The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-25
AN ARMY MAN ON FOOTBALL,
VIEWS OF A VEST POINTER WHo
WAS AN EXPERT AT TIE GAME.

Lieut., Farnsworth Talks OF the Ten Yard
Rule and Other Changes Made by thu
Rules Commlttee-Fayors Seven Mcn
In Line With Six Yard G ain Required.
There have been published from tIne
to time the views Of former Yale players,
Harvard players, Princeton players and
Pennsylvania players regarding the best
way to improve football. This articls
contains tho views Of a former West Point
PLAYER. Lieut.. r. L. Farnsworth, U. s. A.,
now stationed at Fort Hamilton, played
football for ten years, first at school and
f~ive'years at West Point. He filed every
position on an eleven and at West Point
played tackle, end and halfback and was
captain of the team in his last year
"The experience had from following
the evolutions Of tho game through twelve
years" he says, SIS that it was designed
with the idea of keeping the seven line
men in line. l remember that when I
first started out the game was to hit the
ends of the line, with an occa siona! plunge
at the centre. That was. before we got
down to the grinding mass plays.
Nevertheless there is a limit to open
play, and 1 don't believe in rules that would
I6NlIlCU NlIO boiiV W StN S'' '''iI
That, 1t seems to me, is what the new ten
yard rule will bring about. / think the
development of heavy men is as ueedful
as the development Of light men, and the
agitation that would make heavy men Of
little value to a team goes too far. Keeping
the seven line men in line until the ball is
put in play and requiring a gain of six yards
In three downs would, l believe, be the best
means OF bringing about the changes in the
game desired. The ten yard rule will
discourage mass plays, blu don't think
It will attain the whole object expected
as the seven men in line and six yard ad.
vancement would.
However, there is no doubt that the
ten yard rule will tend to produce fast err
backs. A fast backfield will be the first
requisite under the rule. That will mean
light err mer, as a rule. and, as | said, | see
no reason why there should be a game that
puts a discount on the development OF heavy
men. 1t is hopeless to think that ten yards
can be made by straight plungirg, and a
It will produce much kicking. A good
punting game is a good game to watch and
a might y hard gene to play. 1t takes pro-
fcient men to handle kicks properly. |
can tell you, and the skill needed to handle
kicks is q thing to be encouraged.
at occurs to me that with the rule allow
ing one line man to drop b ack, FIVE yards
back IL he is one OF the five centre men,
teams still will undoubtedly try to use the
line man in ground gaining plays. You've
got to ave some one to RELY on when you're
within striking distance, either a good drop
kicker or a line bucker.
"Now, regarding the rule recurring only
six mon to remain in the line on the defence.
Under the ten yard rule the attacking team
is bound to hit the opposing ends. The
new game will develop strong ends for de-
fensive work in particular, and it's a cineh
that the man who drops back from the
defending line will not be a tackle or en&
The ends will have to guard the extremities
ton in the line to play and covering the
most ground Of any line man. cannot afford
to cave their positions.
at will be either. a guard or the centre
nan who will drop back. and the defence
The pulling back of a line man will mean
that the second line Of defence will be pro-
portionately strengthened. There will have
to be a redistribution for the territory
covered by the three centre men. go that It
could easily guird the wee kened spot.
Just which man will be pulled back depends
a good deal on the characteristics Of the
man, what kind of a defensive player he
be-. There will not be need to change
the work Of the line men much, except
to develop a line man who is strong on
secondary defence.
Theoretically, the new rules will call
for fast, aggressive line. That has always
been the case, but It will be more essential
ought to prevent a good deal Of unrecess ny
roughing of the centre, though it is not a
radical departure. ! a v seen tesm that
played Al b s5lutely clean g. me in scrim-
images and INDUCED in no monkey business,
yet played a hard game, There's Il biz
difference between hard playing and dirty
-The new rules prescribing severer penal
ties for foul tactics will cell for a first clsss
man for umpire. They will cut out smuggling
brand Of hard playing that is not dirty
playing that some umpires object to. The
game is meant to be played HI I'd. Those
who take part in football are ira If ed for
hard knocks, or ought TO be. The rev RUE
forbidding checking the rune with the
arm thrust cut is an excellent ore. Tie
most dis greeIble ser 9 ttion l ever eX-
perienced in football wGs when an opponent
damned his forearm against my throat,
and it is well that that sort of thing has
been forbidden.
THE forward rass? 1t is hard to say at
first thought whether or not they will lo
used often. | look for them to lie used to
about the same extent as trick plays have
teen used. There is a certain CALL re Of
teams that rely on trick plays a good deal
stronger %elevens, n these are apt
to try the forward rass a good deal as they
do trick plays. Between teams of equal
a. ility the forward rass won't be used so
much. If the forward ass is successful It
will mean a Zig advantage. tut it is a qg"s-
ton whether the risk will not Re even greater
than the advantage. One thing is sure, the
team that can perfect long asses viii tc
benefited by the forward as.
THE rule that prevents a IL an Who is
downed from ~wriggling along the ground
is a good one, but il a man who is carrying
the ball slips without being tackled lie
to be allowed to pick himself up
and keep on. As to the kicked all which
the ground Lefore caught eng
sides I all, that also is a good de-:
+ arturo. 1t will make clean handling Of
the tall. Thirty minute halves are all
light, too. An hour is plenty in which to
demonstrate superiority.
Il for one am opposed to any changes
will take away the essential features
Of the game as they now exist. Foot all
Is the best game that is played to-day, the
best developer. 1t develops the Locy and
mind at the same time. the different func
all AT once. ! have no SYM athy for
a great e of the agitation against foot
all, the unwarranted agitation, of which
there has been much. ! Know that ! played
football for tpp ypnrG and pehrar yynl hurt