Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-28
LATEST GRIDIRON
CODE WILL STAND
More Spectacular Less Chance
of Injury, Gives Approval
Stamp to Rules

BOSTON, Nov. 27-That the latest
American modification of the English
Rugby football game Is likely to stand
for several years at least, with perhaps
a few minor changes, is the opinion of
many of the coaches and players of
tho New England college elevens at
the end of the present season. From
the spectators standpoint the game
proved more popular than ever before.
Injuries were fewer in number and
less serious than for many years, only
one fatality occurring in this section.
That was on Thanksgiving day, at
Winsted, Conn.
According to Trainer "Pooch" DON
ovan and DIR. Nichols of the Harvard
eleven, twisted knees were more prev
alent than any other injury. Don"
Pryor of Brooklyn said the new rules
helped his team immensely.
'"They gave q greater chance for
heady, speedy men," he said, than
was allowed the same players under
the old rules, and are entirely salts
ty-yard zone relating to forward
passes and one-side kicks, and the
division of periods"
Coach r. s. Durgin of Bowdoin said
the new game had great possibilities
which even the larger colleges did not
bring out.
DIR. WILLIAMS SPEAKS
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 27.-Dr.
Carl williams of the University of
Pennsylvania, member of the football
rules committee and chairman of the
advisory board of coaches, is of the
opinion that while the new rules have
decreased injuries they have not made
the game more interesting to the spec
tators.
'The game has been marred," he
said. "by the fact that under the
new rules prohibiting the giving of
assistance to the runner. 1t is almost
impossible for either of two evenly
matched teams to gain more than two
or three consecutive first downs.
ct would remedy this by permit
ting the runner to receive the assist
ance of at least one man. If such a
rule were passed 1t would be possible
to restrict the forward pass to back
the line of scrimmage. This would
give the offense an even chance. Then
I would remove the twenty-yard re-
striction from the one-slde kick
with the experience OF this year as
n guide, next years games should be
far more interesting and just as safe."
FORWARD PASS CoMPLICATES
NEW YORK, Nov. 26.-That much
mooted-and it might be truthfully said
much "booted"-pldy in football, the
forward pass, has been handled by
some of the coaches this season with
kid gloves while there have been
others who have not refrained from
making the most of any advantages
which they believe may exist in en-
ploying that particular form OF
strategy,
So long as the forward pass is per-
mitted to be a part of the rules it is
apparent that a team, to be wholly
successful must be able to defend it.
self against 1t when the emergency
arises, and must also be able to avail
itself of it under certain conditions
For these reasons 1t does not seem to
be the best policy to slight it alto
gether. 1t may readily be believed that
some of the coaches would not bother
with it were it not for the fear OF
placing their elevens on the field with
an unsuitable defense in case the at
tacking side should try to gain ground
with the play. The play never has ap-
pealed to them as real football. 1t
must not be considered that they are
progressive, for many of them
have been foremost in developing foot
ball strategy on other lines. They
simply hold that the basic principle of
the pass is wrong, in that 1T is
derivative from basketball and base
ball. 1t is their contention that it is
a play wholly of the hands and op-
posed to that principle of the game
which holds that the ball should never
be advanced except by running or
kicking. In the open field, however,
where the players are able to operate
their defense under less trying circum-
stances than when the ball is under
the shadow of their goal, it has seemed
easier this year to prevent the success
IL. So r,,,1 +l,av, hn 90 ~,
ground with 1t. The men who are
eligible to receive The pass are marked
so closely that the defense, If keen
eyed and alert, analyze the situation
almost upon the moment that an effort
is made to put the play into execution.
Possibly that fact, in addition to the
latest hostility to the play on the part
of some coaches, is one reason why il
is honored more by its infrequency than
by its commonness. There Is method
of using the forward pass which is in
vogue at Pennsylvania, and which is
also in use by the Indians, which seems
to be a successful adjunct to advan-
tageous ground gaining. That is to
Employ it behind the line of scrimmage
In attempting an end run 1t is pos
sible to use the forward pass, and
to use it successfully to assist in ground
gaining, and at the same time comply
with the rule which governs this par
ticular play. 1t has been ascertained
that a short forward pass works very
we'll in scattering the defense and al
the same time deluding it as to the
man in possession of the ball. Eventu-
ally should the forward pass remain in
the book of football strategy, it is not
improbable that its great efficiency will
be found to exist in it's use behind the
line. Football is making some progress
under the new rules, but the progress
is necessarily slow, and within another
season more definite football knowledge
will have been acquired than exists al
present, and within that knowledge
may be included some valuable facts
which shall make the forward pass q
weapon of attack, not so much on the
principle that the play is to gain ground
like punt, but as a help when running