New-York tribune., 1912-02-06
VIEWS ON NEW FOOTBALL
General Feeling That Revised
Code will Make for Good.
SOME RESERVE OPINIONS
Elimination of On-Side Kick Re-
moves a Dangerous Hazard,
Saws Sanford.

the revision of the code last Saturday. Oh
the whole. however. there appears 10 De
digposition TO wait for the dratt OF the
rules or for two or three games next iah
before expressing an out-and-out OPINION
This is not surprising. in view OF the tact
that exnerience has shown that the game
does not always work out in practice as IL
does on paper.
G Foster Sanford. of Yale, who made
such strong plea to have the rules revised
| aIorg certain lines. was among those, yes
terdav who were unwilling to commit them
| eeIves as "a lust what effect the changes
NAV have. He said 1t is satisfying that
the on side kick has been eliminated, as IT
docs awav with the Gesignedly free oall III
the open and removes dangerous hazaru
that was not justified by the play. am
not willing at this time. however TO OK
press further opinion as it will he neces-
sary TO see and study the rules in concrete
form before the changes can be thoroughly
understood
Mr.. Sanford added that tho scramble TOT
the ball on a forward pass behind the goa'
line would not be gentle procedure.
Carl Flanders. famous player at laie
i'm his day, also was retcent. He SAID
believe that the committee made an honest
effort to bring about a better haiahc"u
game. and It strikes me that there VIII DC
more continuity on offensive plays Inc
minor changes seem reasonable ant IL -
difficult 10 understand just what enect Ile
more important ones will have unul inc
rules are codified and the various restri'-
fions understood II Will be a more spec
tacular game. TO all appearances but IN
croasIng the value of the touchdown TO SIX
noints leads mo 10 believe that before long
/ GOALS from the field will he as extinct as
the dodo."
one we'll known coach. who refused an
/ soutely 10 be quoted. expressed the opinion
that the committee had gone TO the other
+ extreme and had now devised game IN
which the attack IL likely 70 bo too strong
for the defence. He pointed out that the
urinary line OF defence would now be all
imuortaut and that the team which was
well equipped with strong. powerful for
wards would have distinct advantage
over those teams which depended on the
secondary line 20 support the forwards in
/ plays through the line. lie insisted that
hereafter the strong. bulky guards would
he sacrificed for speed. and that the for
" wards MOllu nave " b' fNhh's 'N''' '''
powcrful than ever 20 carry out their
/ greater duties in stopping running plays al
/ OF. near the line OF scrimmage.
s s Metzger onetime captain ana
coach Of the Pennsylvania eleven, writes
from Syracuse: The changes look good
10 me. and ! believe that we will have a
/ better game next fall than ever before.
! The offence will now have a reasonable
chance against the defence that can be
/ bulIt M unless | miss my guess, and pos
! session OF the ball Will mean far more
/ than Il did I'm tho last two seasons. An
/ other thing is sure. We are bound TO
/ have a code that will he thoroughly un-
| derstood and that will need fewer inter
| pretations Bill Morice will see that the
new rules are properly edited or codihed.
| or whatever II Is that you do with rules
! as he Ia a regular Moses in that respect
! Walter Camp is quoted as saying:
/ THE changes had 10 be marked In order
! that the offence should have better
/ chance Under the new rules there Will
be some excellent chances for great plays.
/ Scoring will be easier and there will be
more running. We have allowed the block
/ ing Of the ends going down under kick.
/ This IL an important step. II allows the
/ backneld man taking the catch To make
/ some pretty plays The increase or the
| value OF a touchdown from five 10 six
points is another step In favor OF the run
/ ming game, while the elimination Of the
/ coward zone is. ir my mind, a splendid
move toward the general simplihcation OF
/ the game"
Or. Carl Williams. of Pennsylvania.
. who has served on the rules committee,
/ but who dropped out this year in favor OF
william Morice. says that he highly ap-
proves the changes made and believes
/ that a long step forward has been taken.
Word comes from Chicago that the
J changes in the rules are regarded as a
/ triumph for Western football. chiefly be
cause Of the .etention Of the forward
pass 4 number Of coaches and players
expressed the opinion, including Ralph c.
Hammill. a former Chicago University
star; Harry l. Allen. Of Northwestern
and Clarence Herschberger, coach Of the
/ Lake Forest University eleven.
Fred Nelson, coach Of the Georgetown
team, says of the changes In 'The Wash
ngtOn POST:
While a dangerous weapon has been
taken from the offence in the abolition of
the so-called onside kick, the weakening
OF the attack In this manner VIII doubtless
be more than made up Tor by the new
provisions, shortening the held, giving the
offensive team four downs In which TO
make the required distance or ten yards
. lcgaiZng the forward pass across the goaI
line, and removing the restriction as 10 the
distance which a forward pass may be
made in the field Of play.
The new rule allowing a forward pass 10
/ be made for a greater distance than twenty
yards beyond the line OF scrimmage WI!
probably not result in more throwing or
/ the ball than formerly nor In many longer
! passes, but so long as the forward pass ls
! allowed the defensive side will have TO
continue TO be cautious at all times to
avoid the danger of successful pass being
made The defence used against the for
ward pass two years ago, when there was
no restriction on the distance the pass
might be made, was not materially different
from that employed during the last two
II would seem safe TO predict that the
new rule making 1t possible TO score
add materially TO the strength OF the
offence in both direct and Indirect
way so to speak. There seems to be
no reason why II should not be pos
with the forward pass, and this fact will
naturally prevent the secondary defence
| from supporting the line more effectively
near ear the goal line than in other parts of
the field This new rule seems clever
device to relieve the Objectionable situation
across the line for a touchdown in a close
~ contested game II Will very likely also
add greatly to the interest OF the game.
pioyers v,ill have TO be keenly alert for
most anything, and there should be, numer-
nms critical situations which Will cause
spectators to hold their breath; A..
With four opportunities to advance the
baII a coach fortunate enough to have a
beady quarterback under his direction
should he able TO plan some interesting
manpuyres. This change seems TO me
the most Interesting one among the new
rules.