Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-12-06
Heisman Springs RI New Way Of Ranking Eleven
Techs Famous Coach Reviews Football Season
Ry J. w. Heisman.


ing to their work in differ
ent departments of play,
while entirely new IN seasons re-
view. is submitted as offering some
noints of probable interest. 70 say
hat the compilation of this table
cave me an amount of study
scarcely to be overestimated will
readily be believed.
Certainly | can not claim intalli-
bilitv in thus expressing my mere
narsonaI opinions on such points,
the great majority of which can
NOT he ascertained in any sure and
nrecise way whatever Indeed,
weight is the one point that might
he verified by instrumental or me-
chanical measurement.
have endeavored to rank the
teams in the order Of the first five
in each qualification. And in so do
ing have had reference often
enough to the mere style or man
ner in which a team performed I'M
der the particular heading. without
ALWAYS including its force. For ex-
ample under charging ability |
have nut down Tech as being fifth
on their seasons work. Now, in
this case I do not mean that in ac-
tual effectiveness the light Tech
line could push back so heavy a
line as Georgia's or Mississippi's.
but simply that their quickness,
style. eagerness and uniformity
were superior to that of the others.
Take interference; it might well be
that on account of the superior in
dividual speed of most Of the Van
derbilt backs they could get out to
the opposing tacklers faster, and,
being heavier, could hit harder than
the Tech backs. But their form
was by no means superior to that
of the Tech players, nor, on the
whole, do I think it was any more
effective, for that matter.
1t will be noticed that there is
scarcely department of play in
which the Vanderbilt team is not
placed somewhere This explains
fully their all-around playing ex-
cellence and team superiority. To
a lesser extent this is true of Au-
burn, Georgia and Sewanee.
To a certain extent the possibili-
ties Of individual and team devel-
opment are dependent upon, and
are the outgroWth of the more or
less natural advantages summed
UP in weight, speed and previous
experience.
In other words, the teams that -,
score heavily in these ought to be
found standing well in most of the
depa tments that follow. Some of
them are not SO found. But they
retain their advantage in the three
departments mentioned. and these
are, in general. so important in
their bearing on football effective
ness that those teams were bound
to stand well on the seasons per-
formanceS. whether they developed
Wei the other and later artificial
retinements of the game or not.
Consider. for a moment, the
Tech team. 1t had little weight.
individual speed or previous var
sIty experience. 1t was deficient in
three basic essentials. And vet the
team performed wonderfully well.
Now, how could it so perform. lack
ING the fist essentials, unless it de-
NeioPed an unusual number of the
purely technical and mechanical
elements which go to make up the
Superstructure? To be sure it had.
or rapidly acquired, fighting in
Stnet which is one of the most i'm
poftant of all the natural require
oentS, but the other points it had
10 acquire very rapidly.
Vanderbilt Victorious.
At the beginning Of the season
many felt that the Commodores
could not possibly put as good a
team in the field this year as last
seeing that they had lost a quartet
"i stars of exceptional brilliance.
But. as usual, the Tennesseeans
round in their midst whole lot of
'uSh-sfade new material when the
team started work, and this Coach
McGugin knew very well how to
seize upon and solder into the best
advantage.
Barring the teams work in the
Auburn game, it is my opinion that
no previous Vanderbilt eIayap bod