Green Bay Packers (5-0) 30, Cleveland Rams (3-2) 21
Sunday October 22nd 1944 (at Green Bay)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(GREEN BAY) - The Packers today held undisputed first place in the Western division of the NFL with five straight victories because they had just a little more scoring power than the Cleveland Rams, who proved to 18,780 fans at City stadium Sunday afternoon why they are the surprise eleven of the professional league this year. The score was 30-21. The Packers, dealing with their toughest assignment of the 1944 season, had to do everything in the book to take the victory. They spotted the Rams seven points in the first quarter, but came back strong to tie the count and go ahead by a touchdown. But the Cleveland eleven fought on and knotted it at 14-all before the Packers finally went ahead for good. At that, it wasn't until the last two minutes of the final period that Green Bay's victory was assured. At that point they had a 28-21 lead that was slim indeed considering the manner in which the Rams had previously come back. An automatic safety, scored for the Packers when Albie Reisz of the Rams stepped out of the end zone, made it 30-21 with a minute to go and the Bays were in. The victory gave the Packers the inside track for the division pennant, although they must still meet four Western and one Eastern division opponent. The defeat for the Rams was their first in four games and left them in the runner-up position, a game and a half behind the Packers. It took Cleveland just two plays to show what it has become tabbed the amazing, miracle team of the league this year. On a perfectly executed play around left end, Tommy Colella, the Detroit castoff, broke away for 75 yards and a touchdown to put the Rams ahead. The Packers had to play their heads off and their hearts out to win - but they did. They uncorked a 79-yard drive that tied it up at 7-all midway in the first quarter, Ben Starrett going over from the one-foot line and Don Hutson making the first of four straight conversions. Midway in the second period, Joe Laws counted the second Packer score on a nine-yard dash to put Green Bay ahead, 14-7.
KNOT COUNT AT 14
But the Rams were not to be denied. They shook Colella loose for his second touchdown inside left tackle on a play similar to that which gave them the first score. A pass from Irv Comp to Lou Brock from eight yards out put the Packers ahead at halftime, 21-14, and they stayed in front for the remainder of the game. The fourth Packer score by Ted Fritsch from the two-yard line came deep in the third period. As the minutes in the fourth quarter tucked away, Cleveland made a desperate bid. They came within seven points at 28-21 on Colella's toss to Benton. Then as the second hand swept through its next to last round, Riesz stepped out of the end zone to give the Packers those precious two additional points.
RAMS SHOW PRECISION
Cleveland, naturally disappointed that their perfect record should be spoiled, should have no regrets otherwise. They kept the spines of Packer fans tingling with their explosiveness and the sharpness and precision with which they executed their plays. They were booked as a team with oodles of spirit and they showed it. Fans who though the tilt would be a pushover left shaking their heads. The Packers, on the other hand, were prepared and it is to their credit that they kept the pace. Sparked by the vicious running of Cpl. Tony Canadeo and Fritsch and the passing of Irv Comp, they worked themselves out of several tight spots and had the necessary push when it was most needed. Everyone who played helped the cause along. Canadeo averaged almost 9 yards a try with 107 in 12 attempts. Comp completed seven of 16 aerials for 94 and Lou Brock helped with two out of three for 53 yards. Hutson, held without a touchdown, gained 87 yards on seven and added further laurels with his classy running on an end-around play. Harry Jacunski caught two passes for 63 yards. Fritsch bulled and rammed his way for 76 yards in 10.
GET 24 FIRST DOWNS
Those were the principal individual statistics on offense for the Packers. They give some indication how the Bays rolled up 293 yards rushing and 163 on passes and got 24 first downs in the process. Little Joe Laws had another good day afield and his touchdown put him fifth in the all-time scoring list with 19 touchdowns for 114 points. Defensively, those who stood out included Charley Brock, Larry Craig, Jacunski, Pete Tinsley and Paul Berezney. The others also got their share of tackles. In fact, it was the team play that helped the Bays to come out of the tussle with their unbeaten record intact. Without their hard charging and unit play, the result might have been different. Colella, as mentioned before, stood out for the Rams. He passed 13 times, completed 6 for 82 yards and gained 147 yards in 10 attempts on the ground, almost half of the Cleveland eleven's 337 total yards gained. Big Jim Benton tallied 79 yards on eight passes. As a team, the Rams picked up 212 yards rushing and 125 on passes.
FIREWORKS START EARLY
No more than four minutes of the first quarter had gone by before the fans sensed that they were going to see a game loaded with thrills provided by two razor-sharp elevens. Taking the opening kickoff, the Packers moved from their won 23 to the Cleveland 33. A pass failed and then Comp tossed to Hutson on the 23 for a first down but Colella picked the ball out of Hutson's hands and was downed on the 25. After one failed to gain through the middle, Colella took the pass directly from the center, his backfield teammates faked beautifully, and the boy who had to play a reserve role for Detroit was away for 75 yards. The blocking on the play was good and at least three Packers were brushed out of his way the run. It was an explosion that left everyone gasping. Zontini's kick was perfect and the Rams were ahead, 7-0.
PACKERS START MARCH
A 79-yard march after the ensuing kickoff gave the Packers their first touchdown. They moved from the 21 to the 35 for a first down and then Lou Brock slammed one on the button to Jacunski, who grabbed it on the Cleveland 33 and dashed on the 17 for a 48-yard gain. Comp skirted left end to the 12, a play failed to gain, and Comp tossed to Hutson, who caught the ball on the seven and was downed on the one-foot line. On first down, Starrett cracked the middle for the touchdown. Hutson's point try with Laws holding tied it up. Cleveland then showed its heart. Jim Gillette took the kickoff from the 7 to the Cleveland 47. With Reisz leading the way, the Rams piled up three first downs in a row to the 17, where Chuck Riffle recovered Johnny Karrs' fumble. A Reisz to Benton pass was good to the 12 and the Packers rose up then and there.
SHOVE RAMS BACK
Craig cashed in to drop Reisz on the 15 for a three-yard loss. Next Jacunski made it a minus-five more when he slammed Reisz before he could get started. Hutson stopped the drive on fourth down when he knocked down Reisz' pass on the two-yard line. At that point, Canadeo entered the game. He showed his old form with an 18-yard dash for a first down on the 38. The quarter ended with Laws scooting up the middle to the 47. Perkins and Canadeo picked up another first on the Rams' 37. Canadeo passed twice to Hutson and tried a running play to put the ball on the 23. Two passes were no good and Jacunski took one from Comp on the eight. Cleveland was offside, putting the ball on the four. Comp went to the three off left tackle. Tom Corbo then intercepted Comp's pass on the two.
LAWS SCORES SECOND
Corbo threw a forward to Steve Pritko, bringing a penalty for an illegal forward to the one-yard line. Reisz dropped back deep in the end zone and punted to Laws, who caught the ball on the 41 and romped back to the 24. Perkins ripped to the 20. Hutson took the ball on an end around and fought his way to the nine, from where Laws went straight up the middle for the touchdown. Hutson's kick made it 14-7 with two-thirds of the quarter remaining. Cleveland came right back. They racked up three straight first downs from their 24 to the Packers 34, the last coming on a Colella pass to Pritko for 14 yards. After battling up to the 25, aided by a Colella pass to Benton, Colella broke inside left tackle and nobody laid a hand on him as he romped over. Zontini's placement tied it up, 14-14, and Packer fans began to sweat.
