Dave Revsine

“The rules exacerbated the issue. For instance, a player wasn’t technically down until he stopped moving, meaning a tackled player would often try to squirm forward on the ground, as members of the opposing team jumped on his back or head trying to stop his progress”
― Dave Revsine, The Opening Kickoff: The Tumultuous Birth of a Football Nation

“The original scrummage was a weird and unscientific institution. The ball belonged to neither side,” observed Amos Alonzo Stagg. “It was dull business for the backs and the onlookers. For long periods the ball could not be seen and nothing happened. All the spectators could distinguish was a ton and a half of heavyweights leaning pantingly against one another. Eventually the ball would pop out by accident or surrender, a back would seize it for a run, be tackled and downed, and back went the ball into scrummage.” Camp’s solution was what came to be known as the scrimmage. Instead of reestablishing possession each time the ball was downed, Camp believed that the downed team ought to retain possession and simply start the play anew. This rule passed at the 1880 convention, along with the reduction to eleven players. American football was born.”
― Dave Revsine, The Opening Kickoff: The Tumultuous Birth of a Football Nation