Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-13
Many PerpIexing Knots Are Being
Solved by Football Assem-
bly, at Harvard
FORWARD PASS is A FEATURE
Open Formation Will Be the Rule,
and Quarterback Will
Lose Position


leyan coach, says concerning the new
football:
while the football world is await
ing the final codification of the new
rules there are gathered at the Har-
ward summer school of physical educa-
ton coaches, athletic directors, gym
nasium directors and students. All
these classes are represented in the
football work which is being done un-
der the supervision of DR.. Sargent.
The course comprises men from Har-
ward, Princeton, Dartmouth, Wiscon-
sin, University Of California, Am
herst, Wesleyan, Springfield training
school, Bowdoin, Maine, University or
Texas, University of Vermont, Ohio,
University of alabama, University OF
North Dakota, Middlebury, Lawrence
vile, Mercersburg and various schools
throughout the country.
THE greater part of these men have
had experience in coaching, and COM
ing from all sections of the country
they make the hour devoted to the
theory and practice of football each
day a clearing house for the interpre-
tation of rules and the possibilities of
the new game.
Particular attention As being placed
on the possibilities of the new rules.
For the coming fall coaches will have
to consider the following new elements
in respect to the offense:
"First, that the player receiving the
ball from the snapperback may cross
t. line of scrimmage at any point as
opposed to the old rule of the neces-
sity of running five yards out before
crossing the scrimmage line. This rule
will place a premium on heavy quar-
terbacks,. should they assume the po-
sition behind the snapperback. Under
the ne wrules the push and pull game
is dead, and the men to be of any et-
ficiency must be ahead of the man
weight as well as speed in the quar-
terback.
1--WE have been experimenting with
the quarterback as a regular halfback
that is, having the four backs In a
line four yards back and using the
direct pass from center. This arrange
ment has met with much favor. An
other argument for dispensing with the
quarterback is the fact that he must
make a forward pass at least hYe yards
back of the scrimmage line. Thus the
short pass over the scrimmage line Is
done away with. This ruling will open
up the play from a spectacular point OF
view.
1.-THE second consideration with re-
gard to the offense is the restriction
placed upon the offensive side in not
being allowed to touch a kicked ball
within the 20-yard zone or within a
space twenty yards from the spot
where the ball was put in play. This
ruling relates only to men who were
offsde and does not include men who
were kicked. The object of this rule
is to prevent the scramble and rough
ness possible under the rule of last year
and to- encourage forward passing under
the new rules.
'This means that the only alternative
of the offense on a bounding ball IN
the 20-yard zone is that the men on the
offence must wait for an opponent to
touch the ball, or follow 1t up and
watch the opportunity to fall upon 1t
after it has passed the 20-yard zone.
'"The third consideration relating to
the offense is without doubt the most
important innovation that has ever
been made in football, that concerning
the forward pass, which must be made
at least five yards back of the scrim-
mage line to any of the backfield men
who are at least one yard back from
the scrimmage line at the time the ball
is snapped, or to either of the men on
the ends of the line. This rule does not
prevent an end from shifting and al
lowing the tackle to receive the ball.
"a number of perpleXing questions
have arisen in connection with the
forward pass, one of which is: Does
a forward pass to be legal have to
cross the line of scrimmage? AS a
practical demonstration, suppose Yale
shifts all her men on the left side
of her center to her right side, can
the center snap the ball to any one
of his backs and Immediately receive
lit before crossing the scrimmage line?
Would the first man who received the
ball from the center have to be five
yards back before passing the ball to
center if the center received the ball
on his side of the scrimmage line,
"a new ruling before the committee
this wear in relation to an incomplet-
ed forward pass is that on first and
second down there is loss of down
from the spot where the ball was put
in play and not from the spot from
which the pass was made. No distance
penalty is added, as Has the case last
year. On third down, if an incom-
pleted forward pass results the ball
goes to the opponents not on the spot
where the ball was put in play, but
from which the pass was made. This
ruling with the allowance of the for-
ward pass over the line of scrmmage
provided the pass was made at letst
five yards back of the Scrimmage line
opens up a rich field of possibilities
to the strategist
zone of the most FERTILE Suggestions
worked out is the directing or the IN
terference ahead of the man with the
ball in one direction and the passing
of the ball to an end or halfback In
the opposite.
'In the execution of this forward
pass the spiral throw on line the
shortest distance between the passer
and receiver has been found to be
the most satisfactory. The underhand
pass and the high throw have been
found wanting. The inference is that
a premium will be placed upon tall,
rangy men in receiving and fast' ac-
curate men in passing the ball:
"A defensive problem the coach must
think out is how to arrange his men
to meet a line plurging game and at
the same time to meet a forward pass
ing game and the onside kicks. One
way out of the difficulty has been
worked out in the summer school; In
stead of having one stationary de-
fense. adopt a variable system to meet
the circumstances of the attack. An
other consideration in relation to the
defense is how to handle the offensive
end on a punt. Under the old ruling
an end alone or an end and a half
hack could harass the opposing end
as soon as the ball was snapped. I'm
der the new legislation he cannot be
touched in the twenty-yard zone.
There are three alternatives open. The
first is to block him before he crosses
the scrimmage line, the second is to
let him go free and follow until the
twenty-yard zone is reached The last
is to play a respectable distance back