Fullback

“ The fullbacks are primarily defensive players although they have opportunities for long shots to the forwards. The fullbacks and the halfbacks should never mix up, by guarding the same girl. The fullbacks stay near their own goal. If the right half is guarding the left wing and the center half the center forward, then the left inside remains for the right fullback to guard. ”

“ The halfbacks should remember: Never to give up; if your opponent gets away, run after her and stop her; never hit through the forward line, always hit the ball to somebody; never run out of position to tackle an opponent. Each half should stick closely to the girl she is guarding. Never interfere with the work of the fullback or the goal keeper. ”

“ If he can kick besides, so much the better. If he can get forward passes off, still better. But in the final analysis, he’s a third halfback.
“Playing back where he can look over the lines and watch the opposing backfield, however, he’s in a position to diagnose the enemy’s plays quicker than any other man on his side. Of course, guessing what the other fellow is going to do is largely a matter of practice and experience, but it’s something that every fullback ought to learn to do. Watch the little signs, Crail. Watch the faces of the backs and the center. ”

“ Anyway, you have a try at it. If you get the hang of playing full you’re likely to be useful the rest of the season. Have you any idea at all of a fullback’s duties?”
Monty shook his head doubtfully.
“I’m afraid not, sir. I know he carries the ball and kicks——”
“Never mind the kicking. Blake or Winslow will do that. You’d better put your blanket on and follow the play this afternoon. Watch Caner, and try to get an idea of what’s wanted. You showed some pretty good stuff Saturday, Crail, and it seems to me that if you buckled down, and really tried you could make a fairly good running back. ”

“ The halfbacks are also the first line of defense, necessarily they have a great deal of running to do. These three positions are generally filled then by players physically fit, with speed and with stamina for endurance. Center half is a particularly strenuous position. The halves should always try to keep the ball in the opponents’ territory; when on the defense, they should be quick to tackle, to intercept passes and to guard their opponents.
The fullbacks are the mainstay of the defense. They are cool-headed players who use great judgment. ”

“ If a forward-pass develops on his side his place is under the ball. Right half-back plays about three yards back, between his guard and tackle. Full-back occupies a similar position on the other side, ready to go in or out, as play develops. He and left tackle must look after the opposing tackle and end. Behind him, more to the right and well back, is the left half. The quarter, of course, is up the field. Chancellor will almost always punt from that formation, but she may fake, and it is those fakes you must watch out for. Full-back must be especially alive. ”

“ It is a debatable point regarding the halves whether they should direct their main efforts against the opposing inside or outside forward. To my mind, there ought to be an understanding between the back and the half, but in theory the half-back should tackle the inside forward and leave the outside man to the back. The best of critics disagree on this point, and I only give my own personal view from the long experience I have had in playing the game. Still touching on the wing half, a half-back should certainly cultivate speed as well as ability, for he must never know when he is beaten. ”

“ Full-Back.—No player has cut so much ice in the winning or losing of big matches in the last two seasons as the full-back. The holding of big teams to small scores by inferior ones has been largely owing to good men in this position. Hence the growing appreciation of the demands of this position and its vital importance to the success of the eleven. Kicking to-day has come to be a part of the offensive game, and the full-back, consequently, the biggest ground-gainer of all the backs. The full-back should be chosen almost solely for his ability to kick. ”

“ Well, now we place our left half in our line between our guard and tackle, and put our full-back behind him, making a tandem of our own. Quarter stands almost back of guard, and the other half over here. When the ball is put in play our tandem starts at a jump and hits the opposing tandem just at the moment their quarter passes the ball to their runner. In other words, we get through on to them before they can get under way. Our quarter and right half follow up, and, unless I'm away off on my calculations, that tackle-tandem is going to stop on its own side of the line. ”

“ Note the halfbacks are inside of the end men on the restraining line in front of them. If the ball is kicked to our left, our front men sprint quickly to a point in front of the football where they can block the men on the kicking team before they can recover the football. The halfback on the left side is instructed not to try to advance the football, but merely to fall on it and get possession of the football. The quarterback and right halfback swing in behind the left halfback in the event he mishandles the football. ”

“ Defensive Right Halfback—On the snap of the ball if the defensive right halfback sees an action pass coming in his direction, he starts back and out to a position where he can cover the deep one-third area to his side of the field. On about his eighth or ninth step, he should be able to recognize a change in the offense’s direction and the flow is going away from him. He immediately turns to his inside and still watching the passer he sprints to the deep middle one-third of the field. He, too, must react very quickly and sprint in order to cover the deep middle area. ”

“ On the defense, half backs take the places ours have now--back of the tackles to assist the ends, for this is a frequent point of attack. The full back of the attacking side stands directly behind the quarter, with the halves on either side of him, while our full back is 30 yards or so behind his own line, waiting for a possible punt and acting as a final line of defense, should the opposing runner succeed in carrying the ball past the rest of his comrades. ”

“ Each halfback starts toward his deep one-third zone as he sees the straight drop back pass develop. Although they commence slowly, the longer the passer holds the ball, the faster and deeper they cover their one-third areas. The deep men do not take the passing fake, such as the ends and linebackers must do. When the ball is put into the air in his area, the halfback must sprint to intercept the pass. It is very important that the halfbacks take the shortest and straightest line to the football once it leaves the passer’s finger tips. ”

