Detroit Lions (3-2) 52, Green Bay Packers (2-3) 17
Sunday October 26th 1952 (at Green Bay)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(GREEN BAY) - The Detroit Lions were expected to explode to some extent at City stadium Sunday afternoon, but nobody figured they’d get help – and a lot of it – from the Green Bay Packers. But that’s what happened. Our Packers, paying the role of the perfect host, all but lit the match, dropped it into the Lion powder keg and then stayed around for the fireworks. The Packers toasted their guests by losing the ball four times on fumbles and five times on pass interceptions – a total of nine crucial errors that assisted in creating this final score: Detroit 52, Green Bay 17. And to make matters worse, the Packers suffered their embarrassment before a capacity crowd of 24,656 – the largest gathering ever to witness a Packer-Detroit game in Green Bay. It was the second worst licking Green Bay ever took from Detroit, the 45-7 thing in 1950 being No. 1, and it was the second successive 52-point game for the Lions over Green Bay. Last Thanksgiving day, Detroit outscored the Pack, 52-35. Nothing seemed to work for the Packers. Besides the fumbles and interceptions, the Packers had difficulty giving their passers vital protection, blocking for their runners and tackling, and defensing, in general. The Lions rolled up their points in nightmarish fashion. They held a 14-7 lead in the first quarter and upped it to 28-10 at the half. It was 42-17 going into the final heat. The visitors, limited to 44 points in the four games with Los Angeles and San Francisco, scored seven touchdowns and a field goal and two teedees went to Jug Girard, the former Packer halfback, on passes of 15 and 39 yards from quarterback Bobby Layne. Girard, starting at left half in place of injured Doak Walker, led the Lions in running and receiving. He gained 61 yards in 11 rushes and caught four passes for 69 yards. The turning point came early in the afternoon. The Lions scored the first time they got their hands on the ball, driving 42 yards in seven plays. A moment later, quarterback Tobin Rote fumbled and, socko, the Lions had another TD – this time covering 43 yards in three plays. The Packers reduced the lead in half with one mighty sweep – a 78-yard touchdown pass maneuver from Rote to Bill Howton. Dom Moselle intercepted a Detroit pass and the Packers zoomed to within 13 yards of the tying TD when Rote fumbled again and Detroit recovered late in the first quarter. That, as the game developed, was it! The Lions banged to two quick TDs in the second heat to make it 28-7. Just before the half the Packers moved close enough for an “advantage” field goal – just in case the worm turned in the last half. But it never turned. Bob Smith intercepted a Rote pass and returned 46 yards for a TD. Two minutes later, Detroit recovered Bobby Jack Floyd’s fumble and Layne hurled 39 yards to Girard for the TD that made it 42-10 early in the third frame. Just before Detroit went on another spree, Babe Parilli hurled to Jim Keane for 29 yards and a Packer TD. Ironically, the Packers finished with a statistical edge – 423 yards to 384, including 380 to 222 by passing – but the advantage – especially in the air – shows how the Packer offense actually was weakened. The Packers, who in their previous four games were able to maintain a balanced between passing and running, one helping the other. Against Detroit, however, the Bays were forced into the air too early because of the Lions’ fat lead. The upshot was that the Packers didn’t have time to use their rushing to keep the defense honest. The spread was hauled out as the Packers sought to “spread out” the Lion defense but it didn’t work. The Packer rushers finished with only 53 yards – 25 by Rote. The Lions banged for 162 yards on the ground. Five of the game’s nine touchdowns came through the air, with Layne pitching three of them and Rote and Parilli one each. Howton showed up as the game’s hottest receiver, nailing seven for 151 yards. On his TD catch, Howton worked behind Don Doll, the Lions’ ace defense, and outran him to the goal line. The Packers got themselves made at the wrong people early in the game. After Parilli was forced to punt when Reichardt dropped a first down pass, the Lions drive 42 yards to the TD with Layne pitching to Girard the last 15 yards. Pat Harder’s try for the extra point seemed under the bar and the official standing behind Harder stood motionless for a few seconds. Then he ran to the official under the crossbar for a conference. They both looked at the crossbars as if it was on fire and finally one of ‘em came back to the 10-yard line and motions, with great gusto, that the point was good. After a first down, Thurman McGraw recovered Rote’s fumble and the Lions took off. Cloyce Box took Layne’s pass between Dan Sandifer and Bobby Dillon for a 37-yard move to the Packers’ six and Bob Hoernschemeyer banged it over from the 11. The officials had no difficulty on the next kick, the ball sailing pretty high. After Rote and Howton worked their TD magic, Girard ran for 15 yards, but Moselle intercepted Layne’s pass intended for Box at midfield. Moselle was about to race for 10 or so but Box grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him down. Rote ran the two ends for 18 yards and then hurled to Elliott to the 22 and to Keane to the 13. On third down, the middle of the Lion line crashed in on Rote and forced him to fumble, Jim Doran recovering. The Lions hammered 77 yards to their next TD early in the second frame. Layne passes to Girard for 15 and Hoernschemeyer for 17 ate up most of the yardage and the payoff came on a 15-yarder from Layne to Bill Swiacki after which Harder converted. The best the Packers could do was a 17-yard advance on a Parilli-to-Keane pass so the Lions got off a 73-yard TD march. A 36-yard run by Girard and a tripping penalty on the Packers set up Hoernschmeyer’s eight-yard TD blast, with Harder converting again for 28-0. Just before the half ended, Rote threw to Keane and Mann for 13 yards and then pitched to Howton for nine. Howton lateraled to Tony Canadeo for an additional five. Rote hurled again to Howton for eight to the 27 and Reichardt stepped back on the 35 to deliver a field goal. The Packers quickly forced the Lions to punt at the start of the second half, but Moselle, with nobody within 10 yards of him, signaled for a fair catch on the Packers’ 27. Rote hurled to Elliott for 13 to the 40 but Smith intercepted Rote’s pass in front of Howton on the Bay 46 and ran for a TD. The Packers’ TD followed an exchange of punts. Starting on Detroit’s 41, Cone lost three but Parilli hurled to Howton for 15 to the 29. After one pass went incomplete, Keane took Parilli’s pass on the 20, broke away from two defenders and raced into the end zone. Cone then kicked the Packers’ last extra point of the afternoon. Parilli completed four straight passes as the game moved into the last quarter, one to Keane for 9, two to Reid for 17 and one to Howton for 18, to the Detroit 38 but Cone fumbles and Bingaman recovered. Dillon intercepted Hardy’s pass on the 50 and raced for a touchdown but the Packers were offside and it was nullified. An interference penalty by Clarence Self on Clyde Scott gave the Detroits a first down on the Packer 12. The Bays held and harder kicked a field goal from the 17. In quick order, David intercepted Parilli’s pass. Forte recovered Girard’s fumble and Torgeson intercepted another Parilli pass. But the Lions had to punt. The Packers advanced from their own 10 to their 34 on 11-yard passes from Rote to Cone and Howton but Parilli was soon forced to punt. Christiansen took the ball on Detroit’s 35 and raced 65 yards to a touchdown, with hardly a hand touching him. Layne, who had held the ball for Harder, tried the extra point kick, with Harder holding, and made it. The Packers worked from their own 33 deep into Detroit territory on Rote’s 45-yard pass to Floyd and a 13-yarder to Howton but on the last play Christiansen intercepted Rote’s pass on the one.
