Green Bay Packers (2-4) 35, Baltimore Colts (3-3) 24
Sunday October 31st 1953 (at Baltimore)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(BALTIMORE) - There’s an old twist that goes something like this: “When you’re driving in there, you don’t get hurt except on rare occasions…” The Packers went into their sixth NFL game here Saturday night at their best possible physical condition – for the first time of the 1953 season. They were, as the saying goes, “driving in there”, but those damaging injuries popped up anyway – sort of a series of rare occasions. With the Bear game coming up in Chicago next week, it isn’t good business to list the exact spots of the injuries but tackle Gus Cifelli came out with a broken hand, defensive halfback Marv Johnson mussed up his shoulder and halfback Al Carmichael hurt his chest – to mention a few of his more serious. While the injuries provided a sober note, the Packers had reason to go hilarious – their hard-hitting 35 to 24 victory over the fan-fumed Baltimore Colts in Memorial stadium. The Packers were forced to battle not only the 33 Colts but 33,797 fans who backed their favorites to the hilt with a steady blast of screaming. This sort of fan support kept the Colts high and the Packers under extreme pressure all the way. But the Bays never let it bother them – even after the Colts charged into a 14 to 7 second quarter lead. The Packers charged back with two quick touchdowns in the last four minutes of the half to take a 21-14 margin. The Bays gained strength as the game progressed and the count was 28-17 going into the fourth period. The Packers, who showed their pass catching aces, Bill Howton and Bob Mann, together for the first time since 1952, became the first club to break down Baltimore’s vaunted pass defense for 231 yards in the air and scoring three of their five TDs by pitching – two to Howton and one to J.R. Boone. The other two teedees came on Breezy Reid’s 38-yard yard run and a three-yard sweep by Fred Cone. In view of the Colts’ big push from the fans, the Packer here in this struggle was the defense. This unit held the Colts to 14 points in the Bays’ 37-14 victory in Green Bay two weeks ago but Saturday night they faced a much “higher” Colt offense. The defenders, ends John Martinkovic and Rog Zatkoff, tackles Dick Wildung and Dave Hanner, middle guard Dave Forester, linebackers Bob Forte and Clayton Tonnemaker and defensive outfielders Bobby Dillon, Ace Loomis, Val Joe Walker and Johnson, limited the Colts to 171 yards rushing and 97 passing. This total of 268 isn’t impressive, as game figures go, but it was startling considering the intense desire on the part of the Colts to please their fans. The Packer defense limited the Colts to only three first downs in the entire second half and one of those came on a 15-yard holding penalty. The Packers, turned in a back-to-normal, 404-yard offensive performance – 231 on the ground and 173 in the air, and the surprise gent on the soil was Breezy Reid, who set a personal record by gaining 120 yards in nine carries – mostly around right end. Besides the 38-yard TD run, Reid had a 42-yard scamper. Facing Howton and Mann for the first time, the Colts had their troubles trying to cover them both and watch out for short passes to the backs in the “short” zones. As it turned out, Howton caught “only” two passes but both went for touchdowns – the first on a 41-yard throw from Tobin Rote to give the Packers a 7-0 lead and the second on a 14-yard pitch from Babe Parilli to tie the score 14-up in the second frame. Mann pulled in free for 47 yards and Cone nailed three 65 yards to keep the Colts on their heels in the last half. The Packers scored in every period, as did the Colts, but the play that broke the Baltimore back was Rote’s nine-yard TD shot to Boone, who was playing short while the ends worked among the defenders in the end zone. That TD gave the Packers a healthy 27 to 14 lead. Parilli turned in his best game of the season. He engineered the two touchdown strikes late in the first half and completed seven out of 11 passes for 99 yards. Rote, who led the Bays to a 28-14 edge, completed five out of 18 for 94 yards. Switching out the two quarterbacks forced the Colts to change their defensive thinking thoughout the game. The Packers rolled up 25 first downs and permitted the Colts 11 – eight of them in the first half. The Colts, leading the league in pass interceptions, grabbed only one off the Packers – against five in the first Packer-Colt game. The game started out like a stalemate as the teams were forced to exchange punts shortly after the opening kickoff. However, Martinkovic rushed punter George Taliaferro so hard that he just barely got his boot off, the ball traveling only 24 yards and giving the Pack a first down on the Colt 40. The Packers had a TD in two plays. Howie Ferguson lost a yard at the