The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-11-07
MAKE FOOTBALL
MORE EXCITING
Walter Camp Says New Game Is
Proving Successful

Here II is midseason. and only with
in the last 10 days have the coaches
and players opened their eyes to the
real possibilities OF the game under
the rules Of 1872, and there is more to
come. says Walter Camp. member OF
the rules committee and Yale Advisory
Coach.
Those who after the first two weeks
predicted that there would be no
greater scoring than under last year
rules are beginning to waver some
what in that opinion.
Those who said that the forward
pass would not come off because the
defense had IL "sized up" are begin
ming to have worried look when the
opposing team begins TO throw the
ball around. taking three chances be-
fore kicking.
hut there are other revelations com
called upon TO face them there are very
few teams who started with a good
foundation brought over from last
year of players and formations and
who realized the possibilities and wide
scope of play under these rules.
For If there has been really any
teams starting out equipped In this
way, they would have cut wide
swath indeed. The defense Is getting
some opportunity to adjust itself while
the offense is learning how TO strike.
That is why some of the work on both
sides seems still crude and immature.
One rather singular and yet notable
thing about it is that the game seems
TO have evened up the work Of the
back field and the line somewhat sc
that everybody on a team seems t.
have 10 work 10 the very top CT his
limit all the time. and yet the injury
column seems up to date decidedly
lessencd, that is, the really incapaci-
tating injuries.
On the whole, while, of course, il Is
early TO judge the very hardest kind
of play, notably that in two or three
games of middle October showed Q
very small proportion of men taken
out for injuries.
The addition of an extra down has
In some small measure decreased the
number of punts because most teams
prefer to try their running game or
forward pass to the limit before re.
sorting to the kick.
Naturally they have two reasons fol-
this, the first being that by so doing
they take gambling chance on get
ting first down and having an OPP
portunity to go out for the second first
down.
Another reason Is THAI by thus using
up all their downs they retcin pos
session Of the han and keep the op.
ponents from trying out their attack
1t Is this method that is going to make
it necessary for n team to have q
pretty good measure of endurance, al
though it lessons somewhat the work
of the ends and line I'm getting dowr
the field under kicks.
AS they are Obliged TO do this less
often their wind is saved.
The end zone has not vet been made
very Hiucn use OF. Gums, W1ef. trey
approach the opponents goal seem FOL
the most part TO prefer to rely upor
| their running attack rather than TAX,
a chance by an interrupted pass of los.
ing the ball.
II has also been found that the goa
posts quite materially interfere Will
forward PASSES in this region.
In one or two instances the pla!
would have come off had the ball nc
struck the posts. The game is proving
interesting and exciting to the specta
| tors to far greater extert .han las
season, and ms already Indicated IL
the early part Of this article: there il
| more to come III the shape of thus ia,
uneXposed diversity Of attack.