Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-26
FOOT BALL RULES COMMITTEE
HAS HARD PROBLEM T0S0LVE
Hundreds of Suggestions Sent Urging Safer
EXPERIMENTATION Shows Many
Exaggerated Stories.

| fathers OF the pupils in many cases nad
no experience. Therefore foot ball cannot
honestly be charged with faults for which
the sport was originally unprepared. In
other words. schooboys who have at
tempted to play a mans game have done
so with risk to themselves.
| The rules committee will gladly make
the game conform as much as possible
to the necessities of the rising genera
ton. but 1t must not be forgotten by those
who admire the sport for the exhilaration
and excitement that ii contains that a
| certain element of bodily risk must at
tach to 1t, as is the case in any outdoor
game. even the simplest form of tag.
! Twenty persons were drowned within
skating has not been forbidden. has
there been suggestion of amendment
to the rules" The element of personal risk
existed when the skaters assembled on the
are human beings. skates and ice. And
so II VIII be in other outdoor sports and
! pastimes.
One Impossi bi1ity.
1t has been impossible In base ball. the
national game. to formulate any rules
which shall be q positive preventive of
injury. slight, serious or fatal, and it is
quite as impossible to do any better for
foot ball.
| OF the bulk of letters which were re-
ceived in protest against foot ball. as 1t Is
played at present, as has previously been
stated, an overwhelming proportion re-
oelled against mass plays.
! Ihere Is no mass play. under the re-
v1sed rules, which is wholly similar to the
mass play which was in vogue before the
| rules were changed. The guards back.
tackles back. wedge formations and tur-
tle back arrangements of players have
been eliminated little by little.
| What was known as mass play in 1909
was an attempt to advance the ball
through the position of the defending
tackle by employing the opposing backs
TO carry II: In the games which were
PLAYED by the university elevens of the
east last fall almost every line play
| which was undertaken by the members of
team was aimed at tackle or between
tackle and end.
The formation of this play was not
wholly similar to that which made mass
play conspicuous when the f1ve-yard gain
was In effect. but was similar enough to
II TO classify it under the general heading
OF mass play. The backs were used as
tandem. and were driven with force and
speed against the tackles and between
the tackles and the men supporting them
the line.
Tackle was found to be the UNSUPPORTED
point In the forwards. This was pre-
dlcted by Walter Camp three years ago
When objection was made to the forward
pass and onside kick as not being radical
| called attention to the fact that both
plays would draw so heavily upon the
backs for defense that they would no
longer be able to support the forwards
through the line than had been the ease
When, with five yards to go, and no for
ward pass and onside kick to watch. all
OF the Dacks EXCEPT one could be grouped
ciose benind the forwards to act as a
short-range secondary defense.
Defense Too Scattered.
If there had been a more compact sec
ondary defense. which means support for
the line. in 1909 1t is probable there
would have been more attempts devised
TO circle the end and greater attention
paid to advancing the ball by strategic
plays other than line breaking. Both
coaches and captains, however, had seen
In the developments OF the last two years
the tendency to weaken the support of the
defending tackle and very naturally Sc
lected that point as vulnerable.
Hence 1t would appear that to decrease
| the so-called mass play-if not to check
entirely-more support must be given
to the position OF tackle
some argue that this may be accom-
plished by changing the distance to be
gained on downs from ten yards to fif-
teen. 1t is asserted that il fifteen Yards
are necessary to be gained 1t Will almost
wholly put an end to driving formations
against the line and place a premium on
Kicking. passing and attempted end runs
Many who are in favor of increasing
the distance to be gained would modify
the change by making the distance to be
gained five yards within the twenty-five
yard line.
They contend this would be fairer to the
oelendlng eleven and equally fair to tle
attacking team. since it is a rule which
would work both ways.
The main point to be considered how
ever. is the ratio which the Increased dis
lance would have to the value of the de-
Tense. If 1t can save the defense to the
extent that it shall curtail the mass play
and the possibility of injury to players
who are concerned In line plays, it will.
have accomplished the purpose for which
1t Is suggested
In connection with the effort to check
mass play arises another pOint-the piling
up of players. In discussion with those
who have to do with the revising of the
root ball code, l find none who seems to
believe that 1t is possible to make the
rule more stringent than it reads now
Ihere Is fifteen-yard penalty for 'pillng
up. 1t is seldom necessary to put it into
force in a university game The princi-
pal Offenders are school boys EVERY
BODY knows that the first tendency of g.
hoy OF immature years is to run break
neck and throw himself headlong into
-AP =. Wy ., wiz arc engaged IN att letlc
struggle II he finds chance to d, so.
Ohcials who preside at foot ball games in
which boys are concerned should enforce
the penalty without mercy unit the
youngsters are taught that they ma not
violate it. and in general instructors of
foot balb elevens should impress upcn the
younger element that II is not sports-
manlike to pile up when an adver-
sary is downed.
Risky Tackling.
Still another point is to be con ,idered
In mass play inasmuch as it has been
advanced by some who have the revision
OF the sport at heart, and that is the
cessation of the practice Of making div
ing tackles. Reference is not made
strictly to the tackling of PLAYERS who
are running in the open. It is some
times necessary to make a dive to get the
man. but the liability to injury, while
existing. is not SO great as when a PLAYER
throwns himself headlong before a lorna
ton OF three or four men. Young PLAYERS
are more inclined to this than the older
ones. 1t Is reckless and foolhardy and
extremely dangerous on the part of a
young player who rarely knows how to
protect his body when he thrusts him
1t is argued by some that it would be
out of the question for either systematic
attack or defense in the game il the dis
lance to be gained were to be increa sed
to fifteen yards. AS much was said
when the distance was increased to ten
! yards, yet it has been found possible to
| advance the ball, and to play contests
which have brought forth the highest
commentator from the foot ball experts
. md