The signal should be called loudly enough to be heard by every man in the midst of the din of battle. The quarter should put as much earnestness and enthusiasm as possible in the calling of the signals. Snap them out, and let the merry war go on!
Where sequences are played without vocal signal, the quarter should have some sign for his back, although it is not absolutely necessary. Sequences should be short. The time to play them is at the opening of the game. They cannot be played continuously, as the contingencies of the game cannot easily be foreseen.
Generalship.—The generalship of the game devolves upon the captain. There must be one head on the field, and only one. A game may be largely planned before going upon the field. At the time the game is being mapped out is the occasion for consultation with coaches and players. Before the game it may be decided what is to be done under given conditions of wind and weather, or what is to be done if the team gets the ball at start-off or not. By studying an opponent's preceding games, it is sometimes possible to determine somewhat in advance the kind of game that is likely to succeed against that particular team. The strength and weakness of the team must be considered also.
First, consider the matter of generalship without reference to the opposing team. There are two ways of advancing the ball—one by kicking, the other by rushing. The rushing game is divided into straight football and strategic. There are practically three schools of football: the simple straight football, the strategic, and the kicking. The right use of these different methods of advancing the ball, the proper proportion of each kind of plays, is the great problem of good generalship. Simple straight football should form the basis of the offensive game. This is more easily executed, and is less exhausting upon body and mind. A trick requires the doing of so many things by each individual at a given time that there is produced a great mental strain. Men begin to worry and wonder whether the trick will succeed. And if a fine trick fails they despair of the success of anything else, and so lose spirit. At any rate, they have lost that force and energy necessary to play good, hard, straight football. The trick should be merely an incident of the game. Its proper function is simply to add a little uncertainty, and to keep the other side guessing. It is a mistake to think that the only scientific game is the strategic one. The science of the straight game does not lie in the formation, but solely in the execution.
The bulk of rushing games should be straight football. Three or four tricks, or half a dozen at most, are a sufficient number. The whole repertoire of plays should be not less than twenty nor more than thirty. A few plays well executed are better than a load of stuff indifferently learned. It may not be best in all cases to have the kicking game the dominating feature of the offence. That will depend largely upon whether the team is best at rushing or kicking. A judicious admixture of both is the desideratum. If a team has the wind in its favor, it should take advantage of it and kick often. If it has the wind against it, it will be forced to rush more or less. When a team is down in its own territory, if it is going to rush, the play should be one that is likely to make considerable ground if it succeeds, and an open play of some kind should be the one used.
In bringing the ball in from touch it is not wise to always use the "long field." The "short field" often yields good ground.
The plays should be varied enough to keep the opposing line in its normal position. If one point be continuously attacked, that point will be strengthened. If the middle of the line be attacked, the middle will close up. If the flank or end be attacked, this line will be opened because of a movement towards the end in order to better protect it. The line should be continually opened and shut so as not to allow the opponents to concentrate at any given point.
The speed in playing is another feature in generalship. It is not the number of plays per minute that counts, but the speed in execution. Hasten, but do not hurry, is the rule here as everywhere else. Enthusiasm and not excitement is what is wanted. Too rapid a succession of plays results in a jumble merely, and a sort of feverish excitement instead of deadly execution. Still, it must not be understood that a calm, deliberate, sort of a game is the one to be played. When the opposing team is on the run, there should be no let up in the fire. As the advancing party gets nearer the goal, the harder, faster, and more aggressive should be the game. No time should be given the other side to pull itself together, but it should be driven back and over the goal-line; then it is time to rest. If the opposing side is weak on the ends or at a particular end, it is good generalship to take advantage of that weakness. The same thing is true of tackle or centre. This is to be considered, however, that opponents will always endeavor to re-enforce or strengthen a known weakness. The result is that nominally the weakest point may be the strongest. It is well to try the whole line occasionally. The strong man may be caught off his guard. While plays or downs should not be wasted against stone wall, the brutal policy of attacking one point at all time until it gives way should not be indulged in even on the ground of generalship. A team ought to make the best use of its own strong points. If a particular back is good at carrying the ball, give him enough to do, but do not kill him. If there is a back particularly good at kicking, kick, and kick frequently. If a tackle or guard is good at making holes or immensely superior to the man opposed to him, send the plays through that point.
The ninth season of the Cook County High-School Football League opens this year with the promise of a larger membership than ever before, none of the nine teams which were members of the League last year having dropped out, and with the possibility of five new teams coming in. This Association was organized in 1888, and the only schools which were originally members now left in the Association are Hyde Park, Lake View, and Englewood. They are the strongest schools of the section, and one of them has each year carried off the championship. Lake View got the pennant in 1888, 1890, 1892, and 1893; Hyde Park in 1889 and last year; Englewood in 1891 and 1894.