Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-03


| did win it was not through any partcu-
| lary meritorious work on their part.
To escape this reversion to a condition
which was found to be slowly choking
| foot ball to death is the general wish OF
the leading opponents of the game. and il
| is no secret that great majority or col
| lege men who are interested In foot bail'
| especially college men of the last hVe
years, are hopeful that the present ser
season will see more open foot ball than
has been PLAYED at any time since the
| rules were changed.
Rules for This Year.
Notifications of the rules for the sea-
son of 1909 were few There have been
opponents of the forward pass from the
time it was incorporated in the game by
the alteration Of the playing code. At
the last meeting Of the rules committee
| they were as emphatic in their objection
| to it as they had been from the start,
| but 1t was agreed by large majority
that the play had not detracted from the
interest in the sport, but, on the con-
| trary, had increa sed it, and therefore 1t
would be poor policy to legislate against
something which was proving satisfactory
| in the main to those interested In foot
ball.
| Old timers have insisted that the for
ward pass has invested foot ball with a
| basket ball flavor. They inveigh against
| it on the ground that the arms should
not have such prominence In the sport.
| 1t seems as If this Is rather far fetched,
to say the least. American foot ball, at
it's best. is a game in which the arms
| have as much to do as the legs. for we
| carry the ball SO far as our players are
a BILE to do so without being checked by
opposing teams. and if this is legal why
SO much fuss because the ball OCCASION
| ally is passed forward that 1t may be
| carried farther?
| A clearer definition was made as to the
position which an end must assume to be
eligible to catch a forward pass. The
code comedies that there is zone behind
| the scrimmage line, extending back one
yard, In which an end may legally play,
but while there he is not eligible to catch
a forward pass. Either he must play
squarely on the line. or he must play at
least yard back of the line, If he Is
going to receive the ball.
OF course. any player of the side which
passes the ball who is playing one yard
behind the line may receive it, providing
he Is qualified under the rules to do so.
What the alteration In the rule prevents
is an end dropping back more than a
foot and less than a yard to get a flying
start for the ball. That happened not
infrequently. and it puzzled the officials
more than once to know whether the end
was really eligible to make the catch.
New Scoring Of Points.
Foot ball enthusiasts this year must not
overlook the change which has been made
in the scoring of points, and it Is not I'M
probable that this change will have a
great bearing in equalizing team strength
through diversity of attack on the field.
That Is to say, the lighter teams, with
| their good drop kickers and placement
k!ckers, Will not be able to run away
with games in which they can score a
greater number of points through ability
to run the ball within kicking distance
of the goal.
Teams with strong lines and good run
ming ends will feel that with fewer points
to be scored for drop and placement kick
ing they will have better opportunity to
qualify against rivals which may be
rather weak in the line. or possibly not
over strong at the running game. but who
are consistent enough to advance the ball
to within thirty yards of the goal. and
then trust to the prowess of clever
kicker to score for them. 1t is not to be
considered for a moment that this change
was made with any idea to penaliZe the
kicking game or to discourage it. Quite
the contrary. There is not one of the
rules committee who would frown down
alleged that the lighter teams, with their
strong drop-kickers. were at a manifest
advantage when they could gain enough
points by two goals from the field to Off
set, and more than Offset, hard-earned
touchdown and goal
A player who has been through the mill
Of the foot ball field. and who knows how
gratifying 1t is to place the ball behind
the goal of the opponents after a series
of brilliant rushes and runs. knows also
how notifying 1t has been in the past to
have that good work go for naught when
an opposing team, with the wind. per-
3O-yard mark, while an expert kicker
with a careful application of his toe
lifted the ball over the bar for second
field goal.
Change Of Genuine Worth.
Speaking Of the wind brings up another
important change In the rules. and which
should have been made long ago. This
year a side having the kick-out may have
the option OF taking the kick, as under
the present rules, or may take the bali
out to its 25-yard line for a scrimmage.
In the game between West Point and
Princeton last year, on the field of the
ing gale into the west goal.
The defending team. no matter whether
1t happened to be West Point or Prince
ton, for the application is the same IN
either case. was behind this goal. and
under the rule was compelled to kick the
ball out because of a touchback. Twice
the fullback made an effort to get the
ball toward the center of the field, and
both times the wind blew it directly back
upon the goal. SO that it did not carry
| away from the line to exceed ten yards
1t was manifest that this was positive
handicap to the team in defense. Sup
pose the wind had come up within the
last five minutes Of play, and that blow
ing with this force, it had crowded the
ball back upon the goal line, that the
defending team, which had played an ad-
mirable game all the afternoon, should
lose. No one will deny that this would be
| a severe hardship in the face of what
might have gone before. Under the pres
ent arrangement, when the wind blows
as II did at West Point, the defending
team, II 1t elects to do 30. may take the
ball out to the 2S-yard line and line up
for scrimmage. There Is at least a
chance Of running the ball a few yards
further into the field, and then, II the
defenders decide to punt, they can kick
with reasonable assurance that the ball
will not be carried almost into their own
goal by the force Of the wind
On the Kick Oh, Too.
| Walter Camp explains the change fur
ther by showing how 1t operates to the ad-
vantage Of defending team which re-
ceives the ball on the kick off, He says:
1T has always been a good point for
team having a strong kicker to kick the
ball across the goal line on the kick OF,
because then the opponents lost their OPP
portunity for a running game. being
Obliged to kick out, and hence the side
having kicked off had also the first chance
| to show their running game. This new
provision is, therefore. really equivalent to
| conceding to the side which received the
kick off what is equivalent to catching the
| ball and running II out wit h safe conduct.