The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-12-26
-
Sports
OPPOSES
FOOTBALL RULE
Makes Suggestion Regard
ing. Goal K~icking-com
mittee to Meet Soon.

New York. Dec. 2e.-Tad Jones.
former stan quarter back at Yale. has
made a suggestion to the Football
Rules Committee for consideration
when that body convenes here early
next year to consider the playing
Q Jones's suggestion relates to
the Kicking OF a goal after q touch
down has been made, and he ad-
Vances good reasons for a change. He
argues that the ball should be kicked
from a spot directly in line with the
place where the ball was downed
when the touchdown was. made. In
other words, he would remove the
privilege of q punt-out which is so
popular when the touchdown is not
made close to the goal posts.
Jone contends that the punt-out Is
not competitive and hence it should
have no place in football. There is
practically no defense for it, and it
depends entirely on a very slight
amount of kicking skill on one side,
the other team being unable to pre-
vent the kick or the catch. AS a goal,
following a touchdown, occasionally
decides a game, Jones figures that the
team which can put the ball behind
the posts has no more chance that
the team which scores near the siuc
line, the pult-Out putting the teams
on even terms for the try for a goai.
Thus there is no premium placed on
getting the ball over the line at what
should be the most objective point.
Some have advanced the radical
theory that the goal kicking feature
should be abolished. but Jones holds
no such view. He believes in the kick,
but under. more difficult conditions
thar have ruled for several years.
The question of decreasing the
value Of the goal from placement or
the drop kick has again been brought
forward. but no change is likely to be
made. The growing tendency to score
in this manner led first to the value
of the kick being reduced from four
points to three, so two kicks would
not be worth more than q touchdown
and goal following. Then the value
of a touchdown was raised so that two
Kicks would not be worth as much as
one touchdown and a goal. With the
safety counting two points it would
be unfair to reduce the value OF a drop
kick without employing fractions. as
a drop kick is certainly worth more
than safety, and following the same
reasoning the safety is worth more
than a goal after touchdown. Thus a
Just arrangement Of the scoring pos
sibilities necessitates a field goal
counting three points. The present
scoring system of six points for a
touchdown and one point for. a goal
has been more popular than either the
four-and-two or the five-and-one
point system which preceded the
present rating. and no change in this
feature is desired.
That the numbering of players will
again come up for discussion at the
Rules Committee meeting is an as
sured fact. Last year the football
"doctors' held a long conference on
this point. and though the majority
voted against making it a rule, all
agreed that a test would be welcom-
ed. Dartmouth made the first move
among the big elevens of the east, and
spectators at the Polo Grounds, when
the Green eleven played the Indians.
were most agreeably surprised at the
results.
Parke Davis. Princeton's represen-
tative on the Rules Committee, spoke
strongly in favor Of the system at the
last meeting, and is still astron 6 ad-
vocate of the plan. In the west and
south the plan was tried out by some
Of the leading elevens and the results
were the same as in the case OF Dart
mouth in the east. The agitation IN
favor of numbers was SO strong dur
ing the past season that it seems on
~ a question of a year or two before
the plan will be universally adopted.
The Rules Committee has the task Of
p%opularizing the game even more than
at present, and nothing will add more
to footballs popularity than the num-
bering system,