The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-10-16
Football

0OSoAl4
More smoothness and less uncer-
tainty and crudity marked the work
ing of the new football rules last
Saturday. and though wet field pre-
vailed and handicapped handling Of
the ball and ease of movement there
We're plain signs that progress had
been made in acquiring familiarity
with the new conditions to their con-
seQuent credit. Additional games.
what there have been Of them. have
strengthened belief in the merits of
the revised code-not weakened it
though the best test will come when
the strongest elevenS engage one an
other.
Line bucking and massing in
scrimnage have not died cut under
the new rules, and it was not expected
they would. The idea of the Ameri-
can intercollegiate football rules COM
mittee was to improve the game and
yet preserve the best features of the
old. There was no desire to do away
with scrimmasing and line playing
altogether. but to open up the game
and eliminate as much as possible the
bruising rOughness of punched for
nations and their line battering. The
new game has been developing along
the desired line.
There has been much less steady
slamming at an opponents line. less
looking for weak spot in the line to
assault and less exhaustion and wear
and tear. II the ten yard rule con-
tinues to make 1t more difficult to
gain the required distance by direct
pounding at opponents it will he the
most convincing way of putting it
up to players that they must enlarge
upon their reliance on open tactics.
There will be line boring when with
in striking distance of the goal. but
deal more open play to lead up to
bringing the ball within striking dis
lance.
The rules committee did not prom
Use game without accidents. The
hope was expressed. however. in the
framing of the new rules that there
would be fewer injuries to back and
spine and head. Aside from the fatal
accident at Lawrenceville this sea-
sons accidents have been in the ma
ture OF bones-not the deeper. inter-
nal injuries. The game is still hard
one. and there will be accidents. but
the new rules call for cleaner play
and are strong against deliberate
roughig.
Spectacularly the new rules are in
fnitely better than the old and de-
signed to make the game more fun
for the player. Fear has been ex-
| pressed that ground cannot be gained
consistently under the new rules. That
is rather selfish way of looking at
1t. Whether the accident question be-
comes serious matter under the new
rules, as under the old, only time can
tell: but the season thus far has
shown that the rules are far more
enjoyable for spectator and partici-
pant than were the old What mat
tiers it if ground can not be gained
consistently if gruelling. battering
tactics have been reduced largely and
the game promotes changing, shifting,
in short. becomes better sport? There
still will be plenty of the beauties of
harmonious team work, and the in
dividual at the same time will not
be so much submerged into a mere in
animate part Of a machine. This
remarked a Yale crack of twelve
years ago at the Yale Wesleyan game
last week, lis like old times" The
old times referred to were Unlike the
games of later years. described by
the same crack as weight and foot
movements"
| The situation as a whole is we'll
summarized as follows:
| Forward passes and quarterback
kicks. Upon these plays the football
campaign Of 1906 will revolve. The
season has sufficiently advanced to
indicate that when two teams evenly
match in line strength meet It will
he practically impossible to gain
ground by the old method of pound
ing and hammering upon an oppon-
ents line. This condition has been
demonstrated by the remarkably close
games that minor college teams have
played against the so-styled big
elevens." the difficulty the latter ex-
perience in advancing the ball through
the formers line. and the number of
scoreless contests that have been
played. These circumstances prac-
tically make the game a combination
of association football and basket
ball. leaving the final result of a con-
test between two teams of evenly bal
anced physical strength to the super
for strategy, skill and feetness of the
one. Strategy and speed will rate at
a high premium in the present game.
The team with the resourceful coach,
heady captain and fleet ends and
backs. will have tremendous adj
vantage over an opponent not so we'll
equipped"