Evening star., 1914-11-22


fundamental preliminary of his attack.
Nov that the shift of the forwards has
~ dropped into the limbo of disused
maneuvers, it is up to the coaches to pro-
duce for the new season radical novelty
of open play. 1t is well enough for the
Harvard machine, which has as many Jew
els in its works as a Geneva watch, and is
apparently as reliable as fine watch in
timing every movement perfectly, to con-
tent itself with standardized forms, driving
its attack on and off the tackles, sweeping
the ends, ETC. To the connosseur of foot
ball Harvard's conservative plays, which
look so obvious to the untutored eye, but
are vet made to succeed only by the great
est nicely of timing and of execution, are
more of treat than the wlde-open game IN
which reckless chances are taken, and always
less than half the attempts are successful.
But the Harvard game is planned for the
best of material.
Come back now to the average big team,
with an average amount of average material.
Last wear the ordinary good team was
equipped with the forward pass,-particu-
arly useful as threat to spread out the
defense,-and also with the kick formation,
which a1ways-opponents knew-might be
the mask for a rush round the end or off the
tackle; for, remember, the kicker stands
ten yards back. If he be a man who can
start quickly and has speed, he, with good
interference, will be formidable rushing out
of the kick formation.
But two basic forms of the open game are
not enough. There must be another, of
sound value in itself and able to add uncer-
taintv to the attack by the continual dan
ger of its possible use. For such radical
novelty at least one American coach, Frank
Hinkey of Yale, broad minded in his appre-
citation of possibilities, has gone to Canadian
Rugby. 1t was from Canadian Rugby, as
Walter Camp has shown, that the Arnerl-
can game took its beginning.
However, the two games are now radl-
cally different. The Canadian game slurs
the art of tackling, which is the keystone OF
our defense, and bars interference down the
field Our brothers across the border are
therefore absolutely driven to develop to
the nth power a rapidly and confidently
executed passing and kicking game. Hav-
ing the same rule that we used to have
against forward passing, they have devel-
oped the lateral pass, or backward pass, to
a point undreamed of by US. They can do
with a Rugby football, difficult to handle
as it is, what we can do only with our handy
little baseball; L. e., shoot the ball into the
air, aiming at a certain spot instead OF at a
man, and depend upon one OF Their backs
to reach that spot IN time TO take the Dail
There are other novelties and develop
ments of novelties this year, particularly
the spread plays, which widen the possible
area of attack to the greatest extent feasl-
BILE, sometimes even the entire width of the
field; but, if one may prophesy several
months ahead, the Canadian passing will
be the best novelty of the season of 1914.
V7HY are new rules added in the football
w code each year? Why does a national
committee, composed of corporation mana
gers, manufacturers, physicians, SCIENTISTS
busy men all,-devote many precious hours
to sessions, more still to thought, over this
game? Is it for the sake of safety? No; the
safety-first considerations were thoroughly
attended to in 1906, when the ending of
push-and- pull mass play brought the safety
of the players up to a reasonable degree of
expectancy.
Severe injuries and deaths are still fire.
quently reported; but the public should re-
member that in 1912 and 1913 DR.. R. TAFT
Mckenzie and DR.. G. w. Ehler, university
professors, investigated the published lists
of deaths from football, and in each year
found that over seventy per cent. of them
could not by any stretching of points be laid
to football Those who condemn football
never stop to study the subject deeply enough
to learn that football does not compare with