The Phoenix index., 1941-06-21
SPORTS
SLANTS
Ey COACH w. A. ALEXANDER
Director Of Athletics,
CSeorgia Tech

Georgia Tech
The lo41 football season will find
four major changes in the rules.
Two of the changes will definitely
help the offensive team: one will
help the players and those schools
having small squads; and the
fourth will be of aid to the de-
fense.
For many years the rules have
srectfied that if ball is thrown
or handed forward, the player
having the ball must be five YARDS
back of the line of scrinunage at
the time he hands or throws ttse
ball, Next fall the five-yard re-
striction will still hold on passes
throw but backfield men will be
allowed to hand the ball forward of
any point back Of the line OF
scrimmage. III the opinion of many
coaches, this change will be OF
definite aid to the offensive team
as II will allow the coaches to put
IN new plays. In the past on. re-
verse plays and on spinners, the
Dali Wnen transferred Iroyn one
PLAYER to another one had to be
handed backwards This forced the
holder to turn around, or partly
turn around, in order to hand the
ball.
Under the new rule, one player
could take the ball from the hand
of another one by going in front
of him. This will make for more
speed on certain types of reverses
and double reverseS that may re-
suit in a great benefit to the OIL
fensive team. A number of coaches
has experimental with this play in
spring practice, and quite few
of them have stated that it has
good possibilities. Here at Georgia.
Tech, we could not find any par
ticular advantage in the play in
our spring work. Undoubtedly, some
teams will come uD with something
new and of value from this rule
change.
The other change that will be OF
definite aid to the offensive team
is the change in the rule in re-
CARDS to what happens to fourth
down forward pass that is ground
ed back of the opponents goai
line. In previous seasons on fourth
down, any forward pass that be-
came incomplete back of the other
teams goal line was touchbaCKi
the ball would be brought out to
the twenty yard line and be given
to the defending team. Next fall.
the fourth down pass will he play
ed as any other fourth down pass
grounded i'm the field of play. The
ball would go to the defending
team at the spot of the previors
play. Last fall if the offensive team
had the ball on the twO-yard line,
fourth down and goal to go, and
attempted forward pass that was
unsuccessful, then tney not oniy
lost the ball but in addition eigh-
teen yards, as the ball came out
tn the twenty. This fall they would
lose the ball, but the defending
team would have to take it on the
two-yard line. The effect Of the
passing on fourth down over the
goal line. and it cannot help but
be of definite aid to the offensive
team even though the pass is in
complete.
The rule that will be of great
benefit to the players and to the
squads with limited material is the
substitution rule. Last year, If a
boy was withdrawn from the game
in the first quarter, he could not
return to the game until the sec
ond quarter If in the middle of
the third quarter a player looked
little tired or slightly injured 1t
would be impossible to remove him
from the game without having tc
do without him for the balance of
the quarter. In the case of real
good players, and in the case OF
squads who had no capable sub
stitute for the player, the temp
taticn was to leave him in the
game. This fall if player looks q
little groggy from hard blow ol
if his coach wants to give him
few words of advice about the
technique of his play, he may be
withdrawn from the game and
then sent back as soon as his
coach wants him to reenter Otter
two or three minutes rest will
straighten out the boy who has
been knocked groggy, and two
minutes is plenty of time to cor
rect some minor fault in mans
play This will enable coaches with
small squads because if they have
Ia1fback who is a very fire play
er on offense, they can put him in
wher they have the ball and can
take him cut and replace him
with good defensive man when
they lose the ball. They can repeat
this am unlimited number Of times.
Last fall, players who went into
the game from tie side lines had
to go one play without communi
eating with any other team mem
Der. This has also been thrown cut
of the book.
"A good many officials and
coaches think that this unlimited
substitution rule will slow uc the
game as a great deal Of time Will
be used up by streams Of substl'
tutes going in and out. If the game
is properly handled by the referee.
I doubt. if the rule will require
more than five or six more min