The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-02-07
ECKERSALL LAUDS
FOOTBALL CHANGES
The TIM Quarterback
Says Future Game Will
Be More Interesting
walter Eckersall.)

Chicago. Feb. 7.-As a result of the
drastic action taken by the intercol-
legiate football rules committee at it's
meeting in New York the game OF
FOOTBALL as it will be played next fall
VIII be much more interesting than in
the past. Games will be fought and
won on their merits. and the element
OF luck will not be such an import
ant factor as it has been since the
adoption of the forward pass and ten
yard rule.
That the action of the committee
VIII meet the approval of all interest
ed in the great college game is as
sured: Local authorities today were
loud in their nraise of the solution Of
a problem which has confronted the
rulcmakers since the reform wave
struck the game following the fall Of
1905.
Make Umpire the Boss.
There arc many who believe the
umpire should he placed in sole
charge of the field. The umpire has
to do all the dirty work anyway
n there are many things he IAN
see hich escape the referee. who. UNI
der the. present rules. is boss of the
situation. The umpire is responsible
Tor the character of the game, and if
he makes the players conform to the
letter of h rules there will not be
so many of he nplcasantries which
have featured contests in the past.
With the increased value placed on
a touchdown. field goal kicking now
will not he as important AS formerly.
Under last years rules it took two
held goals to equal a touchdown and
It's subsequent goal. Under this years
amendment it now will take three
field goals to offset a touchdown fol-
lowed by a goal, as the value IF II
touchdown has been raised from five
to six points and IL goal from the
touchdown will make it seven.
One Man Can't Win Now.
. Flcld goal kicking was becoming
too COMMON and too many games
We're won through the efforts of one
man. IN many cases a stronger
proves of one man who possessed
rare ability to score from the field.
under the new ruling more football
VIII have to be played. 1t will take
the efforts of eleven players to win
games. and the contests will be lost
or won OH their merits.
The elimination of the twcnty-yard
zone is a mighty good thing. The old
ru1ng only made innumcrable COM
plications and there was constant
~wrangling between players and Of
llclais over mere t~echnicalities The
! players should be allowed to check at
any time and on any part of the field.
>"o " lIaSSt allSIIlRll.lS
to complete Il forward pass, and the
abolition of the zone will place q
greater premium on players who can
block and check with the desired re-
suits.
says Less Officiating is Good.
h elimination of the field judge is
a good thing. The remark frequently
was heard after a big game that
there was too much officiating, which
in a great numbcr of cases WAS true.
The head linesman now shall keep
time and watch offside play in the
scrimmhgn line. His other duties re-
main the same.
As expected. a ball hitting the
ground after a try at goal and then
bounding over the bar shall not count
as II score. The oval now must he
kicked between the posts in clean
fashion to register three points. The
elimination of the onsidc kick and re-
duction of tho time between the first
and second and third and fourth pc
RODS from two minules to one are
amendments for the hetterment of
the game. in my opinion. The minor
changes. like the main points arc
meeting the approval of the football
experts throughout the country.