Evening star., 1932-10-20
NO CAUSES NOTED
FOR CODE CHANGE
"Dead-BaII" Provision Sure
to Stand, Despite Much
Adverse Criticism.
BY LAWRENCE PERRY.

NEW YORK, October $3.50
M far, so good. Thus you
1 Y have the sentiment of GER
tain important members
of the Foot Ball Rules Committee
who come covertly-at least, the
visit was carefully not advertised
incidentally to see Dartmouth
play Pennsylvania, but more i'm
portantly to canvass the situation
thus far.
If the game continues to go as it
haS-and there seems no official belief
that it will not-there will be no
changes at all in the rules for 1888.
Oh, few minor alterations and the
wording of certain existing rules made
clearer Of more explicit; but nothing
more.
THE whispering campaign in certain
i quarters against the dead-ball rule
might as well stop, for that rule
Is going to stand as now written, the
point being made that the calling of
dead ball in the case of runner in the
open, who trips or slips or otherwise
brings knees or body to the turf. is ri
diculous and unnecessary, is answered
by the query: How is an official to
judge when a ball carrier is sufficiently
in the open?
In the Temple Bucknell game a run
ner stumbled and fell when 6 feet i'll
the clear and yet. had there been no
dead-ball rule and he had risen to his
feet and attempted to proceed, he would
have been nailed by at least three in
rushing tacklers.
No, the Rules Committee is too we'll
pleased with the practical working out
OF that rule to make any modification
even a possibility.
COME pain is felt over findings which
- show that while the new rules are
being obeyed there is a general in
crease in infractionS of long existing
stipulations There is altogether too
much clipping going on throughout the
country this season and so many re-
ports of increased cases of holding by
the offenSe have come in as to lead to
the fear that restrictions in the defen-
sive use of hands are making the de-
fense easier prey for those who are
alive to opportunities for holding down
in the dark receSSeS of the scrimmage.
Dartmouths method of pulling two
guards out Of the line from balanced
formation and having them shift into
the line to left or right, one on each
side of the tackle. was under official
scrutiny Saturday. Colgate, Temple and
several other teams use this guard Shift
it originated on the West Coast-and
when we'll worked it crushes the defen-
sive tackle almost always for short
but none the less important gain.
THE play is perfectly all right
i when the guards make the requi-
site pause before the ball is snapped.
But the trouble is a tendency of the de-
fensive guards to follow through. There
upon, if the ball is snapped, they are
offside, or, even if not offside. they are
liable to penalty. At least one tricky
team has devised a way of preventing
these overardent guards from getting
back into their required positions, thus
having them offside.
Rules officials regret to note that
injuries to receivers of forward passes
predominant among the casualties. How
may a man so unprotected. so open to
vicious tackling be saved from injury?
Would permission to signal for fair
catch, with accompanying stipulations
that in such case the catcher may not
run and that defenders may still try to
intercept or knock down the ball, prove
effective? 1t is herewith offered for
what it is worth. 1t is imperative that
something be done.