Tackle

“ To do all that is required of him, a tackle must have the speed of an end and the aggressiveness and all-round ability of a good back. It is needless to say that he must have courage, weight, strength and wonderful endurance to fulfil the requirements of his position. ”

“ The tackle shouid watch the opposing backs very carefully, as he can often tell, by some movement or expression before the play is started, where it is to hit the line, and so be greatly helped in the endeavor to stop it. ”

“ It is the business of these men to stop the runs around the ends, of course, but now that the development of the game has brought in so many rushes through the line, between tackle and end, or tackle and guard, the four end men must play into one another's hands in the tackling of opponents and in the blocking of holes that the men opposite are trying to make. ”

“ 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. ”

“ A very important part of the tackle's work is on the defense, where he should exemplify everything that his name implies. He should tackle all the time and all over the field. He should break through and tackle behind the line, and should never be denied. ”

“ If he would only hit them, or skin them by inches, or shoot at them, they wouldn’t mind it so much; but when you get on the field with him and realize that if you miss a tackle he is going to get you out before the whole gang and tell you what a great mistake the Creator made when He put joints in your arms instead of letting them stick out stiff as they do any other signpost, you’re not going to miss that tackle, that’s all. ”

“ And with that I caught at the tackle and gave a tug on the ropes to test them, and as they held I swung to them to slide down—and the moment that my full weight was on them they snapped like punk, and down I went feet foremost and struck on the tiers of boxes with a bang. As I fell only a little way, and upon a level surface—for I went clear of the box to which the tackle was made fast—no harm came to me; but under my feet I felt the rotten wood going squashily, and then beneath it something firm and hard. ”

“ Well, after a rare game of pully-hauly, my scaly enemy took the bottom, and I could not move him. 'Oh! what a weight he must be,' thought I; 'hold on good tackle!' I shook the bait, so as to make his jaws rattle and his teeth ache, when at last he moved with a vengeance, making a violent effort, up and down and all sides, to break away. ”

“ The tackle is lowered, and as the spar drives against one of the stout iron legs of the light-house one of the two men catches the rope, and is quickly hauled up to the gallery. At once the tackle is lowered again, and the other man is hauled up. Half blind, half drowned, staggering with exhaustion, they are taken into the house where warm drinks and dry clothing revive them. ”

“ Right tackle seems the destination of more than half the plays which our men start, and they gain steadily. From the kick-off the ball is taken straight up the field, the backs handling the oval cleanly and the interference being well nigh perfect. The tackle who is bearing the brunt of the terrific attack lies prostrate on the ground after every play and is plainly weakening under the human bombardment. On his own 30-yard line the visitors' captain calls a halt. ”

“ The tackle should always be how enough, however, to pin the legs of the runner together, thereby bringing him to earth. The resistance of the runner as he falls will protect the tackler from any possible injury from striking the ground, as the runner will act as a buffer. ”

“ TACKLE, palan, pronounced taicle, a machine formed by the communication of a rope with an assemblage of blocks, and known in mechanics by the name of pulley.
Tackles are used in a ship to raise, remove, or secure weighty bodies; to support the masts; or to extend the sails and rigging. They are either moveable, as communicating with a runner ”

“ A tackle wherein both the blocks are moveable, and communicate with a runner, is represented by fig. 10. plate VIII. That part of the tackle which is fixed to one of the blocks, &c. is called the standing part; all the rest are called running parts; and that whereon the men pull when employing the tackle, is called the fall. The application of the tackle to mechanical purposes is termed hoisting or bowssing. See those articles.
Ground Tackle. See Ground Tackle.
Tack-tackle, a small tackle used occasionally to pull down the tack of the principal sails of a ship to their respective stations. ”

“ The tackle should be an expert in the use of the stiff arm, so that he can keep the opposing tackle and end away from him and go through the line. The opposing end is the most dangerous man the tackle has before him, and this man should be carefully watched. The tackle must not in any circumstances permit himself to be boxed, and should nearly always break through the opposing line on the outside of his opponent. ”

“ The rope of the tackle tightened against the blade and was cut, and an eddy rolled over the globe in a grotesquely helpless fashion. Some one waved a handkerchief, some one else tried an ineffectual cheer, a middy was counting slowly: “Eight, nine, ten!” Another roll, then with a jerk and a splash the thing righted itself. ”

“ The tackle is the "work horse" of the eleven. He is called upon to stop most of the plays of the opponents, since nine-tenths of their attack is aimed at his position or just outside of him. On offense, in the various "tackle-back" or "tackle-over" plays that are so extensively used in the present development of the game, he is required to head the interference or to plunge through the line with the ball like a full back. He has become the important man in every play, and success and failure depend on how he performs his duties. ”

“ They are the men occupying the positions enabling them to stop all runs intended to go out beyond them, and they must be instrumental as well in stopping line plays. The tackle should use his head and should never be caught twice in the same manner by a trick of an opponent. ”

“ Many a battle has been lost, no doubt, by lack of ammunition, or by plenty of ammunition which did not happen to suit the guns; and many a salmon has been lost, ay, and many a trout, for want of carefulness, and through a culpable inattention to the soundness of your gut, and tackle generally. What fiend is it that prompts a man just to try a hopeless cast, in a low water, without testing his tackle? As sure as you do that, up comes the fish, and with his first dash breaks your casting line, and leaves you lamenting. ”

