Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-02
NEW CODE FORMULATED
TO MINIMIZE CANCERS

BOSTON, Oct. 1.-Speaking of the
new football rules, Percy Haughton,
the coach who systematized football at
Harvard, believes that their underly-
, ing purpose was to minimize the dan
ger of the game. He believes the
changes enacted with that direct In
tent are apt to affect the character OF
the game and that all changes will
lessen it's perils.
Coach Haughton sums up the altera-
| tions which he believes will lessen the
chances of physical injury as follows:
"The halves are subdiVided into four
period of fifteen minutes each, so that
the prolonged strain of thirty-five min
utes of continuous play will now be re-
moved and the total time of play Is
reduced ten minutes.
players once withdrawn from the
game can now be Reconstructed, SO
that there is now no longer the tempta-
tion to play a man to the limit OF his
endurance before he is removed.
"Flying tackles have been prohibited,
in the hope that the heavier shocks of
tacl1ling may be prevented.
"The runner is prohibited from
! Crawling after being once doWned, so
that any 'piling up on the runner may
be stopped.
"The team on the offensive is pro-
hiblted from pushing or pulling the
| man running with lUS DdllB a ulO lAANAA
should practically eliminate heavy mass
| plays.
"Seven men of the team on the Of
fensive must remain on the line of
scrimmage, so that only the backs may
now be utilized to deliver a direct at
tack on the defensive line.
1.-THE receiver of a forward pass or
onside kick is to be more adequately
protected, so as to remove the danger
of a severe shock to a man unprepared
and off his balance"
Under legislation which is apt to in
augurate new football tactics the GRIM
son coach cites several examples and
conjectures on their effects. He be-
lieves that the rule which permits a
man removed from the game for any
cause except disqualification or suspen-
sion to return at the beginning of any
subsequent period will not give the
coaches an excuse for keeping an eX-
hausted man in play. He thinks that
the rule which keeps, seven offensive
players on the line of scrimmage will
lessen the weight of attack. Also, the
rule which permits a player who first
receives the ball from the snapper
back to cross the line of scrimmage at
any point will allow a quicker and
more versatile attack" and prevent the
| defence from spreading out to defend
their territory against forward passes
and OnSide kicks" Haughton says that
more versatile form of attack must
| be devised since the adoption of a rule
| which forbids any man of the offensive
side from pushing or pulling the runner
with the ball This, in his opinion,
| should almost abolish line smashing
methods of advancing the ball.
Comparing the relative strength of
offense and defense under the new
rules, Haughton sums up as follows:
"It is well to note that the action of
| the players on the defense remains un-
changed, exceut in the case of interfer-
ing with such opponents as have
crossed the line of scrimmage on for
ward pass or onside kick The offense
has had a favorite and consistent
method of attack taken away from 1t,
that is, pushing and pulling the man
with the ball 1t has also had one man
removed from the backfeld by the rule
compelling seven men to be on the line
| of scrimmage. On the other hand, 1t
has practically gained one man in the
backfield. both as a runner and as an
| interferer, by the rule allowing the
| first man who receives the ball to run
| where he pleases. Moreover, 1t has
gained enormously by the rule which
allows a forward pass to cross the
scrimmage line at any point and by the
rule which prohibits any interference
with prospective receiver of a for
ward pass"