Offside

“ A player cannot be off-side unless he is in front of the ball, and then only if less than three of the other side are between him and the opposite goal It is the fact of being in front of the ball, and kicked by one of his own men too, which tends to make one off-side ”

“ Opponents who are off-side shall not interfere in any way with a player who has an opportunity to make a fair catch, nor shall he be thrown to the ground after such catch is made unless he has advanced beyond his mark. ”

“ You get into flannels, and, still half asleep, stagger off to the field, where a hired ruffian hits you up catches which bite like serpents and sting like adders. From time to time he adds insult to injury by shouting 'get to 'em!', 'get to 'em!'—a remark which finds but one parallel in the language, the 'keep moving' of the football captain. ”

“ From the side lines we see the men put their shoulders to their work, charging and pushing [Pg 408] their opponents aside to make a hole in the line, through which the man with the ball may gain his distance; or we may see a man on the defensive, full of grim determination to meet the oncoming charges of his opponent. As we glance at the accompanying picture of a Yale-West Point game, we will observe the earnest effort that is being made in the great game of football—the crash of conflict. ”

“ With tears in his eyes and sobbing like a little child, the unfortunate tackle wraps a blanket about him and is guided off the field, while a substitute, wild with joy at his chance, rushes in to take his phace. ”

“ Also, the helplessness of the forwards threw a lot too much work on the outsides. This has got to be stopped. You can't always get weather to suit your team's outsides. We must learn how to play a forward game when it's necessary. We must (p. 032) learn to screw, to wheel, to shove and to rush. We repeat, the individuals are there, but they have to be trained into a combination. The outsides are so brilliant that they can be trusted faithfully to fulfil the work of passing and open-side attack. ”

“ If any player of the side in possession of the ball other than the snapper-back makes any deliberate attempt, by a false start or otherwise, to draw the opponents off-side, the ball, if then snapped, shall not be regarded as in play nor the scrimmage as begun. ”

“ Hot and furious was the rush after him. Close to the danger line for the outcasts the contest moved, with sticks flying and figures darting in and out, like shuttles in the hands of expert weavers; while high above all the clamor the whistle of the referee sounded either warnings or a sudden cessation of play. ”

“ Our full back plunges through the line and emerges squarely in front of the defensive quarter. The visitor forgets himself in the frenzy of defeat that seems certain, and his clenched fist shoots home. The blow was covertly given but the umpire is there to see such things. There is another distance penalty and the young man guilty of the slugging is sent from the game, while both sides cheer the decision. Foul play has no part in clean football. ”

“ And now, on the very evening before the division broke up its camp and marched, occurred an event which proved to Florian, and to his favourite captain too, the chief one of the campaign.
How little those who live at home at ease can know of the delight it gives an exile to have tidings, by letter or otherwise, from those who are dear to them in the old country when far, far away from it! ”

“ He knows it and, glorying in his strength, is determined to do or die in this game which is upon us. Over there on that bench where the substitutes sit there are many sore hearts this day, for, when a man is selected to play one of those eleven positions, a full half-dozen are downcast in disappointment. ”

“ Also as verb: it was customary to preface the action by an injunction to “hold down.”
c. 1840. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester College, p. 140. The juniors did not get much fun out of the regular games, as their part consisted solely in kicking in the ball, and receiving divers kicks and CLOWS in return for their vigilance. Ibid., p. 39. Nor, when ordered to “hold down” (i.e. put your head in a convenient position) for a CLOW, would the victim dare to ward off the blow.
Club-keeper, subs. (Harrow) .—A Captain of the side in a game: at cricket or football. ”

“ It is a let if the ball served touch the net, provided the service he otherwise good, or if a service or fault be delivered when the striker-out is not ready, or if either player be prevented by an accident beyond his control from serving or returning the ball in play. In case of a let, the service or stroke counts for nothing, and the server shall serve again. ”

“ When they change sides, the player, in order to win this chace, must put the ball over the line, any where, so that his adversary does not return it. When there is no chace on the hazard-side, all balls put over the line from the service-side, without being returned, reckon. ”

“ Each man must be on the alert to discover instantly any hint regarding the enemy's tactics which may be of benefit to his own side. The eyes of the captain cannot be everywhere at once and often a shift in the position of one of the opponents, a tendency to precede a play by a glance, a false start or some other indication, unseen by the rest, may give a premonition which, if immediately communicated by signal, may prove of inestimable value. ”

“ The oval twists deceptively and seems to travel a spiral course. The man in the enemy's backfield, there to catch it, runs in, stretches out his arms, misjudges a bit and the ball strikes him, falls, takes a bound to the side and rolls away. ”

“ An effective tackle, shown in one of the illustrations which accompany this chapter, is one made from behind. This is frequently possible when a forward has broken through the line just behind the path of the play. It is also employed in the open field when a runner has passed the first line of defense and is going down the field. ”

“ There is a fresh breeze from the west and this makes it practically certain that the west goal will be selected by the captain who wins the toss. The effect of the opening rush is most important, for it is a remarkable team that can summon enough reserve power to win a game after having been played off its feet in the opening half. ”

“ The centers, as their names imply, are the center men of each line. On either side of them are the guards and outside these, the tackles. The men on the extremities of each line are, quite logically, the ends. The side with the ball, you will note, however, has drawn its ends close in to the general formation, while ours are ranging wide. ”

“ Showing fine interference - team play. To strengthen the impression in the mind of each of his ten comrades that he himself may be relied on to do his part should form the foremost endeavor of every member of the team. He must show the others that, when the emergency comes, as it does come in every play, he is doing his duty. With such zeal firmly instilled in the mind of each man, football reaches its highest state of perfection. ”

