Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-09-04

looks the same year IN and year
Il out-a jumbed-up mass of
knock down and drag-outs. with no
sen7bIance of order or system. He
doesn't know the difference, anyway,
between a twenty-yard zone and a
free kick: so why concern himself as
ro whether either or neither Of them
has been changed into a fozzle-dill or
vbifenpoof. so long as he is assured
of that thrilling lightning dash through
broken field. that mad charging and
stsmpeding of the buffalo herd, and
that dun boom which means another
s.yrocketing punt the same as it al
ways did?
Well. SO far as he is concerned, foot
hall viii look just about the same this
year as it always looked; but it will
he changed plenty for the coaches
and the field generals. Not 50 much,
nerhaps. in the matter of fundamentals,
ro, even in the formations or plays,
b,t in the system of handling those
nIavs. in the strategy of the game, in
the policy of play. l will illustrate fur
Their on.
The first change comes in rule |,
which defines the field Heretofore the
field has always been $50 feet long and
1so feet wide. This year the width re-
mains the same, but the length be-
tween goal lines is reduced by 80 feet
leaving the distance from goal post to
goal post an even 300 feet This is now
all the distance that the ball must be
carried by team in order to get
across the opponents goal line and
score touchdown.
But suppose team gets real close
down 10 that opposing goal line and
yet sees that it is going to be almost
impossible for them to shove the ball
across by either running or bucking.
Many time in the past that has been
the case. and they have wished so
hard that they might be permitted to
throw the ball across the line by use
Of a forward pass and trust to one Of
their eligible players getting 1t on the
Ay. as the rule requires. But hereto
fore it would have done no good what
ever 10 attempt such maneuver for
the reason that the instant the ball was
passed forward across opponents goal
line it was declared a touchback and
the bail was dead. and in the posses
sion Of the team defending that goal,
no matter who caught it or where's
As touchback entities the defend
iuc team to the possession of the pail
and TO bring it out to the tWenty-yafu
line and put it in play, it was mani
fastIy suicide to make forward pass
across tine goal line. But when a team
is pushed right down to its own goal
line it is forced to bring its second ana
even its third line of defense right up
ON the heels of the rush line in order
TO be on hand and co something be-
fore the offensive team can advance
The bail the slight distance yet remain
iag.
Tlls made the defensive formation so
compact that ii was exceedingly dlrn-
cult for the attacking eleven to con-
'nGe to make the required ten yards
in the three downs permitted them'
THE result was too frequent failure to
score. and altogether too many tie and
S.oreless games.
So. in order to keep that secondary
line of defense of the goal
team back the usual distance behind
its rush line ii has this year been
tec"ced that the attacking team snail
have tho wight to make a forward pass
across the goal line. and to capture 1t
again if they can provided it does not
60 more than ten yards beyond that
goa line and is, Of course, caught with
IN that ten-yard zone. AS the other
team must have the same right at the
other end Of the field, it results that
every field must have a playing zone
of ten yards marked of and added be-
mnd each goal line, thus making the
0e.d this year in reality $50 feet long,
instead Of $50 feet, as last year
But these added playing zones are
fer forward pass use only and cut no
more figure with the bucking or end
running game than they ever did; SO
mat If team once gets the ball across
opponents goal line either by running
". ouching, they will have scored a
touchdown without further reference to
ne additional ten-yard forward pass
zone.
VIII this change result in compelling
.'ah defending a goal to keep its sec