BAYS LEAD AT HALF
But the Packers did not quit. Fritsch returned the kickoff from the four to the Packer 36. Canadeo skirted left end to the Rams' 47 and Fritsch added another first down to the 35. The Rams drew a five-yard penalty and Fritsch rammed right end for 15 more. Canadeo gained two in two plays and Lou Brock tossed a pass to Comp on the eight. The payoff play came next when the situation was reversed. Comp faded back and passed to Brock, who caught it on the three and ran over as Roy Huggins, who had entered the game the play before, looked on. First half scoring ended with Hutson's placement to put the Packers ahead, 21-14. Two breaks featured the opening minutes of the second half. Jacunski recovered Colella's fumble on the Rams' 24 1/2 and two plays later Mike Kabealo intercepted Comp's pass on the 11 and returned it to the 20. An exchange of punts gave the Rams the ball on their 31 and they moved to the Green Bay 31 before they were stymied on downs.
RAMBLE 69 YARDS
The Packers then went 69 yards without a halt to score what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. Brock and Fritsch combined to haul it to the 36 from where Hutson, on another end around, scampered o the Cleveland 37. Canadeo and Fritsch went to the 15, from where a pass to Hutson from Canadeo was ruled complete on interference on the seven. Canadeo made five to the two and Fritsch took it over on second down one minute and 40 seconds before the period ended. Hutson's kick was good to put the Bays ahead, 28-14. Breathing came a little easier at that point but that indomitable spirit of the Rams was not to be denied. They started a push that carried from their own 49 to the Packer 28 after Reisz made a brilliant kickoff return of 44 yards. The drive was stopped momentarily when the Rams failed to make a first down. The Packers were put in a hole with a holding penalty back to the 14. They picked up five on a line smash. Guard Riley Matheson then intercepted Comp's pass on the 25 and returned it to the 18 but Cleveland was penalized five to the 23. Colella's first pass attempt was no good.
BENTON IN END ZONE
On second down, Colella passed to lanky Benton, who was very much alone in the end zone. The Rams were only a touchdown behind after Zontini's kick from placement. Ten minutes and 50 seconds showed on the big clock. Fritsch, Laws and Canadeo combined to bring the ball from their own 33 to the Cleveland 36, a spurt featured by Canadeo's 23 yard dash to the Packers' 38 to the Rams' 39. The drive was halted and Canadeo punted into the end zone. After a Cleveland rush on six plays carried to the Packers' 35, Colella punted out of bounds on the Bay 35. The Packers lost two and Comp heaved to Hutson for 32 yards on the Cleveland 35. The gain was practically nullified when Comp recovered a bad pas on his own 44. The end around with Hutson carrying it up the Cleveland 45 but two plays later the Bays were forced to punt, Canadeo placing a beauty out of bounds on the Rams' 6. Charley Brock smeared Kabealo on the four but Reisz gained one. Cleveland then was penalized two and a half yards for taking too many times out.
OUT OF END ZONE
On third down, Reisz attempted to run the ball out of the end zone but was chased back of the end line in the process, giving the Bays an automatic safety and providing a point margin that not even a belated Cleveland touchdown could erase. Cleveland chose to punt on the free kick from the 20. End Joel Mason gabbed the ball on the Packer 45 and returned it to Cleveland's 48. After one play lost two yards, Fritsch bit off 10 yards and the Packers gained another five on a Cleveland penalty. Canadeo put the finish on a great day with a 15-yard dash to the 20 as the final horn sounded.
CLEVELAND - 7 7 0 7 - 21
GREEN BAY - 7 14 7 2 - 30
SCORING
1ST - CLE - Tom Colella, 75-yard run (Lou Zontini kick) CLEVELAND 7-0
1ST - GB - Ben Starrett, 1-yard run (Don Hutson kick) TIED 7-7
2ND - GB - Joe Laws, 9-yard run (Hutson kick) GREEN BAY 14-7
2ND - CLE - Colella, 25-yard run (Zontini kick) TIED 14-14
2ND - GB - Lou Brock, 8-yard pass from Irv Comp (Hutson kick) GREEN BAY 21-14
3RD - GB - Ted Fritsch, 2-yard run (Hutson kick) GREEN BAY 28-14
4TH - CLE - Jim Benton, 23-yard pass from Colella (Zontini kick) GREEN BAY 28-21
4TH - GB - Safety, Albie Reisz stepped out of the end zone GREEN BAY 30-21
RAMS LIVE UP TO NOTICES; DONELLI, WALSH ARE PLEASED
OCT 23 (Green Bay) - The Cleveland Rams lived up to their advance notices out at City stadium Sunday, and the 18,780 fans who saw them lose to the Packers left the park with a healthy respect for the Ohio visitors and for Aldo W. (Buff) Donelli, the Ram coach, and General Manger Charles F. (Chili) Walsh, who helped collect the team's personnel. The Rams, ahead once but trailing for a good share of the game, made a battle of it right into the closing minutes, when the Bays led 28 to 21, and Tony Canadeo kicked a low, bounding punt out of bounds on the Ram six-yard line, which put the spirited Clevelanders into a bad hole and eventually led to a safety that clinched the Packers' lead. Donnelli, who brought a three-game league winning streak to Green Bay, was as satisfied as it is possible for a losing coach to be and Walsh echoed the same sentiment. And both of them, along with the Rams who took part in the game, are already looking forward to a return engagement with the Packers three weeks from now...A GENIAL FELLOW: A genial, unassuming fellow in his first year as a head coach in the pro league - unless you count his brief career directing the Steeler club and his Duquesne collegians at the same time a few years ago - Donelli refers affectionately to his team as "the kids" and he thought "the kids" did all right on Sunday. "They played good football," he declared, "and the Packers couldn't afford to let down for a minute. We got some good breaks and some bad ones, but the kids made a game out of it against a more experienced, bigger team. In a way, losing is a good thing for us because it will take the pressure off - our gang is like a college team, all tensed up before a game, and over anxious to play good ball. We've been playing against too much T-formation, and Lambeau's style was unfamiliar to the less experienced of our boys. I thought the Packers looked great - they looked like a pre-war ball club and having Canadeo didn't hut them a bit," Donelli added. There was no tract of bitterness in his voice at the circumstances that had brought Canadeo home on furlough when his wife gave birth to a son, and made him available for football during his furlough with the permission of his commanding officer at Fort Bliss, Texas...WALSH ALSO PLEASED: Walsh, who began the gigantic task last spring of gathering a football team after a year of suspension during which the few Ram survivors played with other teams under a lend-lease arrangement, was similarly elated at the showing against the highly-touted Packers, and a third viewpoint, that of Assistant Coach Joe Benda, coincided. The Rams would have liked to go home with a victory, but they did leave Green Bay with the next best thing - the satisfaction of having put up a bang-up battle. The sentiment was echoed by the fans and by the press box observers as the tricky Cleveland offensive unfolded, a T-formation system with several distinctive formations and a group of backs who were highly efficient in executing plays. Brother, what backs - Tommy Colella, who spent most of his two years with the Detroit Lions on the bench; Harvey Jones, a rookie fullback from Baylor; Albie Reisz, who alternated at left half with Colella and is also a rookie; Johnny Karrs, a freshman who played under Donelli at Duquesne; Mike Kabealo, a right halfback from Ohio State, also in his first year; and Jim Gillette, who was with Green Bay early in 1940, joined the Rams later that year and returned to them this year after getting a medical discharge from the Navy. Although some inefficient Packer tackling helped the Ram offense, the Cleveland backs were always quick to seize openings. "It's like I told you Saturday," Donelli pointed out. "I can't pick out anybody that is outstanding on this club. They're a bunch of lads who show a lot of fight and are learning to play together.
