Atlanta Georgian., 1913-10-17
BY j. w. Heisman.

r. OLKS at large are probably not
n interested in a discussion of
technical points in the game Of
football; but all who are ulrectly
connected with the game, as we'll as
certain element of fandom, are
bound to be. am going to try to
clear up a few of the knotty points
still to be found in the rules.
ABOUT THE oNsIDE KICK.
While it is fairly well understood
by everybody that this year the
punter does not have to stand five
Yards back of his scrimmage line to
make a punt: and that others of the
punter's side who were back or the
ball at the instant it was kicked are
"onside," and may therefore hustle
down field after the ball and secure II
If they are able, 1t is not well under-
stood that these "onside' men nave
vet no right to interfere with an op-
ponent who is signaling that ne VIII
make a try at a fair catch of that
punt. ~
Now. in the case of a "kick-oft'
from the 4O-yard line, or in the case
of kick out" from the 25-yard line
this rule does not hold. Thus a man
of the receiving side In either of these
cases may signal all he pleases for a
fair catch, but that does not prevent
an "onside' man of the kicker
side from interfering with his falr
catch, because being "onside' he
has as much right to the bail as mas
any player of the other team. Then
why should not man who was "on
side" (behind the ball when it was
kicked) have the same right in the
case of any ordinary scrimmage
punt?
There appears 10 be no good rea-
son why this distinction should be
made, but il was so voted by the
Football Rules Committee that met
this fall in New York city for the
purpose of interpreting just such
points as this. However, the kickers
onside men may themselves attempt
TO make bona fide catch of the
punt, as in the case of forward
passes; the prohibition only extends
TO an actual personal interference
with the opponent who is trying to
make the fair catch.
ILLEGAL RETURN TO GAME.
The first year the rules permitted
player who had been taken out of
the game to return once. There was
no penalty whatever attached to his
being returned oftener or to his being
put in at other than the beginning
of a quarter. This was simple er-
ror of omission, for, of course, no law
is worth a hill Of beans" unless
some penalty is provided for the
breach thereof.
Now there is provided a definite
penalty, but at this same recent
meeting the question came up:
What if a player is illegally re-
turned to the game, but the fact is
not discovered until after the game
has proceeded and number Of plays
intervened?"
An analogous situation in baseball
would be the case of a batter going
to the plate and batting out of turn
In the batting order. In baseball they
handle il by declaring that if the
error is discovered before a time at
bat has been chalked up by the scorer
the batsman is out, and that ends ii.
But if the error is not discovered by
then, nothing further is or can be done
about it; whatever has happened as
the result is permitted to stand.
But the football committee says
that in such an event the ball shall
be taken back to where it was at the
time the player was reintroduCed into
the game, and any touChdOwns his
side NAV have made after his re
entry shall be disallOwed. OF course
any scores made by the offended side
during this period will be permitted
to count
The idea may he all right. but It's
going to be a difficult thing for any
body to determine after a while" just
where the ball was on the field of