The Washington herald., 1911-12-04
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Indians Coach Says Football
Should Be Simplified.
KICKS ON FORWARD PASS
CarlisIe'S Hendy Leader Says Play
on side BOOtInG the Ball
should BE Allowed 10 Take 1t on
the FIy-Present Rules Cause q
Great Deal of Dissatisfaction.
Special to The Washington Herald.

Special to The Washington Herald.
Carlisle, Pa Dec 3.-Glenn S. Warner,
the Carlisle Indian football coach, who
has always been a progressive" as Op-
posed to the "standpatters" every time
there has been a public demand for rule
changes which would make football a
more open and less dangerous game,
when asked to-day what he thought of
the preset criticisms that the rules now
make it too hard to score, expressed
himself in this way:
The only rules that need revision are
those governing the forward pass and
the onside kick. II has been drmonstrat-
ed that practically the only good thing
about these plays is that they scatter
the secondary defense and make it easier
for the team having the ball to gain
ground by regular running plays The
objection to the rules governing these
plays are that they make it necessary to
have so-called 5-yard and 2O-yard zones.
which cause a lot of trouble, dissatis-
faction, and controversy upon the part
of both officials and players, and the
forward pass Is so restricted by techni-
Calties that the play results in penalty
more often than ii succeeds, while the
On-side kick rules put premium upon
kicks which hit the ground before be
ing touched by either side, thus making
a decidedly unscientific. happy-go-lucky
play which should have no place in foot
ball.
Tn my opinion the game could be SIM
pIified and benefited and the same bene-
fetal objects accomplished as the for
ware pass and on-side kick rules now ac-
Cumplish if the players of the side kick
ing the ball be given the right to Sc
cure the ball on the fly, providing they
can get to IT before a defensive player
can DO so.
Give the defensive players first right
to catch the ball, providing one of them
can get under the punt and make sig
nal for a fair catch. Let the punt be
made from anywhere behind the line and
have restrictions upon how far it shall
be kicked. Limit the forward pass to
passes which do not cross the line OF
scrimmage, and have no other restric-
tions upon it.
These changes would eliminate the ;
and 20 yard zones, would make every
play a complete play, would cause the
secondary defense to scatter prehaps even
more than under the present rules, would
put a premium upon accurate punting,
would eliminate the basketball feature
of the present game, make the on-side
kick a pretty play, and, most important
of all, would greatly simplify the rules.
All these desirable results would be &C
complished without increasing the danger
of injuries. If any change is necessary
to make the offensive more effective this
would be accomplished by allowing one
man TO assist the man carrying the ball.
I'm order to eliminate so-called hukes
and make 1t more certain that the best
team wine, which believe is a desirable
object to be attained, this result could
be accomplished by preventing the de-
fensive side from running with the ball
after securing it upon a tumble by the
other side or after securing it upon
blocked kick which is covered behind the
line of scrimmage.''