The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-11-01
QUICK THINKING
HELPS N FOOTBALL
49,. .A--
There Is Inside Playing on
Gridiron as Well as in
|. Baseball

difference is that there is so much
more inside football that not only does
the average spectator miss it, but the
players and coaches themselves see
little of It. At present it seems that
the possibilities of inside" football
are unlimited.
Every player on a team has chances
to pull on inside work. but the posi-
ton which most needs the ability to
gasp a situation and grapple with it
in a new way is that Of quarterback.
Around the little men who call the
signals for the big elevens open a
thousand possibilities for inside play,
and many are the qu~arterbacks who
do not take advantage OF their oppor-
tunities. That is why the ''heady'
quarterbacks. that is, those who can
run a eam on the field as we'll as the
coach on the sideline could direct IT,.
may be counted on the fingers of one
hand. -...
The quarterback must keep in mind
the number of the downs, the distance
to be gained. the position on the field,
the length Of time that remains to be
played. the individual and collective
strength, of his W men, and the indi-
Vidual and collective strength an.
LIZ OF his opponents, the pecu-
ltarities of the officials, and the num-
Der and kind OF plays at his disposal.
" IA NC COllSlUcI0U
IN a single instant. and decision given
sometimes in a fraction OF a second,
frequently while rising from the
ground or struggling to be disengaged
from the mass, n frequently when
suffering from painful injuries. And
yet they say 1t requires no brains to
play football.
for inside" work for the reason that
the grand stand does not recognize it.
just q few instances: Under the
new rules 1t is sometimes mode ad.
visable for a member of q team on
the defense to drop a forward pass
which he as caught than to hold it.
Is on n occasion of a forward
pass on a third down. A defensive
ha!tback has a chance to catch the
pail, but sees that he would be
downed without carrying the BAH back
to the line where it started. In this
case, the right play is to touch the
pail n let it drop to the ground, SO
that the ball will then be brought back
TO the place where it started and given
70 MIS- side. To the grand stand this
play properly executed would be Missed
by the unthinking.
again. a quarterback in the safety
position ts standing almost on his
own goal line. The ball is kicked to
nm. He can't make an easy. catch.
u the heady man in this case will
usually allow the ball to fly or bounce
across the goal line. The defending
SIDE Is then allowed to take the bali
out to the twenty-five yard line and
put 1t in play. If he elects to catch it
he Will probably be downed before
reaching that line. Yet quarterbacks
nave been called dubs and poor catch-
es by the grand stand for this plan.
NE, ahe same procedure should be used
wnere a high kickoff is kicked so as
to pass or bounce over the goal line
Immediately. especially where The
fast. -. 1'oe' 'Ae A'ch are
The heady backhelder of these davs
n outside and continues parallel
TO the goal lire for a few PAGES. in
oEaer TO tempt some unwary man on
sae,,. o'ner = to tackle him and
secure penal against the tackler.
coaches Have Trick Methods.
Almost all coaches have devices for
getting the other team offside. The
aNorite device Of Bill Roper. now
director at Princeton, was a necuiiar
eystem Of signals. The series con
taihlng the charging number would
De called and Immediately after the
lasI integer called the team would
Other teams found it Impossible 70
accustom themselves to this system Of
charging. which was without anv an.
parent signal. It mystiled the opnos.
ing teams and they began CHARGING
q couple OF signals after a series which
dld not contain the charging numhe
and We're caught offside. False starts
and %tw!tchings Of the ball by the
snapper back also accomplish the
same object. Liz
very questionable kind OF inside
Mork is the system of working" on
me injured knee or other injured part
OF an opponent in the hope of weaken
ing MIN and making an opening. To
1orestall this. injured players fire.
quently cover their good knee osten-
tatiously with bandages. thus trickine
their opponent to direct his energies
where they will do least harm.
Inc use of the unexpected NAV ia
the quintessence of inside play. One
OF the most successful things at times
IS the repetition Of a play which has
Just failed. Two plungers have tried
IN succession to pierce through guard
and the man defending the SPOT counfs
himself safe from a third attack. An
other play Of the same kind under
tnese circumstances will Frequently |
take MIN unawares and result in A sIh. |
stantial gain.
A thousand other possibilities are
open to the student Of the game for
inside work. Running with the bali.
catching. passing. kicking-each has
a dozen little tricks which spell defeat
or victory If taken advantage of or
neglected at the psychological moment.