DETROIT - 14 14 14 10 - 52
GREEN BAY - 7 3 7 0 - 17
DETROIT GREEN BAY
First Downs 21 21
Rushing-Yards-TD 39-162-2 21-53-0
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 12-22-222-3-1 26-45-380-2-5
Sacked-Yards 1-6 3-28
Net Passing Yards 216 352
Total Yards 378 405
Fumbles-lost 2-1 5-4
Turnovers 2 9
Yards penalized 9-75 7-71
SCORING
1ST - DET - Jug Girard, 15-yard pass from Bobby Layne (Pat Harder kick) DETROIT 7-0
1ST - DET - Bob Hoernschemeyer, 6-yard run (Harder kick) DETROIT 14-0
1ST - GB - Bill Howton, 78-yard pass from Tobin Rote (Fred Cone kick) DETROIT 14-7
2ND - DET - Bill Swiacki, 15-yard pass from Layne (Harder kick) DETROIT 21-7
2ND - DET - Hoernschemeyer, 8-yard run (Harder kick) DETROIT 28-7
2ND - GB - Bill Reichardt, 35-yard field goal DETROIT 28-10
3RD - DET - Bob Smith, 46-yard interception return (Harder kick) DETROIT 35-10
3RD - DET - Jug Girard, 39-yard pass from Layne (Harder kick) DETROIT 42-10
3RD - GB - Jim Keane, 29-yard pass from Babe Parilli (Cone kick) DETROIT 42-17
4TH - DET - Harder, 16-yard field goal DETROIT 45-17
4TH - DET - Jack Christiansen, 65-yard punt return (Layne kick) DETROIT 52-17
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Tobin Rote 8-25, Bobby Jack Floyd 3-17, Fred Cone 5-12, Bill Reichardt 2-6, Tony Canadeo 1-1, Breezy Reid 1-(-8)
DETROIT - Jug Girard 11-61, Bob Hoernschemeyer 9-44 2 TD, Bobby Layne 5-25, Pat Harder 7-22, Jim Hardy 2-5, Ollie Cline 2-5, Byron Bailey 1-2, Clyde Scott 2-(-2)
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Tobin Rote 30-16-253 1 TD 3 INT, Babe Parilli 15-10-127 1 TD 2 INT
DETROIT - Bobby Layne 19-11-173 3 TD 1 INT, Jim Hardy 3-1-49
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Bill Howton 7-151 1 TD, Jim Keane 6-75 1 TD, Bob Mann 4-38, Carl Elliott 3-30, Breezy Reid 3-19, Fred Cone 2-15, Bobby Jack Floyd 1-44, Tony Canadeo 0-8
DETROIT - Jug Girard 4-69 2 TD, Cloyce Box 2-45, Jim Doran 2-27, Bob Hoernschemeyer 2-25, Bill Swiacki 2-24 1 TD, Pat Harder 0-22
LIONS NOT 35 POINTS BETTER THAN PACKERS, DETROIT MENTOR CONCEDES
OCT 27 (Green Bay) - Though it is not difficult to be magnanimous in victory, especially after such a decisive one as had been recorded earlier at City stadium, youthful Buddy Parker didn't think his Detroit Lions were 35 points better than the Packers. "We got a lot of breaks. The Packers gave us the ball nine times - four times on fumbles and five times on interceptions," Detroit's 37-year old head coach, settling back in an overstuffed chair if room 237 at the Hotel Northland, reminded. "You can't win when you do that. A team that loses the ball nine times has to be a great team to overcome that." Parker, however, wasn't conceding that Dame Fortune alone had been responsible for the Lions' success. "Our offense finally jelled," he contended, pointing out "we've been hurt" to explain their 2-2 record going into the game. "Harder, Walker and Hart have been out most of the season. They are our big guns and you can't have them out of there and expect to win, ordinarily. In fact, even today Harder was playing on his guts alone. Then, too, Girard played the best game he's played all year," Buddy declared. "He played a hell of of a ball game." (Later, a Detroit aide confided that "Girard would be as good as Doak Walker if he could block. That's the only thing we are worried about. We still don't know if he can block. Walker, you know, is a terrific blocker even though he is a little guy.") Walker, plagued with a pulled muscle, did not make the trip to Green Bay. Admitting that one of the vanquished had impressed him no little, Parker quoth, "I'll tell you one thing. That Howton's a great ball player - he's a good one. He's the best first-year end I have seen up here in a long time...well, since Hutson, I guess."...LA RAMS BETTER THAN A YEAR AGO: In speculating on the NFL's championship race, after he heard that the Eagles
had upset the Giants, the Lions' chieftain asserted, "The Forty-Niners won't go through unbeaten, either. You've got the percentages with you on that - they still have to play the Giants once and the Rams twice. And the Rams are a better football team than they were a year ago," Parker claimed. "Ten of the eleven players in their starting lineup are better than the ten they had last year. The only thing is they've been missing Hirsch. You can't help but miss a great player like Hirsch. When he gets back in there, they'll be awfully tough." He didn't agree, however, with the prediction of the Chicago Bears' George Halas that the National conference champion will lose four or five games. "I don't think so," Parker observed. "Even 9-3 might not win it - but I think that would be really close." If Detroit proposes to annex the title, his estimate poses a formidable problem for the Lions, since they already have lost twice. Someone ventured that it was unfortunate the Packers had fared so poorly before a capacity house. Parker agreed but interposes: "We've done the same thing. We haven't played a good game at home in nearly two years - and certainly not this season. We had a full house for that 'Frisco game, with a possibility for another the next week against Los Angeles if we won or played the Forty-Niners close. And what did we do? We stunk out the park."...Apparently still unable to believe what happened, the Packers - almost to a man - sat stunned for some minutes before they slowly began to shed their uniforms. Conversation was limited and what there was came in subdued tones - and in spurts. Ultimately the fact that the "show must go on" was brought home to them when Tarz Taylor intoned: "Practice Tuesday morning - 10 o'clock Tuesday." Head Coach Gene Ronzani, contacted later at the Beaumont hotel, was understandably disappointed - but the afternoon's result had failed to quench his optimism. "We'll beat some of these teams, some of those we aren't expected to beat, before the season's over," he vowed. "That's the way the kids feel, anyway."...GUESSED WRONG ALL THE WAY: Summing up what had transpired, Gene said: "I guess we guessed wrong all the way. We won the toss and we elected to receive because we figured we could score and gave them the wind. As you know, it didn't work out that way. But everybody, from the coaching staff down to the ball players, knows that we have to bounce back. They know that we're not that bad a ball club. You could feel," Gene confided, "what was going to happen out there - and what did happen - right from the start. The kids were pitched a little too high. People looked at Detroit with a 2-2 record and figured we should win. I'm not taking anything away from the Lions, but it should have been a lot closer. But everything we did today was wrong. I won't blame the kids, though, because they tried all the way. What I was most disappointed over," the big fellow admitted, "was the 17 points. I figured we would score more than that - and I figured our defense would do better."...A rhubarb developed after the Lions' first touchdown in the opening quarter when it appeared that Pat Harder's conversion attempt had sailed under the crossbar. As a matter of fact, even the officials weren't sure that it had gone over, which was the eventual ruling. This last was announced after a conference between Referee Ronald Gibbs and Back Judge Bob Austin. Ronzani came down the sidelines to protest and fans sitting in the east end zone bombarded the officials with a chorus of boos. Later, Ronzani shouted (to Gibbs): "Would you like to see a picture of that placekick?" And the latter, seldom at a loss for words, shouted back: "I certainly would!"...On a dry day, the ball is rarely changed - except when it is pilfered by a fan after an extra point. But in the second quarter, such a maneuver became necessary when the ball received a blood bath as the Packers' Bill Robinson was tackled after returning a kickoff following the Lions' third touchdown...Carlton (Stretch) Elliott and the Lions' Jack Smith exchanged hot words and nearly came to blows after their paths crossed following Babe Parilli's punt early in the first quarter. Later, Elliott was literally "out on his feet" in the second period but refused to give way to a replacement (Bob Mann) until Ronzani yelled, asking him to leave the game. As he reached the sidelines, the lion-hearted Elliott told Gene: "Give me some smelling salts - I'll be all right."