The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-08-27

HARLOW SEES ATTACK AT NEW HIGH WITH Al FOOTBALL RULE CHANGES
Coaches Run Game To Suit Themselves
BY LUTHER EVANS NEA Service Staff Correspondent

NEA Service Staff Correspondent
 New York, Aug. 2T-Dick Harlow predicts the premium on touch- downs will fall far below a dime . dozen this season because of the four football rule changes follow ing the trend of all-out aid to the offense.
 The veteran Harvard playmaker, one of the principal lecturers at the Eastern Coaching Clinic, Manhat- tan Beach, heartily endorses the alterations.
 Free substitution will be permit: ted in the fourth quarter.
 A forward pass on fourth down which becomes incomplete behind the opponents goal line is no longer considered q touchback.
 It is permissible to hand the ball in a forward direction in the back field provided 1t Is not given to . player on the line of scrimmage.
 Substitutes are allowed to talk as soon as they are accepted by cap- tainS.
 BALL HANDLING IS TO GET MORE ATTENTION
 Strategist Harlow points out: since first stringers may be rushed back into the game, free substitu- ton in the last quarter will en- courage coaches to take chances on reserve players.
 "Some complain substitutions will slow up the game, but they forget changes may be made only on time- outs, and teams will be penaized for excessive tine-outS.
 Players will be fresher. Play will not slow up SO much near the finish.
 Abolishing the touchback en- courages more passing IS scoring territory.
 Knowing that on a. fourth down incomplete pass the ball goes to the opponents where 1t was put in play instead of on the 20-yard line will encourage quarterbacks to gamble.
 with no penalty for handing the ball forward, more time will be spent on ball handling which will increase deception" While the tall and bald headed Harlow doesn't say so, teams got away with handing the bah for- ward without this rule change. These teams made it close to being debat- able and officials hesitated to call infractions.
 Not a few coaches got away with transmitting instructions to signal callers without delay without that rule change, too. But those who didn't have q wig-wag system some times ran out of QuarterhackS sent in to run particular plays. This rule change gives the coach his long, sought opportunity to run his team at critical moments in much sirn- pier way.
 DON'T EXPECT TOO
 MUCH OF MODERN ''T"
 Like other better minds, Harlow, who looks like anything but one of the leading football tutors, warns coaches dabbling with the modern TT" formation with man-in- n-motion not to expect too much the first year.
 The system employed so success sfully. by Stanford and the Chicago Bears requires superlative material and, as Harlow stresses, the coach who does not understand 1t thor oughly is likely to make a wreck of his season. As Harlow explains, the | system is basically sound, but ln- tricate. Time Is required to master 1t.
 Harlow becomes vague when asked about Harvard's outlook. but late performances in l04O lead to optim- ism.
 After a losing start, Harvard grew progressively stronger and climaxed its campaign by unexpectedly ach- ieving a 10-10 tie with Pennsylvania
 The Harvards also played dead- They defeated Brown and Yale, and lost to Michigan and Dartmouth.
 Cautious Harlow waxes enthu- siastic about three seniors, Franny 170-pound halfback and captain: Loren MacKinney, 1S7-pound end and Chub Peabody, 186-pound guard
 They could make any. football team in the country" he asserts.
 Charley Spreyer, the brilliant quarterback who has another year joined the air corps.
 MCKINNEY REGULAR
 BEFORE HE PLAYED
 MacKinney, who drops back tc punt with his left foot, is recognized as one of the casts great ends.
 Yet he almost passed up football entirely in favor of attaining high scholastic marks.
 Son of the dean of the Univer. sity of North Carloina, MacKinney did not play high school football He failed to go out as a freshman at Harvard. But two weeks after he reported as sophomore, he owned a regular job, though he had never played a game of football.
 Dick Harlow is looking for a fleet break-away runner and Q capable passer to work behind . veteran line.
 If he finds them, we'll
 Bring on your Yales and Prince tons.