2
THE BATTALION
the committee is a great improve
ment and that in every case where
a change in rule was made that leg
islation was practical.
While greatly satisfied with the
new rules made for incorporation in
the new guide, Mr. Bible places a
high valuation on the work done by
the committee in clarifying rules
already in the book, and which have
heretofore caused more or less con
fusion and misunderstanding because
of different meanings that have been
attached to their construction by of
ficials and coaches.
He thinks that the supplement to
the guide which will contain the
many interpretations formulated in
the phraseology of the football men
on the committee and the explana
tions by examples will be great help
to coaches and officials in under
standing the code this year.
The appointment of an interpre
tation committee, composed of Wal
ter Camp, W. S. Langford, William
Morice and W. H. Hackett, to handle
the disputes arising from interpreta
tion of the rules which were not suf
ficiently explained by the regular
committee was another good step
taken.
“The committee faced an enor
mous task of selecting from the. mass
of recommendations made for chang
es of rules and the formulation of
new ones, those worthy of consid
eration,” M]r. Bible said, “and did
well in holding down legislation and
leaving to the coaches and officials
those minor decisions requiring
only a spirit of sportsmanship in
stead of (a knowledge of technicali
ties.” 1
Mr. Bib.|e is particularly enthus
iastic over 1 the change made in the
touchdown. The rule as amended tn
when a touchdown is made the side
scoring the touchdoown will put the
ball in play anywhere on or outside
of the 5-yard line for a single scrim
mage from which by any legal play
(as from an ordinary scrimmage)
run, pass or kick it may score a field
goal or a touchdown which will net
only one point.
If the attacking side makes a foul
or an illegal play or an incompleted
forward pass the chance for the one
point is lost. If the defending side
offends, the score of one point will
be given to the offensive team.
This arrangement will place the
burden of making the one point on
the entire team of eleven men in
stead of on one man and it will open
up the field for more strategy, thus
making it more scientific that the
old simple play and intensely more
interesting to the spectators, Mr-
Bible says. Dependable drop kickers
and place kickers will be even more
valuable now than before because
usually the team will try a drop or
place kick for the one point rather
than use the run or pass. The only
objection to be offered in his opin
ion is that it continues the strain
on the team allowing the men no time
to relieve their nerves and collect
themselves before the next play.
Under the old rule the kick for a
goal was not really the climax of a
touchdown, he said, but was in real
ity an anti-climax. The new regula
tion provides for a scrimmage that
will mean the actual climax so much
desired.”
The rule closing down on the shift
play will stop many abuses that have
been made, he thinks. The new rule
reads that in all shift plays both feet
must be stationary on the ground,
is interpreted to mean that sufficient
pause must occur to admit of offi
cials seeing that the play is legal and
that the ball was not snapped while
the men wefe in motion. It is the in
tention of the rule that when a man
shifts to a new position he shall come
to a full stop so that all momentum
is lost and shall make a new start
from a position of rest when the ball
is put into play.”
“It is well known,” Mr. Bible said,
“that in most all shift plays hereto
fore, momentum has not been en
tirely lost / and as a result the men
have been in motion and thus have
taken an unfair advantage of the
defense. The rule will not abolish the
legitimate advantage of concentra
tion by shifting but will simply lim
it its abuse.”
Clipping.
“Clipping or cutting down from
behind, a practice which many coach
es and officials have objected to was
carefully interpreted this year and
made a part of the rules, to read as
follows: ‘Clipping or throwing the
body from behind across the leg or
legs or below the knees of a player
not carrying the ball should be ruled
as unnecessary roughness. Note—
this rule is not meant to apply to
close line plays.’
“This rule will not prohjinU—f^e
line men from going through on the
opposite side from where the play
is going and cutting down the de
fense. It should prevent many injur
ies of men who are in no position to
protect themselves from attack.”
Scoring Touchdown.
