Evening star., 1950-07-30
Balls Big Problems
Are Lack Of Scatback
And Line Reserves
By Lewis F. Atchison
Stor Stoff Correspondent

LOS ANGELES, July 29.-Ont
good offensive team is about al
Coach Herman Ball can promise
Redskin fans after two weeks ol
intensive training, and that may
not be enough to make the Tribe
4 factor in the 1850 National
Football League race although il
will be an improvement over last
year.
The addition of the veteran
Bill Dudley and the years ex-
perience gained by such young
sters as Harry Dowda. Pete Stout
and Rob Goode, are expected tc
make a noticeable and favorable
difference in the offense. Ball
too, is insisting that his quarter
backs use the running plays that
have been packed in mothballs
when the team broke camp in
past years.
Beginning their third and
toughest week of training. the
Redskins still haven't licked two
of their major problems-f1nding
a scatback and suitable reserve
linemen. You can't buy 'em in
a grocery store and scatbacks, at
least, are born, not made.
Draft Threatens Plans.
Underlying all of Balls think
ing and planning is the threat of
military draft. In the two weeks
he has had the squad the new
coach has done a masterful job.
Morale is high and visiting news
papermen are calling this 1850
group the best Redskins team
they've seen in recent years. But
Ball knows all too well that the
good work accomplished by weeks
of toll may be nullified overnight
by military summons.
Even without the draft, though,
he has worries. Frank Spaniel, Bill
Chauncey and Hardy Brown have
been impressive in training but
they aren't the speed demons Red
skin fans crave to see. George
Thomas might fill the bill, but he's
with the all-star at Chicago and
Ball doesn't know where or how
he fits into the picture.
The Tribe is painfully thin at
center. Harry UlinSki. the big
Kentucky rookie who also is in
Chicago. could be a big help. but
here only slightly better and the
help of Lou Karras would be well
come. He too, is at Chicago.
Gloomy though the picture
seems to be, it has a bright side.
Whoever is left when the Red
skins open their league campaign
will be well drilled in the funda-
mentals of tackling and blocking.
Those important items already
seem to be 100 per cent improved
over a year ago. The hours de-
voted to them apparently has
been we'll spent.
Sophomore Tackles Improve.
That's the only way I know
how to COACH" said Ball when a
reporter commented on this phase
of practice. Il can't take it for
granted that every player we gets
knows how to block and tackle
because experience has shown
that they don't"
Three sophomore tackles, Bob
Hendren, Laurie Niemi and Len
Szafaryn, are vastly improved over
last year and Jerry Houghton
from Washington State seems to
have the makings of a pro.
Rockies Gene Pepper and Casimir
(Slug) Witucki will add strength
to the guards, but in neither po-
sition does the squad have the
depth Ball knows it must have to
be a serious factor in the title
race.
Chuck Drazenovich, rookie full
back, and Nick Sebek, the quar-
terback from Indiana. are two of
the most hopeful prospects in the
backfield. They've had previous
military service and may be
around for awhile. But in the
backf1eld. as in the line, Ball does
not have the experience and
depth at all positions to give him
a cushion against injuries or the
draft.
The ends, with Bones Taylor,
Joe TereShinski, Ed Berrang and
Clyde Goodnight heading the list,
and at least three top-fight
rockies, Danny Brown, Roland
Dale and Mike RUBBISH trying to
oust them, are the most ade-
quately manned positions on the
team.
Thus far, however. the Tribe
has only one good team. The
task from here on is to develop
reserves.