The New York herald., 1922-12-08
NO MAJOR CHANGES
IN FOOTBALL URGED
Recent Season Left General
Satisfaction With the (
Playing Code.
BY DANIEL.

Last year at this time the air was
thick with suggestions for changes in
the football rules. 1t vas urged on the
Rules Committee TO do away WITH the
goal from touchdown, to curb the use
of the forward pass. to stop clipping. to
give more protection TO the receiver OF
pass, to restrict shifts-these and
twenty minor propositions. A few OF
these suggestions were adopted in a
modified way.
Now we find general satisfaction
with the football code. Never before In
the history of the game were there 80
few suggestions for changes as there
are just now. The work of the Rules
Committee at its March meeting will
be simple indeed. 1t seems TO be get
ting closer and closer to The goal or
complete stabilizaton of the game. so
far we have heard only one complaint
about the rules and that has to do
with the new method of trying Tor the
point from touchdown.
At the start of the 1922 season there
was widespread dissatisfaction over the
innovation which took the place OF the
old goal from touchdown. In some sec
tions. notably in the Rocky Mountain
Conference the coaches suggested ig-
noring the new rule and kicking the old
goals as usual. but the faculty mem
bers voted to stand behind the recog-
nized code. AS the campaign wore on
and the players and the public became
accustomed to the eleven man scheme
for scoring the seventh point they got
to like it. :
Now only few urge the return to
the old goal We feel quite certain that
the committee will not change that
rule. for the new scheme is more In
keeping with the true spirit OF football
that every point must represent the
labor of eleven men and that team
work be paramount in all scoring. lie
new way is more exciting than the old
and as was demonstrated by Washing
ton and jefferson in scoring the four
teenth point which beat Lafayette at
the Polo Grounds-by a forward pass
it gives more opportunity for strategy.
The rule restricting the use of shifts
discouraged the use of these plays and,
taken all in all. the officials had mighty
little trouble with a detail Of play which
made most Of the difficulties for them
in 1921. Not only shifts. but all plays
depending on men in motion before the
ball is snapped-momentum plays
were curbed. Princeton. for one, was
forced to abandon its flexing end-and
let 1t be said that in this respect the
Tigers were favored no little pby the
change In the code, tor tndt( sHldsnihs
wing had outlved its usefulness.
The South again was the leader in
the use of the shift and for this there
was a good reason. AS Ken Scott, the
coach at Alabama. said some time ago,
the officials in the South were not very
strict in passing onfs shifts. They never
have been. On the other hand. the Off
cals in the North were lax in APPLYING
the rule against clipping from behind
IT will take several years before we get
officials up this way to see the rule in
its true light. In the South the officials
this year kept after the hamstrngers
pretty effectively.
We do not hear so much now about
putting a curb on the forward pass.
The defense against the air game made
tremendous strides this year. Two more
seasons and we shall find the forward
pass almost multiplying itself.