Evening star., 1920-03-21
GRID CODE STANDS
0NASOUND BASIS;
|SUTTLE CHANGED
Action of Rules Committee
Shows Game to Need Only
Clarifying Revision.
BY WALTER CAMP.

Clarifying Revision.
BY WALTER CAMP.
Although the final results in rule
alteration were neither numerous NOR
extreme, the meeting OF the foot ban
committee at the Biltmore Hotel
March IL and 13 was really an epoch
making one in the history of the sport,
for it determined beyond peradventure
of doubt the main fact that the sport
has crystalized into one Of good foun-
dationS. excellent balance, and upon
the whole one that is now generally
understood by not the coaches and
officials alone, but also by the players
and, best of all, the average spectator.
Time was when only a few of the
many spectators in the stands under
stood clearly the code that governed
foot ball play More than that il was
| necessary for the spectator to learn a
new code nearly every year. so nu
merous and radical were the changes
made from season to season. In fact.
| it was true that a varsity player who
graduated from college, if he did not
follow the legislation of the winter
after his graduation. was literally at
sea regarding many points OF the play
by the time the following fall came
around and he went to see the big
game.
Now. the special import of this
meeting just held is that with a mass
| of radical legislation presented for
their consideration, with lapse In
| meetings extending over some three
years. the committee made only such
changes as would in no way alter the
| balance of attack and defense. and
particularly put themselves on REQ
ord. through the report of Chairman
| Hall, as favoring the policy of legis-
lating only upon the basis Of classi-
| flying the present rules and taking
] action only upon such tendencies as
might be s" growing in the game as
later to constitute menace to its
future. No better way of illustrating
the Importance of this fact could be
presented than to enumerate briefly
/; the points that came before them for
/ consideration. Here is a practical list
of them:
Briefs Of Numerous Suggestions.
To run the game not by watch. but
by the number of plays.
To give scoring value to advanc-
ing the ball within the opponents
! ltwenty-five-yard line, even though
team failed to get over for touch
| To make a touchdown count seven
points.
To abandon the kick for goal
To permit this kick. but only
through means of scrimmage or field
goal
To make the numbering of players
mandatory.
To make distinctions between
!touchdowns made by rushing and
those made through the forward pass.
To make touchdowns made through
fumbles or intercepted forward
passes of less scoring value than
those made from straight rushing the
ball.
To give a score for five hrst downs
made in sequence
To narrow the space between goal
posts.
To minimize forward passing.
To check wholesale substitutions-
To change the distance to be gained
for a first down when team is with
| in the 25-yard line Of opponents.
To rule that no man may be onside
when a punt is made.
To protect a forward passer AZ
kicker is protected.
To more frequently change a wet
ball.
To, create an extra official as a
timekeeper alone.
To legislate against fake or false
starting signals.
To forbid clipping or cutting down
from behind.
To forbid any man to be in motion
before the ball is out in play.
To omit the penalty, enforcement Tor
clipping after the ball is dead or for
crawling in case a touchdown has
actually been made before the offense
occurs.
To penalize a team that uses a dou
BILE starting signal to draw the op
ponents offside.
This is only a partial list, but 1t
gives some idea of the problems with
which the committee wrestled, and
out OF which mass there emerged the
few and conservative changes final
ly adopted.
Punt Out Il Abolished
Tho most radical change reaates to
the scoring Of q goal after touch
down, and it was generally anticipaf-
ed that the committee would deal In
some such manner with this The
punt-out, which has been an integral
part Of the game ever since Rugby
country forty-hve years ago. has
been eliminated. and with It 30 tho
| various rules relating to it Every
touchdown. no matter where made.
the extreme edge Of the field. entities
/ the side making it to a try at goal in
| the ordinary way. by bringing the ball
! straight out In front of the goal posts,
any distance they see ft, and kicking
| it Goals will probably be missed once
| in a while, but it makes the process
of making one. and so scoring the ad-
| ditional point, as easy as possible
This method has also one particular
merit, in that 1t tends to greater JUS
tice in the matter of touchdowns real
| ly earned from scrfmmage plays and
] those that result from fiukes or fum-
, bles. 1t is a well recognized fact that
| a touchdown resulting from a tumble
and an opponent picking up the ball
and running free for the goal is al
most always made right between the
\ goal posts. whereas a touchdown
| fought hard for by rushing is very
T; likely, in spite of all the generalship
+; possible, made out toward the side
lines, through stress of circumstances.
wherever the attacking side can force
| it over.
Time Gauges Length OF Game.
The question OF changing the con-
duct Of the game from ono run on
time periods by the watch to ono run
by the number Of plays had q thor
ough consideration, but was regarded
as too experimental for adoption II
method should be tried with scrub
| teams, to see what the effect would
| be and to secure further information
The making 1t mandatory to num-
Der the players was also under consid-
| Grafton, but was finally left as before.
merely q recommendation by the COM
mittee that the players should be thus
numbered 1t is believed, however.
! that nearly all teams will do so. OF
course, in the case of smaller teams
throughout the country. a rule oblig-
render the sport too expensive and
probably could not be enforced.
The eub5ect Of professional foot bail
WAS also I'D for consideration and the