...Alertness on the part of Tony Canadeo and Bill Howton gave the Packers a first down just before the half. Canadeo, a few strides behind Howton, in the process of being tackled after catching a pass, shouted, "Bill!" Howton twisted in the arms of his tackler and lateraled to Tony, who rambled for eight additional yards before being halted...Clyde (Smackover) Scott, recently acquired by the Lions on waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles, collapsed - without "assistance" - late in the third quarter. Bob Forte, only player to touch him, had slipped off in attempting a tackle. Scott continued for two more yards - and slumped to the ground. After being ministered to by the Detroit trainer, he was escorted to the sidelines. Even more mysterious, he returned to action several plays later...Two members of the scouting gentry, Walter Halas and C.S. McKenzie of the Chicago Bears, while away the halftime period with a game of gin rummy. Pete Halas, Walter's son, also was on hand to analyze the Packers while Charles F. Gauer studied the Bays for the Philadelphia Eagles. Howard Brinker scouted the Lions for the Cleveland Browns and Earle Brown served in the same capacity for the Dallas Texans...If the fans thought Gibbs and Headlinesman Dan Tehan "muffed" a decision or two, it is entirely understandable. Both are running for office in the November elections - Tehan for sheriff of Hamilton (Cincinnati, Ohio) county and Gibbs for recorder of deeds in Sangamon county (Springfield, Ill.,), once the home county of Abraham Lincoln. "The funny thing is," Tehan chuckled, "is that he's (Gibbs) a Republican and I'm a Democrat. We argue every Sunday."...Nearly 600 Press-Gazette city and area carrier boys were guests of the newspaper at the game. The out-of-town boys also were favored with a swim program and chicken dinner at the YMCA. Also in the stands were 50 members of the Manistique, Mich., football team, champions of the Great Lakes conference, under sponsorship of the Manistique Quarterback club and 500 IGA food retailers, wive and clerks, as a reward for winning a contest sponsored by their supply depot...A game matching St. Phillip and Cathedral of the Parochial Football league featured between halves entertainment. St. Phillip annexed a 6-0 decision, the score coming on Larry Vanden Avond's runback of the opening kickoff.
PACKERS FACE 'GIANT KILLERS'
OCT 28 (Green Bay) - The "Giant Killers" from Philadelphia are next for the Packers. Philadelphia, known as the Eagles, gained the new name by the simple process of defeating the Giants in New York Sunday, 14 to 10. The victory rested in the NFL books today as an upset because the Giants had whipped the Eagles earlier in Philadelphia, 31 to 7. The Eagles are presently in a three-way tie for second place in the American conference with the Giants and Chicago Cardinals, with 3-2 records. Cleveland is leading with 4-1. Philadelphia, by virtue of its victory over the Giants, is rated as one of the championship possibilities in the AC. The Eagles, beaten by Cleveland, 49-7, play the Browns again Nov. 23. Philly's other two wins came over Pittsburgh. The Eagles' antics spell trouble for the Packers, who will be out to rebound after their 52-17 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions in Green Bay Sunday. Next Sunday's match is slated in Milwaukee's Marquette stadium - the Packers' last appearance of the current season there. The Packers will be facing an "old friend" in Milwaukee Sunday - quarterback Bobby Thomason - who hurled the Eagles' winning touchdown pass against the Giants. Thomason, who played here in 1951, isn't listed among the top pitchers in the league but his performance against the Giants undoubtedly means that he'll carry the load against the Packers. The only other Eagle quarterback is Adrian Burk...PASSED TO WALSTON FOR PAYOFF: Thomason came to the Packers on a conditional deal with Los Angeles in the summer of 1951. If he remained after Dec. 31, the Rams would get the Packers' first two draft choices in '52. Thomason was returned to the Rams, who, in turn, traded him to the Eagles. With the Packers last year, Thomason had the best passing percentage in the league, though he finished 17th in the league pitching standings. He hurled 221 passes and completed 125 for a percentage of 56.6. In beating the Giants, Thomason hurled a 19-yard pass to Bob Walston in the corner of the end zone - a typical Thomason pinpointer. It's interesting to note that the Eagles shattered New York, stopping the Giants' vaunted line and famous secondary. The hard charging Eagles, 15-point underdog, sent a half dozen Giants to the sidelines with hard play. So vicious was the Philly defense that Eddie Price was limited to a net total of seven yards in 11 tries and Kyle Rote was held to 12 in seven. In all, the Giants made only 54 yards on the ground and 55 in the air. The Packers' defensive figures took a beating from the Lions. Green Bay now has permitted 140 points, second worst only to Dallas, in five games - an average of 28. The Eagles, incidentally, allowed 136. The Packers counted 118 points - an average of 23-plus in five contests. The Eagles have scored 85 markers - an average of 17. The Packers resumed practice today at Bluejay park.
PACKER PASSING HELD UP DESPITE DROPOFF IN RUSHING ATTACK
OCT 28 (Green Bay) - The Packers are a wonder team. They've been able to compile a 2-3 record in the NFL - with one halfback and nobody to return punts and kickoffs. The lone halfback, of course, is the old warhorse Tony Canadeo, who can be depended upon to pick up a few yards when they're really needed and furnish some vital blocks. Other than flashes in a few games, none of the other halfbacks have shown anything with any degree of consistency. When the Packers placed an emphasis on passing by going into the spread after the Lions had taken an early lead on Sunday, the halfbacks were excused from rushing on the afternoon except for two runs - a one-yard advance by Canadeo and an eight-yard loss by Breezy Reid. The three fullback got a total of 10 attempts for 35 yards, an average of 3.5, while quarterback Tobin Rote carried eight times for 25 yards and QB Babe Parilli once for nothing. It all adds up to the Packers' worst rushing afternoon of the 1952 league season - 52 yards in 21 attempts for an average of nearly 2.5. The Bays entered Sunday's game with 664 yards by rushing - a fine average of 166 per. But QBs Rote and Parilli and fullback Fred Cone produced 425 of those yards - or well over half. Thus, when the Lions stopped our QBs and FBs, it was no surprise that our attack faltered. Without some degree of consistency in the rushing department, the Packer passing suffers. Yet, the pass, as evidenced by the 380 yards in 26 completions "came through" for Green Bay despite the fact that Lion defenders could sit back and wait for us to throw while the powerful Detroit line crunched our rushers. In case you're hazy yet, we're slinging a compliment toward the Packers' air game which must be rated among the toughest in the league. Both Rote and Parilli have been hitting over 50 percent and figures to be released tomorrow may show them one-two in the league. The receiving corps is led by the redhead from Texas, Bill Howton,
who is well on his way to bettering the rookie season of Don Hutson. Add the clever Bob Mann and the two stretch-out boys, Jim Keane and Stretch Elliott, and you have a well-rounded, versatile threat. Man, if we only had a McElhenny at halfback to help keep the opponents honest; then, that passing would really work. Packer opponents, to change the subject, have little to worry about when they punt or kickoff. The Packers have averaged a fraction over 20 yards on KO returns, while their punt return average is a terrible 5.9. Billy Grimes apparently just isn't the flash he was in 1950 on punt and KO returns. His five-yard return of the opening kickoff Sunday put the Packers in an early hole - on their own nine-yard line. Later in the game, Dom Moselle signaled for a fair catch of a punt without a Lion within 10 yards. Ironically, on the play, Grimes delivered a perfect block on the closest Detroiter. But Sunday was a day of irony. How often do you see three defensive backs leap up at the same time to intercept a pass? That's what happened on a Jim Hardy pass in the third quarter, when Clarence Self, Dan Sandifer and Moselle going up and each coming down without a football. From a pure speed standpoint, the Packers' best (other than the offensive ends) was Bobby Dillon's interception and 50-yard touchdown runback of a Hardy pass in the fourth quarter. Dillon, one of the most feared punt returners in college football last year (he finished eighth in the nation), lost the TD, however, since the Packers were offside. Dillon played on the right side in the first half to watch Cloyce Box and shifted to his normal left side in the second.