“ Closely allied to, and in fact almost identical with blocking, is the making of holes in the line, through which to allow the backs to travel toward the opponents' goal. In this, as in blocking, the main purpose rests in so charging the opponent that he is momentarily put out of the play. ”

“ The enemy's ends keep drawing closer to the main body, to relieve their harassed comrades. Suddenly that close formation in which our backs have been playing melts into a thin line that charges widely around in a sweeping circle. ”

“ All the ghastly instances, too, of accidents to life and limb in the football field came unpleasantly into his memory, and he saw the inadvisability of mingling with the crowd and allowing himself to be kicked violently on the shins. ”

“ No back should ever run toward his own goal; his duty is to gain ground, not to lose that already made.
Carrying the ball is not more than one-third of the work required of a half back on the offensive. ”

“ If the defensive man will move with the offensive man, then the offense should be able to isolate one man and the point of attack should be directed toward him. Figures 101a-b illustrate the center’s man and the offensive right tackle’s man being isolated respectively, and the critical point of attack being directed at the isolated defenders. ”

“ Yes, the boys of the old brigade are falling out of the ranks in which they served so well, never to muster again on this side the grave; while others, still toiling on, are "scattered far and wide, by mountain, stream, and sea." ”

“ Doubtless many men were severely injured by the splendid co-operative efforts of their own team mates in such activity. Such a game meant pounding—pure, unadulterated, gruelling pounding—until the selected spot, groggy and exhausted, gave way and the opponents swept through to victory or a substitute leaped in to fill the breach. ”

“ The work of each man in playing his position is shown in the chapters on Offense and Defense. As the season progresses, each individual should be studied, not only to discover his capabilities in his own position but to teach where, on certain shifts of the play, he can be used to best benefit the team as a whole. ”

“ I went up the gangway in silence, humiliated and rebellious, to spend a sleepless night in plans of revenge. My heart seemed to burst with a sense of my powerlessness, and I turned and turned on my pillow in a fever. The morning found us beating up against a stiff trade-wind and a heavy sea, and at breakfast the captain had more than once to leave the table in order to see us through a squall. He and Old Bee were the only persons at that meal except myself, but neither commented on Frenchy’s absence or said a word about the events of yesterday. ”

“ The men on the outside only listened to catch a word that would give them some idea as to how the fight was going, but there was no talk. At times one would fancy that a football team was performing inside. ”

“ The points are thus reckoned—three for each red hazard, two for each white hazard, and two for each canon. A coup—that is running in a pocket, or off the table without striking a ball—is a forfeiture of three points,—a miss gives one point to the adversary. ”

“ But they were not yet done with the shore and the horror of the yellow flag. About midway of the pass, there was a cry and a scurry, a man was seen to leap upon the rail, and, throwing his arms over his head, to stoop and plunge into the sea.
'Steady as she goes,' the captain cried, relinquishing the wheel to Huish. ”

“ Several of the latest formations and the positions of the half backs in these are shown in the chapter on "Offense". All of the back field men should exercise great care in taking the same positions of foot, body, hand and eye in all the formations. They should not, by word or by act, give away the point of attack or the direction in which the play is going. ”

“ My colonel was almost in tears. Repeatedly, as a favour to himself, he besought me to apologise for that second blow and retire from the field. But I was adamant. ‘Mon colonel,’ I said to him, in a whisper, ‘this is a quarrel in which one of us must fall. Let me assure you it is not about a trifle.’
“Again we ranged ourselves; again we grasped our rapiers, saluted, and stood ready for the game to begin. The marquis’s coolness had somewhat forsaken him. The finest equanimity is ruffled by a buffet in the face; one cannot command calm at will. ”

“ When the dodger attempts to throw past your either side, the proper thing is to block the ball just as a goal-keeper would, as seen in illustration 8. A side cut is serviceable, but by all means try to prevent the ball passing you. ”

“ The order to the helmsman not to suffer the ship to fall off from the wind.
OFFAL. Slabs, chips, and refuse of timber, sold in fathom lots at the dockyards.
OFF AND ON. When a ship beating to windward approaches the shore by one board, and recedes from it when on the other. Also used to denote an undecided person. Dodging off a port. [505]
OFF AT A TANGENT. Going in a hurry, or in a testy humour.
OFF DUTY. An officer, marine, or seaman in his watch below, &c. An officer is sometimes put "off duty" as a punishment. ”

“ How many times it occurs that, when the line has been successfully assaulted and a runner penetrates into the enemy's territory, one of his comrades who has also broken through is able to grasp the man with the ball and carry him out of the arms of the tacklers into the enemy's country still further! It is team play. ”

“ Over the globe the tale has rung, back to your hearts the verdict's flung,
That you're found, as you've been always found, a brutal, cowardly crew!
At the wave of his hand to a dozen men, two thousand slunk like hounds ”

“ One of the crew, as willing to fight as the rest, and as far from a coward as the captain, but endowed with a little more wit than his fellows, replies, “Noble captain, we are all willing to fight, and don’t question but to beat him off; but here is the case: if we are taken, we shall be set on shore and then sent home, and lose perhaps our clothes and a little pay; but if we fight and beat the privateer, perhaps half a score of us may be wounded and lose our limbs, and then we are undone and our families. ”

“ No better proof of the good feeling which animated our crews can be adduced than the unusual fact of not a man being missing amongst those who had originally entered,—not a desertion had taken place,—not a soul had attempted to quit the vessels, after six months' advance had been paid. ”

“ One would imagine that it is the simple duty of the inside right to pass the ball to his outside man or on occasions to the centre forward, but this is far from being correct, and one of the most effective passes is from inside right to outside left or vice versa, from inside left to outside right. ”