The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-11-20
BETTER FOOTBALL
in NEAR FUTURE
INDICATIONS ARE THE CHANGES
GOING ON TEND TOWARD A
HEALTHY CONDITION.
ALL SHOULD READ THE RULES
Spectators Need Light on PuxzlIno
Points Of cridlron Game as Well as
the PIayers-Interestins Informa.
tion by Former Great Quarterback,
Walter Eckersali.

inc FIdyeTs-InteTe6tfn9 Intorma.
tion by Former Great Quarterback,
Walter Eckersali.
AS each year brings new football
been easy to make forecast of any
great value. owing to the fact that
It was out of the question to. obtain
much advance information in regard
to the playing abilities of the fresh
men candidates. writes Walter II.
Eckersall, The fors'er star quarter.
back of the Chicago university eleven.
Now that the students are not al.
lowed to participate in varsity games
during their freshman year ii is possi-
bic TO approximate more closely the
possibilities cf the various elevens, al
though footbal Is such an uncertain
quantity that cae who undertakes to
make positive eredctions on season
is merely as3aning the role Of
prophet.
It will not BE- denied that the teams
OF 1907 which are likely to have as
members some players who were en-.
gagged in the scheduled games of 1906,
will be better off than those. which will
have to look largely to the junior and
sophomore classes TO recruit their
elevens. The experience which was
gained by men who went through the
season last fall as regulars will be
worth much more to them this fall.
not only as accessory to their individ-
ual success, but in teaching and In
coaching the new men who will play
with them. The many points OF in
formation which were CLEANED about
the proper way to handle the attack
and the safest way to play the de-
feuse will be of utmost value to every
team which lined up this year for the
FIRST fall practice.
Because some of these men will be
on every eleven of Importance in the
United States II seems safe to assert
that football will be better in conse-
coaches that OF the players. and IL
good football does not result with that
combination in the field. then 1t seems
out of the question to expect any good
football from the clevens.
1t is great advantage to have a
good coach There has been great
deal written about too much coaching.
The professional coach has been de-
nounced by those who are self-ap-
pointed purists in athletics. 1t Is diff
fcult to comprehend wherein the pro-
fessional coach Is such an awful draw
back when The teaches how to play
properly, and II a team cannot play
properly It Is time wasted in playing
even II merely for amusement without
! any hope of final superiority,
Some of the hyporcrltcal individu.
ais with strong tendencies towards An
glomania point to the English system
of amateur coaching as being superior
TO anything for proper athletic deyel-
opnlent. But they forget or overlook,
the fact that there Is any quantity OF
| private tutoring by professionals In
England, something of which Ameri'
can athletes know little.
Few of the thousands who crowd
understand the rules. aud it is worth
| the while of anybody who enjoys the
| game in more than a superficial way
TO read the rules thoroughly. The
! best way to learn the fine points oi
/ football is 10 play It, As 1t lis more
difficult to learn the ilac points OF
! football by mere observation than the
fine points of baseball a close study
of the code will help the layman. \
close study ls needed. for the rules
are many and complicated and musl
be digested.
Some of the penalties provided fol
infractions of rules are almost dead
letters, for the reason that occasions
for inflcting them so seldom arise
yet they might arise. so are necessary
Such case Is sccion 2, rule 3. II
provides that when new player
comes into the gaGa he must first re
| port to the referee, and that the play
er supplanted shall not return TO the
game. The penalty for not reporting
or for second participation in the
game is a loss of l5 yards. But cases
of players trying o ring in are al
most unknown.
A paragraph IN section ., rule q
will cause deep pondering as TO Its
meaning: "A SAFETY Is made when q
player OF the side in possession OF the
ball commits n foul which would give
the ball to the opponents behind the
offenders goal line" How could such
foul be committed? The provision
Is almost obsolete: 1t is Il relic of the
| old rules.