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TnE OFFENCE
131
the interference is also in the same
class.
Straight football is the foundation and
constitutes the bulk of the offensive
games. Hence no time put in drilling
and perfecting this simple but effective
style of advance is lost.
(b) The Indirect Attack.—This is com¬
monly called trick play. A trick is a feint
with the left and a lead with the right, a
sham attack upon one point in the line
and a sudden concentration upon another.
Trick is hardly the word to use, because
it has a bad odor about it, implying some¬
thing unfair. The word strategic will
perhaps best characterize the class. The
growth of this style of play has been mar¬
vellous in the last few seasons. The ten¬
dency at present seems pretty strong in
the opposite direction towards straight
football.
One of the oldest tricks is the familiar
criss-cross between the two half-backs.