The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-12-15
WALTER CAMP GOES OYER
 THE FOOTBALL SITUATION
REGRETS DELAR OF ACTION BY. INTERCOLLEGIATE RULES
 COMMITTEE.

Last Year but Not AdOpted-COm-
 mittee Bound to Work for m Open
 Game-Figures That Heavy Ham,
 mering Will Defeat Itself Under Ten
 Yard RuIe--Its Adoption VIII Lead
 to More Kicking.
 Warter Camp, Yale's athletic ad- wiser. gave out the following statement on the football question:
 It seems too bad that there is to be further delay. in the matter of action by the rules committee. The public and the various faculties throughout the country certainly expected prompt ac- tion by this committee, and think the members of the committee were for the large part ready to act last Saturday and certainly all expected to be able to by this week Friday. If Harvard. how ever, asks for further delay, as I under- stand MT. Reid does, we must in cour- tesy consent It does seem to me, how ever, that this further postponement renders advisable further Statements from the individual members and such discussion as should lead to very prompt action when the committee gets together. The situation is simply this:
 The rules committee, which were originally number of individuals, ask ed, on account of their football interest by the University Athletic club, to formulate rules, never did more than that. No one was obliged to accept their rules unless they wished to. If the committee fail to answer the demand that has been growing for decided ae- tion along two pointsthe opening of the game and the lessening of accidents and unnecessary roughness it surely will not live up to the very object of it's being. Last year the 1O-yard rule was proposed but was not adopted. When the original 5-yard rule was adopted the outcry was similar, but at that time I was more in the minority in It's flavor than am now in favor of the TO- yard rule. The players and the other legislators felt that the five yard rule would be too radical and would lead to simply a kicking game with no running, just as those who a year ago opposed the 10-yard rule argued Yet the opponents of the 5-yard rule were finally willing to adopt it tentatively in case would withdraw the request, if by the end of October it proved inn practicable. By that time 1t was an as- sured success. Let me make perfectly clear what I think about this 10-yard rule. as it seems to me to be important that everyone interested should ur1der- stand the situation.
 A team is now required to gain five yards in three attempts or forfeit the ball. My proposition Is that they must gain just double that distance in the same number of attempts. Mass, tam sdem and formation plays are at the best figured to net about six yards in the three downs, hence the fact that a, team must do one ofe two things-- either open the game by making long runs or else kick the ball--neams that the heavy hammering plays defeat themselves. It has been argued that this will mean simply a kikcing game, that if the team has some difficulty now gaining it's five yards in three downs, it cannot possibly be expected to gain ten yards in three downs That is just what was argued regarding tho original five yard rule, and, so Jar as 1t goes. is true, but anyone who studies 1t must see what the value of possession of the ball is thus greatly lessened and hence a quarterback will do just what we want him to do, namely, take "a big ger chance on an open play because he feels that even if he does lose the ball on it his opponents, when they secure 1t will not then hammer by short gains of two yards at a time straight down for half the field to touchdown without losing possession of the ball. This will lead to drilling the players ofl open plays throughout the season instead of only one or two weeks in the beginning of it., and then lapsing into formation plays counting the open plays as so simple that they can be taken up again in the midst of the game. The Yale team this year by practicing open plays through the season made their execii- tion of these plays better than they have been before and demonstrated just that fact that whatever play is prac- aiced the most, whether 1t be an open play or a formation play, Is brought to it's highest pitch of execution.
 It is very probable that the enact- ment of this rule would lead to more kicking, but even that would be, in the 
 the present. close play. Still further. 1t will make unnecessary roughness less possible of concealment.
 Let it be understood that am not arguing this led by what have seen at Yale, for when we were criticised for such close plays Aver a year ago, it will be remembered that at that time advocated the ten yard rule, ana since then we have practically demon strated on our own field and in sever al of our contests this year that a more open play was quite effective. Further more, as to accidents. we have been practically free at Yale always, and last season had only the most trivial ones, and never have had fatal ao- cident since the game was taken up in 1876.
 This brings up Ithe question of the other part of the legislation which should be coupled with the ten yard rule. Accidents are inseparahle from any game like our modern football, but We wish to minimize them as much as rossihIn and fns free the opanaa ern,,,