The Washington herald., 1910-05-08
FOOTBALL CHANGES
UP FOR DISCUSSION
Well-knOWn Player Says Old
Game Is Coming Back.
SPORT WILL BE MUCH SAFER
Eight-yard Rule TO Have Marked
Effect on Game-Flying Tackle
Hardly LeSseu Injuries-Line Buck
crs VIII Be Much in Demand.

| crs VIII BE Much in Demand.
/ After four years trial Of so-callod new
] football" the rules committee IN its
meeting at Philadelphia last week made
I a set of rules that really means football
( Will be played much the same AS 10 was
/ in the fall OF 1905 says a well-knOwn COL
! lege player. OF course. the rules are not
\ just the same as governed the great coll
/ lese game in the last season OF old foot
ball. Four years experience with the for
ward pass and other features Of the rev
game have left their mark on the rules
| that viii govern the battles 10 be fought
next fall.
/ The forward pass as seen in games
during the past four seasons IS ancient
history now. The forward pass as IL
viii be permitted next fan must be made
and completed behind the line Of scrim-
mage. the throWer standing al least five
. feet behind the scrimmage line when he
makes the pass The old sensational
. shoe string pass" across the field is
gone. However, the new rule VIII make
possible just as sensational and mystlfy-
| Delayed passes. split interference. and
many other decelving forms Of attack
viii be tried by the coaches. To etoo
this il viii be necessary % have a fast.
/ aggressive set OF line men. As has been
the case at all times weight viii ba "a
big advantage 10 the line men. but a big
man viii not be able 10 do much unless
ne is fast AT charging and knows how
! 10 meet an opponent squarcly and also
size up a play quickly The line man
with the good noodle" is the man for the
job next fan.
Eight-yard Rule Fair.
/ a rule which viii also have a marked
effect on the game is the one which
makes eight yards instead Of ten the
7 distance TO he gained I'm three downs
This rule seems fair, as ten yards was
really too far 20 force the ball in three
downs as a general thing. This rule
viii DO much 20 put the game back 20
the STYLES used FIVE years ago. 4 coach
who played football under the old rules
and also coached under the new VIII
have Blk advantage over a coach VINO
learned football under the rules used iu
the past four years The game Of 1910
VIII be a combination Of PLAYS as used
five years ago. and a perfected form OF
split interference which has been grad
ually creeping into the game during The
past seven seasons.
With the changes in the rules which
practically do away with the orsiIe kick
and the forward pass. as far as I0ug SEN
satioual passes are concerned. WIZ come
/ a natural change in the defensive side
OF the game. The extreme double line
defense viii not Doe necessary. The se.-
o1d line of defense viii be brought up
closer TO the line of scrimmare and there
fore the tackles and smashing ends win
not bear the 5rmt Of battle as has been
Tho case in the last four seasons. This
viii eliminate many injuries
There viii De fewer fuke plays That
is. The team that wins now viii really
win more ou IFS merits than the team
! which handed out O. sensational forward
5 pass. or was fortunate enough 20 inter-
. cept one Of an opponents.
/ Flying Tackle Rule Unnecessary.
Many football critics seem tr think
b thr eliminating OF the flying tackle will
, also have It's effect on lessenlUg injuries.
4 / ] do not agree with them. II is seldom
a man ever uses flying tackle. and
. when ne does IL is generally after a run
' aer has passed him. During my last two
- years Oh a college football team played
D half back on ofense and end ON defense.
+ II was seldom that ever used a flying
tackle on a runner 1 always found #
much more satisfactory 20 meet the op-
ponenr squareIy while I was stiU on my
feet. and then if he was able TO gain
: after ] tackled him he certainly was well
come 20 all the yards he made. Ii is
much easier 10 tackle a man when you
ere stiu on your feet than when you are
diving through space i'm a vain hope Of
changing a runners legs
] also might mention that my expert
D ence 40 carrying the ban taught me that
the man that tackles while he is still on
his feet hurts the runner much more
than the man who dives A DIVING tack
Ter never bothered me to any great ex-
tent I really think the rule barring the
flying tackle is uunecesSary. and ann
, sure it Will have no effect on the same.
There is a rule that viii have q big
effect ON the game. The rule stor1u-
! the pulling off the man running wiz. the
ball and also the pushing of the runner
viii change the CANT considerably. This
rule Will cause the coaches TO use split
] interference more than ever before. IL
previous seasons the players have been
taught TO drag the runner through, but
: Il is different now Instead of the inter
q ference being sent behind che runner, the
Q interference viii ue sent in front or
/ faxed 10 the other side and the runner
Z who should be a clever do5s5r and side
D stopper. will dash twisting through the
, opponents defense without aid from his
, Teammates. To viii be a game suited I'D
, the style PLAYER such as Walter Stetans
o. the former Chicago University star.
. Line Bucker I'm Demand,
) There is au9-uc- thing I might men
ton; the day OF the line hucler Is not
finished. ] have always said this and
now with the adopting of the present
b. code OF rules I am positive I ann right
s It win be a poor team next fan that
- does not have az least one line llrEer
As a general thing the rules az adopt
, cd by the committee seem To- make the
4 game much safer and there viii Ha fewer
e. injuries next season amoug football play
J CTS Although il should be remembered
that there will always be injuries. and
: some OF them very. serious ones. as long
! as PLAYERS not in physical condition and
Q lacking proper training and coachiu- take
0 part i'm games. The roles committee gTH
never stop that kind of injuries IL is 1927
I TO the athletic authorities OF the schools