Harper's Round Table, September 29, 1896

by Various

The prevailing notion about end-rush play is that the duty of that player is simply to turn the runner in, and to look out for the outside, as a result of which the end will often retreat to the side-line and leave an immense amount of territory to be covered by tackle, guard, and rush-line back. The end should take direction B D (Fig. 2), instead of B A on the dotted lines. He should go in on as sharp an angle and as quickly as possible, the aim being to reach the runner before the interference is formed, and to turn him in towards the centre or force him to run back towards his own goal in order to get around to the outside. The end should be careful to keep a little to the outside. He will always be able to take this direction, since his opponent seldom or ever plays in front of him. The territory to be covered when the end plays in that way will be from C to D instead of from A to D. The end, of course, is primarily responsible for the outside, and secondarily for the inside. The same is true of the guard. The centre is primarily responsible for both sides of the line. The primary and secondary defence of the different holes or parts of territory may seem somewhat puzzling at first, but it is absolutely necessary to secure consistency or firmness in the rush-line, as the strength and power of resistance of the rush-line depend upon the unity of the parts.

The tackles and guards should go through on as small an arc of the circle as possible in order not to pull the line open. The centre should hold his ground until he sees that his position is not attacked, and then take the nearest hole to the runner. The rush-line half should stand just outside of the tackle. The half should go through between end and tackle, as a rule following close upon the end. The ground between end and tackle is the most dangerous. The half should be in a position to help both end and tackle. If the runner turns inside of end the half-back should be there to pick him up if he goes outside.

FIG. 3.

The quarter-back should hover around behind the centre rush and help him in looking after the centre holes, at the same time keeping a sharp lookout upon the guard and tackle holes. He should play more of a safety game. At the same time, if he sees a good opportunity to go through he should do so. The quarter, however, should never undertake to play between guard and centre. How much of a free lance the quarter may be will depend largely upon the strength of the centre. The full-back stands the usual distance back, and should advance toward the rush-line with every play. The position of the players after getting through should be something like the dotted rings in Fig. 3. To secure this position, the men in the forward-line must break through sharply and cleanly, not occasionally, but every time.

When the opposing side is going to kick from some point between the two 35-yard lines, it is a good rule to have the ends drop back and out about five yards. That enables them, in case of a false kick, to get back to stop an end run, or, in case it is a bona fide kick, to get back so as to protect the backs while catching the ball. When the opposing team kicks inside its own 35-yard line, the ends should break through with the other forwards to help stop the kick.

The University of Pennsylvania has a unique and singular style of defence used by no other eleven, so far as the writer knows. Its point of difference from that of other teams lies in the play of the tackle and the rush-line half-back. When the ball starts, the half-back takes the tackle and literally hurls him through the line on the inside of his man, while the half and the end take the outside. This scheme seems to work pretty well, the tackle almost invariably gets through, and if the play has not advanced beyond centre, he is in a good position to stop it. The hole between the guard and tackle being well protected by the tackle going through it every time, the guards face in toward the centre, and so protect the centre holes fairly well. The line from tackle to tackle is very strong in this defence.

Princeton's defence is marked by the constant playing of half-back between the tackles and guard. Many teams allow the half to get in between tackles and guard. This makes the line longer but not thicker. The half-backs to play this game must be good, big, strong fellows, otherwise they have no business in the line.

Defence to special plays.—The defence to special plays depends upon the character or underlying principle of the play itself. To stop a closely formed mass play, the player or players against whom it is aimed should go into it low and hard with the shoulders and fall flat. A loosely formed mass play should be stopped by ripping through the players to the runner. Such a play is hard to pile up, and lying down in front of it does little or no good. When a wedge is directed upon centre, the three centre men should go into it with head and shoulders, first shoving the apex in, and thus opening the wedge and forcing the runner to the outside. After shoving in the apex, the three men naturally fall flat, and thus prevent further progress over them, and the other men take care of the flanks of the line.

The old revolving wedge is a difficult play to stop. Like the push-ball, you can hardly tell which side you are pushing for; so the only way to stop it is to get inside of it to the runner. To lie down in front of it, and tackle all legs in sight may result in having the play roll around you and on you; besides, you cannot tackle a man who has not the ball.