Atlanta Georgian. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, September 04, 1912, HOME, Page 11, Image 11

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|VeT Game Means Plenty of Work for Coaches and Field Generals; Policy of Play Is Vastly Different This Year Loach heisman explains changes made in gridiron rules ’ ec h’s Famous Football Leader Goes Over New Code Carefully and Ex plains Just What Can Be Expected of the Gridiron Warriors This Fall. I q. .asual spectator football I . the same year in and year , jumbled-up mass of | „ n and drag-outs, with no I ,f order or system. He K . , t : x n<>w the difference, anyvfay, ■ .. , twenty-yard zone. and a I .why concern himself as I, j, i> r t;> : either or neither of them I changed into a fozzle-dill or I a-’tf, r.’oof. so long as he is assured I ing. lightning dash through IL ~T „-. n field, that mad charging and I of the buffalo herd, and I boom which means another I , . pant the same as it al- B W." ... tai as he is concerned, foot- I look just about the same this I ■ always looked, but it will I ti.cd a-plenty for the coaches I •(.-!.! generals. Not so much, ■ in trie matter of fundamentals, , a in the formations or plays. Kut in tin system of handling those ;ae strategy of the game, in I x ~f play. I will illustrate fur tier on I , n:>t change comes in rule 1. Lr ,a fill 's the field. Heretofore the J. ways been 330 feet long and JSO fret wide. This-year the width re- Lire th- -ame. but the length bit keen goal lines is reduced by 30 feet, having th- distance from goal post to Lt! post an even 300 feet. you suppose a team gets'real clos jown to that opposing goal line and r l -ms that it is going to be almost iiposs-blf for them to shove the ball jeross by either running or bucking. Man; time in the past that has been rhe ea.'-e. and they have wished so hard that they might be permitted to hrn« the ball across tile line by use r s i f.rward pass and trust to one Os their eligible players getting It on the fli as the rule requires. But hereto fore it would have done no good what ever tn attempt such a maneuver for the reason that the instant the ball was p-,s«eil forward across opponents’ goal line it was declared a touchback and th l .'I was dead, and in the posses-, son a the team defending that, goal, r. tvitter who caught it or where. A? a touchback entitles the clefend- Ins tram to the possession of the ball. ai bring it out to the twenty-yard '.r.e and put it in play, it was tnani f.-f-y suicide to make a forward pass cross tiie goal line. But when a team . pt.W'cd right down to its own goal i: ■is forced to bring its second and men its third line of defense right up .w -c.. heels of the rush line in order 'o be n hat..: "d do something be ■ offensivi ■ > can advance i ’ th- slight distant- .et remain- Tit s made the* defensive formation so r-i '.-ret that it was exceedingly diffi ruit for the attacking eleven to con- - make the required ten yards I- th' three downs permitted them. til wrts too frequent failure to s- ■ - . and altogether too many tie and s or- - -s games. S-, in order to keep that secondary line of defense of the goal-crowded I- Pack the usual distance behind Its rush line, it has this year been in-rid that the attacking team shall ■ right to make a forward pass ■ro - ■ ... goal line, and to capture it n f ; , ,--,n - provided the fall gives ■ than ten yard- beyond that . nd is. of course, caught with- ten-yard zone. As the other ■ have the same right at the u-i of the field, it results that I must have a playing zone m.uked off and added be- i h goal line, thus making the >• y eat in reality 360 feet lolig. t 330 feet, as last year. - added playing zones are pass use only and cut no •ig with the bucking or end game than thev ever did; so -in once getV the ball across ■ ■ ■ goal line either by running I'-iig. it will have scored a a without further reference to 'ion.il ten-yard forward pass Is change result in compelling ■‘ fending a goal to. keep its sec lefense back as in the open look out for the possible for -r w ill they let the forward U^ Zto JJzmartin may's* 19*/ 2 PEACHTREE STREET UPSTAIRS STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL UNREDEEMED PLEDGES > sex FOR SALE ’ A/ L [SANTAL-MIDY J Relieves in 24 Hours Catarrh of the Bladder Bctvare of Counit rfeits uSANTAbMiDY By J. W. Heisman. Coach Tech Football Team. pass take care of itself and bring up their reinforcements as in the past in order to make sure of slopping a run or a kick? That is something each team will have to decide for itself. Most teams will tr 4 to straddle the question and place themselves so as : TECH TEAM HURT BY * J REVISED GRID CODE: • The chances that the Georgia • • Tech will have a good team under • • the new football rules is extreme- • • ly. remote. Big men have never • • been particularly numerous at • • Tech. And this year a team with- • • out big men will have small • • chance. Os course, extreme speed • • will, in a measure, take the place • • of weight, but the heavy teams • • will win most of the battles. To • • the Yellow Jackets the new code • • is a hard blow. • • • >••••••••••••••••••••••••• to stop either play if they can. For the attacking general it will be a nice point each time he gets his team down there, whether to try a forward pass over the line or to continue his running or smashing tactics. • ♦ • Kick Off From Your Own 40-Ya rd Line. T N my opinion it was always unfair ' foi the team that had to receive the kick-off to permit the kicking team to perform their stunt from the mid dle of the field, for the kick, even if caught, yet placed the ball away down in the receiving