Maybe he thought that downcocking coupled with #4 leakage made a true straight line delivery path possible rather than just a straight line effort, which is the reality. I've never seen a straight line delivery path of more than an inch or so before it starts curving.
do you feel that the circle path delivery is inferior to a straight line for swinging....
One does not have Secondary Axis Tilt (the one at Start Down) when using a Circle Delivery Path. Which means Right Shoulder cannot get On Plane to provide maximum support for the Stroke.
skywalker - yes, if you step through it and use a straight edge, you can see that the path starts curving from the Top. When the angle is held that well it creates the illusion of a straight line. BUT, it is a straight line effort, and it's a larger radius arc than the circular path would be.