Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-28

ball squad in preparation for
the 1927 season. The Blue
and Gray meets tomorrow at Phila-
dclphia and from there goes to the
Atlantic Coast, where it will train
until the opening of the university's
scholastic year makes necessary re-
turn TO Washington. Probably one or
two other schools will begin this week,
but the great majority are due to
swing into the preliminary grind any
where from Labor day on to around
September 10.
On Labor day practically all schools
in the South are secluded to get under
way. The 90 comprising the South
eTn Conference have rule which pro-
hjbits them beginning before the first
Monday i'll September, and. inasmuch
as nearly all the institutions in the
South meet the same requirement,
Labor day is almost a general start
ing point. Some few colleges allow
their squads to stay away over Labor
day and meet on Tuesday morning,
but it generally has been found that
this is not the best arrangement.
Every Southern Conference institu-
ton in the South Atlantic section be-
gins Labor day. At North Carolina,
North Carolina State, Virginia, Wash
llSlOi anu Lee, II lSCIiUlC
Institute, Virginia Military Institute
and Maryland the men begin dropping
in Sunday evening and the first prac-
tees are scheduled the morning of
Labor day.
George Washington and Catholic
University usually open around Sep
TENDER 10. Harvard, Yale. Princeton,
Cornell and Western Conference uni
versities have rules which provide for
their men getting out September 10.
Some few foot ball games are sched.
uled for Saturday, September IT, Nir.
GINA Military Institute having a game
that day, but the general opening of
the season will not come until the
following Saturday, September "a.
The Southern schools have games
scheduled so early are likely to drop
the policy after this year because of
the frightening of its season by the
southern Conference until the second
Saturday after Thanksgiving day. a
good many of the Southern universe
ties are to play this Fall on Decem.
Der ), which gives some of them ex.
ceptionally long schedules, as they had
games listed for September before the
change was effected. p
With the opening of practice q good
many coaches, possibly all, will give
considerable time to the/development
| OF something in the way of lateral
| passes, but the chances are that, when
! the season once gets on. the usual
! offensive tactics will be depended on
| in the main for ground gaining. The
| game the spectators see this Fall is
| going TO be practically no different
| from the game they have watched in
| previous years, except that there
should not be quite SO many chances
| for so-called f1uke plays, where
fumbles are picked up and run for
! touchdowns or long gains, and the
| field itself will be apparently much
! longer, due to moving the goal posts
back to the end lines instead of plant
! ing them, as IN previous years. on the
| goal lines.
| Most of the lateral passes are likely
J to deVelopSo out of a straight end run
ming formation or after a double pass
after an end run has been started. But
OF the rules and possibilities of play
more at another time.
! The foot ball situation in the East
In colleges generally, for that matter
| seems to be good. The game as a
/
year, and now it is seldom that any
school has really poor team. Some
! teams naturally are not as good as
some others, but very few teams play
what might be called bad foot ball
Foot ball is being played much more
| widely in the high schools and prer
| schools and ten men are entering the
! colleges today with knowledge OF
and some experience on the gridirOn
: to every one that entered Is years
! ago.
| That is one big reason for stronger
teams and another it's that the game
| has reached a stage of DEVELOPMENT
| equaled In few sports, especially in
organization and coaching. In coach
ing, it is doubtful if professional base
ball is anywhere near so highly de-
veloped.
| More of study is made of the
| game than formerly Twenty years
ago a coach was hired for three
months work, and that was all the
| time he gave TO foot ball. Now
! nearly all coaches, in all the larger
schools, anyway, are allyear men. and
practically all their time is given to
thinking and planning foot ball. The
natural result has been rapid develop
ment in strategy and tactics.
| Many spectators think that things
| they see on a foot ball field are the
result of inspiration on the part of
players and that coach simply takes
Il pencil and outlines on the spur of
| the moment plays that really work.
| Nothing is further from the facts.
Coaches spend months working out
plays before they finally determine
| the eight or ten they will use. and
then weeks are required for the
! painstaking drill that makes the