Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1910-09-20

Football is now crowding close on
the heels of baseball and in a few
weeks the gridiron players Will have
pushed the diamond experts into re-
tirement until spring. What will be
the outcome of the modified football
rules is the absorbing topic for all
close students of the game and the
first clashes of rival elevens will be
closet watched to see if the rule
makers have evolved a game which
eliminates largely the dangerous ele-
ments without robbing the sport of it's
thrill and charm.
In view of the experiments con-
Quoted in early training. the obser-
NatlonS of DR.. Carl Williams, after
being with the Pennsylvania eleven
during the past week, are of especial
value. He was one of the men who
drew up and arranged the new code
of rules. The result has been that
Pennsylvania virtually discarded the
old style of football and in its place
inaugurated a new system.
Williams declares that the team with
good kicker and a fleet pair of ends
will prove the best eleven under the
new rules. This seems feasible in
view of the fact that the short kick
has been so restricted that it is not
nearly so effective as before, and also
because one of the new rules prohibits
the blocking of the ends when they
are on their way down the field to
make tackle on punt.
Weight of Little Value.
Head Coach A. l.. Smith says, after
a. weeks trial of the present rules, that
consistent ground gaining is impossi-
bic. the forward pass is good kicking
is the game and weight is of no par
ticular value,
Il find that the games that will be
played this year will have less scien--
tific points than games under the old
rules. The reason for this is that the
offence is so handicapped by the rules
that it will be almost impossible to
gain ground consistently. In fact, I
doubt whether two teams anywhere
evenly matched will be able to make
two downs in succession.
Placing the BackHeld
However, in spite of this, the Penn
sylvania football coaches have devised
some interesting forma tons. With the
permission to make the pass direct
from center to the man carrying the
ball the use of the quarterback is re-
stricted For this reason the Penn
team will no longer have the regular
halfbacks, quarterback and fullback
Instead they will have four backs, of
nearly equal weight and speed, with
similar duties and capable of playing
in any of the positions assumed by the
other backs.
rem is now playing these four
backs in a cup shap ped formation with
two of the men five yards back and the
other half this distance. This permits
the team to work all the plays posi-
BILE under the rules without changing
formations. With two of the men five
yards back it is legal to make the
forward pass or kick from formation.
With this possible, it will be easy to
vary the play and deceive the opposi-
ton. something that was not SO easy
under the old rules.
Sprinters at n Premium Now.
Penn plans by this to overcome the
strong defence, in a certain measure
1t will make it necessary for the OPP
position to play almost as open as I'M
der the last years rules code and also
have enough men back to cover the |
possibility of this shift from straight |
to forward passing and quick
kick