“ Rolling around opponent is sometimes used, but is a blind sort of method, and not of much use.
Tackling.—The object in breaking through is to tackle the runner behind his own line. Once let him reach the line, and he is bound to gain something. Tackle him behind the line, before his interference can get formed and well started, and he is bound to lose ground. There are two kinds of tackling—the lift tackle, and the dive tackle. ”

“ He gives him the butt of his rod steadily, trying the strength of his tackle with a delicate and gentle finger, giving him line at every rush, yet firmly, cautiously, feeling his mouth all the while, and moderating his speed even while he yields to his fury. ”

“ Tackles—The defensive tackles line up on the outside eye of the offensive tackles, and they aim for a spot one yard deep in the offensive backfield behind the inside foot of the offensive tackles. Each tackle is responsible for the hand-off play to his side, making the tackle or forcing the dive play to the inside so our middle linebacker can make the tackle. ”

“ The lift tackle is the easiest to make. The dive tackle pertains to swimming and suicide. Running toward the opponent, the tackler leaves the ground when at a distance of a length and a half and dives at the runner, aiming to tackle a few inches below the hips. A dive tackle well done always accomplishes a well-defined pause in the runner's progress.
Joel was having hard work of it. ”

“ As regards the relations between the tackle and guard, they are best defined by saying that the guard expects to receive the assistance of the tackle in all cases requiring agility, while in cases requiring weight the guard is equally ready to lend assistance to the tackle.
When his own side has the ball, the tackle has far more than the end to do. In fact, the tackle has the most responsible work of any man along the line, having more openings to make, and at the same time the blocking he has to perform is more difficult. ”

“ The long tackle is employed in the open field, when the runner has an opportunity to dodge to either side. In such a case the tackler should aim first of all to get in the direct path of the man with the ball. When within diving distance the tackler should launch himself into the air as a swimmer leaps into the water, giving every possible speed of spring to his effort and wrapping his arms round the runner's legs below the hips. He should guard against diving too low, for this may enable the runner to elude him, either by hurdling or wriggling out of his grasp. ”

“ There are supposed to be two ways to tackle, but the coach who was conducting the operations to-day undoubtedly believed in the existence of at least thrice that number; for each candidate for Varsity honors tackled the dummy in a totally different style. The lift tackle is performed by seizing the opponent around the legs below the hips, bringing his knees together so that further locomotion is an impossibility to him, and lifting him upward off the ground and depositing him as far backward toward his own goal as circumstances and ability will permit. ”

“ Guards play to the center, low, hard and stalling, not knifing through. Tackles fight their way into the play through opposing end. Ends play as close as possible, often not over two yards outside their own tackle and tear into every play smashing the interference and hurrying passes. Center and full play about three yards behind tackle, usually a trifle inside and wait until they diagnose the play, [Pg 25] then meet it. These men must be the best tacklers on the team and fast, for if the tackles and ends accomplish their work these men have their opportunity. ”

“ Leo Leary had been giving the ends a talk on being 'cagey.' 'Cagey' play is foxy—such as never getting in the same position on every play, moving about, doing the unexpected. If you wish to put your tackle out, play outside him, and draw him out, and then at the last moment hop in close to your own tackle, and then charge your opponent. ”

“ One of the first things to impress upon the tackle is, that he must watch the ball, not only upon the pass from the quarter, but also after it settles in the runner's arms, for the most successful double or combination passes are those which draw the tackle in towards the centre and give the second recipient of the ball only the end to pass. ”

“ He will have his feet slightly staggered, and on the snap of the ball he is to play the offensive tackle with a quick hand or forearm flipper. If it is a running play toward him, he must whip the offensive tackle, be ready to stop the hand-off, and help out on the off-tackle play. If it is a straight back pass, he will rush the passer from the inside. If the play goes away or to the far-side, he will control the offensive tackle and pursue the football. On his angle of pursuit he should never go around the offensive tackle, but pursue the football going through the tackle’s head. ”

“ When his own side is attempting a kick, the left tackle should leave his position and go straight down the field under the punt. He should go through on the inside of the defensive tackle, giving him a slight body check as he goes by. The tackle on the side of the kicker's leg must block longer but not too long, and should go down fast to stop the runner, in case he has not already been downed. ”

“ 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. ”

“ A RESCUE FROM THE LIGHT.
Now the keeper and his assistants can do something, and they move with the rapidity of men whose wits are accustomed to the emergencies of the deep. Projecting from one side of the house is an iron arm, at the end of which hang a block and tackle. This is used for hoisting supplies from the boat which brings them off. Quickly a line is fastened around the hook at the bottom of the tackle. ”

“ The moment you have reached the bottom, a sharp tug at the cord unties the fool's knot, and your tackle falls down after you. My method was to lower Bulger down first, and then let myself down after him. ”

“ Many times this reaching enables an end to grasp his man even though a clever interferer break the force of his tackle. And [Pg 31] when his fingers touch the runner, he must grip with the tenacity of the bull-dog, and never let go. ”

“ I never saw a quicker half-back in my life; and when it comes to making a tackle, the fellow doesn't really know what fear is! If they put him on the regulars, there's going to be something doing among those long-legged chaps from Clifford. ”

“ He may also be required to go over on the other side of his own line to take a position beside his own tackle, there to perform the duties of an end in boxing the opposing tackle, leaving the end whose place he has taken free to care for the defensive half back. ”