We start seven rookies out of 11 players, and then while some opposing coach is figuring out why he isn't getting more out of his own players, the game ends with us in the lead...ENDLESS COMBINATION: Quarterback Karrs stood just behind the center in orthodox T formation does. Fullback Jones was back of him, flanked by Reisz or Colella on the left and Gillette and Kabealo on the right, both a little forward of the fullback. As often as not, the center bypassed the quarterback, flipping the ball between Karrs' legs to any of the three backs behind him. The Rams ran endless combinations of plays from this setup and the fans spent a good share of the time figuring out where the ball had gone. When Colella broke around right end on his 75-yard touchdown run in the opening minutes of the game, one Packer lineman was so completely fooled he charged through and tackled Jones after Colella had left the vicinity with the ball...WORDS OF PRAISE: Before we get off the deep end about this Ram team, however, it might be well to remember that good as the visitors were, the Packers won. They kept possession of the ball in fine fashion in running up their four touchdowns and 24 first downs. Canadeo personally accounted for six first downs on the ground. Ted Fritsch was a terror through the line, gaining five yards or better on all but three of his 10 ball carrying attempts. The Cleveland delegation had words of praise for tackle Paul Berezney and Larry Craig, among others, both players breaking through on occasions to nip plays in the bud. The Bays piled up 456 yards from passing and rushing, which is pretty fair mileage for any ball club. Cleveland gained 329. The combined total of 885 yards for both clubs may be a record but a search of the NFL official book shows no record kept for such a combined total. The Bays' total 24 first downs is two short of their own record, set against Cleveland in 1942...JOE SKITTERS: When the veteran Joe Laws skittered through the line on a nine-yard touchdown run Sunday everyone held their breath. Laws has been the Packers' hard luck scorer, his more recent touchdowns being called back by the officials. This one wasn't, however, and it moved Laws up into fifth place among all-time Packer scorers with a total of 114 points, all on touchdowns. He had been one point behind none other than Coach Curly Lambeau. The leaders are Hutson with 641, Clarke Hinkle with 390, Verne Lewellen, 301, and Johnny Blood, with 224...REAL CONTENDERS: One bad game can spoil it, but the Packers' pennant possibilities can no longer be ignored. Midway through their schedule, they face a return encounter now with each of their four Western division opponents, plus the New York Giants. All these games will be played away from home, and each of these teams will be pointing for the division-leading Packers, so there's a lot of tough opposition ahead...BAND GETS A HAND: All season we've been trying to think of something nice to say about Wilner Burke's Packer Lumberjack band, which is always on hand to add a dash of color and to stir the crowd with its music. The fans said it for us Sunday when announcer Jim Coffeen called for a hand for the musicians, and the crowd responded enthusiastically. The band's regular corps of drum majors was reinforced Sunday by 13-year old Bruce Stengel of Suring, an accomplished baton twirler. Between halves the crowd got enthusiastic about the Kiltie band, a Racine YMCA organization of youngsters dressed in Scotch plaids, which maneuvered on the field...A TALKING POINT: The Ram representative, like everyone else, had a lot to say about Hutson. "He can catch the ball, sure, but that's incidental," said Donelli, "it's his tricky maneuvering that makes him a great offensive end. You can't expect any single player to cover him like you'd want to see him covered, because one split second break and he's in the clear." Donelli thought his team had done pretty well covering Hutson. The Ohioans particularly admired his final catch, late in the game. He and Jones were racing together down the field when Comp passes. The pitch was a little short and Hutson sensed it immediately. He cut his speed, headed back in and took the ball cleanly for a 32-yard gain into Ram territory. On the next play a bad pass from center - or a missed signal - sent the ball sailing by Comp who recovered for a 22-yard loss. While praising Hutson, however, Donelli and his aides had a lot of admiration, too, for big Jim Benton of their own team, who caught eight passes, one for a touchdown. Benton played with the Bears last year and was the receiving star of Sid Luckman's pass attack in this year's All-Star game. He lives at Pine Bluff, Ark., Hutson's hometown...ONE-YARD PENALTY: One of the shortest penalties on the record was charged against the Rams early in the second quarter. The Packers were driving for a touchdown, inside the Ram five-yard line, when Tom Corbo, a guard, intercepted Comp's pass on the Ram two. Instead of hanging onto the ball, he threw it laterally to Steve Pritko. The lateral had traveled forward, however, and the rules provide a five-yard penalty for such an infraction. They were penalized half the distance to their own goal, a distance of one yard. In the fourth quarter, guard Riley Matheson intercepted a Packer pass and immediately lateraled to Jones on the Packer 18. This one was ruled a forward, too, but the Rams this time drew the full five-yard penalty. Colella threw a touchdown to Benton on the next play...Lou Harget, business manager of the Cleveland club who accompanied the Rams up here, wore a broad smile all day Sunday after learning his wife gave birth to a son back in the Ohio city...GILLETTE IS INJURED: Jim Gillette, who was injured on an end run when Charley Brock caught him near the sideline and they rolled out of bounds together in the third quarter, was treated at St. Vincent hospital for a deep gash in the calf of his right leg which laid it open to the bone. He was discharged from the hospital and made the trip back to Cleveland with the team, but will be out of action for two or three weeks...TIE HELPS PACKERS: The Lions and Bears 21-21 tie was an admirable result from the Cleveland and Green Bay standpoints. Since all the Western division teams play 10 games for the season, it means that neither the Bears or Lions can win more than seven, as both are charged with two defeats. The Rams meet the Bears while the Packers play Detroit next week, and the following Sunday Cleveland plays Washington while the Bays go to Wrigley field. And the week after that Green Bay goes to Cleveland....Capt. Daniel F. Reeves, president and owner of the Rams, is on active Army Air forces duty in New York state. No fewer than 12 of the Rams have served in the armed forces. Colella, Pritko, Jones and end Floyd Konetsky were in the Marines. Gillette, Karrs and fullback Roy Huggins served in the Navy. Center Mike Scarry and end Ray Hamilton are veterans of the Army. Les Lear, a guard, was in the Canadian Army. Fullback Walter West and tackle Del Lyman who saw no services Sunday have been in the Air forces. Fullback Walter West and tackle Del Lyman, who saw no service Sunday, have been in the Air forces. Jones was discharged after injury in an ammunition explosion...SAVVY SEES BROTHER: Just as in other years, Tech. Sgt. Savvy Canadeo was on hand to see brother Tony play Sunday. Stationed for a long time at Truax Field, Madison, Savvy is now at Scott Field, Ill...The armed forces in the Pacific got a play-by-play account of the game via short wave. Western Union furnished a telegraphic story to a Cleveland radio station and to San Francisco, from where it was short-waved to the Pacific...NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden was on hand for the game. He saw the Bear game in Green Bay, both Packer games in Milwaukee and the exhibition affair in Nashville last Sunday...GETS A CHUCKLE: A youngster up in the press box provided a chuckle late in the game. After a series of penalties which had bogged down the Bay offensive, the Packers ran a play for a short gain and it was called back. Jim Coffeen, on the public address system, announced that the officials were calling a penalty. "Not on the Packers!" the youngster said in woebegone voice. "On the Packers!" said Coffeen just then in the microphone...Donelli delegates the press box telephone job to his assistant coach, Joe Benda. "I think Lambeau's got a great idea there - unquestionably you can see better from up there," declared Donelli, "but they'd have to build a cage to keep me there throughout the game," he smiled..TURKEY IS HAM: This department was the envy of the press box between halves as the result of some ribbing that has gone on every since the season started. The sportswriters are given hot dogs, beer, coke and coffee by courtesy of the Packers. All year we asked Clem Collard, a fellow Press-Gazette worker who presides over the press box, when they'd get around to serving turkey sandwiches. Sunday, when they dished out the hot dogs, a special napkin-wrapped lunch handed our way turned out to be a toasted baked ham sandwich. That, my friends, is service.
PRO FOOTBALL RUMBLINGS ARE GETTING LOUDER
OCT 23 (New York) - It's beginning to look as if V-day in the war would be M-day in the battle of pro football. Although the All-America (Arch Ward) league served notice from the start that it wouldn't recognize National league draft lists, some National leaguers are showing signs of annoyance because the signing of Bill Daley, Paul Governali and Glenn Dobbs, whom they had regarded as their own property. There have been other rumblings, which may come partly from personal feuds, but the other day one of the A.A. franchise owners remarked that his league would come through because its backers were "men of established reputation and financially able to weather four or five losing season." That, with a few other pointed remarks tossed in, sounds as if he was looking for a scrap with the old league as well as the other new ones.
DOC FORSYTH KEPT BUSY AS LIONS LICK WOUNDS
OCT 24 (Detroit) - Dr. Ray Forsyth, trainer, is the busiest member of the Detroit Lions football organization. He is trying to soothe the various pains and bruises collected by the Lions in their 21-21 game with the Chicago Bears. Forsyth's chief patients were Alex Wojciechowicz, Bob Westfall and Frank Sinkwich. All three came back from Chicago with mementos of one of the toughest Lion-Bear games in history, well covered with bruises. "Fortunately," Forsyth said, "none of the players received serious injuries and we hope to have them all ready for the game with the Packers Sunday." The game will be played at Briggs Stadium. Meanwhile, Coach Gus Dorais announced that he has asked for waivers on Dave Miller, 190-pound guard from St. Mary's College. Dorais also expressed hope that he will guard Stan Batinski back for the Green Bay game. Batinski did not make the trip to Chicago because of a leg injury, but should be ready to resume practice Tuesday. Dorais plans to give his team a double dose of pass defense practice this week. There as no drill Monday, but Tuesday Dorais will remind the boys how 35-year old Gene Ronzani completed three touchdown passes against them in Chicago. Except for that defensive flaw, the Lions would have won Sunday's contest, because they played their best game of the season.
PACKERS TO SEEK SIXTH STRAIGHT VICTORY NEXT SUNDAY AT DETROIT
OCT 24 (Green Bay) - The Packers have proved themselves and from now on to the end of the season late in November it is up to them whether they will get a slice of the championship playoff money or be resting the day the game is played in the park of the Eastern division title holder. That was the feeling around the team's headquarters today as preparations began for next Sunday's encounter at Detroit. The Bays have met and vanquished each of the four other Western division clubs and added Brooklyn of the Eastern half for good measure in their season's opener. During the course of most of the games they have either come from behind or have broken deadlocks. In general, they have conducted themselves as a potential flag winner should...PENNANT ROAD HARD: Neither the coaching staff nor the ball players are under any illusions, however. They know that the road to the flag is a tough one with such hardy perennials as the Chicago Bears, New York Giants, Detroit and those still amazing Cleveland Rams anxious to be the team to knock the props out from under their championship hopes. Coach Curly Lambeau expressed satisfaction with the work of the ball club against the Rams. But he cautioned against overoptimism because of the Bays' record is clear of defeat in five games, the best start the ball club had had toward a division championship since 1939. The coach has emphasized in every meeting and during practice sessions that every team in the league is tough and can rise up and smack them down...WORK ON DEFENSE: He has scheduled a double workout for Wednesday and two additional stiff sessions for Thursday and Friday, when the team entrains for Detroit. The usual Tuesday limbering up session was held this morning. A great deal of defense is in order to stop the antics of Fireball Frankie Sinkwich, who has been far and away the spearhead of the Lions' attack again this year. Bullet Bob Westfall has helped the former Georgia All-American considerably. The Packers were thoroughly scouted in their game against Cleveland by Detroit operatives. What they saw was a combined running and passing attack that gained 456 yards through the Rams' defense, 293 on the ground. This was the most powerful ground game the Bays have displayed this year. A repeat performance against the Lions would help considerably...IN FAIR SHAPE: The squad came out of the tussle in fairly good shape. Lou Brock, the team's second leading scorer with 30 points, sustained a leg injury during the fourth quarter and is receiving hospital treatment. He, however, is expected to see action next Sunday. Baby Ray, who did not play against the Rams, will also be available, it was indicated. The Lions are now tied with the Bears for third place with one victory, two defeats and a 21-21 deadlock with the Bruins played last Sunday. They were defeated by the Packers in Milwaukee, 27 to 6, after they had scored on the three plays after getting possession, and by Cleveland, 20-17. They defeated Brooklyn, 20-14. Fans who saw Sinkwich operate in Milwaukee and here a year ago know what he is capable of doing. Here is what happened in Milwaukee. Detroit took over on the Packer 45. Sinkwich faded back and threw to end Dave Diehl on the 10 and Diehl was stopped on the 7. Sinkwich then went up the center to the five, and on second down he tossed to Westfall on the one and the ex-Michigan ace fell over. But the Packers came back as they did against the Tigers, the Bears and Cleveland. They have been gradually eliminating mistakes on both offense and defense but, as Lambeau pointed out today, there are others that need to be eradicated. That's one reason why there won't be any letdown in practice sessions...NINE HAVE SCORED: Don Hutson had now scored one or more points in his last 40 consecutive games. He had 48 this year on five touchdowns and 18 points after touchdown. Other scorers include: Lou Brock 30; Ted Fritsch 24; Irv Comp and Ben Starrett 12 each; Paul Duhart, Don Perkins and Joe Laws 6 each; and Glenn Sorenson, 1. Hutson's all-time total stands at 689...BAYS OUT-YARD OPPONENTS: The Packers have gained almost 100 yards per game more than their five opponents on an average. They have picked up 1,752 yards rushing and passing against 1,266 for their foes. The Green Bay average is a fraction more than 350 a game while the opponents' is 253 plus yards a contest. The Chicago Bears hold the all-time record for most yards gained in one season, 4,265, made in 11 games in 1941.
THREE NEW FACES
OCT 24 (New York) - Three new names and an old one have been figuring in the official National league football statistics this year. All four are leading contenders for the Associated Press All-League honors. First of all is old reliable Don Hutson of the Green Bay Packers. The former Alabama All-America end has been quitting for three years. But he continues to play and break records. Every time Don catches a pass, scores a touchdown, gains a yard, tallies a point, among other feats, he makes a new professional football record. He's way ahead of the rest of the field. Then there's Frank Filchock of the Washington Redskins, former Indiana back. Frank wasn't around last year because of Navy service. He came back after a medical discharge and has taken over where his teammate, Sammy Baugh, left off tossing forwards. Irv Comp of Green Bay, who finished third to Baugh and the Bears' Sid Luckman last season, is the runner up again. The Packers' passer promises to give Filchock and all the rest a tough fight before the final averages are compiled. The former University of Oregon guard, Len Younce, now booting them for the New York Giants, is leading the league's punters. Last year, Len finished sixth. His toughest competitor this season has been Frankie Sinkwich of the Detroit Lions, who tied Baugh for the top average distance in 1943. Sinkwich also bids to be the circuit's leading ground gainer. The former Georgia fireball is way ahead of his rivals on attempts. He also paces the pack for the longest gain - 72 yards against Brooklyn, Oct. 8.
PACKERS EXPECT FRANKIE SINKWICH TO GIVE THEM TROUBLE ON SUNDAY
OCT 25 (Green Bay) - The Packers, taking cognizance of the NFL's individual ground gaining and passing records for games this season, are pretty sure that they are going to have some trouble next Sunday at Detroit with a flat-footed quarterback who has played with not even the faintest resemblance to one bothered by aching arches. The young man, now in his second year of professional player, is Frankie Sinkwich. He is a workhorse and a capable one. He got into the hair of the Packers once this year and he will have his second chance when the Bays invade Detroit to seek their sixth straight victory and further brightening of their championship hopes...LEADS GROUND GAINERS: Sinkwich, league records released today, has averaged close to four years on 25 attempts with 288 yards. While the big guns of the league in passing are on other clubs, the former Georgia All-American has managed to stay in sixth with 26 completions in 65 attempts for 487 yards, third highest total gained. Three of his passes were for touchdowns, one of them against the Packers in Milwaukee. That is why the Bays today got a double workout on defense, principally on defense. It's true that the Green Bay team previously defeated the Lions by 27-6. But scout reports show that Detroit has improved with each game and they reached somewhat of a height last Sunday against the Chicago Bears. The score ended 21-21..WESTFALL HELPS OUT: But Sinkwich is not alone on the Detroit team. Bob Westfall, formerly of Michigan, has helped to give the team power on the ground by his vicious running, culminating in a 75-yard dash against Chicago. He is also the Lions' most effective pass receiver, having caught nine for 134 yards. A rookie, Westfall has fit well into the system employed by Coach Gus Dorais. Two others in the Lion backfield are tried veterans. The right halfback, Art Van Tone, has had two years in the pro game while Bill Callihan, the left halfback, is practically an old-timer with five years. In front of this combination is a heavy line paced by veteran Al Wojciechowicz, center; Al Kaporch and Stan Batinksi, guards; Jack Matheson and Dave Diehl, both dangerous wingmen...LIONS MAY EXPLODE: Coach Curly Lambeau has warned the team that the Lions may choose Sunday to explode. Such an explosion would come at a time when the Bays need to enhance their chances for the division pennant. He warned the ball club against looking too far ahead and taking the Lions as an easy mark. There is time enough to think about the Nov. 5 engagement against the Chicago Bears after next Sunday's tussle, he said. With the return to top form of fullback Ted Fritsch, the Packers' running department is bolstered considerably. Ben Starrett, who filled in admirably at fullback against the Cleveland Rams, will be used at both full and blocking back, where he will spare off the veteran Larry Craig. Craig, incidentally, had one of his best days last Sunday. Playing the full 60 minutes - on offense at blocking back and on defense at left end - he helped to stop several drives. Once in the fourth quarter, he slammed Albie Reisz for a 13-yard loss that moved the Rams from the Packer 17 to the 30 after they had marched from their own territory.
SINKWICH'S GAIN AGAINST BEARS GIVES HIM LEAD OVER PASCHAL
OCT 25 (Chicago) - There is an old saying in pro
football that "anything can happen, and it probably will." It did this week when Frankie Sinkwich of the Detroit Lions got up from a hospital bed where he was being treated for appendicitis and took over the lead in ground gaining among the play-for-pay boys. Figures released by the NFL's statisticians today show Sinkwich smashed his way through and ran around the Chicago Bears' line for a net total of 95 yards Sunday to bring his total for 288 yards in four games. That figure is 73 more than Bill Paschal of New York, in second place, and is almost half Paschal's total of 572 that won him the ground gaining title last year. Sinkwich's total of 266 yards gained by rushing all last season ranked him 13th in the league. Johnny Grigas moved into this place in the ground gaining standings this week by adding 90 yards to his total while his Card-Pitt mates were losing to the New York Giants. Frank Filchock of Washington pulled farther away from the field in the race for individual passing honors when he completed 15 of 25 tosses for 190 yards against Brooklyn. His score of 50 completions in 78 attempts gave him a .641 mark. His passes have been good for 638 yards and seven touchdowns this season, and only two have been intercepted. Irv Comp of Green Bay was second in passing with 45 out of 88 completions for a .511 percentage, but his total yardage was greater than Filchock's. His tosses have netted 646 yards and seven touchdowns. Tommy Colella of Cleveland was third, with 18 out of 41 completions and a .440 percent...HUTSON ON TOP: Don Hutson of Green Bay stayed on top among both pass receivers and scorers, tallying four points after touchdown against Cleveland Sunday. Hutson had received 35 passes for 513 yards and five touchdowns. Jim Benton of the Rams held second place in the pass receiving department, with 18 receptions for 206 yards and four touchdowns. Hutson's total points scored was 48, compared with Benton's 30, and the 30 of L. Brock of Green Bay, in the scoring race. Don Zimmerman of Philadelphia. Lou Zontini of Cleveland and Ken Strong of New York were deadlocked on field goals, at two each, but Zimmeman held the honor of the longest kick- 49 yards against Boston Sunday. Younce of New York led Sinkwich and Colella, in that order, among the punters, with an average of 42.9 yards for 16 kicks, and held the mark for the longest punt of the season, 72 yards.
ALL IS NOT WELL WITH MR. DORAIS
OCT 25 (Detroit) - Gus Dorais, the Detroit Lions athletic director, is facing a difficult task trying to get his club ready for next Sunday's engagement with the league-leading Green Bay Packers. Tuesday Dorais learned that Stan Batinski, veteran guard, would be available for the Packer tilt, but Tony Furst, another veteran, would be lost for the balance of the season. Furst, who had been given a medical discharge by the Army, has been returned to limited duty at Fort McClelllan, Ala., for six months and then will be reexamined for further classification. With the return of Batinski, Dorais shuffled his forward wall and moved Batinski to tackle where Ed Opalewski, Tom Kennedy and Luke Lindon have been holding the line alone. Although the switch gives Dorais four tackles it also leaves him with only three guards.
PACKERS' DEFENSIVE POWER TO GET STIFF TEST IN CONTEST WITH LIONS
OCT 26 (Green Bay) - The defensive power of the Packers will be out to a stiff test Sunday, when they invade Briggs stadium to meet the Detroit Lions. This is true because the Lions, by their own admission, have finally shown they are capable of a sustained drive and have the spark necessary in a winning combination. Ordinarily the defensive side of football is disregarded as just something that has to be but is not worth much mention. Nothing could be further from actuality as most fans would recognize immediately if they watched the Packers prepare for their sixth league contest...IS DETROIT OFFENSE: The emphasis has been stopping Frankie Sinkwich, who IS the Detroit offense. He can pass and he can run and he's been getting plenty of help from Bob Westfall. Without Sinkwich the Lions would be without the spark that makes them dangerous. There is nothing to indicate that he won't be in top form next Sunday. Some explanation of why the Packer defense has to geared to stop the ex-Georgia smasher is given in individual statistics of the first game between the teams in Milwaukee early this month. Including all plays, he handled the ball on 47 of the 67 that Detroit figured in that day on offense...THREW TOUCHDOWN PASS: He averaged almost three and a half yards every time he carried the ball and completed five of 15 passes for 72 yards, one an eight-yard touchdown heave to Westfall early in the game. In another game, against Cleveland, Sinkwich scored 17 points himself before he was forced to leave the game with appendicitis. Without Sinkwich, the Lions folded up and Cleveland came back to win, 20-17, only other defeat on the Detroit record besides the 27-6 contest they dropped to Green Bay. The Packers' defense has done all right this season and on several occasions had made brilliant stands near their goal line to frustrate opponents' scoring drives. Defensively, they are stronger than the Lions, league statistics show, in both the ground and air departments...HAVE 12 INTERCEPTIONS: The Bays have allowed opponents 3.2 yards on the ground in 171 rushes. They have allowed 52 pass completions of 130 attempts for an efficiency of .400. The Lions, on the other hand, have given up 3.5 yards per attempt in 158 thrown against them and have a passing efficiency of .471 on forty completions on 85 attempts. The Packers also
have the greater ball hawks with 12 interceptions against half that number for the Lions. The Lions put on their best display of the season against the Chicago Bears last Sunday. On that performance and recalling that in their first Packer encounter they dominated play completely for the first quarter. Detroit appears about primed to give Green Bay something of a shock. This Coach Curly Lambeau has emphasized to the players...WORK ON DEFENSE: He sent them through a drill on offense and defense this morning following an afternoon of defensive drills Wednesday. The passing attack received a brushing up in the morning workout and later running plays were gone over. Line Coach George Trafton had the forwards huffing and puffing before he called off a charging and tackling session. Pictures of the Cleveland game showed that blocking on several occasions was spotty. This, with other mistake, received a thorough going over. Lambeau is still not satisfied that the team has reached a peak although he does not forget that the percentage column still shows 1.000 for the Bays. He remembers the season is only half over and has cautioned the team to remember the same thing...LEAVE ON FRIDAY: Friday morning's session will be the last here before the squad entrains for Detroit at 5:20 p.m. on a Milwaukee road train. Arrival is scheduled for Saturday morning, when a light workout will be held at the site of Sunday's game. The team will headquarter at the Statler hotel.
PACKERS HAVE SCORED ONCE EVERY 15 PLAYS THIS YEAR
OCT 26 (Green Bay) - Those aerial-mined professional gridders, who toss passes around a football field with the greatest of ease, are out to set another record and it looks like it's going to be easy. In 19 games this season, the play-for-play boys have averaged one touchdown for every 21 plays - rushing or passing - figures released from the NFL's statistics bureau reveal. The figure is even more startling when compared with similar statistics for 1936, when it took an average of 42 plays to produce a touchdown. Last year, that figure was reduced to 22.4. But the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles, tied for first place in the Eastern division of the league, has scored a touchdown for each 12.2 plays. Green Bay, with five victories, and with Don Hutson in the starring tole, has scored on an average of once every 15 plays...PASS IMPORTANT NOW: Eight years ago, when the mark of a touchdown for each 42 plays was set, the pass wasn't one of the chief offensive weapons. Today it is just about as important to the offense as the backfield itself. Consequently, the number of touchdowns scored is going up, the number of plays per touchdown is dropping. The fact passes, and long runs, too, have played the main role in cutting down the number of plays per touchdown is revealed in the records of first downs scored by leading teams. New York, tied with Philadelphia for the Eastern division lead, has marked up but 27 first downs in three games. Philadelphia has but 30 on its record. But of New York's 692 yards gained, 245, or more than a third, have been through the air. Philadelphia has gained 310 of 890 yards with passes, and has completed 16 of 22 for a .485 percentage...PACKERS ARE LEADERS: Green Bay, with five straight victories, continues to lead the league in virtually all departments, the league's statistics show. The Packers have averaged 4.8 yards per play rushing, have scored 12 of 21 touchdowns on passes, and have intercepted 12 of their foes' passes, two of which they have converted into touchdowns. Defensively, Philadelphia and New York's line appear to be tops in the league so far. The statistics show the Eagles have held their foes to an average of one yard per rush in 111 attempts. New York's mark, also for 111 rushes, is 2.3 yards. While forward passes have been getting a big workout, laterals have been at a minimum this season. The Chicago Bears have tried nine and completed seven. Second in that department are the tailend Card-Pitts, with a three-for-three mark. Six other teams have tried one each and the other two, none.
SOLDIERS GET FOOTBALL
OCT 26 (Milwaukee Journal) - The Packer-Cleveland game at Green Bay last Sunday was re-broadcast by short wave, via San Francisco, to fighting men in the south Pacific, and the Washington-Brooklyn game at Washington by short wave, via New York, to fighting men in the European theater...Statistics show the Washington Redskins have missed Sammy Baugh more for his kicking than his passing. Frank Filchock, who has completed 50 out of 78 attempts, has more than filled Baugh's shoes as a passer. But nobody on this team has been able to get off more than good high school punts...The Packers will leave for Detroit Friday morning and work out at Briggs stadium Saturday morning...Listen to Elmer Layden air his ideas about the Cleveland Rams: "Green Bay can't be counted in for the western division championship until the Rams are counted out. Cleveland has more spirit and more confidence than any other club in the league. The team is a giant killer."...The Bear-Packer game at Chicago a week from Sunday is now a sellout.
DALLAS GRID PROS GET COTTON BOWL FOR PARK
OCT 26 (New York) - John F. (Chick) Meehan, president of the new Trans-America Football league, announced Wednesday that the Dallas pro club had signed the Cotton Bowl as its home park. Meehan said President George Schepps of the Dallas club had announced plans were underway to increase the bowl's seating capacity to 100,000. The new league, which plans to operate after the war, will be made up of teams in Boston, Dallas, Baltimore, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and Philadelphia.
LIONS ACQUIRE HALFBACK AND END FOR PACKER TILT
OCT 27 (Detroit) - Coach Gus Dorais has signed two new players in an effort to bolster the Detroit Lions for Sunday's struggle with the Green Bay Packers. Freeman Riley Rexer, a six-foot-one end, came to the Lions via Tulane University, the Chicago Cardinals and the Boston Yanks. He was released by the Yanks recently. Fred Dawley, former Pershing High School star, and later a member of the University of Michigan squad, is the other newcomer. Dawley is a halfback and weighs 190 pounds. Frankie Sinkwich reported to Dorais Thursday that he was in the best shape since joining the club. Although they have won five league games in a row the Packers are not taking the Lion engagement lightly. Coach Curly Lambeau has been working the Packers in two practice sessions daily. The Packers will arrive in Detroit Saturday morning and work out Saturday afternoon. Advance sale of tickets would indicate that the game will draw nearly 40,000 fans.
GUS TO COACH LIONS FROM PRESS BOX
OCT 27 (Detroit) - The Eye in the Sky for the Lions in their Sunday game with the Green Bay Packers at Briggs Stadium will be Coach Charles E. (Gus) Dorais. Last Sunday at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Dorais directed the Lions via telephone from the press box and found the arrangement so satisfactory that he will use the system again. Line Coach Joe Bach will be on the field end of the phone. A year ago when Green Bay played in Detroit, Coach Earl Lambeau of the Packers made his debut as a telephone coach. His screams of anguish provided an interesting sideshow for press box occupants. Come Sunday and Dorais may outgeneral Lambeau, but he'll never outshout him.
PACKERS LEAVE FOR TUSSLE WITH DETROIT LIONS; SEEK SIXTH WIN
OCT 27 (Green Bay) - When the Packers meet the Detroit Lions there Sunday, they will be making the first defense of their undisputed lead in the Western division on a foreign field and they will also be seeking their ninth victory in succession over an eleven that has come a long way in football since the Bays handed them a defeat earlier this month. The Green Bay team left for Detroit on a Milwaukee road train late this afternoon and will arrive there shortly after 8 Saturday morning. They will go immediately to Briggs stadium, site of Sunday's contest, for a light workout. Indications are in Detroit were today that a crowd of 40,000 will be on hand for the game...ARE STRONGER CLUB: Before leaving the city, Coach Curly Lambeau expressed the through that the Packers can take their sixth victory in a row. But he hastened to add that the Lions are a much more poised and efficient ball club than they were when the Bays defeated them, 27-6, in Milwaukee Oct. 1. The coach said, "We'll have a
lot tougher time than we did before against the Lions." The squad has been working all week on a defense to stop Frankie Sinkwich, whose second year in the professional game promises to put him among the leaders in several departments when the final game is played midway in December. If the Packers can stop Sinkwich, their chances for a successful defense of their top perch will be considerably improved...LIONS ADD TWO: Coach Gus Dorais is leaving nothing undone to strengthen his team for the tussle. He announced today the signing of two new players. Riley Rexer, former Tulane university end, went to the Lions after service with the Chicago Cardinals and the Boston Yanks. He was recently released by the Boston club. The other newcomer is Fred Dawley, who was a member of the Michigan squad after starring for a Detroit high school. The tilt is the first away from home for the Packers, considering that their two games in Milwaukee are listed as home games by the league. It is first of five they must play on other fields, where the home club admittedly has somewhat of an advantage because of its knowledge of the surroundings. After Detroit come the Chicago Bears, Cleveland, New York, and the Card-Pitts, in that order...RAMS TO MEET BEARS: With Cleveland meeting the Bears in Chicago Sunday, a victory by Green Bay becomes all the more necessary since the Rams are conceded a good chance to hang up their second victory this season over the defending champions. That would leave Coach Buff Donelli's Cinderella boys in second, hard on the Packers' heels, should the latter lose to the Lions. Although it was believed at first that halfback Lou Brock would be available against the Lions, it was announced today that he would not see action. Brock sustained a leg injury against Cleveland and has received hospital treatment. He will play against the Bears Nov. 5. Available for the same game, Coach Lambeau said, will be halfback Roy D. McKay, who has been sidelines with a leg injury since an exhibition game in the east early in September...OTHERS IN SHAPE: Two other casualties, tackle Baby Ray and fullback Ted Fritsch, will play Sunday although Ray may see only limited action. Fritsch turned in another great running game against Cleveland despite a pulled muscle and he should be more effective against Detroit now that he's back in top shape. All other members of the team are also in good condition physically. With Brock out of action, the veteran Joe Laws will get the starting assignment at right half. Only other change in the starting lineup is expected to have Bill Kuusisto at left tackle in place of Ray and Tiny Croft, who has shown improvement the last two Sundays.
COLELLA DID SCORE TWICE FOR RAMS IN GAME WITH PACKERS
OCT 27 (Green Bay) - Football fans who scratched their head about a discrepancy in the scoring summary of the Packer-Cleveland game as it appeared in the Press-Gazette and in United Press accounts as compared with the tally in Milwaukee and Chicago papers last Monday can rest easily. The Press-Gazette and UP claimed Tom Colella, the Rams' ace halfback, scored two touchdowns, the first on a 75-yard run and the second on a 25-yard dash. Everybody else had halfback Mike Kabealo scoring the 25-yard touchdown, which came in the second quarter to knot the count at 14-all. A letter from Charles F. (Chili) Walsh, general manager of the Rams, was received by the Press-Gazette sports staff today. It said, "Tom Colella scored our second touchdown against Green Bay last Sunday - not Mike Kabealo as some of the papers carried." Colella also figured in the third touchdown when he passed to Jim Benton for 23 yards midway in the fourth quarter.
PACKERS INVADE DETROIT FOR SIXTH GAME SUNDAY
OCT 28 (Detroit) - The Packers will make an all-out attempt to move closer to clinching the Western division pennant in a NFL tussle with the Detroit Lions in Briggs stadium here Sunday afternoon. The kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 Green Bay time and a crowd in excess of 40,000 is expected. Undefeated in five straight battles, the Bays may have their hands fuller than they expect against the Lions. Coach Gus Dorais' eleven has improved both offensively and defensively since they dropped a 27 to 6 decision to Green Bay in Milwaukee Oct. 1. Their upswing reached a peak last Sunday, when they tied the Chicago Bears, 21-21...STAY IN CHICAGO: A scheduled practice here today was cancelled when the team ran into difficulty of transportation. Shortly before the Bays were scheduled to leave Friday, their Pullman reservations were cancelled in Chicago. Immediate arrangements were made to put the team up at the Knickerbocker hotel in Chicago. Lack of room space at the hotel required that the Packers sleep on cots in the halls. They left early this morning and arrived here shortly after 4 o'clock this afternoon. Coach Curly Lambeau was worried about the lack of a warm-up drill to give the team a chance to shake off travel kinks. He also made no bones about the fact that the team's offense would feel the absence of halfback Lou Brock, who is out with a leg injury. Without Brock, the Packers' ground and aerial games will be directed by the veteran Joe Laws, whose eleven years in the pro game do not seem to have stopped him very much. To balance off Lou's loss will be the hard running of Cpl. Tony Canadeo, the league's third best ground gainer a season ago...TO WATCH CLEVELAND: While the Bays are attempting to down the Lions for the ninth successive time, they will be anxiously awaiting results of the Cleveland-Chicago Bears duel in Chicago. If the Bears can turn the tables on the Rams and hand them their second defeat, the Packers' chances for the West half pennant would be considerably improved - if they
defeat the Lions. Coach Lambeau made no bones about the fact that his team's principal chore Sunday will be to stop the combination of Bob Westfall and Frankie Sinkwich, both of whom have been outstanding this season. Sinkwick, particularly, has Lambeau worried when he remembers the ease with which the former Georgia ace engineered the Lions to their only score in the previous battle...HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE: To counter-balance Sinkwich and Westfall, the Bays have a combined running and passing game that none of their previous five opponents could stop. With the addition of Canadeo, the running game has new power. The passing department work is focused on the Irv Comp-Don Hutson combination. Ted Fritsch, the pile-driving fullback, is again in top shape and adds to the potency of the ground gaining corps. On the basis of previous records, the Packers must be conceded the edge. This, Coach Lambeau says, doesn't mean a thing because the Lions may choose this Sunday to explode. The Lions, on the other hand, are not conceding a thing and they would rather enjoy playing the giant killers by spoiling the Bays' undefeated record...TO START VETERANS: Lambeau said he would start a lineup consisting of Hutson and Harry Jacunski at ends; Bill Kuusisto and Paul Berezney at tackles; Pete Tinsley and Glen Sorenson, guards; and Charley Brock, center. In the backfield, besides Comp and Laws will be Larry Craig at blocking back and Don Perkins at fullback. The Packer head man said frequent replacements would be used during the game. The Lions will open with an all-veteran team excepting Westfall, who is a rookie. Others in the backfield are Bill Callihan and Art Van Tone. They play the halfbacks, Sinkwich handles the ball at quarter and Westfall has been shifted to fullback from left half. The starting line consists of Dave Diehl and Mack Matheson, ends; Ed Opalewski and Luke Lindon, tackles; Al Kaporch and Stan Batinski, guards, and Alex Wojciechowicz, center...OTHER GAMES SET: In other games Sunday, Cleveland will play at the Chicago Bears; Card-Pitt travels to Washington; Boston meets the Brooklyn Tigers in Brooklyn; and Philadelphia goes to New York. The Eagles and Giants will be battling to keep their records clear of defeat in the Eastern division feature. The Redskins, also undefeated but tied once by Philadelphia, should have no trouble defeating the Card-Pitts.