EAGLES WILL FACE LEAGUE'S TWO LEADING PASSERS IN PARILLI AND ROTE IN SUNDAY'S PRO GAME HERE
OCT 29 (Green Bay) - Jim Timble's Philadelphia Eagles won't have only the NFL's No. 1 forward passer on their necks when they meet the Green Bay Packers at Marquette University's stadium Sunday afternoon, they'll have the league's No. 2 passer, too. Latest averages, released Wednesday, reveal that Babe Parilli, the Green Bay colonel, took over first place with his performance against the Detroit Lions Sunday, and Tobin Rote second. Parilli, in one of his finest performances, although the cause was lost, completed 10 out of 15 for 127 yards. In the season's averages, the former Kentucky star has now picked up 485 yards on 25 completions in 47 attempts for an average of 10.32 yards a pass. Rote, with 42 completions in 78 attempts. has gained 681 yards for an average of 8.73. The league, unlike the colleges, rates its passers on average gain per attempt. The colleges rate on completions only. Veteran Frankie Albert of the undefeated 49ers ranks third with 8.31 yards a pass, Otto Graham of the Cleveland Browns fourth with 7.94 and Adrian Burk of the Eagles fifth with 7.64. In passing efficiency, however, and the league considers this only secondary importance, Parilli and Rote both stand well down the line. Rote has averaged 53.8 percent and Parilli 53.2 percent. Y.A. Tittle of the 49ers leads in this with 43 completions in 70 attempts for an average of 61.4 percent - and here certainly is one of the reasons the team has rolled to a string of unbroken successes. Burk has averaged only 42.9 percent. The Packers also have men well up in other categories of play. Rote ranks eighth among the ground gainers with 221 yards on 41 plays for an average of 5.4 per carry and Bill Howton third among pass receivers with 21 for 543 yards and third among scorers with 36 points. Howton has scored six touchdowns - the sixth against Detroit Sunday. In ground gaining, dazzling Hugh McElhenny of the 49ers has replaced Eddie Price of the Giants on top of the heap with 437 yards on 43 attempts for the spectacular average of 10.2 yards a play. Price, in second place, has gained 358 in 78 attempts. In pass receiving, Mac Speedie of the Browns leads with 26 for 420 yards; in scoring, Lou Groza, also of Cleveland, with 45 points on 10 field goals and 16 points after touchdown; in punting, Horace Gillom of Cleveland with an average of 48.3 a kick; in punt returns, Johnny Williams of Washington with 177 yards on nine returns; in kickoff returns, Lynn Chadnois of Pittsburgh with 273 yards on eight returns, and in interceptions, Howie Rich of the Rams with six which he returned 102 yards. The Eagles have a few topnotchers aside from Burk. Bobby Thomason, who played with the Packers last year, ranks 15th among receivers, Bobby Walston eighth among scorers, Bud Grant fifth among pass receivers, Burk 10th among punters and Eddie Bawal eighth among punt returners and second among pass interceptors.
PACKER PLAYERS WERE 'TOO HIGH'
OCT 29 (Milwaukee) - How do you explain a 52-17 pasting, the worst in your league all year, even though you out-statisticked the other guys? "The kids were pitched a little too high" is the way Coach Gene Ronzani put it to the Green Bay Press-Gazette after his Packers were thumped thoroughly by the Detroit Lions in an NFL game last Sunday. Then, in seeming contradiction, Ronzani added: "People looked at Detroit with a 2-2 record and figured we should win." Maybe some did - a capacity crowd of 24,656 turned out - but certainly not for long after the kickoff. The Lions scored in 7 plays the first time they had the ball, in 2 the second time, in 10 the fourth, and in 6 the fifth. The third time they failed because of a pass interception, the only Bobby Layne lost all day. "You could feel what was going to happen out there right from the start," said Ronzani in his post-game interview. Despite the shellacking they took, the Packers actually had the best of it in the statistics although this must have come as a complete surprise to folks who watched the debacle. They outgained, outpassed and outpunted the Lions - and outfumbled them, 5-2, losing the ball four time that way and five other times on intercepted passes. "I won't blame the kids, though, because they tried all the way," the coach confided. Green Bay emerged from the whipping with the league's top passers - Babe Parilli and Tobin Rote. The pair combined for 26 completions in 45 tries for 380 yards despite the five interceptions - and currently rank 1-2 in NFL statistics based on average gain per pass. Parilli has a 10.32 average, Rote 8.73. The two worked individually Sunday, despite the outstanding success they had together in the split T against Los Angeles a fortnight ago. Rote operated almost exclusively off the spread, which leaves almost no doubts that he's going to pass, and Parilli off the straight T. Not once, with his club trailing by huge margins all the way, did Ronzani have both his best offensive threats in the game at the same time. "We'll beat some of these teams before the season's over," said Ronzani. The Philadelphia Eagles, who upset the Giants 14-10 last Sunday for their third win in five league starts, meet the Packers here Sunday. There are plenty of seats still available at Marquette Stadium.
