The New York herald., 1922-12-28
Want 1922 Rules Governing
Point After Touchdown
Continued.
WOULD SPEED UP GAME
Urge Penalties Which Would
Discourage Unnecessary Con-
fabs Before Plays.
by DANIEL.

ference flavor to the decisions and dis
cussions OF the annual meeting of the
American Football Coaches Association
at the Astor yesterday. For divers
reasons many of the leading mentors
OF the East were not present. Glenn
Warner one of our major strategists
and theorists and Hugo Bezdek are in
California with their teams. Bob
Fisher OF Harvard remained away and
Tad Jones of Yale came in for a spell,
hung on the fringe of the gathering
and did not take part in the discus
sion. Neither did Bill Roper or Gil
Dobie
of wisdom, erudition and even wit.
Hurry Up" Yost of Michigan. fresh
from a successful season and bubbling
over with joy. kept the gathering OF
about 100 In an uproar with his flash
ing sallies Bob Zuppke of Illinois and
DR.. John w. wilce of Ohio State helped
Yost to put over the Western Confer
ence impression of quite a number OF
problems. Major Charles DAILY, retiring
each at West Point presided ably and
kept the delegates from shooting off into
unending lanes OF discussion. which only
too often convert our football gather
ings into endurance competitions.
Out of the long afternoons talk on
myriad questions and problems con-
nected with the game there came eleven
recommendations to the rules committee,
which will take them up at it's annual
meeting here in March. About oozen
other proposals were voted down. Per-
haps the most important action taken
was to approve the present rule govern
ing the try for point. In spite of the ef-
forts OF John W. Heisman of Pennsyl-
vania, Yost and Buck O'Neill, retired
Columbia coach, proposed changes in
this much discussed rule were rejected
by a good majority--a proceeding which
may be regarded as the forerunner OF
similar action by the rules committee.
Want Game speeded Up.
Another decision which stood out in
the eleven points was a recommendation
TO the rules committee TO speed Qp the
game OF football, provide more penalties
for delaying the game and stop inter-
minable conferences before scrimmages.
Last season saw the use OF the so-called
huddle rise to its zenith. The coaches
party formation. which was invented by
Zuppke and is in wide use In the West.
But they did call on the rules body
to discourage the delays which threaten
to convert football into a series OF de-
bates and consultations.
Both OF the recommendations named
came as the result Of suggestions
framed by the Executive Committee.
This committee made only five sugges-
tions and of these three failed OF ap-
proval. IL asked the association to go
on record against clipping from the side
ms well as from behind and to increase
the penalty to twenty-five yards from
the point of the infraction. This was
beaten along with the proposal that the
penalty for delaying the game purposely
be Increased to fifteen yards and that
the penalty for roughing the catcher
OF punt be stretched to twenty-five
yards.
All through the session the sentiment
of the meeting was opposed to increas-
ing penalties. 1t was frlt that the PEN
alties now provided are drastic enough
II only the officials will keep their eyes
open and infiict them. 1t was felt that
by making the penalties more severe
the chance of action by officials would
be reduced. Therein lies much logic.
Many Is the penalty we would see for
slugging IL the cost were only ten yards
instead OF half the distance TO the goal
line and disqualification.
When the try for point came up Yost
declared that he was In favor OF drop
ping all attempts for seventh point
"If there be ties let them be-" said
Hurry Up" Heisman came to the fore
with suggestion which found consid-
cradle favor. lie wanted the present
scheme done away with and a new
method for breaking tles substituted
Hcisman's Radical scheme.
I'm the event Of tic / suggest that
We give each side the ball FOR three
downs" said Heisman. Let the team
which makes the greater distance in
these three attempts get point and the
game
Buck ONeill recommended that the
try for point be done away with and
that in the event OF tie the victory go
20 the eleven which had made the
greater number of first downs This
sounded pretty good but not quite good
enough. The public Goes not want TO
wait for set of accountants to an
nounce the winner. II wants to know
as soon as the final whistle is blown.
And suppose the first downs are even7
What then?
Major Frank Cavanaugh OF Boston
College. who took prominent part In
ion that FIRST downs no longer were
very important and that the O'Neill
scheme would initiate against team
with a great punfer That's just what
am aiming att replied Buck. There
~ altogether too much kicking and not
enough football" And Buck was right
Pete Reynolds OF Bucknell brought
up an old pet OF the Western al, ision
when he suggested that the scale be
tipped In favor OF the offense with rules
nullifying touchdowns scored after the
recovery of the oppositlons tumble or
after an intercepted forward pass. This
was voted down with gusto.
Major DAILY brought UP the old propo-
eltion 10 bar the coach from tho side
lines, not that he thought the meeting
would approve II but merely to get an
other vote TO transmit o he rules COM
Initee and the National Collegiate Ath-
lotic Association. The proposal was
voted down with more than gusto. The
coaches held that the safetyNo OF the play
60 demanded the presence Of the men
,ors on the side lines.
Earl Neale held that the fifteen yard
penaly for holding was too severe and
therefore, not handed out often enough.
Make II five yards and let US have the
rule enforced 20 the letter" said the re-
firing coach Of Washington and Jeffer-
son. But he got little support. The