The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-01-04
COACHES DEFEND
FORWARD PASS As J
EXCELLENT PLAY
COACH HAUGHToN, OF HAn.
WARD, SEEMS TO STAND. ALONB
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES HOLD
THAT TT is GOOD WEAPON or
OFFENSE.

When Coach Haughton. Of Harvard
criticised the forward pass as not be-
ing an effective weapon OF offena4
when the opponents know how to cope
with 1t he stirred up hornets nest
In the football world. Many other
football coaches and players think the
play an effective one. Notre Dame.&
one of the most successful elevena o.
the year, thinks IL we'll worth while.
nor Is this strange in view Of the fACe
that by means of this play the West
erners defeated West Point and w0n
many other games.
Princeton football authorities favor
the play ami Captain Munns, OF tho U
Cornell team, which beat Pennsyl>xs
vania, has high praise for the play.
Coach Harper, of Notre Dame, holds I
that the Eastern colleges do not yet
know the value Of the play and says
that the Western football teams nave
found 1t the most successful method
of gaining ground that has ever besn
put into play.
This also seems to be the prevai1>
ing opinion at Princeton. The Tiger q
football authorities hold that 1t han
never been given a fair chance In the
East. admitting that this same cons
! dition holds true at Princeton. They
hold the belief that the western cox
Ileges can probably teach the EasterM
elevens how to make it a more eReos
| tive scoring weapon.
Sides With Haughton.
. Coach Harper, of Notre Dame ana
Dorias. the star quarterback. take -
sue with Coach Haughton on the queo- 7
ton.
81 cannot see where the pass Is In.
effective" said Coach Harper. It
may be improved, but the teams OF I
the West have found 1t to he the most
successful medium OF ground gaining
ever put into play. The East Ii I'M
fortunate In that 1t does not vet know
It's value. In the West. where there
were a number OF light teams. this
year the pass was developed until Il
bewildered many Eastern teams which
were compelled to cope with 1t In bat
ting with Western elevens.'
Speaking Of the rules, that govern
the forward pass, Harper said: Theirs
are two flaws In the rules that gov
ern the pass today. am In favor rs &
making the incomplete pass across the
line of scrimmage. Teams take ad.A
vantage of the present rules and tho
offensive team often suffers 1oso q i
ten to fifteen yards"
The play that Harper and Dorfaa
are agreed on should be changed n
the forward pass out OF bounds on the
fourth down. Harper has said since
the beginning Of the season that the
ball should go to opponents where tt
is put into play. Dorias said:
"The out-of- bounds pass on fhe
fourth down Is undoubtedly abuSed.
The spirit OF the rule IL violated. and
the ball should be taken back to whero
liz was put into operation"
Hare's Ideal Defense.
r, Truxton Hare, q former ail-ss
iAmerican guard and chairman Of tbs
lUniversity OF Pennsylvania football
committee, says: Combine the Tor
ward pass with y strong line buckin9
attack and the result Ii an ideal OIL
Tense"
George Brooke, head coach O.
Penn, says the forward pass Is VERY
effective II q clever man 10 throwing
| II. TIT 10 most effective when
secondary defense has been Drawn M
| by q strong attack on the line, No.
declared. Harvard had ssach E stren4
primary defense that her halfbAGk1@
could have been so placed asato pre-
vent effective use of the forwarGk
paxs."
John Keorgh, the Haverford COTS
lege coach. says:
THE forward pass Is very enectivA
| It causes the secondary defense 90
tunity to work line bucks ana enQ
runs" 81
Eddie Greene, coach Of the Un1vex~
sity Of North Carolina, Gays rnat - 8W4s
teams are nearly even 1t is difficult t0
gain within the twenty-yard line un-fS
less the forwsrd pass is resorted % -
keep the secondary defense back.
Donald u. Herring, '07. who hamA
| for several years been 4 member o.
the graduate coaching committee ~
| charge of Princeton football, and VIII
have q large part in determining tho
Tigers future policy. has this to 49,
about the forward pass:
Not Fair Trial.
"Our unanimous opinion 10 that the
forward pass In effective and can ~
worked, but that 1t never has been
given fair chance In the East. We
| believe that it has never been de-
veloped as 1t should be developed hers
at Princeton. and that this holds tru@as
OF other colleges in the East. Th1
West probably can teach us scnae@
thing in making the forward pas 11M
| effective SEQ ing play. "a
ITO be sure. luck may enter somAsN|
what into this Use OF the forward paeqg
but luck IL an element which plays Anes
important part In any branch OF tQoes
ball. and the forward pass cann0t 1sS
Icondemned en- this ground al0nes
the retention Of the play Just tho WA&
| II stands on the rules at present. 49,
we frmly believe that 1t can BE- works.
ed effectively"
Captain J. j. Munns. Of CornA1f9
l1913 team, il another defender Of fhN3
forward pass. He declared that ttM
forward pass was Responsible 3o3A
opening the et me. putting mt re kln20N
Into 1t and making It more iEtera11tn9 S
Spectacular and better from the apAeS
ltator's point Of Wow. s:5
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