New-York tribune., 1908-01-26
FORWARD PASS LIMITED
CHANGES NOT RADICAL.
Football Rules Com mittee SOtCes
Some Tered Questions. =

changes In the rule are not OF a oIdstiC ho'cio'
and its value in opening up and weakening the
defence has not been impaired This action was
taken at the annual meeting of the intercol-
legiate rules committee which adjourned sine die
late yesterday afternoon. after wrestling with
some vexed questions concerning the revision of
the rules for the better part of two days. DR.
Harry l. williams, who was delayed by the
storm and did not reach New York in time for
the two sessions on Friday, arrived and took
part in the deliberations yesterday.
The forward pass was the subject for a
lengthy discussion and the changes were made
only after considering a hundred and one sug-
sestions, many OF which were discardede off
hand as limiting the play too much. number
Of minor changes largely Of clarifying nature
were made in other rules. while two new ones
were added, the first providing for a definite
score IN a forfeited game. and the second
designating the time between halves and pro-
vfding for a notification Of the elevens by the
referee when time is up.
The actual wording of the amendment TO Rule
19, governing the of the forward pass was
left to Walter Camp, the official editor Of the
rules. but in substance it provides:
A forward pass illegally touched goes TO the op-
Only the man OF the passer's side who first legally
touches the bail may thereafter recover it until
on the forward pass is legally touched and then
:
side before an opponent, the ball goes to the de-
Tending side on the SPOT
the defending side may not use their hands
Of the War' in orser to get at the ball themseves
Piayers OF the side making the pass; who are
and arms just as players going down under kick
In all other respects the rule will be the
ss last year. when an uncompleted pass the
first or second down resulted in the loss of ff-
teen yards. The notifications as made will tend
TO discourage the indiscrin1inate use Of the long
pass by making IL more dangerous, and will lead
20 more accurate passing and prevent the wild
scramble for the ball which often followed after
IL had been touched by player who had the
right TO receive IL under the old rule. The men
who can legally receive the pass protected,
however. to some extent by preventing the op
ponents centring and holding them. a de-
fence which Princeton and West Point developed
and used to advantage last season
Some members Of the committee We're in favor
Of restricting the pass even further, but the
final action met the approval of all for another
year at least All the members the neces-
si,y of preventing far as possible the wild
fling" as il has been called without any particu-
lar aim, but the majority opposed to nulli-
flying its chief value-the weakening of the de-
fence and its strategic and deceptive possibili-
ties. which make other offensive plays more eff
fectve- Just how to accomplish this the
problem which took so much time to solve. To
all appearances the rule has been improved by
the notifications made although the questions
cannot be definitely settled until tried out next
The score for a forfeited game hereafter will
be / TO o. Up TO this time there has been no
fixed score, in baseball. and the need has been
felt A TO score is impossible in football. I
that it becomes distinctive and carries with it /
he fart hat he tod
Heretofore there has been no specific provision /
in case team is late in appearing the field 4
for the second half, as happened in the Yale
Princeton game at New Haven last season. On /
that occasion the Yale eleven was late through
misunderstanding, and the Tigers had to run
through signals 10 keep while a
senger hurried TO the Yale quarters In order TO
prevent such misunderstanding in the future
q rule framed yesterday.
The length Of time between halves was
changed 10 fifteen minutes. and the referee must
notify both teams three minutes before the time
is up. When the full fifteen minutes have apsed
the referee Will blow his whistle in the centre of
the field. II two minutes later either side has
failed to appear the ball will be given to the
offended side and put in play as a first down on
the offendings side 30-yard line.
From that point any further question as to the
disposition of the ball the play is left 10 the
referee 10 decide. The fact that the ball is in
play brings any further delay under Section 4
of Rule 16, which reads: No delay arising from
any cause whatsoever shall continue more than
two minutes" /.
The rule regarding batting the ball forward
was discussed at some length and was so
amended that the penalty will be the loss of the
ball instead Of five yards. The penalty was
placed under the jurisdiction OF the umpire and
field judge in order 10 relieve the referee 1t / ,
was also decided that hereafter all penalties ;
NAY be declined by the offended side except
that Of the disqualification of a player or the
so-cailed penalty incompleted forward
pase-
Hereafter the field judge viii act as timekeep- |
er in place Of the head linesman. This change
was made for the reason that the field judge is
nearer at all times the refere and may inform
him more readily of how the time stands and
receive orders concerning taking out time dur ,
ing the game IL was also ruled that if the 8
ball accidentally strikes official the play must
De played over.
The question growing out of incident in
he Harvard Carlisle Indian game. when the :
ball hit an upright of the goal post and bounded
back into the field of play. settled by the
ollowing amendment: !.
n case forward pass or a kicked ball other
,osts tie bali shall De consiiered as having crossed
he goal line, and will go TO the defending side as :
iouchback-
An incident in the Harvard-Yale game grow
ng out of a penalty of two yards for the fourth .
eouest for taking time led TO adjusting all IN
senslties that the sticks marking the point s.
o be gained will not be moved Joshua Crane \
r. the head coach at Harvard, maintained that o
me OF yals's touchdowns might have been pre-
'cnted il there had not been some misunder-
standing as 10 the distance TO be gained. Sec
ion 5 of Rule i6 says: