GAME RECAP (MILWAUKEE SENTINEL)
(GREEN BAY) - The Packers were within three and a half minutes of
breaking into the win column at City Stadium Sunday afternoon, a big
one they would have richly deserved. Then it happened, a pass from
George Blanda to Jim Dooley, who made a nifty catch in the end zone
for a 16-yard gain and the touchdown that gave the Bears a 17-13
verdict on the 69th renewal of the this ancient pro football series before
24,835 witnesses. If it's true that when things are rough they get
rougher before turning for the better, the Packers certainly proved the
point this bright, warm and finally unhappy day.
BLANDA BOOTS GOAL
Perhaps everything didn't happen to them, but certainly enough to
"euchre" them out of a ball game they seemingly had in the old satchel.
They gave up three points early in the game on Blanda's 40-yard field
goal and came right back with a 70-yard scoring drive, climaxed by
Tobin Rote's 19-yard pass to Bobby Mann, to take the lead they didn't
relinquish until the clock moved toward those ominous closing minutes.
Things looked even brighter for the Ronzanimen, surprising spirited and
showing vast improvement since last week, when Gib Dawson
gathered in Fred Morrison's towering punt on his 40 and went all the
way, 60 yards, as the packed stands rocked with frenzied joy. The
Bears struck back immediately when big John Dottley bulled his way
into the end zone from the two yard line - the payoff punch on an
89-yard drive featured by the passing of Tommy O'Connell, whose
strikes accounted for all but 10 yards
BAYS LEAD AT HALF
So it was 13-10 at the half in the home club's favor, Fred Cone having
converted once in two tries and Blanda making good on his only shot
Cone's one attempt went haywire because the pass from center was
dropped, giving Billy Anderson time to block the hurried attempt. From
then on it was no dice until Blanda, who shared quarterback duties
with O'Connell and Steve Romanik, hit Dooley for the TD. That
practically broke the hearts of the vast majority of the fans. The
grandstanders already had suffered through many agonizing and
frustrating moments which will give them hours of future conversation
about what might have been. The cruelest blow of all, the No. 1 game
wrecker, was delivered early in the fourth quarter following Val Joe
Walker's interception of a somewhat desperate pass by O'Connell
deep in his own territory. Walker fielded the ball on the run and dashed
20 yards to the Bear two-yard line. First down on the two; everybody,
including Papa Bear Halas, must have been thinking in terms of a sure
touchdown and an almost foolproof lead of 20-10. But it just wasn't to
be. On the first play the Bays were set back to the seven on a backs-
in-motion penalty. Then came something even more horrible that will
haunt the onlookers as well as Packer players and coaches for
evermore. Rote faked a handoff to Howie Ferguson and dropped back
to pass. Before he could toss to Mann in the open, his arm was hit by
onrushing Bears and the ball rolled crazily the wrong way until Frank
Dempsey captured it for the Bears way back on the 27. It's really
rough to lose the ball and 20 yards on the same play. Later the Bears
again got the ball when George Figner intercepted a Rote pass. Two
Blanda passes moved the Bears to the Packer 20. After Eddie Macon
pranced to the Packer 16, Blanda passed to Dooley for a touchdown.
Blanda converted and the Bears led 17-13. And that wasn't all. Not by
any means. In fact, the Packers could have won despite this brutal
mess-up if they hadn't run into other damaging failures purely
mechanical in nature. The first of three ruinous fumbles came on the
third play of the game. Rote flipped a fine screen pass to Byron Bailey,
a hard-running halfback picked up from the Detroit Lions, for 33
thrilling yards. But Bailey fumbled as he was tackled at midfield. Ed
Sprinkle recovered for the Bears on his own 49. Old Halas U. turned
that break into three points via Blanda's perfect field goal. In the
second quarter the Packers were on the move again on Rote's 12-yard pass to Clive Rush, another new addition to the squad, for what would have been a certain first down near midfield. A bruising tackle cause Rush to fumble, Gerald Weatherly coming up with it on the Packer 41. Add heartbreaking happenings like Breezy Reid's muffs of Rote's and Babe Parilli's long passes with a clear field ahead, an offside penalty that nullified a 20-yard Rote to Mann pass to the Bears' 22, and you have some idea of the breaks operating against the beleaguered Packers Sunday. It continued to the very end, for even after the Bears went ahead, 17-13, the home club was on the verge of pulling the game out of the fire. A trio of Rote passes (two screens to Cone and a flat pitch to Mann) moved the ball 37 yards for a first down on the Bear 24. Then Rote lofted a soft pass into Bear defender John Hoffman's hands to the accompaniment of groads from the stands which must have been heard up and down the Fox Valley. Statistically the game was just as close as the score. The Packers did a good job rushing and downfield covering job that held the Bears to 12 completions in 31 pass attempts. What's more they intercepted four. They had a slightly better average themselves with 11 out 27, two of which fell into enemy hands. Ronzani's operators had a 281 to 232 edge in total yardage, with a 200 to 151 advantage in passing. It was a standoff in rushing at 81 yards each. The big items working for the other side were fumbles and penalties. Oh yes - let's not forget what was possibly the most damaging penalty of all, the interference call that gave the Bears first down on the two and set up Dottley's second quarter touchdown. The visitors were held to two yards in two attempts from the five. When a third down pass was batted down in the end zone, it looked like the Bays might work out of the tight squeeze, but when the referees signaled interference and placed the ball on the two, it meant first down again and a fresh start for the Bears. Dottley's scoring thrust counted.
CHICAGO BEARS - 3 7 0 7 - 17
GREEN BAY - 6 7 0 0 - 13
1st - CHI - George Blanda, 40-yard field goal CHICAGO 3-0
1st - GB - Mann, 19-yard pass from Rote (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 6-3
2nd - GB - Dawson, 60-yard punt return (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 13-3
2nd - CHI - John Dottley, 2-yard run (Blanda kick) GREEN BAY 13-10
4th - CHI - Jim Dooley, 16-yard pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) CHICAGO 17-13