Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-21
FOOTBALL PAST
SOUP AND FISH
COURSE NOW
,nnis Brown Discusses Style of
1918 Game, Especially Quar-
terback Kick.
Bv Innis Brown.

settling down to regular bust
ness, and pretty soon local
.ugs are to see the real thing as pre-
.rribed by Walter Camp and others,
and interpreted by j. w. Heisman
Mike Donohue, Alex Cunningham,
Tuhbv Graves and others. This does
not mean to say that what has gone
hefore was not real football, but as
a matter of fact, the fish and soup
nave lust been finished, and it is
time to settle down to the real bust
ness of the season.
IN this connection it may be OBJ
served that little has been shown on
+ local field outside of straight foot
pail In fact, many are inclined to
feel that nothing new may be eX-
nected. AS a matter of fact, changes
in the rules from last year really
allow only one privilege which is like
~ to be used to any considerable ex-
tent. Reference is made to the change
whereby punter may kick when and
where ne chooses, instead of being
restricted to a position five yards be-
hind the sCrimmage line.
The Quarterback Kick.
This is what has commonly been
rallied the Quarterback kick" The
nlav is almost as old as the game it
self. although various changes of the
sules have affected it's use consider
ably from time to time. For instance,
asst season the punter had to stand
i've yards back TO the line of scrim
mage when kicking. This practical
" meant that none of his own men
IF WI he
Hence none were eligible to receive
The ball until it had been touched
by a player of the other team
To explain the proposition fully, it
may be well to explain first the term
offsde," as applied in a game. The
rules say that a player is "offside"-
that is, he may not recover the ball
except after a fumble-.when the ball
has been last touched by a player
If his own side behind him.
From this it may be seen that the
mere act of kicking the ball does not
out any player of the side in possess
sion of the ball ''offside." 1t is
merely a question of whether or not
he kicker was behind Ill of his own
men when he kicked the ball If he
was, then they are all "offside" and
nave no right to recover the kick I'M
II the ball has been touched by a
pIayer of the other team.
Keeping Three "Onside.''
On the other hand, if he kicked,
say from the quarterback position,
With the other three backs behind
aim, those three men have right
not only to recover the ball after it
strikes the ground, but to catch it
before it does so. There you have
he quarterback kick. The fact that
The kicker may punt from any point
makes the play a possibility under
the rules.
1t may be seen that the quarterback
kick is distinctly different from the
so-called 'onside kick" The lat
ter is no longer a possibility under
the present rules. 1t was made pos
slble when a rule was incorporated in
the playing code, which provided that
as soon as a kicked ball touched the
ground any player of either side, ex-
cept the man who kicked, was eligi-
bic to recover it. This rule has been
eliminated, and with it went the ON
side kick"
Under the rules of eight or nine
years ago the kicker could put his
men 'onside" by running down the
held past the ball after it had stopped
rolling and calling onside. Also he
l might recover the ball himself or. if
possible, he might catch it in midair
before 1t even touched the ground.
Roughlng the Punter.
ms privilege, however. led to
payers of the team on defense to
owe into the punter, in order to pre-
vent MIN from thus putting his team
oh-slde." This practice eventually
reached point where the rules
committee found it necessary to pro-
'ect the punter, and the rules were
Chansed so that the unter could
NOT put his team side, and more
man that. could not touch the ball
l"ihselt. There is, accordingly, no
excuse whatever for a player rough
rules
JQsl how prominent the quarter
o@ch Kick will become this season re-
mains to be seen. For one thing, it
serves to offer a wider diversity of
! altdck, since the opposition does not
~" nave forewarning that a punt
~ 10 be made. They may not, there
ore arrange their defense so readily
III ADVANCE, thereby offering to the
HnehslVe team a better opportunity
i'' pulilng off some open field play.
Holsters" Running Kicks.
W Gays past the Jackets have got
a"ouJ as much out of the quick, run
'-uiR Kick s any other team in this