Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-11-05
FINE POINTS OF
FOOTBALL CAME
IN WATCHING THE BALL OBJ.
SERVERS OVERLOOK STAR
PLAYING BY MEN WHO PLAN
AND EXECUTE INTERFER-
ENCE.

| Most persons in watching football
keep their eyes on the ball. They
merely observe the man carrying the
ball and the man who does the tack
| ling, utterly overlooking the other
90 men. BY so doing they miss
some of the prettiest playing. The
best plays are not always made by a
man near the one carrying the ball.
jim Hogan, the former tackle of
Yale. made many fine plays even
when the ball went around the other
end. He played exceptionally far
out, leaving a wide space between
himself and the guard. The Yale
system at that time was to have the
tackle jump in and break up inter-
ference on an end play. The half
back playing in the second line of
defense would come in to complete
the defense. Hogan, had a strenu
GUS time at tackle, for he had to
watch end plays, slanting dives off
tackle, or come in fast to close the
gap in the case of a straight buck
between guard and tackle.
The year previous to Hogan's ap-
pearance at Yale, Ralph Bloomer had
been the star performer in the ia
nous tackles back" formation.
George Stillman, the other tackle of
the previous year, had graduated,
and Bloomer had dropped back to
class and could not play. Mike Muir
ply, the veteran trainer, was hard
up to find tackles to fill their places.
The first day that Hogan appeared
and showed samples of his wonderful
foot work, Mike was delighted.
Rushing up to Hogan, who has a
typical Irish face, broad shoulders
and tremendous bull neck, Mike
said in most feeling tones, "Du Dist
elmer Boomer"
Gordon Clark, the former Chicago
quarterback, used to bother the OPP
posing center by standing behind his
own line and doing a sort of leap
frog act. This not only helped his
team to stop a dive against center
or guard, but ratified the opposing
center and hurried his pass.
A enter on northwestern several
years ago had a successful trick
which he did not use much and
which he later abandoned altogether,
probably on account of its unsports-
manlike character. He would line
up as close to the opposing center as
possible, and just as he was snap
ping the ball back for a punt he
III 1t,
causing the ball to shoot off the an
gle or go over the backs head. Al
slight tap was all that was neces-
sary, and as he would use the hand
opposite the official the play could
not be detected easily.
A good example of how little the
public sees of a game can be found
in the general opinion of "Potty"
Schultz and "Octy" Graham of Mich
igan Schultz is considered by many
people to be a wonderful center. A
close analysis of his play will show
that many of his star plays are due
to the work of Graham and many
of the poor plays Graham is charged
with are due to Schultz's poor work.
In the 1904 Chicago game at Ann
Arbor Shcultz often was showed out
of position on a buck through guard.
The back carrying the ball would
find Graham in his way and would
dodge through the opening left at
center. On one such play Schultz
was showed back six or ten feet. The
play came through the opening he
had left and crashed into Schultz,
who was right in the way of it.
Through no good work of his he was
able to stop the runner, but the gem
eral opinion of the play was that
Octypus had let the play through,
and Shultz, by exceptionally good
Judgment had backed him up in time
to stop it.