The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-26
FOOTBALL WILL Be
BETTER Than EVER
That Is the Opinion of William
7. Reid, Harvard's Head
Coach.
MASS PLAYS WILL BE
ELIMINATED FROM GAME
Ten Yard Rule Is Most In
pOrtant Feature of New
Legislation.
Tribune Special Sporting Service,

Tribune Special Sporting Service
BOSTON, Mass, Aug 25.-William
I. Reid, Harvard S head coach. says
that football will be better than ever
as a sport. Among other things in dis
cnssing the new game, Reid selects the
ten-yard rule from "a bewildering mass
of legislation AS the most important
feature of the now style of game. "Of
all the changes which have been pro-
posed with view TO the eradication of
the evils Of the game, he asserts,
this ls the only one which accom-
pllshes It's especial functions without in
any way cramping the development of
the game as a whole He IS conf
dent that It's adoption will result in
Encouragement of mass play, though
not at the expense of ingenuity in Of
one of the most fascinating features OF
foot ball
Will Eliminate Mass Plays.
Many followers of the game have
been inclined TO the opinion that the
ten-yard rule would not prove TO be
what ii was designed for-the elimina.
tion of mass plays. Reid does not agree
with this stand, but saws: 81 admit
that 1t is quite probable that we shall
see teams making their ten wards bv
mass play occasionally. but thew will
not be able to do il consecutively
enough to warrant them in adopting
mass play as the backbone Of their of,
fense.
Another rule which viii have a sal
utary effect on the abolition OF mass
plar. Reid believes, is the one which
practically forbids the bringing back
of the line of the guards and tackles
II is very obvious to see how this
rule viii work out, he says, because it
virtually prevents Just the men who
have made mass plays successful from
participating In it, Instead OF amor
tioDing the strain Of the rushing game
on five or more men, hencefortn it will
have to be left to the three backs. saws
Reid. who IS of the opinion that under
the new conditions the ends will he
unable seriously 10 head off mass
plays.
Five-Yard Back Plays.
One of the new rules which permits
Of the bringing back of any rusher Ave
Yards behind the line seemed to many
to leave loophole for the profitable
execution of the undesirable mass play.
Reid, however, makes plausible refu.
tation Of this argument when he saws
that the hVe-vard requirement will
prevent heavy men from being brought
! pack Tor mass plays. since heavy man,
especially if slow, starting from such
distance behind the line. cannot get
TO the hne quickly enough to be ef
fective: Furthermore. it is hardly like.
lly to be good policy to use heavy
line man to push q lighter man ahead
of HIM in a. mass play for it has been
demonstrated time and again that
where a tackle has endeavored to push
halfback through the line the back
is more than likely TO get hurt.
The ends might figure is an import
ant manner III possible mass forma-
tlons. but Reid believes that such
course would, not be feasible for the.
reason, that with the onesiie. kick and
the, forward pass the ends are likely.
70 have even more running and open
field work to do than ever, with the
result that the coaches will be unwiI-
ling to work them still harder. "Great.
er activity will be at q premium on the
ends,' he says. ''and as this activity
is rare IN combination with other nee.
eessary qualities, it is fair to assume
that a good pair of ends will be saved
as much as possible.
Hurdling Limo Is Forbidden.
Some of the other rules which the
Harvard coach thinks will deal
deathblow to mass play are that which
forblds players to hurdle the line feet
hrst, that providing that runner shall