EAGLES DID ABOUT FACE AGAINST THE GIANTS
OCT 29 (Milwaukee Sentinel - Lloyd Larson column) - When the Green Bay Packers square off with the Philadelphia Eagles at Marquette Stadium Sunday afternoon, their situation will be much the same as the one confronting these very same Eagles last Sunday. The previous week the Eagles contributed to their own downfall as they were practically run out of their own ballpark by the Cleveland Browns, 49-7. It was 42-0 going into the last quarter. They lost the ball on fumbles four times and twice on interceptions. Cleveland racked up five of its seven touchdowns on passes. Another came when the Eagles fumbled a pitchout in their own end zone and the Browns pounced on the ball - an out and out gift. Even the statistics, which can be misleading, offered absolutely no consolation. The Browns ran for 234 yards and passed for 273 on 19 completion in 31 attempts - a bulging total of 507. The best the Eagles could do was pick up an extremely modest 45 rushing and complete 13 only out of 41 passes for 117. That made the combined yardage figure 162, which was just about in keeping with the final point tabulation. So last week it was on to New York to battle the Giants, conquerors of those same Browns who has clipped the Eagles almost beyond recognition. But the direct opposite of the expected happened. Yes, the Eagles cut the Giants down to size, definitely. It wasn't only the winning numbers on the scoreboard: 14-10. The Giants were held to the unbelievably total of 109 yards - 54 rushing and 55 passing. The Eagles gained 222 (120 passing and 102 on the ground). They fumbled only once and didn't have a single pass intercepted by the famed Giants' umbrella defense. The moral to that complete about-face is obvious: There's no telling how a football will bounced or how even the best football players will perform. This time the Packers are in the bounce-back spot and the Eagles, now tied for second in the American Conference, on the defense. Last Sunday, coach Gene Ronzani's boys played pretty much the same type of give-away game in losing to Detroit that the Eagles did in the nightmarish affair of October 19 with the Browns. The Bays fumbled four times to cut off possible scores of their own. The bloopers cost them double when the Lions turned each into a score of their own. To be exact, 24 of the Lions' 52 points developed that way. In addition, five passes were intercepted - one turned directly into a Detroit touchdown on Bob Smith's 46-yard runback. Jack Christiansen's 65-yard punt return late in the game was one of those things that happen when a team is down and has no chance. So that, too, was in the nature of a gift. Which adds up to 38 points of give-away. Statistically, the Packers have much more to cheer about than the Eagles had the day they were snookered by the Browns. The Ronzanimen wound up with a commendable total of 433 yards gained, 49 more than the conquering Lions. So they have what it takes to move the ball and score enough to jolt those high-flying Eagles. But they must eliminate the mechanical errors, just as the Eagles did last Sunday against the Giants. There's no telling what would have happened in the Lion game if vital things hadn't gone haywire in the first quarter. For instance, what if Bill Reichardt had caught Tobin Rote's third down pass into the left flat on the first series of plays after the opening kickoff? Bill was wide open and might have been running yet IF he had made the catch. But he didn't. So Babe Parilli punted and the Lions were on their way to TD No. 1. Came the next kickoff and a better return by Billy Grimes to the 27. In three plays the Bays moved close to midfield. Then, with second down and two to go, Rote fumbled. The Lions recovered and covered the necessary 43 yards in two plays. The Packers countered with that 78-yard dazzler, Rote to Bill Howton, and soon again were back in business following Dom Moselle's interception of a Bobby Layne pass. On first down from the Lion 22, Rote hit Jim Keane for nine yards to the 13. It looked like a touchdown coming up and a tie score in spite of the costly errors already committed. It was all right for Rote to try to cross up the defense with a pass in the second down-one situation. But it was a mistake to try it off the spread, which practically shouted a "Pass" warning. A pass off a running formation, with the threat of going for a first down, would have been the smart call. But a spread it was and it failed. Rote stayed in the spread on third down, was rushed hard and fumbled when hit. Doran recovered for the Lions and there went the ball game. It's too later to do anything about that one. So why not take it out on the Eagles, just as the Eagles did to the Giants?
EAGLES PRACTICING PASS DEFENSE? PACKERS' AERIAL GAME POWERFUL!
OCT 29 (Green Bay) - What's going on in the Philadelphia Eagle camp this week? Big Jim Trimble, head coach of the Eagles, probably took one look at the official league statistics this morning and announced: "Fellers, let's just spend the rest of our time this week practicing pass defense." The figures show that the Packers are a potent outfit with the aerial bomb, despite their 52-17 loss to the Detroit Lions. For instance, Trimble discovered that the Bays have the league's No. 1 and No. 2 passer in Babe Parilli and Tobin Rote and the league's No. 2 pass catcher in Bill Howton. On the team side, the Packer passing attack ranks second only to the Cleveland Browns and tops the circuit in the number of touchdowns scored by passes. Cleveland gained 1,144 yards passing against the Packers' 1,044. Third, incidentally, is Philadelphia, with 861. The Bays counted 11 times by pitching while Cleveland and the Pittsburgh Steelers each registered 10 TDs in the air. Parilli, who lacked one attempt to lead a week ago (standings are based on average gain per passing attempts), hurled only 47 and completed 25 for 485 yards and an average gain of 10.32. Rote, the leader for the two previous weeks, held an edge over third-place Frankie Albert of San Francisco. With 42 completions in 76 attempts for 681 yards, Rote has an average gain of 8.73 against Albert's 8.31. The two Packer hurlers are virtually even in percentage of completion - Rote, with 53.8 and Parilli with 53.2. Rote threw six TD passes and Parilli five. Rote had five intercepted and Parilli four. Howton, with eight catches against Detroit - one for 78 yards and a touchdown - is tied in second place with Gordy Soltau of San Francisco with 21 catches each. Mac Speedie of the Browns and Gene Schroeder of the Bears are leading with 26 each. Rote to Howton, the only receiver to average over 20 years in college football last year, is presently averaging a fraction under 26 yards per catch. His 21 receptions produced 543 yards, while the next best figure is 420 for Speedie. Six of Howton's catches went for scores, which also puts him in a third place tie in the league in scoring (36 points) with five other players. Rote, with 28 yards in the Detroit game, holds eighth place among the league's ground gainers, with 221 yards in 41 tries for an average of 5.4. Hugh McElhenny, the Forty Niners' great back, has a super 10.2 average to lead the field with 437 yards in 43 attempts. The Packers are not represented among the first 10 players in punt returns, punting, kickoff returns and interceptions. Horace Gillom of Cleveland has the best punting mark, 48.2...PACKER DUST: After practice Tuesday morning, the players remained in the clubhouse to conduct a meeting after the coaches had left. Captain Bob Forte was in charge...The Packers learned today that scout and office assistant Jack Vainisi is in serious condition at Hines Veterans' hospital in Chicago. Vainisi, who is suffering from rheumatic fever, was moved there last week...The team was in full uniform Tuesday morning for a squad picture and several other publicity shots...The emphasis was on offense this morning as the coaches observed the rugged Philadelphia defense which held the powerful New York Giants to 10 points Sunday. The Packers are expecting to see a lot of passes by Bobby Thomason, the former Packer QB who paced the Philly win...Packer publicity chief Jug Earp left for Milwaukee yesterday to start "pushing" the game. Due there today was Eddie Hogan, Eagle publicity director...Tackle Tom Johnson, the rookie from the University of Michigan, has been added to the active Packer roster. He was placed on the injured list 30 days ago. To make room for him, one player will be placed on the inactive list before the Eagle game.
MILWAUKEE SALES IN GB? PACKER 'SALES' IN MILWAUKEE?
OCT 29 (Green Bay) - An even exchange is a fair bargain, 'tis said. How about this: The 100 Milwaukee businessmen here last night on their goodwill tour praised Green Bay business - and the Packers - to the high heavens and then invited, or urged, the matching 100 Bay businessmen to do their purchasing from Milwaukee concerns instead of those in Chicago or Minneapolis-St. Paul. Add this: Emil Fischer, president of the Packers and a businessman himself, praised Milwaukee and then invited, or urge, the Milwaukee businessmen to back the Packers to boosting attendance at games in Milwaukee. All of this took place at the special banquet given for the business people at the Northland hotel last night. The Milwaukee business part was presented by Harry J. Kaufman, Standard Oil executive and chairman of the trade promotion committee of the Milwaukee Association of Commerce, and the Packer pitch was hurled by Fischer and head coach Gene Ronzani. The Packer problem, it seems, is much more complicated than that of the Milwaukee businessmen (trying to get Bay business to buy Milwaukee products). Fischer, for instance, explained that "the only way to get
Milwaukee to support the Packers is to get Milwaukee fans to feel that the Packers are theirs as much as Green Bay's; we all realize that the Packers need Milwaukee and the rest of the state to survive." He pointed out that the Packers furnish Milwaukee businessmen, as well as those in Green Bay, "with a medium of advertising you can't buy anywhere for any price." Fischer declared that the Packers feel that they should play three league games in Milwaukee and three in Green Bay but "usually only one game in Milwaukee is a success at the gate." Fischer asked the businessmen to "assist in our effort to sell the Packers in Milwaukee." I.R. Wittenborg, the president of the Milwaukee A-C, said that the "biggest tie between our fine cities is the Packers" and added that "it is a great satisfaction that you play three games in Milwaukee." Fischer introduced Ronzani and gave the burly mentor a vote of confidence by saying that "Gene has been successful in his work to rebuild the Packers." The audience of nearly 300 persons gave Ronzani a rousing hand clap. Gene asked "you men not to give up on the Packers - the players aren't giving up, the coaches aren't, and certainly the fans are not. We'll have a winner before not too long." Admitting that the job of rebuilding the Packers has not been as easy one, Ronzani said that "we are gradually getting more and better college talent, and, barring losses to Uncle Sam, we're sure we will have a winner." Referring to next Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Milwaukee, Ronzani said that "I'm sure our boys are mad enough (after losing to Detroit) to go out and play the football that they are capable of playing."
