The Washington times., 1904-12-25
DEVELOP NENT Of
GR|D|RON ATTACK
How the Modern Mass Plays
Have Grown.
BEGAN WITH FLYING WEDGE
In Spite of New Rules Coaches Have
Succeeded in Making Game
Heavier-Changes Needed.

In the progress of football from the
original open sldrmish to the modern
close game the rules have had little
effect either for or against
Unlike many other sports, football has
not grown out of body of rules, but
the rules have grown up about it. and
to a large extent have been the result
of decisions in games instead OF the
reason for them. No such detailed Iegis-
latfon as surrounds baseball exists with
respect to the gridiron. Even as they
stand today, the rules are full of, notes
and explanations more suggestive than
arbitrary in their nature.
No Official Rules.
Strictly speaking there are no official
football rules at all. Until 1896 the col
rleges had no uniform standard, and at
the present time there is no body like
1.-THE intercollegiate Association of ANA
teur Athletes of America or the ANA
teur Athletic Union which has a dele
lgated power over football The rules
hcommittee is an advisory body, and its
decisions are not binding for any team
1t was called together in the summer
of 1896 by the University Athletic Club
in order, if possible, TO settle the diff
ferences over rules which had caused
trouble between a number of colleges,
and led to an abandonment of the Har-
yard-Yale game the previous fall.
The rules which it drew up and recon-
mended Were accepted by Harvard,
Princeton, the University Of PennsyI-
vania Cornell, and Yale. The rules COM
mittee has remained in existence ever
stree, recommending changes from year
to year which have come to be recog-
nized as authorities, although. coming
from non-representative, self-perpetu-
ating body
Standing of Men.
This has been possible on account Of
the standing of the men constituting the
rules committee and the reasonabieness
of their interpretations, and as long as
they retain the confidence of football en-
thniasts the future of the game is in
their hands, in spite of the anomalous
position which they occupy
AS originally named the committee
consisted of j. II. Sears, Harvard;
Alexander Moffat, Princeton; John c.
Bell, University of Pennsylvania; L. NJ.
Dennis. Cornell: z. j. Dashiell. Annapo-
lis. and Walter Camp, Yale Subsequent
ly r. D Wrenn and ]. B. Fine took the
places of Messrs. Sears and Mofat, re-
spectively and last winter A \. Stagg.
Of Chicago, was added. in order to give
the West a voice. Otherwise the rules
committee is as originally constituted.
Modern Play.
Modern mass play may be said to have
begun with the appearance of the in
reference game; that is, with the sci
ence Of sending runners ahead of the
man with the ball TO protect him and
open a way Twenty years ago the game
was conducted on the principle of pass
ing, and it was then considered a fault
for a man TO be tackled with the ball
in his possession
The development of the system of
checking" opponents, as it was called.
got a start in the middle eighties, and
appeared in the feat which has gone
down in football annals as 'Lamar's
rum where the latter won the game for
Princeton against Yale, in 1885, in the
last minute by carrying the ball with
the help of interference from his own
I5-yard line into the enemy's goal Sci
entifcally formed interference did not
really appear, however, until the early
nineties. In fact, The whole science of
modern football was evolved during that
decade. The first FIVE years saw the
rise and fall of the momentum play.
following the abolition OF which came
the formations which stin prevail in the
modern mass play.
Harvard's Wedge.
1t was the Harvard flying wedge which
first proved the possibilities Of interfer-
ence as q means OF advancing the ball.
This was an idea which was simply
evolved out OF "a study of the game. No
change IN the rules was made TO make
it possible, and the same may be said
of practically the entire history OF in
reference play. 1t has been worked up
within existing rules, and although sew
eral changes have been made, to prevent
it, none OF them has had much effect
except the measures of 1896 These end
ed momentum plays. but they did not
end interference play. They simply
changed its character, which has been
the uniform fate OF all amendments
since
The Harvard flying wedge of 1889 was
unquestionably the most sensa tional de-
velopment ever seen in football The
team was formed IN two lines in the
shape of a V, with one man inside car
rying the ball. Once fairly in motion its
impetus was tremendous. and at first
no team could stop ii
Yale Breaks In.
When Yale lined up against 1t "a
Springfield, however, it was "a case of
when Greek meets Greek, and the New
Haven forces devised d successful meth
cd of breaking it up by swinging d sim
liar formation against IL designed 10
break in at the side The tremendous
offensive value of the play was recog-
nized at once. however. and the next
two seasons saw the development OF
momentum plays of one sort and anoth-
er all over the country. The principle
was the same in all, that of starting q
formation back of the line, which would
be able to strike the defense. while still
unprepared, at full speed.
The momentum play was the most
dangerous development ever seen on a
gridiron, and the injuries and fatali-
ties which ensued were of such "a sort
that a demand was made 10 abolish it.
Only One Step.
This was done by the original rules
committee OF 1886 by measure which
provided that thereafter no piaYer ok