The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-12-04
BRINGING
UP
tAIHtk
BY
ssMANUS

BY Palladium Sporting Editor.
Law makers of the football world
will not be swamped with petitions for
changes in the 1920 code when they
get together this winter to consider
the playing rules for 1921. They will
have about two things to think over
carefully that will have tremendous
bearing on the future type of football,
Harvard university is especially
anxious that the forward passing rule
be curbed to a great extent, either be-
ing entirely abolished or limited to a
Certain number of plays per game
Coaches all over the country are COM
planning about the 1920 rule which
allows the bringing of a ball out di-
rectly in front of a goal post for the
kick after touchdown. Many are
clamoring for the adjustment of the
kick or a radical change from this
years rules
The action of some of the eastern
schools and especially Harvard is no
doubt direct outcome of the Yale
and Harvard game, in which both
teams employed the passing game to
a greater extent than either had ever
|. { tempted Their efforts to employ
the aerial game were reported as
rather crude and as a result critics
stated that the game was not up to
the standard of previous years.
See Possibilities.
Eastern schools saw the possibilities
of the passing game when Centre col
lege made such a spectacular scoring
combination against Harvard by the
use of the air game. The Centre col
lege team is adapted to this style and
have built their whole offense around
this kind of play AS result they
play an open game and one that is
far more interesting to spectators than
the old closed style of football
Haughton has proposed several
changes in the passing rules He
would like to limit the number of
passes team might use in a game,
and also change the rule so that a
pass, blocked behind the line of scrim-
mage, would become a free ball and
be subject to recovery by the defens-
i've side.
Suggest Limit
Placing a limit on the distance a
ball may be pa ssed has also been sug-
gested. This does not seem practical
to most sport followers, who believe
that it would slow up a game mate
rally while officials measured off dis
puted distances. One of the prettiest
plays now known to football would be
eliminated if this should be done The
fast end racing 40 yards to receive a
we'll placed pass would be abolished,
and nothing should be done to render
this ability useless
The whole secret of the forward
passing game is the strategy involved.
If team is good on passing. as we'll
as other parts of the game, they have
twice as strong an offenSe to launch
against an opponent They keep
teams and spectators in a feeling of
suspense, wondering what the next
play will be-a kick, run or a pass.
Take Teeth Out"
They would take the teeth" out of
the pass if the number of passes at
tempted in an effort to make 10 yards
should be cut down to two. The
threat which is tucked away in pass
ing is its most effective quality.
The blocked pass idea is one of mer-
it and will no doubt be taken under
serious consideration by the rules
committee. 1t would not be a great
surprise if it were put in the rules for
1921. This would allow a defensive
team to recover a blocked pass back
of the line of scrimmage.
Such a rule would lead much more
efficient passing and do away with
the indiscriminate throwing which is
INDUCED in by many elevens. 1t