The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-10-30


that will win.'
That's true" said the captain.
1--WE worked on other things SO much
that we were certainly weak in the
cardinal principles"
81 agree absolutely with tnat," said
the adviser" but also believe that
i'm the general system the possibilities
of offense are not half exhausted. and
that q set Of plays can be given q
team that will simply annihilate the
defense OF the opponents, provided,
of course, the men know straight
football"
"By jove! It would be pretty fine"
said the captain, "if we could do
thatl"
"It can be done" said the graduate
"but 1t will be the harder for you
and the coach to carry out" 3.
What do you mean by that?s
.qucrled the coach.
Because the plays will be entirely
unsatisfactory to everybody while
while they are being put in practice
BY the first of November every one
Will criticise the time spent upon
them and predict the direst failure, if
they are continued"
do 70 ureally mean that?'
Certainly do, and then It will
be up to you to stand the gaff' as
they say, and carry them through un-
I'll they begin to have their effect.
The first week they may work little
from their very novelty and because
the men are interested. Then before
the individual members of the team
them complete every movement with
precision, the defense will prove the
stronger. Tho scrub will stop the
plays or tanglc them all up; the team
will first lose confidence, then ambi-
ton and finally you will find even
your best men, while not in rebellion,
deslrious of dropping the play and
going back to the simple ones upon
which they have been drilled in tho
past"
81 can't believe that" said the
captain. "They must see that it is
practice--practice that is needed.Y
But that is just what they cannot
believe, and even you and your coach
here Will be ready to abandon the
plays"
Not If they are good"
mot If you say they are good"
"Well, If fny judgment of pace and
the present defense is not all wrong,
1 am sure the plays will come out
all right If you will keep at them to
the end"
wen stick to them fast enough, ,"
jauntily returned the captain.
ITS u bargain, then" said the
graduate. "I'll lay them out and
give them to you"
The winter passed and the spring
and summer. FAN practice began and
the series of plays was put into ef-
feet. They were based entirely upon
the theory that the opponents had
been taught to play low and to charge
forward immediately upon the snap
of the ball. The lines of attack
were so disposed as to make this
very charge of each man in his line
place him in such position that
except by tremendous effort he could
not recover his balance so as to op-
pose effective resistance TO the at
tack. The new plays necessitated a
heavy full-back, and no other being
at hand, one OF the tackles. Perry
Hale. was taken from the line and
made the regular full-back. An
other green player was placed at
tackle.
BY the first OF November great
was the criticism of the team. 1t
was 'slow, painfully slow" A respect
table end run was certainly out of
the question. The back field, to use
tho expression of one of one of the
coaches. was slower than molasses
in january Finally the captain
called up the graduate one evening
and said that he thought they would
have to put the full back up at
tackle again and get u faster, lighter