The Washington herald., 1910-08-14

players. their captain, coach. trainer. or
medical supervisor. The committee, how
ever has aided these men in the per-
formance OF their duties by abolishing the
the famous halves" Of football and sub
shutting instead four quarters Of fifteen
minutes duration. thereby reducing the
playing time Of game by ten minutes
and giving two additional periods OF rest
This Is the custom Of the Canadian game.
IN connection Herewith the committee
has provided that a player once removed
may return once again to play. 1t is be-
lieved that this privilege will prevent a
good man from playing 70 exhaustion
rather than leave the game 10 which he
cannot return. Nor Is it new This
also was in the original Rugby game and
was not abolished until the convention OF
March q, 1859
Forward Pass Is Problem.
In the matter Of the forward pass the
committee faced a difficult problem. in
deed The injurious effects of this play
/ IN the last three years have been two
fold. First. it has subjected the players
recovering the pass to violent personal
collisions, and second, by forcing the
secondary defense 10 play at least ten
yards behind the line of scrimmage to
protect the forward pass zone It has
brought upon the unsupported tackles the
dangerous continuous mass plays. The
specific problem before the committee was
to protect the men recovering the pass
and still not disturb the very foundation
OF the game You may say as many have
suggested, Simply forbid a player TO
interfere with another while recovering
the forward pass" But this brings up
the query, How can the players on de-
Tense know that the men coming down
the field are TO take a forward pass2"
They may intend 20 recover a kick or
they may be leading a running play Thus
it became obvious 90 the committee that
one rule must be found which would take
into consideration all three contingencies.
This has been done by prescribing that
the players on defense may try 20 catch
ball when passed forward and that any
interference by them which is incidental
to bona fide attempt TO get the ball
shall be permissible. but that no player
shall be permitted 10 ignore the flight
Of the ball and violently put HIS oppo-
nents-Qut Of the play as heretofore. This
idea Of an incidental interference obtains
IN the Australian game. where II has
worked successfully.
In order 20 balance the equilibrium
OF the game and also to prevent the long
forward pass from displacing the punt.
it has been found necessary 20 establish
twentyyard zone behind the defensive
rush line. forward passes to be recovered
within il. onside kicks TO be recovered
beyond il.
These numerous changes in the offensive
game viii bring about automatically
corresponding changes defensiveIy. Thus
Il will probably be found that seven men
are no longer necessary to maintain the
defensive rush line and that one OF these
men may be transferred 20 the back field
with the playing time reduced ten min
utes teams viii be able to play greater
number OF major games. and with the
strenuous mass play abolished all games
may be played with full quarters
Now that this. the final reform in the
long line Of revisions. has been effected.
may we expect an injuryless gamer No.
for no game involving physical contact
and played with the American spirit
which keenly seeks to excel and to win
can exist without accidents. Football.
baseball hockey, and lacrosse are not
games for youths with serious organic
defects, conditions Of disease. or habits
Of dissipation. They are games for se.ind
boys. leading sound lives and who play
with a sound spirit For such, football
this autumn offers as keen and safe
sport as has been afforded since the days
OF their fellow-players at Sparta twenty
three centuries ago.
PARKE p. DAVIS.