Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1917-09-10
NO basic CHANCES
IN FOOTBALL CODE
Revisions Deal Largely With
Forward Pass and Curb
ing Side Line Coaching
SANFORD'S KICK
IS RESTRICTED

~ ANAl0 = ANA - = - -
Football rules revisions which go into /
effect this season do not change the !
game materially. but have TO do largely |
with penalties. The rules committed |
at It's annual meeting IN New York last
March agreed that the code provided
for a wholesome game which baslcally
was sound and that the rules should be
allowed TO crytsallze in the form they
! presented last year.
However, here and there the officials
| found a little room for Improvement
/ They cndeavorcd 10 remedy these faults
| Whether they wrote the proper. pre-
scripti0ns remains for this season 10
/ demonstrate We have an idea that In
several particulars the committees
changes left a lot TO be desired.
In theory the most important change
IN the rules affects the movement TO
abolish the nastiest abuse In football,
side line coaching and the sending in
Of substitutes with messages as 20 the
next play. In practice the salient feat
ure Of the revision lies I'm that part
which concerns the forward pass, the
fastest developing play In the game and
with some olevens the most potent
agent for scoring.
Last season the rules provided that
In the event OF receiver Of a forward
pass being roughed the penalty was TO
be fifteen yards from the point where
the ball was put into play. As a re-
suit the forward passing game was
accompanied by q carnival OF fouling.
Rarely did a pass go for less than flf-
teen yards, and coaches instructed
their men to muss up the receiver az
all hazards and take chances on the
penalty. The biggest teams in the
land followed that principle, and as a
result the rule was found to be unjust
and weak
This season the revised rule provides
that when the receiver Of a forward
pass Is fouled the offended side shan be
given the ball at the point of f0uling.
In the event Of there being more than
one foul the ball shall be put into play
at the furthest point of fouling on
the surface this may look like a flnc
change, but when analysed the new
rule appears worse than the old.
Under the new rule the roughing Of
every receiver Of a forward pass, espe-
clally on the third down, Is encouraged.
Since the ball viii go 60 the offended
side at the point OF fouling anyway, the
/ opposition no doubt Will figure 1T good
business to exercise itself on the man
getting the leather After player In
the act of receiving "a pass has been
4 roughed a couple OF times he Is not apt
90 be very enthusiastic over the play
= In fact. he may ilnd The side lines a
4 healthier place.
! The new rule leaves no legal come
: back against such roughing. There Is
? bound to be q clamOr for a change be
: fore the season Is we'll under way
. lROughing the receiver Is not in line with
the code Of honor. but after all football
Is football.
Charley Hahn, the old Harvard player
! while officiating in the game between
8 the Army and Notre Dame last autumn
/ unconsciously pointed the proper patti
o of revision TO the committee. He penal
70 lied Notre Dame fifteen yards from The
8 point OF fouling for rOughing a receiver
8 of a pass, and even Jesse Harper, th'
1 Notre Dame coach did not know Of th'
mistake until 10 was brought TO his at
tention after the battle Hahn confessed
he had erred but maintained that hi
, Interpretation was the only one in lin
-, football logic. Hahns mistake ma
become legalized next winter.
The new curb ON side line coachinI
takes the form Of an addition TO rule
section ,, and provides That an incom
Ing player may not talk 20 any othe
player on the field until after the bal
has been put into play. In case chang
OF players Is necessary when a substi
tute enters the game. the new ma
- may give the information only throug
~ ~ the referee The penalty is hftee
~ yards. II the substitute is to take tn
o place Of the man who had been givin
- the signals the new player may civ
- 4 his signals but must not consult wit
~ hs teammates until after the play.
30 Generally speaking this change wi
20 a great way toward -eliminatin
81, side line coaching. but Il has wea
u point that probably cannot be RENT
~ died. What IS TO prevent the men
is bers OF a team from taking turns I
AZ calling the signals? In that wa
~ any man on the team could be n
% placed by a substitute VINO woul
20. legally be empowered to give Il
q signals for the next play. This que
20 ton OF side line coaching is entire
- one OF ethics. and I'm time VIII
92 solved by common action.
The committee made one eXcellel
u. change. II left Il optional with Il
30 referee to ignore the penalty for
IA substitutes failing to report to q
"a official. The penalty for failing
10 report is FIVE yards, and for failii
80 10 report and communicating wi
r. players on the field before the ball
q put into play fifteen yards. II q
80 player does not talk to anybody d
- referee may pass up the penalty.
200 II will be remembered that la
wear Princeton probably lost a tOuc
down against Harvard because OF
EN- fifteen yard penalty for failure to 7
port.
One Of the leading changes ba
,rd Foster Sanford's multiple kick as
HE agent for scoring. No longer may {
mes creation Of the old Yale star a
mem Rutgers coach be used for kicki
mai field goals However. there is not
ing ing in the new rule which prob b
sci the multiple kick from being used
lieu OF punt.
Scoring by the multiple kick "
done away with by changing I
lam definition Of a place kicR 10 read
tom follows: AS place kick is made
en- kicking the ball from its position VIII
YER It Is resting upon the ground II