“ They are supposed to be fast runners too, and a good deal of the tackling comes to their lot, for a good runner of the other side can often get past the quarters, and then the halves have got to bring him down. Behind the half-backs is a single man—the back. He is the last resource when all others are past. He should be a sure and long kicker, so as to get the ball away from the goal by that means—but you are not listening. ”

“ The left defensive halfback, who ordinarily would cover the deep area on this particular type pass, will come forward and outside and cover the short area the corner man would ordinarily cover. Not only have we given the quarterback an entirely new picture to look at, but we have strengthened our coverage by having our halfback come forward through the hook zone, going to the flat area. ”

“ To be a really first-class half-back requires the possession of something more than skilful use of the feet To fill the position well, demands, not only quickness of discernment to counteract the tactics of the opposite forwards, but also judgment and decision to be able to take advantage of the best opportunity to assist those of one's own side. The half-backs are, or ought to be, as useful for the purposes of attack as for defence. ”

“ When a half-back has to tackle, he must be as sure as a steel-trap; when a half-back has to catch, he must be a man to be relied upon; when a half-back is called upon for a kick, it must be no fluke; and, although no one expects a half-back to always make on his run the five yards, he must be a man who will not be denied when he is called upon for that last yard [Pg 98] which will enable his side to retain the ball.
Almost the first thing to be critically noted by the coach is the way in which a half-back takes the ball from his quarter. ”

“ The importance of the position is rapidly growing, and there is no doubt that the time will come in another year, if it be not already here, when the selection of the three men behind the line will be after this fashion—namely, picking out the three best half-backs, all things considered, then selecting that one of the three whose kicking is the best, and making him the third half or full back. After the man has been in this way chosen there will devolve upon him certain duties which do not commonly fall to the lot of the other two half-backs. ”

“ An American back, when his side is on the defensive, is expected to keep his eye on his vis-à-vis while the ball is being snapped back; but his main duty is to follow the ball. An English back under similar circumstances is expected only to follow his man. If our side happened to heel out the ball from the scrum and one of our three-quarters began to run with it, we were on the offensive, and the other three-quarters and I were to follow at his heels, so that when he was about to be tackled—"collared," the English say—he could pass it on to us. ”

“ Suppose Chancellor calls for ‘tackle-over left.’ Centre, guards and tackles move a space to the left. That brings centre opposite the opposing right guard and left guard opposite the opposing right tackle, as shown on the board. Our left tackle is out here opposite their right end, our left end still further out where he can dash around to spoil the kick—if he’s smart enough! [235] Right end stays well out and a little back of the line, and it’s his duty to spot fakes and give the news the moment he does it. ”

“ Many of our best backs have been moderate kickers, but when they did kick they did so with discretion and judgment, placing the ball to the half-back if he was free or to the outside right or left, as the run of the play might be. Above all, a back should be a fine tactician, knowing when to go for the ball or when to put it quickly into touch, thus giving his fellow players time to get back and save the position. ”

“ A half-back must be taught to be uniform in starting, and in reaching the spot where the ball is to meet him. The coach will have no great difficulty in teaching him this steady uniformity of pace, which will enable the quarter to throw the ball so as really to assist rather than retard his motion. There are two other things which the half-back must practise apart from his team-play. They are kicking and catching. ”

“ There is nothing that makes halves fumble so badly, get into such awkward positions, start so slowly, and withal play so half-heartedly, as the feeling that the quarter does not think much of them, does not trust them, or believe in their abilities. Every half-back can tell the same story—how he is nerved up by the confidence of the quarter, and what an inspiration it is to good work to see that confident look in the eye of the man who is about to pass to him. ”

“ A few such plays should of course be included in the team’s attack, but they are the exception and when successful are so because of that fact. They the more strongly emphasize the fact that as a general principle a regular forward pass play should aim to get as many eligible men as possible open to receive the pass. These men should be so spread that they cannot all be covered by the defense. The passer then selects an open man or the best open man to whom to pass. ”

“ Quarter clears the hole out for the runner. Full-back does not start until the pass from quarter to left half is made. He must then time himself so as to protect the second pass. In case of a fumble the ball is his to do the best he can with through the end-tackle hole. ”

“ Full-back stands as for a kick, and when the signal is given moves in a step or two toward quarter as unnoticeably as possible; position 2 in the diagram. He must be careful to come to a full stop before the ball is snapped back, and should time himself so that he will not have to stay there more than a second. The instant the ball is snapped full-back runs forward to the position indicated here by 3, and receives the ball on a short pass from quarter. ”

“ The ball is placed on either hash mark and in the middle of the field and a full offensive backfield may or may not be used to establish flow for the defensive secondary’s proper reaction.
Figure 123
Dog Fight Drill (For defensive halfbacks and corner men) (6-8 men) :
Place a defensive halfback or corner man in his regular position. A pass receiver runs a direct route in front of the defensive man’s regular position. A coach or passer throws the ball, and we want the defender to play full speed through the receiver for the football, as illustrated in Figure 124. ”

“ The provision which keeps a man always on-side as long as there are three between him and the opposite goal, offers undoubtedly a great temptation to forwards to get as far up as they can consistently with safely. To meet this, it was found necessary to strengthen the first line of defence, and the centre half-back was introduced therefore, though his mission is, in a great measure, to feed the forwards, to enable the other halves to pay more attention, in fact to devote themselves mainly, to stopping, or at least frustrating, the tactics of the opposite wing. ”