The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-09
VAGUE CONCEPTIONS IF
OF THE REAL PLAY

uous proportions and embodied a great
er amount of clerical work and careful
attention tc detail than any one had
deemed possible when the codifying of
the new rules begun.
All kinds Of interests had to be con-
suited and every plan which somebody
or another was hopeful would add to
the interest Of the game was given
preserving the best fall outdoor sport
which the United States has devised.
After the rules had been changed in
their wider scope it became necessary
to 20 over them second and a third
time IN order that some points might
be more simplifed and that contradict
tions might be thoroly eliminated
1t was long after the middle of the
summer. that the. rules were deemed
! ready for the printer, and even then
tAe football committee passed on them
once more that they mig hit be presented
10 the public in such a manner that
there would be no misunderstanding as
to their Interpretation.
The result Of all this has been to build
the foundation for the new football.
Exactly what the new football shall be
is another story. It will be. told, chap
ter by chapter, until the end of next
December, and by that time it will be
evident how far the work of the COM
mittee has succeeded in opening the
game and how much more is needed to
render it nearer perfect.
Demand for Open Game.
To understand what the rules in
their modified form have attempted to
accomplish the reader must bear in
mlnd that there has been clamor for
the last three years from almost all the
public which is fond of football, and
the smaller colleges, where the number
OF students is smaller than at the great
er universities, for an "open game.''
1t was asserted, and with some rea-
son, that football was not accomplish
ing its primary purpose; that it was
sea1ai 1gg a tug OF war on a gigantic
strength. man to man, rather than a
pastlme in which activity and general
field abilities predominated; that it was
devoid of action, and therefore tame
to the spectators, and that it savored
too strongly OF running and dodging.
To abolish all these defects was the
object of the rules committee They
have gone so far as they think con-
slstent at the present time. They are
not sure that the new game will be
as remarked before, they, no more than
the coaches, who have barely had a
chance to ponder over the rules, are
quite agreed in their own minds as to
what foot ball will be like, but they be-
ieve that they have legislated sue
cessfully against repeated and monot-
onous mass plays, against all kinds of
providing stringent legislation for Of
lenses on the field, and they are also
of opinion that they have adopted two
or three provisions which shall result
IN decidedly more Of a running game
being played. If the new game does
not happen to be so interesting, after
all, as those who have appealed for
new game anticipated, it will be- nee
essary to rearrange the playing code
another year. .
The three principal changes which
have been made provide:
down; second, for one forward pass
during each scrimmage; third, that the
ball. after being kicked and touching
the ground, puts the team on side which
made d the kick: In :, other words, that
is not made. -..'.... w.
Each of these. notifications is a rad
ical departure from the system which
has been in vogue. The idea of ten
yard gain, briefly stated, is to. elimi-
nate the persistent mass plays. The
idea Of the forward pass is to provide
more running in the game. The idea
OF "anybody's ball'' after punt, is
to encourage general kicking, which
has come to be something Of lost
art; All these notifications must be
welded together by the coaches, and
from them a game be developed which
shall take the place Of that to which
the American public has been accus-