team’s territory the first rattle out of the box. Now that the length of the field has been short ened ten yards for all but forward pass purposes, it would be .worse still, for it would mean that most any decent kick-off would go clear to ttys other team's goal line, and an unfortunate fumble right at the outset, when every body is a bit nervous, might give the ball at that spot to the kicker’s side and result in the loss of the game then and there. i As the field is now 100 yards long, the middle point would be the 50-yard line: but the committee has wisely ordered that the kick-off shall be made from ten yards back of the middle, or from the kickers 40-yard line, A good kick from here will take it about to the opponents' 20-yard line, and if they gain 10 yards with it before being downed the teal game will start with the ball in possession of the receiv ing team on their own 30-yard line, which is about where it ought, in fair ness. to be. Kick Out To Be From 20-Yard Line. T,” ORMERLY when a touchback had 1 been made by' a team defending its goal, or a safety scored by the team attacking that goal, the ball was brought out by the defenders of the goal to their own 25-yaixl line, and put in play from that line. This distance has been shortened by 5 yards, so that now after a touchback or safety the ball will be brought out by the defenders to the 20- ya-rd line only and put in play from there. This is also a more equitable decree than formerly, for if a team in trying for goal from the field were so unfor tunate as to miss the bar the result was invariably a touchback and they los; not only the score and the ball, but 25 ya : ds from their opponents' goal line as w ell. It was practically a heavy penalty for missing the difficult play, and operated similarly whenever the kicker of the attacking side made an Between Straw Hat Days And Derby=dom Conies the Cloth Hat W”F filling to perfection the interim which calls for neither felt nor the ultra derby. Our stocks show everything \ affected by every taste, from the curving college dip to the staid dignity of the business man's lines. All W the regular and newer color effects. \l.f/r Prices s 2* s 2' so and s 3°" PARMAMBERS’HARDWICK 57-59 Peachtree Street _ COMPANY r Atlanta, Georgia THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4. 1912. Heisman to Write Football for The Georgian The Georgian has added Coach Heisman of Tech to its staff of experts on sports, and he will write many interesting stories of football this season. His story today deals with the changes in the rules. He takes up each change, picks* it to piece’s, and tells why, in his opinion, it is for better or worse. Coach Heisman is undoubtedly the best football expert in the South, and, besides knowing the game from A to Z, he has the happy faculty of writing a corking article. extra good punt which went so far that it crossed the other team's goal line. In other words, he was penalized for being a very good punter. Os course the ball has to be brought out some distance to be put in play, but 25 yards was too great a distance. The result of the change will be that more goals from the field will be tried, as the penalty for failure will not be so great. Also the defending players will not let a punt roll across their line so often. Sometimes they will figure that they can gobble up the ball and make more than a distance of 20 yards out from their own goal line with it before being downed, and by whatever distance greater than 20 yards they prove their judgment to have been correct, to just that extent will they- be playing bet ter ball to take the chance and make the try rather than to play’ safe for a 20 yard recovery, as allowed by the rule of touchback. • • • Lowering the Time of Intermission Between Quarters. jNSTEAD of having two minutes in -1 termission bet wen the first and second quarters, and between the third and fourth quarters, the rule this year will be to allow but one minute's rest. I can not but feel that the rules com mittee is making a mistake here. In the first place, what reason is there, anyway, for reducing this short inter mission? The spectators will not mind the lengthening of their afternoon's outing by so trifling an amount as two minutes, and, indeed, they would be glad of an opportunity to chat a bit and exchange views as to the games, plays, players, etc., which they can not do when there is little or no cessation to the play. It may well be that most of the play ers would not need more than a min ute's rest, but some of them may, and that was the very thing that brought about the big trouble that beclouded the game a few years ago. Players were getting hurt without anyone knowing it—not eyen the player himself, and there was no way of stopping the game to take inventory of the condition of all the players on both sides. At my suggestion, if the reader will pardon the reference, these automatic stops were put in the game, though I recommended a three-minute halt. The committee thought the suggestion a good one, but decided that two minutes would be sufficient allowance. Now they cut it to one minute, and next year we may be back to no intermis sion at all again. And then we will a few more startling accidents and everybody will wonder what can be done to avoid them. It's a great pity that the committee could not have left this two-minute rest period un changed. Will Be No On-Side Kick This Year. T AST year an on-side kick was made by kicking the ball to some for ward part of the field that seemed to be uncovered by any of the opponents, but which could be covered by some ' man of your own by the time the ball struck the