The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-10-07
BIC ELEvENS TO
USE new SYSTEM
Football Coaches to Give Open
Game Thorough Trial.
CADETS LEARNED A LESSON
Experience Gained In Notre Dame
Game Responsible For Victory Over
Navy Last FalI-Forward Pass to
Figure In Contests Again.


Figure In Contests Again.
Judging 10y the reports that have
come from the various training camps
of the big university football teams, it
seems that a more open and cOmplicat-
ed style of play will be used in the
great majority of big contests this
fall.
1t appears to be the predominating
sentiment that the elevenS cannot
worry along for three-fourths of the
season with Il few plays of the simple
variety and then hope to establish upon
a firm and dependable basis enough of
a change in their offense to accomplish
much against a well drilled defense.
Instead of devotipg the time during
the first days of practice solely to
elementary considerations, nearly
every coach is spending lot of his
efforts in rounding out the beginning
of series of open formations and Il
great variety of plays intended to
puzzle opponents in the actual con
tests.
There are two reasons for this. The
first is that it is generally realized a
more open style of play must be de
velOped to insure Il competent offense
and success against teams that employ
those tactics; second that the big
teams are tired of running the risk of
defeat during the early games with
smaller but more highly developed
elevens.
The former change was probably
caused by the success of certain teams
in their big games last year with the
forward pass, and the latter by the
numerous defeats in recent years that
members of the big five have suffered
at the hands of schools that had pre-
viously been unable to do more than
afford good practice.
1t has been difficult for the smaller
teams to get going, but by developing
more rapidly than their larger rivals
they have managed in many instances
to win from institutions twice their
size. The big schools, in order to pre-
vent 4 general recurrence of the de
feats sustained in that manner, are 60
ing to push their work more rapidly
and in the first contests there will be
better developed and more interest
ing combination representing EACH of
them.
Another good reason for the change
lies in the experience of the West
Point academy team last season. West
I Point succumhed to the Notre Dame
eleven chiefly through Il varied attack
of the western eleven made possible
by the forward passing of Dorais and
Rockne, mixed up with runs by Dorais
and line pounding by Eichenlaub. s.
Profiting by defeat. West Point turn
ed the Notre Dame system to account
by grating it on its own scheme of
/ play and defeating the strong Navy
/ eleven, although expected to lose by
! experts. The diversity of attack lent
| by the use of the forward pass not
only accounted for ground gaining
( but bewildered the enemy as to the at
! lacking instances of the cadets
West Points success apparently has
sunk deeply into the minds of eastern
! coaches, and the forward pass will be
used much more generally this year
than formerly, both as a feint and as
Il ground gamer
The forward pass. however. has its
limitations. The army game is the
groundwork on which all successful
football teams must be built
After that is perfected the more
variations learned the better The for
ward pass is Il diversion, not an essen
tial to winning football
The use of it might decide Il battle
in favor of one team employing /
against one that did not although il
all other resnects the two wore equal.