF the style of
game developed In the last half dozen years has
been its tendency to eliminate to large extent
the so-called open game The arguments OF those
who clamored for The open game were two The
first that the prepOnderance OF mass plays
to which largest teams have recently been
running injured the game from the spectacular
Point Of view. II urged that IL was not a
particularly interesting sight to twenty-five
men lined up pushing against one another until the
superior weight and strength OF one eleven toppled
II over upon the other. The second was that the
mass plays resulted in many more or less
serious injuries to the players not to justify its
continuance. These arguments. potent enough TO
start with, gained more strength from iteration
until even the most obstinate were brought 10 see
that they must be Needed and needed they have
been However. the mass play" has not been
entirely abandoned. There has resulted. In the
words Of the committee. the adoption or suGh a
that npan sfye 81 play desired by so many Since
however it was impossible to predict the Character
OF the play that might result under any specific
il desirable to retain the old style of play within
each OF the 25yard lines SO that football experts
styles Of PLAY slide sg s a b %na effects Of thee
changes to serve as a guide In further action for
In other words. it is an experimental season that
is now drawing on. That It will be OF more than
usual interest from the tactical point OF view
admits of no doubt The chief means chosen for
enforcing open play is the adoption of rule pro-
viding that must be I'm the line until the
ball IS snapped back. This. of course. within the
limits already noted. sounds the death knell Of
the guards back" and tackles back formations
to which so much objection has rightly been raised
Just how the coaches will go TO work to provide
substitute formations for advancing the ball re-
mains he seen. but 1t is sure that many surprises
are i'm store and that there will be more strategic
activity on the gridiron than for many season.
The result ought TO be the development OF a game
that will put of premium upon agility and
skill than upon strength and weight If this hap
pens lasting good and great advance in the
progress of A fine sport will have been achieved
or course the old mass plays will be still in
force between the 25-yard lines and the goals, and
the captains of the heavier teams may within those
limits to their old. hammering. unpcturesque
tactics. but If the announcement or the open
game is justified by the seasons play we may
reaso bly, expect IL extended In 1904 to all
parts Of the field. To such conclusion indeed.
the committee has. by implication. pledged Itself
What will be the result OF these changes upon
the contests of 1903? This IS the question that
naturally suggests itself and which is giving great
concern to every coach I'm the country. Only the
future can 1t satisfactorily, but certain
resultant tendency may be predicted. For some
reason other the smaller colleges generally have
much difficulty in getting together team OF heavy
Under these amended rules they DO not need
weight badly The deduction is that they VIII
this year be able to give the eevCnS OF the big
COLLEGES a much better run for their money
Princeton. too. ought to look forward with more
than usual hope to her game with Yale, FOR she IS
generally able develop fast. snappy agile players
comparatively deficient in weight and strength 1t
looks II IL to be a season OF great advance
I'm strategy. and the public that pays for the sport
almost get its moneys worth to a degree
far greater than common. Meantime, the checker
'O''u '''''o''''' CIV THE UMPIRE
H4BV4 Ard OUTLOOK POOR.