Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-03
Position.
Nv WALTER

football elevens to be composed OF
players who have performed consls~
tently throughout the season, offen-
sively and defensively, the task OF
choosing the tackles and placing the
wealth of back field materials in po-
sitions where they will be the most
valuable are the hardest.
It is the first time in many years,
that the Big Ten has not produced
tackles who stand out above all 9TH
ers. In former seasons there has gen
orally been at least two whose right
10 the important positions was I'M
questioned because their playing in ev-
cry game was far above that of other
warriors occupying the same positions.
Must Have Driving Tackles
A driving pair of tackles is an alb
soiute necessity to the success Of any
football team. Their value is being
emphasized more and more as the
teams are leaning to the open and run
ming STYLES of attack. They are now
smash interference and at the same
time protect the holes between guards
and tackles. On ~offense they are at
times made eligible to receive forward
passes while their many duties or var
ious offensive plays make them among
the important cogs IN n successful
football machine.
AS the running attack developed by
Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin along
with Minneapolis Vill develop the abb
soIute necessity Of having guards who
can get out of the lead, the interior
ence is emphasized. Fortunately these
are two men of such caliber in the
conference who have done this to per-
lection all fall, while others will be
made to do it in the future. The
open or running attack has so many
possibilities that the more men who
can get out to Interfere for the run
ner, chances of making ground are
improved greatly.
The absolute necessity of having a
center who can pass accurately and
timely is known to every close follow
err of football. Complex offensive tao
tics used by most coaches call for short
and long passes, some OF winch must
be slow and others fast. In fact sue
cess of every play depends largely
upon how fast and sure the ball Is fed
to the man who is called upon to make
the ground gaining effort.
Quarterback In Name Only
In these days of direct passing. the
quarterback in the old sense is extinct.
1t is simply the name Of a position. lie
is a back the same as the others who
are called left, right, or fulIbacks TO
designate the names of positions used
ever since football was first played.
The so-called quarterback Of today
rarely handles the ball to feed 1T TO
another back. The old rule of the
ball having to pass through three sets
of hands is obsolete. Smart coaches
now realize the quicker the ball carrier
gets to the line of scrimmage, the bet
ter his chances of making ground and
the more drive he can get into his
effort. Therefore the direct pass IS
used and the so-called quarterback
used in the interference.
Some coaches use their quarterbacks
10 carry the ball just as often as any
of the other three backs and many are
called into service to receive forward
passes. As a rowing offensive player,
he is in q good position to direct his
teams attack, which in most cases he
does. Many coaches, however, want a
man of football intelligence to act as
their pilot, regardless of what backtietd
position he plays.
Back Field Must Be Versatile
Back field players Of today must be
versatile. The day of the specialist
10 about gone. A back now must be
able to plunge, drive off the tackles
or run the ends, not to mention toss or
receive forward passes. In other
words he must be a player OF many
deceptive qualifications and such war
riors should be chosen for the Big Ten
honorary elevens.
Although the term triple threat"
is not countenanced by the close up
follower of the game, it IS the best
way to explain the qualifications Of a
great offensive back. A man who can
kick. run or pass is a most valuable
asset tosany football squad and efforts
are made at the beginning Of each sea
son by coaches to develop just such
warriors.
Offense Without Defense Useless
The best ~offense in the world is use
less unless the team can perform just
as brilliantly defensively. While some
mentors contend q strong offense is
the best defense, it is not true in the
long run. ANY team which can tackle
and block never will be beaten badly
and, for this reason, players selected
for these all conference elevens must
be strong defensively. They must be
nuick to scent an opponents plays and
move to the points Of attack quickly
and direct others of their team to the
danger zone. They should always be
in the vicinity of the ball and have
that cunning TO scoop up loose ovals,
breaks which have turned the entire
complexion of many evenly fought con-
tests.
In other words, q player selected
for any honorary eleven should be
analyzed from every angle Of football,
He should not be chosen because he is
a line %plunger only, an end runner or
a great kicker. He must combine IS
nearly as possible all the qualifications
which 90 to make a real football play
err in every sense Of the word. His
work in every game should be consid-
cred and he should be so placed as to
be of most value to his eleven. |
Must Fortify Every Angle
Such an honorary eleven must be
fortified in every angle Of offensive
tactics. Punting, field goal kicking,
throwing and receiving forward passes,
line plunging, slanting off the tackles
or running the ends are only a few of
the r,any details which such a team
must be able to execute. There must