middle after which Howton broke away from Tom Keane around the Colt 30, took Rote’s pass on the 25 and scored easily with only 4:35 gone in the period. Cone booted the first of the five extra points to make it 7-0. The fuming squads stayed even again, each making a first down and each being forced to punt. The Colts started a drive on their own 22 and moved 78 yards in six plays to score. The payoff, after gains by George Taliaferro, Buddy Young and John Huzvar, came on a 49-yard pass play between Fred Enke and Young. Buddy took the ball on the 30 and evaded four Packers to score standing up. Buck McPhail booted the first of three PATs and it was tied up. The Colts again threatened but settled for a missed field goal try from the 48 by Rechichar. But they came back strong to grab a 14-7 lead. The Baltimores pounded 87 yards - all on the ground, with the 240-pound Huzvar eating up 62 yards in two carries - the last for 36 and the TD. The Packers quickly caught fire, drilling 67 yards in 10 plays to tie the score. Al Carmichael opened with a 24-yard run around right to the Colt 43. Reid moved to the 40, Parilli hurled to Cone to the 27. Short belts by Carmichael and Parilli moved it to the 14 from where Parilli, on third down and 10, hurled to Howton for the TD. Bill took it just inside the end line with 4:56 left in the first half. The Colts appeared headed for points when Taliaferro hit for 20 yards to midfield but he fumbles, and Ace Loomis recovered on the 50. The Packers actually covered 65 yards to score - in eight plays, because on one occasion Parilli was smeared for a 15-yard loss. Carmichael, Cone and Parilli moved it to the 38 in three tries. Parilli hurled to Mann for eight yards but Parilli was tackled back to the Colt 15. But Babe found the play that broke the Colt back, a 30-yard up the middle pass to Cone for a first down on the 15. Parilli then faked a pass and ran 12 up the middle to the three. On first down, Cone ran wide to the right for the TD, with 35 seconds left in the half to give the Bays a 21-14 margin. The Packers left nothing in the dressing room at the half. Martinkovic, Hanner and Forte pushed Enke and Huzvar back eight yards in two tries, brining on a 47-yard boot. Carmichael took Taliaferro's punt on the Packer 16 and returned nicely for 50 yards to the Colt 34. The Packers moved quickly toward pay dirt, chiefly on Rote's 20-yard pass to Mann, but the drive ended when Rote fumbled and Barney Poole recovered on the 11. Tonnemaker belted Huzvar for a two-yard loss and the Colts had to punt again. The Packers didn't muff it this time, moving 47 yards in six plays for the TD. With Mann throwing a good block, Cone moved 22 yards on a pass from Rote. Carmichael "reversed" nine yards and Cone made it a first down on the 13. After Cone hit left guard for four and a pass to Carmichael went incomplete, Rote hurled to Boone on the one and the tiny halfback flipped himself over for a 28-14 Packer lead. Near the end of the period, Enke completed a 35-yard pass to Taliaferro to the Packer 39. Walker and Dillon kayoed two passes and Rechichar settled for a field goal from the 42 for a 28-17 score. The Colts, with the "help" of the Packers, put themselves in a hole early in the fourth quarter. Rechichar intercepted Rote's pass intended for Mann on the Colt 5 and lateraled to Don Shula as he was tackled by Mann. Shula returned to 16 where Bill Forester tossed Enke for a nine-yard loss. Punting from his goal line, Taliaferro booted out of bounds on the Colt 38. On the first play, Reid took a pitchout, cut around right end behind sharp blocking and went the distance down the sidelines for a 35-17 Packer lead. A holding penalty on the Packers plus a 30-yard Enke to Rechichar pass moved the Colts to a threatening position on the Packer 29. But Marv Johnson saved the night by intercepting Enke's pass in the end zone. Starting on the 20, the Packers slammed 36 yards in three plays, Reid running right tackle for 20, Coutre hitting for three and Reid taking a 13-yard pass from Parilli. But the attack came to a sudden finish and Clive Rush punting to Taseff who took the ball on the Colt 29, dashed up the middle and went all the way for a harmless TD. The Packers had every intention of getting the TD back. Starting on the Colt 46, Reid gained 13 in two tries. A Packer holding penalty and an 11-yard loss on Coutre's reverse moved it back to the Packer 41. Reid then went around right end for 42 yards to the Colt 17, almost breaking away for the score. Boone gained six in two swats and a Parilli to Elliott pass went incomplete. Cone, trying for his 12th, 13th and 14th points of the night, aimed a field goal from the 20 but it went wide. With Forester throwing Enke back 10 yards trying to pass, the Colts were forced to punt and the game ended two plays later with the Packers in possession on their own 39.