PACKERS TO FACE LIONS IN TOP WESTERN GAME
OCT 28 (New York) - Green Bay and New York, the two unbeaten, untied clubs in the NFL, face rugged tests Sunday from Detroit and Philadelphia, respectively, as the pro circuit presents another full five game schedule. Curly Lambeau's Packers, who disposed of Cleveland's threat, must take on the improved Lions in Detroit, where they figure to be much tougher than the club that dropped a 27-6 verdict to the leaders October 1. With Frankie Sinkwich, the league's leading ground gainer, in the lineup, Detroit will have an offensive wallop to partially counterbalance the Irv Comp-Don Hutson aerial combination of the Packers. Steve Owen has one of the best lines in the circuit at New York and his attack is beginning to click around Bill Paschal, ward Cuff and Howard Livingston. However, the explosive T formation scoring power generated by the Eagles around Roy Zimmerman may knock the Giants out of the eastern lead at the Polo Grounds. The Chicago Bears, pennant winners in three of the last four years, need to defeat Cleveland at Wrigley field to stave off virtual elimination from the western half chase. Buff Donelli's Rams have been the surprise package of the season, winning three straight until beaten by the Packers, 30-21, last Sunday. Jim Benton, who is giving Hutson a run of it for pass catching honors, and is tied for second in scoring, teams up with Tom Colella as the air arm of the Cleveland club. Washington, like Philadelphia undefeated but once tied, takes on the Card-Pitt combination at Griffith stadium with a chance to move up in the race while the Giants and Eagles are scrapping. Brooklyn and Boston, the only eastern teams without a victory, meet at Ebbets field, where Pete Cawthon's Tigers are favored to shake off a string of tough luck with their first victory.
PACKERS PLAY LIONS IN DETROIT SUNDAY
OCT 29 (Detroit) - The Green Bay Packers, with five straight victories behind them, go out there Sunday afternoon with a bunch of Detroit Lions who have been itching for this chance ever since losing the first game in the annual home and home series in Milwaukee a month ago, 27-6. The Lions hit their low of the season in that meeting, and there hasn't been a week since in which they have not kept one eye on the second meeting, and the chance to redeem themselves. Since their low, they have been nosed out by the Cleveland Rams, after taking a 17-0 lead, have beaten the Brooklyn Tigers and have tied the Chicago Bears. No. 1 Lion problem early in the season was the lack of sustained drive. It was apparently solved in the Bear battle last Sunday, however, and Coach Gus Dorais now believes his Lions can take care of themselves. Packer power is wrapped up in a set of backs that includes Ted Fritsch, Lou Brock, Irv Comp and Tony Canadeo, plus the ever present Don Hutson at end. Comp has inherited the Packer passing mantle, worn in the past by Arnie Herber and Cecil Isbell, and like his predecessors has as his main target the greatest pass receiver in gridiron history. Lion defensive drills throughout the week have been aimed at halting the Packer passing threat. The Detroit offense still reads: Frank Sinkwich and Bob Westfall, aided by a set of capable blockers and a line averaging 223 pounds from end to end. Sinkwich rates as one of the finest all-around backs in the league. The Packers, who arrived here Saturday morning, and who worked out lightly, ruled two touchdown favorites, despite the fact that both Baby Ray, giant tackle, and Lou Brock, veteran halfback, were not in the best of shape. The Lions only smiled, however. They have an upset on their mind. A crowd of 40,000, largest of the season here, will watch the game. A full schedule of other games will support the battle here. At Wrigley field, the Chicago Bears will entertain the Cleveland Rams before an estimated 35,000, at New York, Steve Owen's Giants will play host to the Philadelphia Eagles before an estimated 50,000, at Brooklyn, the Tigers will meet Boston before 20,000, and at Washington, the Redskins will meet the hapless Card-Pitts before 30,000. Washington, Philadelphia and Brooklyn are favorites. The Bear-Cleveland game looks like a tossup.
LIONS HAVE PLENTY TO AVENGE; 8 DEFEATS IN A ROW TO PACKERS
OCT 29 (Detroit) - Bolstered by the 21-21 ties with the Chicago Bears last week, the Detroit Lions will seek to end their longest losing streak to one club when they play the Green Bay Packers at 2:30 p.m. in Briggs Stadium. Eight times during the last four years the Lions have dropped league decisions to the Packers. The Lions last won in 1940, when they squeezed through to a 23-14 triumph. The Lions will be a much improved team over the one which dropped a 27-6 decision to Green Bay in Milwaukee in the season's opener. Frankie Sinkwich, despite chronic appendicitis, has moved in front as the league's leading ground gainer and one of the league's top ranking passers. Bullet Bob Westfall has come into his own as a runner and should help Sinkwich with the ball carrying duties against the Packers. Green Bay, meanwhile, hasn't deteriorated. Since beating the Lions, the Packers have rolled over all opposition in the Western Division to lead the circuit with five straight triumphs. The Packers still possess the No.1 scoring threat in Don Hutson, the pass catching wizard, and Irv Comp, who is on the pitching end of the aerial bombs. Not that they needed held but Curly Lambeau will have Tony Canadeo, the Grey Ghost of Gonzaga, to aid in the ball carrying and passing chores. Canadeo is currently on a furlough and made his debut last week against the Rams by gaining 107 yards rushing on 12 plays. Hutson will probably better five league records in Sunday's game. He has the record for passes caight, 419, of which 35 have been snagged this season. He also has caught the most touchdown passes - five this year. During his ten-year stay in the league, Hutson has gained 6,823 yards on passes and has the league title in most points scored, 689, and most touchdowns scored, 91. The Lions will be at full strength against the Packers. Gus Dorais' chief worry is still pass defense. An adequate defense would have given the Lions a victory instead of a tie against the Bears.
