Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-04
BY j. w. Heisnan.


team attempted a forward pass
close to the side line A player
of the b team was near it and got
his hands on the ball, but failed to
hold it, whereupon il fell TO the
ground in the field of play, then rolled
out of bOunds-about ten yards ahead
Of the spot from which it had been
snapped at the beginning of the down.
A player of the A team fell on it out
of bounds and it was awarded to the
"A team at the spot where it went
out of bounds.
The decision, in my opinion, was
partly correct and partly incorrect
1t was AS ball, all right; not merely
because a member of the A team fell
on it, but because if was the case Of
an incompleted forward pass, and as
it was not made on fourth down the
ball remains with the team making
the pass.
BUT it should not have been given
the A team to put into play at the
spot where it went out of bounds; it
should have gone back to the spot
whence it was pat iu play--ten
yards farther back, The idea is that
the ball is dead the VERY INSTANT
it hits the ground after a forward
pass, and any decision to be made on
the play must be based on what hap
pened to the ball PRIOR to it's be
coming dead.
Now. it did not so out of the field
of play until after it became dead,
and therefore the fact that it did sub
sequently go out of the field ana was
afterwards fallen on by this man or
that man has nothing whatever to do
with the case. The instant the ball
struck the ground. after the tumble,
ii was a dead ball, an inCOmDeted
( pass, and should have been put in
play again from the point Of the pre-
yiouS down, the offensive team sim
i, ply losing the down
But had the ball, after being FUN
bled, gone over the boundary line on
the fly and thus struck the ground
out of bounds first what would have
been the decision? Well, you could
hardly have given it TO the b team,
Just because the bah was eventually
found outside the boundary line, for
it would not have been the case of a
forward pass going out of bounds,
but a funded bah going out of
bounds. If we regard the play other
wise we should on all such occasions
witness the man of the b team cat
tempting to make the Catch) not aC-
tually trying to catch the ball, but
merely trying to knock it out Of
bounds on the fly,
! should, therefore, say that the
fact that the b player touched the
ball prior to its going out Of bounds
operates to put all the A players on
side, the same as II would were he
to touch punted ball in the field of
play and by so touching it cause it
to go out of bounds without first
touching the ground IN this case II
would then be the hall of any man
who could get it.
~ the Penn lndian game in Phil
delphia last saturday Marshall
the Penn quarter, let an indian punt
strlke the ground and Wabble around
indefinitely without making any at
tempt TO tali on IL or to PICK 1t up.
me reason TO the onIookers appeared
70 De thaI d Dig Dad mum was right
az nus eIpo9W waiting Tor MN TO try
tnai very tnlhS When llt looked iike)
sdlu pau req man naa ms nina MADE
UP 10 idI az over niue MarshaI ana
Iila3T nun Ilat as loIhuer' MAR
Si isa nqu nau several OF lhese niue
piSs'so'i'1 u " Ut i'DtI ICES az you
me game game, ana ne vas beginning TO
s a ~ sole ,poui Ways AT inese
pei 9oIi'l JOh5S' HtHlt MS uIWlulng-