The sun., 1916-11-05
OLD STUFF PROVES
BEST MEDIUM FOR
FOOTBALL SUCCESS
New Plays Seldom Able to
Stand the Test Of
Analysis.
SCOUTS HELP COACHES
GET A "DOPE"
ny SOL MErzGER,
Washington and Jefferson Football
Coach.

Washington and Jefferson Footbau
Coach.
The new In football Ii what we arc all
striving for though It wins but few
games. Systems are planned before the
season begins. yet each coach must be on
me lookout for the unusual lest It upset
his system. as all systems can be upset,
Il adhered to too long n too rigidly.
Ye, there Is mighty little new In football
year in and year out that stands the test
o. analysis.
After all good material. thoroughly
grounded in fundamentals. whips spien-
aid material which is master Of the
freak and the fake. Pittsburg over
uhelmed Syracuse 80 with formations
warner used four and Ave years ago. al
ral in the country and seemed to know
all sorts OF freak football.
Nevertheless. the coach spends his
waking nights wondering what is to be
me, next. There are more formations
used to-day in attack than a team can
10 coached to meet. At times these odd
formations. sprung unexpectedly. bring
victory. one Of the greatest annoy
ances OF the coach is to sense these
weird formations In advance.
scouts Get the Dope.
That is one reason why scouts are sent
20 watch the opposing teams in action.
They get the dope and the dope Is not
only the formations Of the team they
are watching. but what each man does
under given conditions and In a measure.
how the team thinks.
Because OF this scouting practice
which is perfectly legitimate and done
openly-football games are played In one
Or two ways. Either he team uses Its
standard formations or IL plays the dope.
And the dope may be good or bad. one
year, when coaching Pennsylvania. one
D, my scouts brought back the informa-
ion that Michigan used a punt forma-
Ion and that when n punt or a run was
attempted The fullback played ten yards
l.hud centre.
When a pass was attempted the full
Nlayed eleven yards back. Although this
..-mel but "A tribe. 1t proved TO be the
'urniug point Of the game. We had not
.cored on Michigan and they had the ball
N our five yard line. Three PUSHES
allied to gain and the full dropped back
- though to try a goal. He stood
eleven yards back, and the entire Penn
s~ylvania eleven knew a Onward pass
would result. Consequently the pass
vas incompleted and "A score prevented.
DO Not Try to Get signals.
Scouts do not try or attempt to get
la gipVa1l - yhA fAaFt thANE nva unfnh-
ing. II Is not ethical to do so. and
furthermore II Is poor football to at
Tempt to play signals. All signal sys-
ems can be changed many times In a
game. and a team playing Its opponents
signals IL bound to be double crossed.
Then. too. the average coach finds II
entirely TOO difficult TO have his own
men master their own signals. and
Knows il is impossible to teach them an.
ther set at the same time. There are a
lumber OF people who believe signal
matching il practised. but in fifteen
Years OF football l have never heard OF
an instance.
\ former player and coach Is used "a
scout on various teams an eleven meets
during the season. The scout must now
'ootball from KICKOFF to touchdown. and
20 system but his own so far seesms
PRACTICAL for this work. His task Is a
most perplexing one. as II Is next to i'm
possible to watch more than a few mer
n each play.
just watch and Remember
In fact. II Is impossible II he tries 70
lo' down all he sees, Some scouts watch
and memorize and get II dow after
ward, others follow various systems
more or less ella borate. Coaches every.
yner, ara mn tho ht,nf for a sysfapn III
scouting that can be universally applied
pu' Il seems that the bes. results are
'ad by letting the scout work out a plan
y his own 20 get the dope. At that they
Miss a good deal OF 1t, especially detail
play 81 each man.
Certain elevens In the country PLAY
ne dope entirely. They figure out
'hanees in offence and defence each
week 70 combat the play OF the team
met each Saturday. Others make nc
attempt a. changing the placing and
duties ~ players. The best elevens are
NOSE which can so alter their play In
a game as to meet the new conditions
they md.
have known teams to revive OLD
plays in the pinch of a big game. Penn
tyivaU,a scored on Harvard in this way
n 1900. And ] have heard that in 1871
NO ". and ]. players conceived the for
ward pass which scored on a certain bis
cam during that game. Pitt, this year
changed It's defence during the Syracus.
game 70 meet the latter's odd open game
when the FIRST defence used a failed.
sanford's New Play.
There mas been precious little new
cope his season. Sanford. always seek
.ns radical formations. has come to tn
fon' with a new play at RUTGERS known
AZ the multiple kick. II Is indeed rad
'caI, scouts OF various teams have ex
NIsined II to me. Rutgers uses the plaI
instead OF a punt because a ball can b.
Kicked IA this way farther than by punt
ing. yet this kick is not a placemen
lick.
II has an additional merit. II II crosses
he goal-which It may for any distance
~ 10 sixty yards-of counting thre
points.
In making the play the Rutgers e
ines up as though to make a placemen
Nck. Two OF the halfbacks lie dow
some seven yards back OF the line o
scrimmhge with their arms extended D.
'heir hands meet, They form a poke
WITH their hands to hold the ball. tn
Kicker sands slightly back of them. Tn
Quarterback receives the ball from tn
centre, runs back and places II In Tn
hands Of he two backs and they hold !
well up above the ground while the kicke
|. runs forward and drives II down tn
feld.
II Is a kick which In not defined In tn