The sun., 1916-09-24
OPEN GAME PROVED
SPORTS SALVATION
Abolition Of Old Mass Plays
Led to Fine and Better
Football.
AS TO PASSING
NJ SOL
Coach Of Washington and Je6srsow
Football Te0SN.

~ SOL METL0ER,
Coach Of Washington and Je6srsow
! Football Tedn.
intercollegiate football owes its life
to the open game. During the doubtful
seemed doomed because mass play and
beef turned the tide Of victory and de-
feat.
Up till that time rough play and un-
s~portsmanlike conduct fourished be-
cause the mucker could hide his dirty
work In the scrimmag re. and injury-not
always accidental-was mmon The
public rightfully demanded a clean
game-one which put q premium on
these qualities not been substituted for
brutal play and sheer physical power
football stood to be abolished.
Thus wa born the Onward pass and
thus died the old mass plays wherein
the runner was pushed. pulled and pum-
melted. The result was a game which.
while exacting strategy OF coaches and
players, In no way sacrihced tho splen-
did qualities Of courage and cooperation
that have always Characterised this
sport.
Yet the change was gradual rather
than Immediate. due In part to q ten
dency among coaches to hold to former
principles. But the constructive minds
Of football welcomed the new scheme
Of things. particularly the forward pass
as they saw therein opportunity TO make
the results Of contests = matter Of skill
rather than Of avoirdupois.
And while II must be granted that
many successful teams hav not used
this means Of attack there Is ample evil
dence that the forward pass ranks on
equal terms with the most powerful
running offence rs a weapon Of attack.
Defence has ever been the key tc
success in football. For years II hal
been demonstrated hat the team which
checks the opposition's attack cannot
be defeated. Therefore. when the for
ward pass was given to football the
nrst problem Of the strateglst was
! to create a defence for II. In order e
produce a successful defence a coach
must n or sense the attack.
indiana Were Pioneers.
As few Of them adopted the forward
pas. as an instrument OF attack thu
defence they determined upon was base
on theory and was not sound. II die
not provide for practical contingencies
but II did prove that a running Offence
was possible In view Of the fact tina
there was n greater separation thai
ever DtIbTe DtiWttu VIC ies'
. line and backheld. The forward pas
: paved the way for strategy and general
: ship. Football soon became a contes
n Of minds rather than OF Drawn.
Teams like the Carlisle Indians an
the University Of Idaho did the pionee
work with the forward pass. Tn
. former. taught by Glenn Warner. wo'
u overwhelming victories by this mean
: from standard formations. The latte
] ,,naat oil erahleinn in thu Pacific North
y west with its somewhat freak style o
offence known "a the Idaho spread.
= These early attempts were successful
u because they brought an element o
! surprise into the attack. Also the
u proved the pass had possibilities an
directed attention to II.
I, Tho development was gradual. r
1918 the pass proved to be sour
strategy. capable OF defeating a superio
running attack on the part OF superio
q. men physically. In that year the Arm,
coached by Charley DAILY, won a mos
!" spectacular and notable victory over IN
Navy by means Of long forward passes.
The following season saw washingto
!, and Jefferson. coached by Bob Folwel
rise from n middle position almost to IN
a apex In Eastern football, when his team
using a short forward pass. overwhelme
" Yale and COPIED on all but equal term
: with Harvard. a missed goal from touch
down alone causing defeat. Indeed III
most versatile running attack the gan
n has ever seen was no more h eQuf
to the new scheme OF offence.
h One does not have to go far for ev
m dence TO substan initiate the fact that IN
"a open game when properly employed Is
ID match for the running attack. even whe
the odds Of weight. strength and exper
a ence are with the opposition. While tn
may be deplored by some. Il Ia neverth'
less a fact. 1t must he taken into col
l. sideration In the problem OF attack tn
Ia sea son.
While those elevens which have ma
Il tered the running attack are likely
n continue with II Just as those team
10 which have employed the pass with tel
ing results seem duty bound to stand
their methods. there Is a tendency. pa
8. ticularly in the middle West. to evol,
6. an offence combining the two, whit
should prove best In the long run. II
- East II conservative even in footba
10 Missouri may rave to show the way.
ID How to Throw . Pass.
There are two ways to execute a su
cessful forward pass, One is
ut manpuvre the eligible man or men WI
e. receive II into a stationary pos!tio
p- where there are no opponents. tt
l., Otner IL 10 get the eligible man or nt
q. past the defence by fast running. 40 tn
n they will receive the ball while at ~
he speed. W. 4 J. used the former. II
at Navy the latter. Each Ia equally e
u fective. And In each the passer must
be protected from opposing linemen un'
~ the ball il thrown.
rk In all pass plays certain players mu
back them up In order 20 tackle any o
bo ponents who may catch the ball. Othe
80 wise these opponents would score touc
downs against the team passing.
~ There In but one way to throw the 70
~. ward pass. The ball should be held ne
20 it's end, between the fingers and thum
with the palm upward and tho long az
u" OF the ball pointing toward the mar
=. Tho pass Ia made in much the same W;
that an outielder throws a baseball
the home plate, A spiral pass should
hg ways be used. It travels further a.
ot with more speed and can he throw
IL more accurately. 1t always reaches I
n receiver In the same position n h
o. Just enough bow to its course to pa
over the heads of the intervening opp
sition without danger OF being blocke
ty This spiral motion Is given to the HI
ne by whipping the fingers across II Just
It leaves the hand. In receiving q Il
Nc ward pass q player catches It 40 he do
u, a kicked ball.
Copyrighted. 1915. BY Sol Astsosr.)
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