DALLAS TEXANS BROKE, MAY NOT FINISH YEAR
OCT 29 (Dallas) - Officials of the Dallas Texans' pro football club admitted Wednesday that the franchise's ownership is being reorganized because of financial loss due to poor attendance at games. Stockholders have turned over their stock to five trustees - Giles E. Miller, Col. D. Harold Byrd, John Coyle, Jack E. Vaughn and Harlan Ray - in an effort to continue the team in the NFL. The Texans have lost all their games this year and have averaged only 12,000 paid spectators at three home games. A director of the Texans told the Dallas News, "If the community doesn't get behind us, we may not finish the season." Asking to remain anonymous, the director added, "We're not going to dig down into our pockets any deeper to keep pro football in Dallas. If Dallas doesn't want the game here, there's no point in spending more money." About $250,000 is necessary, in addition to the sale of 15,000 season tickets next year, to keep the team out of the red and assure its continuance in pro league football for the rest of the season and next.
NOW IT CAN BE TOLD! EAGLES USED 'NEW' TEAM TO UPSET GIANTS, 14-10
OCT 30 (Green Bay) - The Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Cleveland Browns, 49 to 7, and then turned around and beat the New York Giants, 14 to 10, who had beaten the Browns. How do you explain that? Eddie Hogan, publicity chief of the Eagles, answered the question with one of those now-it-can-be-told statements. "After our loss to the Browns, something had to be done. Coach Jim Trimble decided to make some position changes and he came up with six of them that just made us a new team." Here are the amazing switches: "Ebert Van Buren, a fullback for two season, was moved to defensive halfback; Pete Pihos, one of the club's star offensive ends, moved to defensive end; Jim Parmer, a fast halfback, went to right defensive halfback; Wayne Robinson, an offensive center, worked at linebacker; Ken Farragut, a linebacker, filled Robinson's shoes on offense; Norm Wiley, an offensive left guard, went to defensive right end." In addition Maurice Nipp, a rookie who started the season with the club, was recalled to play offensive left guard and Neil Ferris was picked up from the Redskins to play a defensive halfback spot. Thus, the Eagles, in one week, "rearranged" their team enough to pull a sound upset. The same "new" team will go against the Packers Sunday in Milwaukee. Against the Giants, the revitalized Eagle line threw Chuck Conerly for losses 13 times. The New York team dropped 127 yards trying to pass. Hogan said he has nicknamed the Eagles' defensive line the "Fearsome Five" - Pihos at left end, Vic Sears at left tackle, Frank Kilroy at middle guard, Mike Jarmoluk at right tackle, and Wiley at right end..."CARRY IT ALONG": The Eagles played the Giants without their great linebacker - Chuck Bednarik, who has a broken bone in his left foot. After the game, he said, "I'll have a tough time getting my job back the way Robinson was playing out there." Bednarisk probably won't play against the Packers, but Hogan said, "Robinson was as good as Bednarik is on his best days." Bobby Thomason, the former Packer quarterback, played the entire game on offense. "He had been used off and on with Adrian Burk and Fred Enke in the earlier games but the coach decided to let him carry it alone against the Giants," Hogan said. The Eagles are due in Milwaukee Saturday noon. They'll work out that afternoon in the Brewer baseball park and headquarter at the Ambassador hotel. The Packers, still smoldering as the result of their 52-17 loss to the Detroit Lions, went through another long workout this morning.
PACKERS TAKE SECOND IN PASSING YARDAGE
OCT 30 (Milwaukee Sentinel) - When the Green Bay Packers take the field at Marquette Stadium here against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, local fans will see two of the outstanding passing attacks in the pro ranks in action. The Packers, with their aerial one-
two punch of Babe Parilli and Tobin Rote, are second only to the Browns in the NFL's passing yardage gained department, according to league statistics released Wednesday. Green Bay's opponents, the Eagles, are third. Cleveland is first with 1,144, while Green Bay is second with 1,044. The Eagles are next with 861. Coach Gene Ronzani's gridders are doing all right on the ground, as their 717 total testifies. They're fifth in the league, with the San Francisco 49ers taking the lead on their 1,148 yards. The Chicago Cards are second with 817. Green Bay is second in passes completed, being topped by the 49ers who have 68 out of 123 for a 55.3 percentage. The Packers have 54 percent. Individually, the Bay's brilliant rookie, Vito Parilli, is the league's No. 1 passer. The Kentucky Babe has completed 25 of the 47 passes, gaining 485 yards for an average of 10.32 yards a toss. Parilli has moved ahead of his teammate, Rote with 42 completed in 78 tries for 681 yards or 8.73 yards each toss. The 49ers, paced by freshman back Hugh McElhenny, have replaced the Browns as the best offensive team - on the ground as well as in the air. San Francisco has rolled up a total of 1,879 yards to 1,832 for the Browns. Defensively the best overall records belong to the Lions and Giants. Each has allowed the opponents only 3.1 yards per running attempt. Cleveland has the best pass defense record, having allowed only 34.1 percent.
PACKERS FACE SURPRISE IN EX-MINNESOTA END
OCT 31 (Green Bay) - The Packers hammered on defense today - against (1) Bobby Thomason's pinpoint passing and (2) one of the surprises of the NFL season. Thomason's accuracy in pitching a football is no mystery hereabouts. With the Packers last year, Bobby had the best completion percentage in the league - 56.6. The surprise is Harry Peter Grant, Jr., former University of Minnesota end - the Eagles' first draft choice in 1950. Grant, a native of Superior, skipped pro football in 1950 for a season of basketball with the Minneapolis Lakers and joined the Phils in '51. Grant's first pro season was spent as a defensive end but after the campaign his coaches announced that he would work at offense in '52. As of now, Grant ranks third among National league pass catchers, with 20 receptions for 364 yards and two touchdowns...TEAMMATE OF SOLTAU: At Minnesota, Grant was a teammate of San Francisco's Gordy Soltau, who is presently tied with the Packers' Bill Howton in second place, with 21 catches each. Mac Speedie of Cleveland and Gene Schroeder of the Chicago Bears are leading with 26 apiece. Grant beat out the talented veteran, Pete Pihos, for the first-string offensive job at right end and Pihos was shifted to defense. Sharing pass catching chores with Grant is Bobby Walston, last year's rookie of the year. Walston isn't listed among the league's top 10 pass catchers but one of his catches, a 19-yarder from Thomason, helped upset the New York Giants, 14-10, Sunday. Walston, who has scored 31 points on 10 extra points, five field goals and one touchdown thus far this year, counted 94 points last year on eight TDs, 28 out of 31 extra points and six field goals. He caught 31 passes for 512 yards and eight TDs...The Packers held their blackboard meeting one hour earlier last night to permit the players and coaches to watch the East-West game. Head coach Gene Ronzani viewed the battle from the press box...