ground. After so striking, the kicker’s own man was entitled to take it on the spot without first wait ing till opponents had touched it. This year this is all done away with and. in fact, there is no such a thing as an on-side kick this year under any conditions. This change will huj-t us at Tech a bit as the team was particu larly good on these things. However, I favor the change, as the game was too complicated anyway for the short season that, the game Ums. and by eliminating a whole department of play and practice it simplifies the whole thing • • • No Limit to Length Os the Forward Pass AS the 20-yard zone back of the de fending rush line has also been done away with there is no limit to the allowable length of a forward pass and we shall once more/ perhaps, see them going down the field almost as far as a good kicker can punt a ball. These long passes, however, while easy enough to make are apt to fail of suc cessful completion for the reason that it's hard to get one of your men down that far and have him catch it with out hitch or miss. Nevertheless, and paradoxical as it may sound, this greater latitude still further simplifies the game, for by re moving the 20-yard zone and the on side kick from the game we are also enabled to dispense with the services •••••••••••••••••••••••a** •NO COMPLAINTS FROM ’ : VANDY OVER CHANGES: • • • The Vanderbilt team will prob- • • ably feel no particularly ill es- • • sects from the change in the rules, • • though they are not especially • • welcoming them. Coach McGugin • • prefers the open game. He is • • no believer in steady line plung- • • ing. The removing of restrictions • • from the forward pass will help • • him. And as he has a great line • • plunger in Sykes, he can hold up • • his end at the bucking game. Also • • he has a lot of husky players to • • pick from. • •«•••••••••••••••••••••••• of a field judge, who in the past has seemed to do little but get in the way of the players, and ball the other offi cials up with his buttings-in. Touchdown Stock Still Above Par and Going Higher. WHEN I first began to play football a quarter of a century ago (moie or less), the value of a touchdown was four points, and that of a field goal five points. So that one field goal could win a game even as against a touch down. provided the try after touch down was missed, for the try at goal after, touchdown counted two points, if successful. At that time, though goals from the field were of very rare oc currence. for the reason that the play was practiced hardly at all. As time went by teams and kickers gradually became more and more expert with the play and the Jesuit has been a steady diminution in the value assign ed to field goals and, in the meantime, the price of a touchdown has twice been whooped up. This is as it should be. for the spirit of our American game is rushing (not kicking) the ball. The goal from field is a one-man stunt, not a team play, and should by no means be credited with the merit which attaches to such team work as is required to shove the ball across the goal line. Under the new assignment of values, the team which kicks even two goals from the field will not beat a team I which makes even one touchdown, but will merely tie It; and if the latter team is successful in its try for goal after the touchdown, it will beat the former team by a scare of 7 to 6. The effect of this will probably be that not so many field goals will be attempted this year and more practice will be put upon the rushing game. ♦ • • One Official For Each Team Allowed to Patrol. C OME years ago there was no limit to the number of coaches, mana-' gers, substitutes, etc., who could march up and down the side lines as the two teams moved back and forth. To say the least, this was an unmitigated nui sance to spectators, as well as to offi cials; so they ruled, first, that five men for each team were plenty to move up and down. This was later cut to three men, and now it has been still further reduced till but one man for each team has the right to patrol the side lines, all the rest being required to be and to remain seated. This will make it much pleasanter and more enjoyable for the spectators The Big Change For the Season. rpHE changes already discussed are 1 for the most part wholesome and will tend to make the game fairer to both teams by still further eliminating the element of luck; but for the most part they are but minor changes after all. Now, however, we have to discuss a change that will be of first impor tance in its effect on the game. I re fer to the allowance of four downs to make a first down. For over 30 years the rule had been that a team could have three trials in which to advance the ball a distance of five yards. Finally this resulted in such continual massing on the defen sive tackle —first, through the medium of such plays as Pennsylvania's "guards back” play, and then by Yale’s “tackle over” play—that It was seen something positively had to be done to lessen the hammering on the one man. This was accomplished by the intro duction of the forward pass and by lengthening the distance to be gained in three trials to ten yards. So far as the defensive tackle is concerned, his life has indeed been rendered more endurable by the operation of these changes, but another bad feature has cropped out instead. 