Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-12-12
BY j. W. Heisnan.

- 1ON LHdI the BlllOhS OIL an
other football season has
all cleared away, we are in
position to see clearly how the
rules worked out. For so many
years now the rules have been
rinkered with each winter that we
naturally look for further changes
each successive season.
But this year l seriously doubt
whether any important alterations
will be made. AS whole, the new
rules by themselves, and also in
combination with the old ones,
worked out very nicely. Few COM
plants Of any kind have been
heard, coming either from players,
coaches or spectators. In other
words, a satisfactory game has at
last been evolved, and there will
be found little or no need for fur
Their change.
The most gratifying manner in
which the rules operated this year
was in producing a game that had
it's offense and it's defense properly
balanced. The salient features Of
this corrected adjustment were:
/. The average distance re-
quired to be gained by team
on offense was IL yards per
down. This as a mean between
1-3 yards last year and 2-3
yards five years ago was found
to be the correct distance, as
contrasted with the erroneous
extremes.
,. The. elimination of ''hik-
ing" the runner made the
strain far less burdensome on
the defensive tackles, so that
they could hold up through an
entire game-to say nothing
of rendering the game much
less dangerous for the tackles
81. 3. The continued possibility
Of a team pulling off long for
ward passes at any stage of the
game compelled the defensive
team TO keep we'll back a strong
secondary defense. This OPP
Grated to help out the offense,
and largely made up for what
the offense had lost in being
deprived of the right to help
the runner by pulling and
pushing.
4. The right to send this for
ward pass clear across the goal
line operated to keep the de-
fensiYe team still scattered
even when the ball was close
to their goal, and 80 1t became
possible for a team to push the
ball across for touchdowns
without requiring much more.
effort and strength than ad-
vancing the ball in mid field
as was the case last year.
8. On the other hand, this
was somewhat compensated for
by the elimination of the on
side kick. This resulted in some
teams sending back only one
man to handle a punt, leaving
the others all up near. the line
to help stop the fake kicks SO
common in these days.
The Forward Pass Again.
Now that the reports are all in,
we will have to admit that again,
the country over, the forward pass
has been oftener incompleted than
completed No matter how prom
Using these things look In Septem-
Der and October. by the time No
vember gets around the coaches
have found time in which to give
their teams ample defensive drill
on stopping them, with the result
that they are stopped. In other
words, they are much less apt to
work out successfully In the big
matches OF November than they do
in the early season games, when
teams have not had time to thor
oughly cover all the defensive
points of play.
And still the pass or rather Its
possibility, IL all right In the game.
II IL the fact that a team with the
ball in possession always MAY
pull on the crazy thing that COM
pels the defensive team 10 keep it's