The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-24
GOSSIP or THE GRIDTRON.
First Games Prove Nothing a. 90 working
Of the New Rules.

The drst football games under the new
rules. played last Saturday, proved nothing
~ to how the revised code will work out on
the gridiron. IL was not expected that they
would. II will be three OF four weeks yet
before the new rules will have been tested
sufficiently for a fair idea TO be had OF what
they will bring forth. There we're two score
less games last Saturday and two In which
good sized scores we're made. The new ten
yard rule did not prevent u couple OF teams
from gaining ground freely. but the best test
OF whether the rule Is to initiate against
ground ga lining will be for two good evenly
matched teams TO play against each other.
For the extra amount of ground TO be gained
in three downs the new rules contain a greater
variety Of plays with which to gain IL.
In the Pennsylvania state .eban non game
last Saturday the new rules worked nicely,
there being long passes. drop kicking, speed
and open play generally. To those teams
that have the enter prise and football intel
ligence to develop the possibilities of the new
rules there will be plenty Of opportunity for
speed and play in the open. ON the other
hand there IL nothing TO prevent teams from
clinginR to the old driving. hauling tactics.
with only an occasional incursion into the
new rules. Much depends on the teams
themselves. on the policy adopted in ex-
pounding the new rules. on whether the
chances they AFFORD to improve the game
will be conscientiously developed or whether
they are TO be used merely as Introducing
variations Of the old game.
Judging from their style OF play last fall
Yale and Pennsylvania read the handwriting
on the wall a year ago and began 10 switch
to and develop more open play. They
ara expected to do still more OF II this year.
and II IL up TO the big teams TO bring out
the good qualities Of the new rules. IL good
qualities exist. Coach Reid OF Harvard, IL
is said. il going to pin his faith to a fast eleven
playing an open game. At Yale they are
working on an elaboration Ci what always
has been a pretty open play. the quarterback
kick. This year II the kicked ball strikes
the ground ever ybody il on side, moi merely
those who were behind the ball when 1t was
kicked.
Apropos OF Yale. there ia the nucleus for a
strbng. fast team there. bear stories 70 the
sSd o2srs nG'T for hs sS5 9d'nB slo wf9 and F SEbss
tackles, Boggs, Hockenburger. BIddle. Erwin
and Andrews for middle men, Dimes and L.
Wylie, Knox and Veeder for other backtield
positions, not to mention the various SUBJ
%stitutes and the freshman team, OF last year.
the team won't be so appa llingly feeble
The Boston Globe. speaking Of the Har-
ward candidates, makes this observation
intelligent lot Of men than the average who
come out for a football team and this IL one
of the most encoura ging things bout the Tar
ward candidates. Good brains md quick think
ing are essential this year. and Harvard seems
TO Ia We a good supply Of them,
II the new rules put a premium on quick
thinking. 40 much"the better for the new
rules, There Is still the accident proposition.
and the friends of football are anxious to
see IL the new rules will decrease mi uries.
Some experts say they won't. No injuries
we're ChroniCled last Saturday. however.
The new rules are regarded az very favor
able TO the Carlisle Indians, sine GO the Indians
always have shown aptitude for trick ma
npuvTes. shifting z. spread out plays and plays
calling for speed and quick moving.
Coach Warner Of Cornell figures that the
new eligibility rule barring freshmen from
varsity teams will be more beneficial 10 Cor
nell than to the others that have adopted II,
for the reason chat Cornell draws fewer prep
school cracks than the other big colleges.
Princeton ia a bit worried about. how TO
NIL the vacancies on the end OF the line. but
should RulOn-Miller, the crack halfback Of
1904, who did not play at all last year, be
shifted to end, the Tigers will have one OF the
fastest ends on the gridiron.
Hutchinson, Hale's quarterback last year,
will be at the head OF the coaching stan at
Amherst this year.
Coach Vail OF Gettysburg has a new wrinkle
TO timber up the men Under his charge. II ia
the use of a game called polite, " also tag,
you're IL. When the man running with the
ball is touched by a player he must pass the
ball to another player, and so on. Smacks
of rugby. Again. a little more polfteness
Won't hurt the game any.
II reports are correct Tufts will have the
prize heavyweight team. The line from
tackle to tackle will average more than 200
pounds.