Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-11-29
INSIDE GAME COUNTS
Football Player Seldom Gets
.:, Credit for Play.
Chances for Real Scientific Work
:. Nearly as Great on Gridron as on
Diamond, but Spectators Do
Not See It.

. e
as we'll as i inside" baseball. The
great difference is that there is so
| much more inside football that not
only does the average spectator miss
I. but the players and coaches them
selves see little OF it. At present It
seems that the possibilities OF In
side" football are unlimited.
Every player on team has chances
to pull off inside work, but the posi-
ton which most needs the ability 10
grasp situation and grapple with 1t
in u new way is that Of quarter back.
Around the little men who call the
signals for the big elevens open
thousand possibilities. for inside play,
and many are the quarter backs who
10 ne take advantage. of their oppor-
tunties. That is why the "heady"
quarter backs, that is. those who can
run team on the field as well as the
coach on the side line could direct
1t, may be counted on the fingers or
one hand.
The quarter back must keep in
mind the number of downs, the dis
lance to be gained, the position on the
field, the length of time that remains
to be played, the individual and col.
Iective strength, of his own men, and
The individual and collective strength
and weakness Of his opponents, the
peculiarities Of the officials, and the
number and kind of plays at his dis.
posal. All of these things must be
considered in 4 single instant and de-
cision given sometimes in a fraction
Of second. frequently while rising
from the ground or struggling to be
disengaged from the mass, and fire.
quently when suffering from painful
injuries. And yet they say it re-
Qnires no brains to play football.
A football player seldom gets cred
It for inside" work for the reason
that the grandstand does not recog.
uize 1t. ~
Just a few instances: Under the
new rules 1t is sometimes more ad-
visable for member Of team on
the defense 10 drop a forward pass
which he has caught than to hold 1t.
This is on the occasion of forward
pass on third down.. A defensive
halfback has a chance to catch the
ball. but sees that he would be down
ed without carrying the ball back to
the line where 1t started. In this
case. the right play is to touch the
ball and let it drop to the ground. so
that the ball will then be brought
back to the place where 1t started
and given to his side. To the grand
stand this play properly executed
would be Kissed by the untbinklng.
Again. a quarter back in the safety
position Is standing almost on his
own goal line. The ball is kicked to
him. He can't make an easy catch.
but 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 ball
out to the twenty-fve-yard line and
put 1t in play. If he elects to catch:
It he will probably be downed before
reaching that line. Yet quarterback
have been called dubs and poor
catches by the grandstand for this
play. The same procedure should be
used where a high kickoff is kicked
so as to pass or bounce over the goal
line Immediately. especially where
the ends coming down under the kick
are fast.
The heady backfielder of these days
runs outside and continues parallel
10 the goal line for a few PAGES. in
order to tempt some unwary man ON
the other team to tackle him and Sc
cure a penalty against the tackler.''
4 thousand possibilities are open
to the student of the game for inside
work. Running with the ball, catch
ing. passing, kicking-each has doz. /
en- little tricks which spell defeat or \
victory if taken advantage OF or neg.
lected at the psychological moment.