New-York tribune., 1911-11-17
ON FREAKS IN FOOTBALL
Sol Metzger Points Out Some
Needed Changes in Rules.
SWAPPING BACK THE BALL
Centres of Harvard, Yale and
Princeton Teams Using
an Illegal Pass.
BY SOL METZGER,
Former captain and Head Coach OF the
oraIa I,rnfhan ElANan

Former Captain and Head Coach OF inc
| Pennsylvanis Football Eleven
! When Billy Langford gave the famous
dribble- -drop-kick decision In the Princeton
| Dartmouth game that enabled the Tigers
to win in a rather remarkable way he
brought TO light one OF the many freaks
that annually occur in football, but which
rarely come TO the attention Of the public.
Indeed. 80 many catchy points are TO be
found in the rules to-day that the seasoned
officials are always upon edge for fear that
something unusual will happen and TO such
an extent that most OF them spend much
| time in solving problem plays"
One point that has caught my attention
most this fall has been the passing OF the
centre rush TO the fullback when the latter
is playing back ten yards In what is known
as kicking formation. Watching the Har-
ward. Princeton and Yale elevens In action,
was somewhat surprised to note that
when the different centres passed the ball
to the fullback upon this sformation--"snap-
ping the ball. as II Is termed In Section .,
Rule VI. of the official guide-they used a
method which evidently has not caught the
attention of officials. but which could strict
ly be ruled as illegal and the ensuing play
not counted. An official to do this would
naturally meet with a good deal of criti-
cism, but he would nevertheless be right
according 10 a strict Interpretation OF the
rules.
The method of passing these centres
sometimes use and which Storer, of Har-
ward. invariably adopted. is to first raise
the ball from the ground and then throw 1t
back between their legs. To be sure the
lift they first give to the ball is not big
one. but 1t Is sufficient to be noticeable
from the top of the stands and It caught
my attention because It is just the motion
the embryo centre gives to the ball when
he first attempts this long and difficult
pass. To correct him OF this and enable
him TO get the pass back smoothly is the
point all line coaches strive for.
Rule VI. Section 2, OF the football guide
reads:
Swapping the ball is putting II back from
its position on the ground with one quick
and continuous motion Of hand or hands
or Of the foot.
1t is quite clear that the style Of pass as
previously noted is not one quick or con-
tnuous motion of the hands or feet, so It
must be illegal.
Section 8, Rule VI, which follows. says:
a scrimmage takes place when the holder
with it's long axis at right angles to the
line Of scrimmage and puts It In play by
swapping It back.
Clearly, the ball cannot be put in play and
a down cannot be counted when centre
rush lifts the ball and then throws 1t back,
instead OF swapping 1t back.
first noted this fault in storer's passing
in Harvard's game against Brown and
called attention to 1t in these columns not
co 1tch 80 fhA Of
but because it gave the defensive linemen
such a fine opportunity to know TO whom
the ball was to be passed At Princeton
one week later Storer did the same thing.
nor was Bluethenthal, the Tiger pivot, en-
tirely free Of the fault. Further. l noted
Ketcham doing It. at New Haven. in the
Brown game
While the rules clearly cover this case,
It would be unwise for an official to en-
force the point unless compelled to do
So for the reason that the violation is
entirely against the letter Of the rule and
in no wise effects either the spirit OF 1t
or the game Furthermore. the enforce
ment Of IL would put the centre rush up
i'm the air." so to speak. for he could not
Immediately pass correctly Is he had not
been taught 10 do 80. and the result could
only be of great advantage TO his oppo-
nents, an advantage gained by no superior
play Of their own-a freak advantage, in
other words.
The worst part-and the point / called
attention to-is that II Is poor method
of passing. and how II ever crept into
the plans OF Yale, Harvard and Princeton
is more than one can see. Yet an official
would be entirely correct in muddling up
a game by enforcing this point. though
I don't mean by this statement 10 reflect
upon Mr. Langford's decision on the drib-
BILE drop kick, as that was the only thing
he could do; no other course lay before
him.
Undoubtedly he has done a good thing
for football in making this point so clear
that a good deal of proper and necessary
editing in football rules may follow
For instance there could be a good deal
of simplified codification OF the forward
pass rules. as they are none too clear and
entirely superfuous in language Section
). Rule 10, reads:
When the ball has been legally passed
forward and has been legally touched be-
fore striking the ground. by any player
Of the side not making the pass, any play
er Of either side has the right to attempt
Obviously the rule entirely omits the
provision as TO what is done when the
player of the attacking side, eligible TO
receive the pass. first touches it: and in
consequence the officials have ruled either
way-as the contesting teams agree be-
fore the game begins.
No more fatal rule ever crcpt into the
official guide than Rule VII, Section 1(c),
which is as follows:
Al the beginning of the third period the
teams shall take opposite goals from those
assumed at the beginning of the second
period, and the side which kicked off in
the first period shall have the option of
kicking off or having their opponents
kick off
This is a monument to colossal stupid
ity, for I don't think any football player
can recall the time when an eleven ever
elected TO receive kickoff when II could
kick off, all other conditions being equal.
In other words. the team that wins the
toss has a tremendous and admitted ad-
vantage in electing TO kick off each half
when the wind is not a controlling factor
as by so doing II Immediately places the