University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1910-08-30
NEW RULES ARE
TOUGH ON OFFICIALS
Game Made by Advisory
Coaches Is Full of Con-
tradictions.
CAN BEAT THE RULES
With All the Changes 1t Is
Question If Roughness
Is Obliterated.
CAN BEAT THE RULES

after exhaustive argument ana CONSUL
tation, formulated the official rules un,
der which this years games will be
played. Many of the rules committee
are also advisory coaches for their
alma matters, and if a paraphrase is
permissible, can it be possible that
they made the rules and. 10. their
feet are on the things which they
have made?"
In other words, is it possible to
beat the rules?"
Do the makers of the regulations
know how it can be done? VIII they
drop hint to the powers that be in
their various college organizations?
1t will hWdly be disputed that after
the years football edicts are published
the first move OF a professional coach
is to look for loOpholes which may
be of value to his team. To be sure,
the rules this year were put in such
clear and concise form that their au-
thors only considered twenty-seven eX-
planatory notes and thirty diagrams
necessary to show what they meant
1t would seem that they have consid-
cradle latitude for individual judg-
ment. especially where they SEEM
ingly contradict each other. Every
effort has been made to oblterate all
roughness from the game.
But is the Roushness ObIiterated?
But is roughness really obliterated:
The makers of this years code evil
IDENTIFY intend to abolish the flying
tackle. or course, no runner with
the ball is going to cease his progress
sive movement if his opponent merely
slaps him on the back as sort of
tag, you're it," proposition. Tack
ling severe enough to make man
pause and remain stationary is one of
the necessities of football. In the
instructive book entitled How to Play
Football" an Illustration is shown of
what is plainly diving tackle, al
though the tackler is dragging one
toe on the ground This is stated to
be an example of tackling under the
new rules. Is the whole code to open
to the same liberal Interpretation
which breaks the spirit of the lule,
il not the letter?
As to Conduct of Players"
Included in the rules is a section
on etiquet, entitled conduct of play
ers," which is expressed in ten COM
mandments. 1t defines the things
which player must abstain from
about as follows:
1. He must not kick or strike.
2. He must not be rough with the
player kicking or receiving the ball.
). He must not pile upon a player
after the referee has declared the ball
dead. Of he piles upon him enough
before that time it would doubtless be
wasted energy anyhow
4. He must not hurdle, (hurdling is
elsewhere defined as jumping over a
player with the feet or knees fore
most, so there seems to be nothing
in this rule to prevent diving.D
5. He must not trip any opponent.
6. He must not crawl with the
ball.
I. He must not call the officials in
sulting names.
s. He must have at least one foot
on the ground when tackling. GA
diving tackle seems to be permissible
as long as man drags one foot or hits
the ground with it at the moment of
contact.)
.. He must not commit fouls with
intent to delay the game.
10. He must not commit a palpably
unfair play.
The Rules Are Contrad ictory.
BY one football authority at least
the rules are regarded as contradic-
tory, ambiguous and confusing. tie,
says:
They impose impossible tasks on
the officials and make it easy for the
players to evade them. The penalties
Tor violation cannot be enforced, and
game in which the spirit of frequent
evasion creeps in is assured under
the code which it is planned 10 play
this fall. The rule prohibiting flying
tackles. for instance. is impossible of
1t says that a flying
tackle IS one made by a player with |
both feet off the ground. A player who
IS running has both feet off the ground
Inc rule. then prohibits all tackles
except players who are either stand
ng still or walking
Walter Camp has stated that tine
greatest amount of care will be neces-
;ary on the parts of the officials IN in.
the rules so that the teams
viii clearly understand what they NAV