PACKER DUST: The team will leave for Milwaukee on the 11 o'clock North Western Saturday morning. They'll headquarter at the Schroeder hotel. The Eagles are due by plane at 12:30 Saturday and are scheduled to drill in the Brewer baseball park that afternoon. They will headquarter at the Ambassador hotel...Packers officials are keeping their fingers crossed on the crowd. They're hoping for at least 15,000, but it may drop to around 12,000...Expected to see considerable action Sunday is tackle Tom Johnson, the rookie from the University of Michigan. To make room for Johnson, HB Bill Robinson was cut loose. Before leaving Green Bay, Robinson thanked Coach Ronzani for the opportunity to play here. The halfback from Pittsburgh expects to go into the Army soon...One-quarter of the two trades worked out by the Packers and Eagles last summer will be in action Sunday in the person of Packer defensive halfback Dan Sandifer. Dan came to the Packers in exchange for Rip Collins, who didn't make the grade there. In the other trade, the Bays sent Buddy Burris to Philly for Mario Gianelli. Burris never reported; Gianelli was cut loose after a couple of days in the Packer training camp.
DALLAS TO FINISH SEASON
OCT 31 (Dallas) - Anybody will had any doubt that the Dallas Texans would finish out their initial year in the NFL can rest assured today. The directors of the financially-troubled club made it clear at a board meeting yesterday that the Texans will complete their 1952 schedule. They also expressed extreme optimism that the club would operate at the same stand in 1953 - but probably as a "civic venture". To bulwark their assurances, the director - who admitted that funds were needed to carry out those plans - launches a drive to raise $125,000 in the form of unsecured negotiable loans from civic leaders, and a new issue of prior and preferred capital stocks.
CLOSE PACKER-EAGLE TILT INDICATED BY STATISTICS
OCT 31 (Milwaukee Journal) - Statistics indicate the tightest kind of battle when Gene Ronzani's Green Bay Packers close out the Milwaukee end of their schedule here Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Eagles. The game, at Marquette Stadium again, will begin at 1:30 o'clock. The unquestioned edge on offense after five league games belongs to Green Bay; the clear advantage on defense to Philadelphia. Breaks, spirit and alertness will probably determine the winner. The Packers lead in almost all categories that involve advancing the ball - total first downs, yards rushing, ball handling and scoring. In only two of them do the Eagles lead. They have rolled up two more first downs by passing and have kicked three more field goals. In most categories of defense, though, the Eagles lead - opponents' points allowed, first downs, yards passing and rushing and points. In only two of these maneuvers do the Packers show an edge in defense against passes and in number of plays allowed an opponent. Offense or defense, you can take your pick. The Eagles, who will fly in Saturday afternoon, have won three and lost two, with their last victory a surprise over the defensively tough New York Giants last Sunday. The Packers have won two and lost three - the last game a 52-17 shellacking at Detroit's hands.
OLD FRIEND, THOMASON BECOMES ENEMY NO. 1
OCT 31 (Milwaukee Sentinel-Lloyd Larson) - One of the major tasks confronting the Green Bay Packers Sunday afternoon in their final Milwaukee appearance at Marquette Stadium will be trying to stop an old friend turned enemy, not by choice but still an enemy. That would be none other than Bobby Thomason, now a member of the Eagles in extra good standing - the pro football variety of Eagles that is. The extra good part of the deal stems from the fact that Thomason was at the quarterback controls all the way as Philadelphia pulled a major 14-10 upset on the New York Giants last Sunday. Not only did he call a superlative game, in the judgment of the coaches if you please, but pitched the key touchdown pass to Bob Walston by way of clinching one of the finest comebacks in pro football history. The previous week, be it known, the Eagles looked like something the cat dragged in as they were taken for a 49-7 ride by Cleveland. But it was a completely different showing last Sunday, and a major part of the credit for the victorious revival went to Thomason. Bobby's fine job didn't come as the staggering surprise some might imagine, for the Eagles' management saw enough of him last year to become convinced he had such possibilities. It was when he was with the Packers that the "let's get Thomason on our side" first hit Philadelphia for Bobby was the big gun in Green Bay's victory that day...THOSE RAMS ARE HARD BARGAINERS: In other words, the Eagles, like wise men in all walks of life, were determined to go along with old political axiom: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." It wouldn't have been possible if the Packers had owned Thomason, for they, too, recognized his value. But it so happened that he was on lend-lease from the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams, very much in the driver's seat, had the Packers strictly over a barrel. They (the Packers) could make use of Thomason's talents and pay his salary during 1951. But he would revert back to L.A. after the season UNLESS Green Bay agreed to give its first two 1952 draft choices in payment. That's like demanding a handful of dimes in exchange for a nickel. The Packers had no choice. They had to turn down the hard bargaining offer, for as valuable as Thomason is, no one in his right mind would trade Bobby for Babe Parilli and Bill Howton, No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the Bays' 1952 draft list. Thomason went back to the Rams - on paper and only long enough to give the Eagles a chance to get him in a trade for Jack Myers. So that's how it happened that Gene Ronzani's club will be playing against the man who was such a big help at the Bay last year...ROBINSON MAKES AUSPICIOUS DEBUT: The Eagles were full of surprises last Sunday - surprises born of necessity and which worked out so well they are serving as guides for procedure this week against the Packers. Take the case of Wayne Robinson, Minnesota center last year. Robinson hasn't played a minute on defense as a pro until last Sunday when he took over the left linebacking duties of the injured Chuck Bednarik, big All-American from Pennsylvania. Result: Bednarik may have lost the assignment permanently. Bibble Bawel (pronounced BOBBLE) never played defense at little Evansville (Ind.) College. Yet he sewed up the safety position with the Eagles. On offense, too, Philly goes contrary to the pattern with three pro freshmen in the starting backfield. They are left half Ralph Goldston, 195 pounder from Youngstown College; fullback John Huzvar, 240 pounder who played at Pitt and North Carolina State, and Don Stevens, 175 pound right halfback from Illinois. But the five man defensive line - the Fearsome Fivesome - is made up of veterans only: Ends Pete Pihos and Norman Willey, tackles Vic Sears and Mike Jarmoluk, and Frank Kilroy, middle guard. "Wild Man" Willey last week knocked down the Giant passers 13 times and was mainly responsible for causing them to lost 127 yards. So throw 'er into high, you Packers!
SKINS' MARSHALL WOULD EXPAND PRO GRID LOOP
OCT 31 (Washington) - George P. Marshall, owner of the Washington Redskins, said Friday he would like to see the National pro football league add two teams next year. His nomination for the two teams: Baltimore and Buffalo. Both were in the old All-America Conference, and Baltimore had a try in the NFL. Marshall is sure the league will expand from 14 to 16 teams. "It's got to come eventually," he said in an interview. "It's only a matter of time before every section of the country will have a team." Marshall fought - and lost - a fight to bring Buffalo into the league when San Francisco, Cleveland and Baltimore were added. Commissioner Bert Bell of the NFL has said there has been talk of reviving the Baltimore franchise, revoked by the league at the end of the 1950 season.
