Evening star., 1933-09-19
BASIC PLAY SAME
AS 20 YEARS AGO
Great Advance Has Come in
Mechanical Precision,
Ayers c. U. Coach.
BY HI, G. BYRD.


Catholic University, believes that
the fundamentals of foot ball are
the same now as 20 years ago and
are the same as they will be 20
years hence unless some radical
changes in the rules take place.
1t is Bergman's opinion that the same
basic plays that gained ground year
ago and 10 years ago should be ground
gamers this season and that the team,
that has the driving offense, combined
with some deception, will be the team
with the best chance to win.
You hear a good zeal about modern
developments in foot ball. about new
plays and new formations and new types
of defense" said Bergman in discussing
present trends in the game, but when
you analyze the average offense and
the defense of most teams you will find
that fundamentally they differ very
little from sound foot ball of a decade
ago.
Nobody has developed any
thing to supersede the wide end
run the drive off tackle, and the
slice or cut back inside of tackle
as major ground gaining weapons.
'Of course we have the lateral pass,
but that is only an appendage Of strong
plays that have been used many years,
almost since foot ball first was organ
lied. And lateral passing was done
even before forward passing came into
existence.
Tell me some offensive weapons now
that are anything very different from
the sound plays of long ago or that are
much more than variations of ancient
plays. AS matter of fact, in some
respects I strongly suspect that the
average offense of today could be i'm
OF the fine split plays that were fea-
lures Of the old quarterback-behind-
center arrangement of backs.
May Appear to Be New.
s.TRANKLY, watch foot ball games
now, work out plays for my own
teams but do not see or have
anything much that is not worked out
on lines similar to plays used when I
myself was player. OF course, forma-
tions change. and we have different
variations of forward passes. but essen
TALLY they have the same backgrounds
remember one forward pass Notre
Dame used, still uses, which has been
hailed in various newspapers at times
as modern development, but really
1t is nothing but slight variation.
based on a different formation. of one
of the first plays after the forward pass
care into foot ball.
"No, it, is not the ofense, not
the particular type OF defense.
that has changed in foot ball, but
the great Improvement has come
IL o,,% ~
O.. c1aanical play.
Greater attention by coaches to de-
tails of plays. more accurate charging
and blocking and new features Of
blocking are the real improvements in
the game. The blocking and charging
of the old days was not as good as the
blocking and charging of today, despite
what some of the men who played foot
ball in years gone by would have us
believe Because of better mechanical
play, harder and more accurate charg-
ing, better individual players, many
new ideas applied to blocking, the
average foot ball team of today would
be many points better than the average
team of 20 years ago.
Bergman's Opinion General.
A ND practically every coach in the
~ country would back Bergman up
in what he says. Rockne once
told the writer. Il have no special
offense of my own. but have applied
the best things have learned in foot
ball. and added few ideas of my own
And Rockne's words just about de-
scribe the offense used by every coach.
One factor in the building Of
-, better foot ball Is the greater
number Of players who learn the
game in the high and prep
schools, in contrast to the few
who learned it in the early days.
The old saying that practice makes
to other things, and the fact that
thousands Of high and prep school
graduates are going into the colleges
with experience or two or three years
on the gridiron where hundreds went
before is one of the main factors that
are making college elevens much more
proficient.
PRACTICALLY no changes have
been made in the rules to govern
4 foot ball during the coming sea-
son. About the only one that will be
noticeable from the stands is that
which involves putting the ball in play
at point 10 yards from the sidellne
whenever 1t goes out of bounds or When
ever it is dead within 10 yards OF
sideline.
There uiH be no more play OF
a ball witIin gard or t1o OF the
sidelines 1pith the consequent
cramping OF the otense.
One or two Qualifications of existing
rules have been effected, but, besides
the change already mentioned, ABOUT
the only alteration OF any consequence
is the broadening of the rule against
clipping to include almost any running
into a player from behind as we'll as
throwing the body across the legs.
~ULANE is said to have three back
fields of varying weights for use
this Fall. One set of backs, aver
aging about 100 pounds, is to be sent
into the beginning of games and also
to be used when the going is heavy on
that average a little over ITO pounds
that is to be used for all purposes and
apparently is to be the best backf1eld.
The third set is group Of light but
exceptionally fast men who can pe
thrown into the latter part OF con.
test, when the opposition Is tired and
likely to crumble before short, sharp
dashes.
Tulane apparently can put on the
fleld IL men VINO average clo0e w
200 pounds.
~UT in Maryland a rather unusual
situation has developed as far
~ as the colleges in that State are
concerned. It is rumored that some
of the schools that have stood well up
are not likely to be so strong. Johns
Hopkins, for instance, Is said to be
. having its troubles, through unexpected
losses, while washington College Is In
about the same boat. st. Johns appar-
emily has good first team, but very
little In the way of second-string ma