Bisbee daily review., 1914-01-11
NEW FOOTBALL
 FOR THE CROWD
Changes in Rules and Num- bering of Players Advocat- ed for the Benefit of Spec tatCrs


 NEW YORK, Jan. l0.---Accordln to Parke II. Davis, recently reelected as Princetons member to the Inter- colleiate Football Rules Cmmittee. the coming meeting or the gridiron so- Ions will witness a determined effort to further develop the game from the standpoint of the spectator in cluding the numbering Of players. Mir. Davis Is the originator. among the members Of the Committee, or this project, and made strong but un. successful fight for its adoption last February. Disclosing the needs. cf the rules, he says:
 Tt has become, the policy of tLe Committee in the last two years to resist every proposition 10 change the rules except those bafed upon ab- so.uie necsssity or tucked by an a. mt st unanimous public sentiment. The thfs sling out which the code has re- ceived this past season has brought to light feceived this past ceason has brought to light a few sr s in need of repairs. but these are SO technical that they n not change the game. When the ball rom kick-on struck the goal-po. in the Harvard Yale game and bounded back upon the fled there pccb4bly was not more than 20 men in the stadium who did' nto thiIik as OBrien, the Harvard end, thought thaa the play automatic ally was a touchdown. This is the general rule ,overing a kicked ball which strikes the posts of bar. but little sentence tucked away between two rarenthesis in Rule VI. excepts the kick-off and q free-kick. Surely, uniformity. simplicity and colsisten- cy, as we'll as tke lack Of any justifica- tion for this exception should die tate its repeal and the play sholld be made what O'Brien thought it was, and what it ought to be, automatic ally a touchback.
 Tiled with this change isademanl ir-m many that the goal posts be re- moved entirely from the field of play and set upon the rear line of the for ward pass zone. out of the way of kicked balls, forward passes, running play. and above all of the players, SO .-c of whom have been injured by col.dins w.,h the posts. Such change would add to the facility of kicking a real flowing a touchdown near the sid, line without putting ont as it would mean narrower angle for the kicker. On the other aud it would increase slightly the ''~culty of kicking a zeal from the lie ly adding 10 yards to the distance.
 Some complaint has arisen during tbe fall against the rule which re- quires a line man tc have either both feet, or both hands, or one hand and the opposite foot up or within one foot of the line Of scrimmage. It is contended that tall mem playing the guard and. tackle positions are handicappedb ythis requirement, and that the extension cf the distance to two feet or to one yard would enable these two men, especially the guard. to get into the interference and thus strengthen the offence, which at present is out of balance.
 There is another operation of thls rule which needs attention. If back field man gees upon the line Of scrim- mage he must conform to this rule. The Interpretation Committee, how- ever, a subcommittee of the Rules Committee, last September decided ttiat this requirement only applied when the baek-tield man took a place in.one' of the three. .rOyitions each siLe Of the snapper-bac. hat if he stood utside of these seven regular line positions be need no conform Co the