1 will explain End running, while not so apt as bucking to result in a positive gain of some sort, is yet (when it does pull off successfully) much more apt than bucking to result in a long gain. This being the case, end running came back into favor when it was required to gain ten yards in three trials instead of onlv five, and this, to a considerable extent, was what eased the tension on the defensive tackle. Still, it has been found in the last couple of years that neither end run ning not anything else was able con sistently to keep up the task of acquir- Sfetso nHafExhibifion In Muse's Windows Many a man wears a Stetson Hat. but a comparative few have realized the intricate process of manufacture. Should it be the cornrrn of any man to know the history of the hat he wears he may have the rare advantage of the demonstration in our big display windows during this week. There is more than casual interest in the making of a hat —there's decided education in it. It is something more to learn of the methods and life history of John B. Stetson, the man who made hats with his own hands —who taught hat-making to thousands of men—who made men of his hat-makers. Such history, compiled and edited by Elbert Hubbard, in “Little Journey To the Home of John B. Stetson” is complimentary to our customers. ( all tor a copy, phone for it, or write for it. Geo. Muse Clothing Co. Is in Favor of Some of Shifts Made by Rules Committee; Against Others. Believes, However, They Should Not Be Criticised Until Tried Out. ing the required ten yaasds of addition al territory after a team had once worked its way to. say, within 25 or 30 y/trds of its opponents' goal. And'this for the reason that I;have already men tioned, viz. that when the defensive team begins to find itself so closely pressed as this, it brings its secondary defense up closer to the rush line to •••••••••••••••••••••••••a • NO TELLING HOW CODE : : WILL AFFECT GEORGIA : • At the University of Georgia • • there appears considerable, uncer- • • tainty about what the new rules • • are going to do to the Athenian • • eleven. It will all depend on the • • new material. For one thing, the • • new .rules will giv*e Coach Cun- • • ningham's men more chances to • • try their great star. Bob McWhor- • • ter, on end runs. And in the past • • it has proved that the more times • • they were able to use him the • • more ground they gained. • • • •••••••••••••••••••••••••• give It quicker support. The reason they stayed back a con siderable distance up to this time was that they had constantly to be on the lookout for forward passes and on side kicks; but when they have been forced back so close to their own goal line, they need not so greatly fear either the forward pass or the on side kick, for. as the rules stood last year and as we have already noted, a kick or a pass that went beyond that goal line gave the ball to the defensive team, and, “presto changeo!” they were at once out of danger. Now. operating so near the defend ing team's goal, the attacking team was very apt indeed to see its forward pass or its kick go right across the goa. line that very way, hence it was a dangerous thing to attempt either play Such being the case, the defending team could and dared with impunity to bring its secondary defense up to where it so helped out the rush line that the attackers now found It next to impos sible to continue making the required 10 yards in only three trials. Hence so many tie and scoreless games. To remedy this state of affairs the committee has struck a compromise. It has decided to help out the attacking team to the extent of saying that it shall have not three but four trials in which to gain the same required dis tance of 10 yards Coupled with the HERNSHEIM C.IOAR , Ricpn, new rule which allows them to make a forward pass across the goal line, it is expected that the effect will be to keep the defensive second line back for a longer time, and at the same time the team hammering for admission will have, in the extra trial, one-third more time in which to batter down the de fending team's loosener! barricades. And will this result in more scoring” No doubt of it. But as to the particular way? Well, everybody is saying that the change will operate in favor of the heavier team. Why? Because, it is figured, by reducing the average to be gained in each down from 3 1-3 yards to 2 1-2 yards a heavy rush line witu heavy plunging back® can negotiate that lower average by steady line smashing. Then, too, it is argued that continued line bucking of this char acter will tend to wear out the lighter line until it succumbs altogether, when the heavy team will rush on and over* like a Johnstown flood sweeping through the broken Conemaugh dam. No doubt this reasoning is largely cor rect; and the worst of it is that these bucking attacks will once more be di rected in the main at. the poor tackle* whose troubles, I fear, will be almpst as great as ever they were. Some will not assent to this, on the strength of the argument that the bucker can no longer be pulled or push ed by his teammates. This Is correct as far as it. goes; but it should be remembered that neither will the tackle himself get the •help and support'of the half back as formerly, for the rea son that the introduction of the for ward pass to help out the offensive team compels that defensive half to stay back and further out so as to look out for those forward passes. Thus it is made clear that the heavy team will again have a big advantage But let us give the new code a fair trial, so that we will know for a cer tainty at the end of the season just what we afe talking about. PRINCETON ELEVEN WILL START TRAINING MONDAY PRINCETON, N. J„ Sept. 4.—An nouncement was made today that football training at Princeton will be gin next Monday. Logan Cunningham, of Washington. D. C.. will act as head coach, although the advisory system of coaching which was established some time ago by William Roper will still be maintained. 11