GREEN BAY - 7 14 7 7 - 35
PITTSBURGH - 7 7 3 7 - 24
GREEN BAY BALTIMORE
First Downs 25 11
Rushing-Yards-TD 45-231-2 33-171-1
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 29-12-193-3-1 15-5-137-1-1
Sacked-Yards 2-20 4-40
Net Passing Yards 173 97
Total Yards 404 268
Fumbles-lost 2-1 4-1
Turnovers 2 2
Yards penalized 7-45 6-40
SCORING
1ST - GB - Bill Howton, 41-yard pass from Tobin Rote (Fred Cone kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1ST - BALT - Buddy Young, 49-yd pass from Fred Enke (Buck McPhail kick) TIED 7-7
2ND - BALT - John Huzvar, 36-yard run (McPhail kick) BALTIMORE 14-7
2ND - GB - Howton, 14-yard pass from Babe Parilli (Cone kick) TIED 14-14
2ND - GB - Cone, 3-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 21-14
3RD - BALT - Bert Rechichar, 42-yard field goal GREEN BAY 21-17
3RD - GB - J.R. Boone, 9-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 28-17
4TH - GB - Breezy Reid, 41-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 35-17
4TH - BALT - Carl Taseff, 67-yard punt return (McPhail kick) GREEN BAY 35-24
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Breezy Reid 9-120 1 TD, Al Carmichael 10-52, Babe Parilli 2-27, Howie Ferguson 7-19, Fred Cone 5-8 1 TD, J.R. Boone 2-5, Tobin Rote 2-4, Larry Coutre 5-(-4)
BALTIMORE - John Huzvar 12-89 1 TD, George Taliaferro 12-56, Buddy Young 5-18, Buck McPhail 1-6, Jack Del Bello 1-5, Fred Enke 2-(-3)
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Babe Parilli 11-7-99 1 TD, Tobin Rote 18-5-94 2 TD 1 INT
BALTIMORE - Fred Enke 15-5-137 1 TD 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Fred Cone 3-64, Bob Mann 3-46, Billy Howton 2-53 2 TD, Howie Ferguson 2-8, Breezy Reid 1-13, J.R. Boone 1-9 1 TD
BALTIMORE - Dan Edwards 2-22, Buddy Young 1-49 1 TD, George Taliaferro 1-36, Bert Rechichar 1-30
TWO SQUAD MEETINGS HELPED BRING PACK 'UP'
NOV 2 (Green Bay) - The Packers admitted a “mistake” they made in Pittsburgh and then went out and corrected it here Saturday night. It came to a head in the Lord Baltimore hotel Saturday afternoon when the Bays held two meetings. The first was the regular squad session with the coaches – a final review of strategy for the Colt game. Head Coach Gene Ronzani closed it with a straight-from-the-shoulder talk on the season to date, the rumbling back home and his own outlook. He told the players that “whatever happened in games before tonight I have never lost faith in you.” After this meeting, Bob Forte, firebrand captain of the club, called a session of only the players. Bob minced no words: “We owe to ourselves, the Packer fans of the nation, the coaches and everybody back home to get out and play our absolute best tonight. Nobody knows better than we do that we played a terrible game in Pittsburgh. And nobody knows better than we do that we are far better than the exhibition we put on against the Steelers. We’ve got to play like h--- tonight.”...Those two meeting, however briefly revealed in this piece, gave the Packers the heat of h---, and nobody, not even the Colts who were whipped up to a furious pitch by the screaming fans, would have had a chance Saturday night. With only a minute left in the game and the Bays sure of victory, the word was spread quickly up and down the bench and among the 11 players on the field to “grab the coaches”. When the final gun went off, the players, with Buddy Brown and Dave Hanner doing the heavy work, lifted Ronzani – 240 pounds and all – off the ground and shouldered him to the entrance of the dressing room. Assistant coach Ray McLean would have gotten a ride, too, but McLean worked the game on the telephone in the pressbox and couldn’t possibly get down in time…There were many tears of joy in the Packer dressing room. Ronzani was all but overcome by emotion and it was hard