New-York tribune., 1922-11-28
YNooking for the Detect

Yale football this season had lust
enc vital weakness, the most important
of all, and that was lack of field
strategy, Of turning on the right plays
at the right time, of upsctting in any
way the enemy's mental and physical
balance on defense. Princeton and
Harvard were all set for Yale, and
Yale came to meet them down the same
old road.
When it came to matter of scoring
where deception, fakes, feint thrusts
and other upsetting devices were
needed-where it came to a matter of
working the kicking and running game
to best advantage, Yale was again far
behind her old rivals.
For this IL is distinctly unfair TO
single out Neidlinger, Captain Jordan
or any other individual 1t is a re-
sponsibility that both coaches and
players must share together. Harvard
ard Princeton had it, the Army, the
Navy and others had it, but Yale
didn't
Tad Jones had given his team first
class open game and strong line ct
tack. But no one has given Yale sys-
tenn OF field generalship to match Har-
Yards or Princeton's in many years;
l922 was merely a photograph OF 1919,
1920 and 1921.
What Yale Lacks
The team had the open game to use
and the material to handle it, some Of
the greatest backfield material we have
ever seen, but there was no touch of
The "instinctive," of the almost in
stant perception of the right thing to
do ct main moments which Harvard
and Princeton have now had for some
years.
This will not be remeded by the
appearance of some shrewd individual
star. IL is something that must be
drilled into the entire organization, as
Harvard and Princeton have drilled it
until IL has become almost matter OF
muscle memory" where no deer
mental complexity 10 required, Buell.
isn't the brains Of the Harvard sys-
tenn. He is merely one of It's well
developed parts.
When Buell. stepped in Saturday he
immediately sent one end out and
dropped one backfeld man we'll back
Yale's goal line defense Immediately
had It's mental poise upset. The Ellis
figured Buell. was going to pull some
thing, but whether it would be a pass
or plunge was something else. He
was still calling them when the bal
was snapped on the starting sigma
and Owen was through before Yale
knew what had happened.
This is cited as merely one smal
part OF Harvard'a system of attack.
43 Yale Players VIII Return
Yale next fall returns forty three
men from her complete squad of fifty
three players. The list will include
Mallory, 0'Hearn, Neidlinger, Neale
Bench, Scott and others for the back.
field, with fine line.
But while Princeton loses many good
men, Harvard will return Gehrke and
Hammond, two fine running, kicking
backfield stars; Lee, Spalding and
Pfaffman at quarter: Hubbard, East
man, Grew, Jenkins and others for
the forward wall. And this material
will be good enough TO go through safe
~ against Yale again unless Yale can
come pretty close TO matching Har-
wards poise and generalship upon the
field, not only In devising proper plays
but IN drilling these plays into the
entire team for scoring use; not into
one man, but into the entire organiza-
tion. This is Yale's big problem, and
one that Yale must meet.
This doesn't necessarily call fer any
change in coaches, but il does call for
big change in this part of the coach
ing system unless Yale is willing to
fsce again the old charge of not having
smart team. And it might be sug-
gested again that smart teams, at the
start, are not monopolized by any one
or two colleges. The brain average is
about the same, up and down the line.
1t Is yale's main problem TO face
this situation without putting the blame
on any one, especially upon the young
shoulders Of her players, who over a
period OF years are bound to be as
intelligent as those who go to any
other university. Yale came we'll for
ward this season in open game skill,
but her next step must be in the di-
rection Of securing the Same general
direction Of plays that Harvard and
Princeton have fornn