PACKERS OUT TO BOUNCE BACK AGAINST PHILLY SUNDAY
NOV 1 (Green Bay) - The Green Bay Packers will attempt to bounce back and the Philadelphia Eagles will try to keep bouncing when they collide in a NFL contest in Marquette university stadium here Sunday afternoon. The Packes, riding with a 2-3 record in the National conference, still have that 52 to 17 shellacking from Detroit on their minds, and they hope to take it out on the Eagles. Philadelphia, with a fine 3-2 mark in the American conference, is still sailing in the clouds as the result of its 14 to 10 upset vicory over the New York Giants. The experts seem to be undecided on a favorite. Some call it a tossup because of the Packers' ability to bounce back, while others figure the Eagles as a three-point choice because of their win over the Giants. At any rate, a crowd of 15,000 - probably less - is expected for the Packers' final appearance of the 1952 season here. Kickoff is set for 1:30. For the second straight week, the Packers will be facing a former 1951 teammate. And if Eagle quarterback Bobby Thomason has a day like Lions halfback Jug Girard had last Sunday, the Packers are in for trouble. Thomason shared QB duties with the Pack last year and Girard, who scored two touchdowns for Detroit, played four seasons with the Bays. Thomason will start for Philadelphia and carry the load, with his handoff magic and pinpoint passing. He came to the front last Sunday by handling the Eagles' entire offense and pitching the winning touchdown pass to Bobby Walston. Noting the Lions' success against the Packers with the forward pass, the Eagles are likely to do a lot of throwing Sunday, with Thomason pitching to ends Walston and Harry Grant and a host of backs. Eagle coach Jim Trimble is anxious to see his "switched" team in action against the Packers. He made six major moves to help bring about the victory over the Giants. One of the top changes found offensive end Pete Pihos starring as a defensive wing. Packer coach Gene Ronzani feels the Packers can post their third victory if his charges reduce their errors. The Bays lost four fumbles and five pass interceptions in the Detroit game - major factors in their defeat. The Eagles likely will concentrate on the Packers' rookie pass catching sensation, Bill Howton, who has been giving all opponents a fit. But they won't forget Bob Mann, the Bays' veteran offensive left end, who king-pinned the Packers' victory over Philly in Green Bay last year. Quarterbacks Babe Parilli and Tobin Rote, ranking first and second in passing in the league, respectively, are expected to divide the pitching duties. Rote operated most of the Detroit game off the spread. The chances of Rote and Parilli to succeed in moving the Bays will be up to the Packer line which had trouble against the Lions. The Eagle line, with Pihos and Norm Wiley at the ends, blasted the Giants' vaunted line last Sunday and threw Chuck Conerly for losses 13 times. The Packers' line also will be the clubs's main defense against the Eagles' passing and rushing. Added to the wall this week was rookie tackle Tom Johnson, who had been out 30 days due to an injury. He played well in some of the non league games before he as hurt. The Packers are headquartering at the Schroeder hotel here, while the Eagles are at the Ambassador. The Packers will return on the 10 o'clock North Western Sunday night. The University of Marquette band will play between halves of the game, staging a program arranged by Director W.J. Geisheker.
JOHNSON SET TO PLAY FOR PACKERS SUNDAY
NOV 1 (Milwaukee Sentinel) - The best bit of news out of the Green Bay Packer camp in a long time came Friday when Coach Gene Ronzani announced Tom Johnson, 203 pound tackle from the University of Michigan, will return to action Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at Marquette Stadium. Johnson did such a bang-up defensive job through the exhibition series that he apparently had the left tackle assignment sewed up when he was injured early in the league opener with the Bears. He has been on the shelf ever since. To make room for the big tackle, Ronzani released Bill Robinson, who saw limited service at halfback after being signed as a free agent two weeks ago. The defensive problem became acute when Howie Ruetz underwent an emergency appendectomy. But the outlook is brighter now that Johnson is ready for tackle duty as well as a relief man for Ray Bray in the middle guard spot. Ronzani is pleased with the way the boys have bounced back in practice after last week's Detroit game. "The spirit is great and I have a hunch they will be keyed for an all out effort against the Eagles," said the coach. "The Philadelphia club is tough, but our gang is capable of a lot of football, too." Babe Parilli, Tony Canadeo, Breezy Reid and Fred Cone will make up the Bays' starting backfield. Jim Keane and Bill Howton, ends; Dick Afflis and Steve Dowden, tackles; Steve Ruzich and Dave Stephenson, guards, and Jay Rhodemyre, center, will be in the offensive line. A once-over-lightly workout will complete the Packers' preparatory chores Saturday morning. They will leave immediately thereafter for Milwaukee. The Marquette University band, under the direction of W.J. Geisheker, will join with the Packer Lumberjacks in putting on a show between halves Sunday.
PACKERS LOOK TO EVEN RECORD
NOV 1 (Milwaukee) - The Green Bay Packers will be out to even their record in the National Conference at three wins and three losses when they engage the Philadelphia Eagles in a NFL contest in Marquette Stadium Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1:30. The Packers suffered loss No. 3 at the hands of the Detroit Lions in Green Bay last Sunday, 52-17, and they're anxious to bounce back hard in an effort to maintain a slim chance for the National Conference championship. Green Bay's task won't be easy Sunday. The Eagles possess a 3-2 record in the American Conference and their latest win was a 14-10 gem over the Giants in New York. The other two victories were recorded over Pittsburgh, while the two losses were at the hands of the Giants in an earlier contest and the Cleveland Browns. The Packers, who uncoiled 380 yards by passing against Detroit, are expected to unleash their potent air attack, with Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli pitching. Parilli ranks first in the league in passing while Rote is a close second. On the receiving side will be the brilliant rookie, Bill Howton, and veteran Bobby Mann. The Eagles' attack with be engineered by a former Packer quarterback - Bobby Thomason, who presided over the victory over the Giants. Thomason, a pinpoint passer, threw the winning touchdown pass to end Bob Walston. The Eagles will present a revised lineup. Offensive end Pete Pihos, for years one of the club's top receivers, will be at defensive end, representing one of six switches that helped make the Eagles a "new" team against the Giants. Sunday's game will be the Packers' last appearance of the 1952 season in Milwaukee. In two earlier league matches, they whipped Washington, 35-20, but lost to Los Angeles, 30-28.
PACKERS, EAGLES CLASH IN AERIAL DUEL TODAY
NOV 2 (Milwaukee) - An afternoon of passing thrills is in prospect when the Green Bay Packers close
the Milwaukee half of their home schedule Sunday at Marquette Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles. The usual 1:30 kickoff time will prevail. The Eagles' huge defensive line probably will force the Packers to take to the airlanes. The easterners, not exactly noted for their running attack, very likely will have to move "upstairs" too. So it could turn out to be a pitching duel between the Packers' Babe Parilli and Tobin Rote, and Bobby Thomason, who played for Green Bay last year, and Adrian Burk of the Eagles. Philly has some pretty fair country catchers, notably Bobby Walston, but as a group they can't compare with Bill Howton, Jim Keane, Bob Mann, Stretch Elliott and Company. Around the league they're already calling this Howton boy another Hutson - high praise indeed for a pro freshman. Coach Gene Ronzani's operators, who whipped Washington, 35-20, and lost to Los Angeles in that never-to-be-forgotten 30-28 thriller, will be gunning for a second place tie in the National Conference. They are presently tied for third with the Bears and Rams, a game behind the Lions. Philadelphia shares the American Conference's runner-up spot with the Giants and Chicago Cardinals. Except for Howie Ruetz, the big tackle recuperating from an operation for appendicitis, the Packers are in the best shape in weeks. Tom Johnson, 230-pound rookie defensive specialist, will make his first appearance since the Bear game, in which he sustained a severe leg injury.