for him to talk – hard to explain what had happened and how he felt about it. “I don’t think we were ever geared this high; I don’t know if I ever saw a club play like this,” Ronzani said. “You can imagine how high our kids had to be because those Colts – those Colts were so high. The Colts couldn’t let down. Every time they moved an inch, they got a 10-yard lift by all those people (33,797) yelling. That’s a big advantage when you get all the support from the stands. They just kept yelling, “Go, go, go!” The coach said he thought the Packers were “much tougher” than they were when they beat the Colts in Green Bay. “We had to be – the way the Colts were driving in there,” he added...It is difficult to describe the “height” of the Packers. But after the game Larry Coutre, the halfback, was still like a wild man. He cried and ranted, and the players had to cool him down. Larry, probably mirroring the spirit of alma mater Notre Dame, needed 15 or 20 minutes to unwind. Ronzani mentioned the fine blocking that Coutre and Forte had done but the coach stopped short: “It is impossible to punt any one player down as great in this game. They were all great – especially in their spirit, their desire to win. This was a wonderful team victory – all the way.”…Ronzani had another thrill in store for him – a couple of hours later in his hotel room. It came in the form of a congratulatory telephone call from Bert Bell, NFL commissioner, who watched the game on television in his home in Philadelphia. "That was one of the biggest thrills I've ever had - that call from the commissioner," Ronzani said as he got a chance to relax about 1 a.m. Sunday. Bell asked Gene to pass the commissioner's congratulation on to the players for their "hard-driving brand of football." Bell, who undoubtedly also passed his congratulations on to the Colts for their spirited play, told Ronzani that the "Packers' play tonight was a great credit to professional football - something that every team in the league can be proud of." He indicated that the Packers' play went a long ways toward selling professional football to the fans of the country. The game was TV's from coast to coast. The Packer players disliked the attitude of the fans in Baltimore. They understood the wild cheering for the Colts but, as Bobby Dillon put it, "How can they cheer like that when one of our boys is hurt?" The Colt backers let out big roars when Marv Johnson, Dillon and Al Camichael were injured and had to be helped from the field...SHORT SHOTS: Pvt. Tom Johnson, the Michigan tackle who played with the Packers as a rookie in 1952, stopped in the dressing room to help celebrate. He is stationed at nearby Fort Meade...The mothers of two Packer ends, Stretch Elliott and Bob Mann, saw their sons in action - Mrs. Bessie Elliott of Laurel, Del., and Mrs. Arthur W. Mitchell, Bob's mother, from Petersburg, Va...The Packers weren't entirely without fan support. Joe Camardese, the former Bay resident, came over from Washington with his wife to lend their support. Lavvie Dilweg, the ex-Packer and Bayite, had planned to attend. Jim Deuster, city credit man, took in the game. On the Packer bench was Jerry Atkinson, Jim Coffeen, Jerry Jorgenson and Bill Sullivan...The paid attendance of 33,797 (actually the total gate went well over 34,000) boosted the Colts' home attendance for four games to 116,702. That is more than double the 50,304 customer the Dallas Texans drew for the same number of contests last year before doing a financial foldup...Packer line coach Chuck Drulis, who did not make the trip, wired his congratulations for Forte after the game and spoke with Ronzani via telephone...Sportscaster Earl Gillespie was a "beaten" but happy man after the game. He had done the Marquette-Boston game Friday night - with no help.
