Evening star., 1924-10-28

In other words, the position OF
in many ways most attractive, is abb
sibie, one which draws from the {
criticisms, and in which the player
possible
Quarterback play. that factor
as generalship. never is entirely sd
been and never will be.
In the first place the coach looks
on the field with the experience of
many years behind him: the gridiron
has been his checkerboard for so long
that the great majority of its moves
have become to him what checkers is
to the great checker player-merely
matter of mechanical manipula-
tons.
No Second Guess on Field.
The coach sees situations. grasps
them and knows instantly what
should be done, not because he has
greater brain power than the young
fellow to whom he has intruSted the
running of the team. but because he
has seen so many similar situations
in his years of association with the
srdiron that he knows the remedy
without having to think; the quarter
back in his first experience is at sea
and perhaps does the wrong thing.
The situation, told to the coach, is
new to the quarterback.
Then another angle. A great base
ball writer once said to the writer:
I'm my position I could run any big
league manager out of his job in
short order. You can't beat the sec
ond guess" And that about sums up
the relationship of the coach to the
quarterback. You can't beat the see
ond guess, and the coach always
has it
If what the quarterback does turns
out to be right, everything is fine. but
if what he does turns out to be wrong,
then the coach always has something
else to suggest that would have been
better. If this had been done, or if
that had been carried out, and so on,
the coach fails the earnest young fell
low. who usually is cut sufficiently
near to the quick by failing to ac-
compliSh what he desires without be-
ing further scalded by vitriolic COM
ment.
Quarterback Always Goat.
In all proba ability, to give a con-
servative estimate, the second guess
solution produced by coaches would
not have been any more successful
than the tactics of the quarterback.
The average quarterback is a bright
young fellow, who, if he uses his own
Judgment sometimes in pinch in
stead of following strict orders and
fails to get away with it, is villain,
who listens to nothing. and a sap
head. who cannot remember instruc-
tions from one minute to another.
II the same quarterback adheres
strictly to his orders and fails to use
the initiative that will enable him to
take advantage of an unexpected
opening, he is a simpleton and d
I, to
have somebody think for him If he
lives to be 90 That is the kind of
thing the quarterback is up against.
Sometimes quarterbacks. to the
coach, do not appear to think. AS
matter of fact, though. they all think.
but simply do not have the back
ground of experience and facts of the
coach from which to draw their con-
clusions. They never will have. and,
consequently, from the coach's view
point. never will be entirely satisfac-
tory quarterbacks.
Team Main Factor.
Many quarterbacks get credit for
being brilliant field generals because
they pick plays that always seem TO
gain ground. In many of such cases
the brilliant mind of the quarterback
consists mainly of having three backs
behind him who can gain ground on
anything and line in front OF him
that consistently outplays the oppos-
inG, forwards.
Some years ago great Indian
quarterback at Carlisle was arouSing
comment everywhere by the excel
1cnce Of his field eeneralship, but the
following year, when he did not have
a trio of renowned backs to gain
ground. he was not able to find any,
thing that would go. 1t was not a
case of losing his brain, SO much as
it was a case of losing the power and
physical capabilities of others that
the previous year had won for him
his reputation as a quarterback who
could select the right plays.
baadO
Keen perceptions, quick judgments,
immediate actions are all fundamen-
tai parts of quarterback play, and
they must be applied to many situa-
tions with which the quarterback has
had little experience. The coach can
not supply the keen perception-he
tries to select a man for the posi-
tion who has that-but he must sup
ply the back ground on which judg-
ments are based and subsequent ac-
tions taken. and when it is conSid
cred that the coach can supply only
q very small part of the background
with which he himself works and
which he has acquired through Ions
years, il really is a wonder that the
average quarterback gets away with
the duties of his position as we'll as
b. does.
Not Always "Gencrn1ship."
This question of generalship on a
foot ball field, anyway. sometimes is
rs much fiction as fact. Some four
years ago d certain quarterback IN
A game between two State institu-
tions was given credit for a bit of
reneralship in the closing moments
or play that the press reports con-
eidered worthy of far more than pass
ing notice.
Twice the quarterback had carried
Mis- team to the 15-yard line, only to
lose the ball on downs, but on the
ehird drive to that point be COM
pletely changed his tactics and sent
the ball across for a touchdown that
decided the contest, to 0.
After the game, the quarterback
was asked why he did not adopt the
different tactics and put the ball
.cyoss on one of his two previous
drives. He looked just little
abashed for a second or two, then
answered, Well, on that third trip
down the field, after we got to the
Inward line, I happened to glance
toward the bench and saw another
quarterback warming up. and
figured that IL ! wanted to stay IN
that fame I'd have to change the
style Of offense and change 1t quick.
I did"