The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-04-20
COACHES WILL
MAKET ESTS0F
NEW RULINGS
Change in Location of Goal
Posts May Wipe Out Goal
Kicking From Field

Chicago, Ill.,, April 2O-(R)-
Laboratory tests will be made by the
country's football coaches who have
their teams in spring training on a
new batch Of rules that came from
the annual meeting of the rules COM
mittee.
One of the new rules provides
that the goal posts be moved back
10 yards and placed on the boun
ries of the end zone. Some of the
experts who have had time to study
the change believe the art of goal
Kicking from the field will nearly
cease to become factor in the tcor-
ing. under that regulation.
To score a point after touchdown
means that the ball will have to be
booted atnleast % yeards. The ball
is placed in play on the three ycard
line as heretofore, and if the kicker
stands ten yards back, he will have a
ticklish job before him.
4 Severe Handicap
Players who could kick from place
ment, or drop kick field goals from
the so-yard line, or even farther back
will find the handicap of the addi-
tional 10 yards had to overcome.
Generally, however, the opinion pre-
walls that the change is worth the
experiment. The rules committee
several years ago made a change in
rules that tended to make goal kick
ing much easier. This was when the
regulation provided for free kick
from the 25-yard line. This event
ually gave way to rule that the ball
had to be put in play on the three
yard line, and now comes the new
edict The removal Of the goal posts
will stimulate forward and passing
over the goal line. sl
The shift was not dealt harshly
with, according to Knute Rockne, one
of the leading opponents Of that
method of offense. The second in
terval between the jump and the snap
of the ball will not interfere with
the rythm so necessary for the sue
cess of this play. The one second
interval can be determined il the Of
ficials count l-2-3-4 rapidly.
The Is yard penalty adopted for
violations of the one-second shift
ruling is considered rather screvc
however, and certainly will have a
powerful influence on the coaches to
see that their charges do not run
afoul Of the officials on this point
In the Army-Navy game last fall the
soldiers were penalized three times
successfully on illegal shift lorna,
tions. The officials toted the bal
back Is yards for the three offenses
but under present conditions that
would mean as yards, and no team
| could stand such a setback.
The lateral pass and the backward
pass should tend to open up tn,
game, and bring out some sparkling
work on the part of fast backs. The
| offense will be more nearly on a pal
with the defense, in the opinion O.
critics, and the very fast backfield
man who shows an aptitude fol-
grabbing backward and latera
passes is bound to make trouble fol
the ends. The coaches undoubtedly
will have to adapt their defensiv.
play to meet this threat by playing
the ends little wide, and ever
spreading the line. Together will
the forward pass and the usual rush
ing, a smart quarterback with F:
knack for mixing his plays will keel
the defensive team on. the jump.
One Of the most spectacular play.
of the game, which is that of catch
ing punts, will return once more
since the rules committee adopted ;
safeguard. Fumbled punts canno
be run for touchdown by kickin,
team. The ball is dead. The custom
for several years has been toilet tn
ball stike the ground and roll unit
the referee blows the whistle, i
there was the slightest chance tina
the catcher will be tackled immedi
ately, or is hemmed in by opposing
| PLAYERS.