“Unnecessary r-btighness w?
reduced d Wid much unfairnesj
vented by the rule which pi
thqt hereafter ‘a touchdown Sj
.cored as soon as the man crosj
goal line. Officials shall bl
whistle as soon as theyfare d
ed that the ball has crossed ^the gosd
line or on a forward pass when the
pass is completed behi®^ ,'the goal
line.’ •
“Many fumbles after the ball has
been taken behind the goal line have
deprived teams of merited victory,
and many injuries have been inflict
ed as a result of roughness behind
the goal line in the attempt to cause
fumbles. This rule will cover the sit
uation well recognizing a tochdown
fa'rly made and dispensing wi4ik_ii]l-
roughness.
Man in Motion.
“As a consequence of the addition
made to the rule in reference to r.
man being in motion before a bail
is put into play and which specifies
that ‘any man who thus starts from
the line of scrimmage must be at
least 5 yards behind the line when
the ball is snapped,’ will prevent the
line man from driving into his op
ponent unaware and will clear up
any question in the minds of the
officials as to whether the player
was in motion toward his goal at the
time the ball was put in play. The
habit has been that the lineman
would give the snapping signal and
start into the line an instant before
the ball was snapped, giving him an
advantage of momentum when he hit
the line, and thus making a very
much abused rule. The new rule will
not affect the back field and it will
not take any of the strategy out of
the play.
Substituting Men.
“Much emphasis will be held upon
the importance of coaches doing
their big work before the game and
depending less upon the opportunity
of coaching during the progress of
a game by taking out men to gather
information and sending them back
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at the next period with advice and
Information as a result of the sub
stitution rule which has been chang
ed to read ‘a player taken out in one
half cannot return to the game in
the- samvr half, but ear. go back atry-
t’me during the next half. This
means that if a player is taken out
in the first half he can not go back
until the second half and if taken
out in the second half he is out for
good.
“The practice of coaches will prob
ably continue but it will mean that
they will have to extend their coach
ing by developing more men for
each place so that those cut out of
the game when pulled for informa
tion may be replaced with equally
dependable men.
“For this reason the rule has been
criticised by coaches of smaller
schools who do not have surplus ma
terial on which to work. It will also
come in for much more criticism by
coaches in genreal for the reason
that it takes away the opportunity
of pulling men who get hurt during
play for the purpose of ascertaining
the extent of their injury and ad
ministering to them. Many times it
happens that injured men if taken
from the field and given first aid,
can go back after a short rest and
play the rest of the game and the
new rule prevents that assistance to
players.
Forward Pass.
“The committee took a step to
ward placing limitations around the
forward pass, a thing that it has hes
itated to do because of the desire
to see that form of play develop in
the game.
“Heretofore, illegal interference
with a pass meant only the loss of
a down, but as the rule now reads,
‘when a player interferes with an op-
po lent in any manner until the ball
has been touched except in an ac
tual attempt to catch or bat the ball
himself his side will be penalized by
15 yards and a down.
Kickoff Rule.
“The disadvantage that was al
ways suffered by the side who lost
the toss for the kickoff was done
away with by the amendment of the
kickoff rule which provide_s_ tjiat ^af-
rer the winner has chosen the goal
the other team will have the right
to choose between kicking off and
receiving.
Shortening Games.
“Possibility of a game being call
ed on account of darkness was dis
pensed with in the rule adopted
which provides that when a game is
delayed in starting the referee shall
have the right after conferring with
the two captains between halves to
shorten the last half or the last
quarter.
Notifying Captains.
“An unnecessary requirement of
having the referee notify the cap
tains of both sides three minutes be
fore the fifteen minute intermission
between halves was up, was ruled
out and as a result a bothersome
practice eliminated, since it really
operated to no advantage and simply
meant an interruption with the work
of the coaches during the period. It
was also an imposition on the refer
ee for the reason that it was very
difficult for him to locate the cap
tains.”
A.M.C.
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