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 BAH, but failed to
hold it, whereupon it 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
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 it 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 put in 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 its be-
coming dead.
Now, it did not go out Of the field
of play until after ii became dead
and therefore the fact that it did sub
Sequently go out Of the field and was
afterwards fallen on by this man or
that man has nothing whatever to do
with the case. The instant the bali
struck the ground, after the tumble,
1t was a dead ball an inCompleted
pass, and should have been put in
play again from the point Of the pre-
vious down, the offensive team sim
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 ball was eventually
found outside the boundary line, for
1t would not have been the case Of a
forward pass going out of bounds,
but a fumbled 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 tat
tempting to make the Catch) mot aC-
tualI% trying to catch the ball, but
merely trying to knock il out of
bounds on the fly.
] should, therefore say that the
tact that the player touched the
bal4 prior to It's going out of bounds
operates to put all the A players on
side, the same as 1t would were he
to touch a punted ball in the field Of
play and by SO touching 1t cause 1t
TO go out OF bounds without first
touching the ground, In this case it
would then be the ball Of any man
VINO could get It.
tne Penn-lndlan game in Phil
aelphla last saturday, Marshall
me Fenn quarter Jet an indian punt
STRIKE me ground and wabble around
luuelhlteIy without making any at
, ,gIlIPL 70 ran on u or 70 PICK 1T up.
l., ne reason 10 lhS onIooHers appeared
20 De InaI Dig pad mum was right
a. a. ms Elbow waiting Iof MN 10 try
ma VelE lI,lIIs wen ,l looked Hke)
So os sa,I isI man rag ms tnlnd mace
-, ~ ~ a. a. az over NIUE MaTshali ana
LII Ia In Ia 80 d 'oQnuer- war
ri,S ,r ,'au se'rIal o. lnese niue
p l,ie, - VI i'DJILes' as you
alde sd ittt5, anu ne vas beginning to
5NN O. iAt'4I SUN Nb''H NdNSJ bl THESE