New-York tribune., 1910-01-30
TO CURE FOOTBALL
WHAT TIGERS WANT.
Would Curb Interference and
Change FOrrard Pass.
IBy Telegraph to The Tribune.1

10y Telegraph 10 Ihe 1r1ounej
Princeton. n. j.. Jan. 29-Parke II. Davis
will represent Princeton University at the
meeting of the football rules committee in
New York. on February T. The football
committee here completed the investigation
of the football situation and had reached
a definite conclusion TO the changes
that Princeton will advocate at the COM
ing meeting
Realizing that important changes in the
present rules of the game were inevitable,
the authorities determined to make as thor
oush an examination as possible into the
causes of injuries and all other objection
able features OF football as played during
the season just passed. In carrying out
this plan James A. Moffat compiled an
accurate and minute list of the more serf-
Gus accidents of the last season and their
causes as nearly could be determined
Letters were also written to many OF the
leading football pleayers in the country
asking for their opinion on the subject of
injuries in the present form of the game
From these various sources the con-
sensus of opinion seemed to be that the
great majority of injuries were chiefly due
TO interference and the recovery OF the
forward pass. Recognizing that to do away
with interference would be to do away
problem became one of consideration as
TO whether it would be possible and feast
BILE to modify the present system of inter
ference so that it's dangerous features could
be eliminated to great extent at least. or
whether interference should be abolished
altogether and a game similar to Rugby
adopted. After careful consideration. how
ever. the former plan was decided to be
the better. According to this decision. the
football committee will instruct Mr.. Davis
TO advocate. ds Princeton's representative
the following changes in the present rules:
That seven men shall stand upon the
line of scrtmmage when the ball is snapped
and three of the backs shall stand at least
five yards behind the line. Further. that
no player of the side having the ball shall
pull, push. or hold on his feet the man
running with the ball.
This change, il is believed will do away
with the mass plays. where the close in
terference. with half a dozen men on the
back of the man with the ball, is directed
against one position and one man. and
1t will also open the game up and make
1t much more spectacular, as it will afford
a variety of means for the quick and
heady player to show his ability, and vet
Will not by any means do away with all
forms OF interference
In regard to the forward pass the COM
mittee will advocate that the ball may be
passed at any point over the line and
that only two men of the passer's side
shall be eligible to receive it, and these
two must be the men on the end of the
Hne and the pass must be caught or be-
come dead; in other words, that a pass
that strikes the ground or which is fun
bled and then falls to the ground shall
go as an incompleted forward pass
The most important change to be advo-
Gated In this play by the Princeton COM
mittee will be the enactment of a rule
preventing opponents from interfering in
tentionally with the two men endeavorins
to recover the pass. 1t is proposed that
the opponents may jump and try to re-
cover the ball themselves but are NOT nor
mitted TO put the player taking the PASS
entirely out of the play by jumping into
him
Ii will be suggested further that the =
yard restriction be removed from the quar-
terback run as well as the forward pass.
The present rule compels an official to
Judge the distance with his eye when the
play is rapidly IN motion. and leads to
dissatisfaction and faulthnding
Another recommendation TO be submitted
Is the adoption of the style of goal which
requires that the uprights be SIX feet be
hind the goal line and the horizontal piece
brought out even with the line by two
projecting pieces, ten feet from the ground.
Such style of post is in use at Amherst.
and has done away with injuries inflicted
by collision with the uprights formerly
used.
Finally, Princeton will advocate an
amendment to the rule regulating the
Yards TO he gained. by making IT, as now
ten yards between the two 2S-yard lines
put only five yards between the 5-yard
line and the goal line