On the Packer games, Earl is assisted by Tony Flynn of WJPG, who handles the commercials and colors.
INSPIRED PACKERS PREPARE FOR BEARS
NOV 2 (Green Bay) - "Bring on the Bears" was the battle cry of the Green Bay Packers Monday as they began preparation for return match with the Bruins at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Sunday. The Packers, inspired after a 35-24 win over the Colts at Baltimore Saturday, will be seeking revenge for an earlier 17-13 loss to the Bears at Green Bay. Tackle Gus Cifelli sustained the only serious injury against the Colts. Cifelli suffered a broken hand but will be ready to go against the Bears. He'll be wearing a cast. Minor injuries were reported by halfback Al Carmichael and defensive back Marv Johnson. Both were bothered with shoulder bruises. Coach Gene Ronzani was especially pleased with halfback Breezy Reid's showing. The Georgia peach aggregated 120 yards on nine tries including jaunts of 38 and 42 yards. That's the best Reid has ever done as a pro. Halfback Benny Aldridge, injured in the Ram game, is the only Packer on the disabled list. Center Jim Ringo, who was hut in drills last week, left the club. That, coupled with the releases of Johnny Papit and Howie Ruetz, made room for the return of halfback J.R. Boon, guard Deral Teteak and Len Szafaryn. The Packers will hold daily drills before leaving for Chicago Saturday morning.
BEAR WEEK! PACK, HALASMEN VIE IN 'CHI' SUNDAY
NOV 3 (Green Bay) - This is "Bear Week" in Green Bay - the second of two extra-special football periods in our town. This is the week the Packers prepare to meet their arch rivals, George Halas' mighty Bears, and the fans in the midwest steel themselves for an explosion. The Packers and Bears will collide next Sunday afternoon (at 1:05, incidentally) in Chicago's Wrigley field to renew professional football's oldest and bitterest rivals. It will be the 71st game between the two clubs since 1921. The Monsters of the Midway will be looking for their second straight victory over the Packers. They defeated the Bays in City stadium last Oct. 4 by a score of 17 to 13 after that first extra-special period. That victory, it developed, represents the lone "1" in the Bears' win column. The Packers are one game ahead of the Bears with two victories in six starts, both wins coming at the expense of the Baltimore Colts, 37 to 14 on Oct. 18 and 35 to 24 last Saturday night - a composite margin of 72 to 38. The Bears are fresh from three losses to the two west coast powerhouses - Los Angeles and San Francisco. In the three games - the last two on the coast - the Bears scored a total of 66 points, an average of 22, while their high-scoring opponents counted 97. The Bears' scoring improvement, after registering only 40 in the first three games, served as a warning to Coach Gene Ronzani who, in turn, passed it along to the Packers. In total points, the Packers outscored the Bears, 119 to 106. However, the Packer have allowed six foes 151 points compared to the Bears' 139 permissions. The Packers went back to work today in a wonderful frame of mind, resulting largely from their victory over the Colts. Due in today to join Coaches Ronzani, Ray McLean and Chuck Drulis who left to visit his family in New Jersey immediately after the game in Baltimore. The injury picture, dark on Monday, brightened somewhat today. It is likely that both tackle Gus Cifelli, who suffered a broken hand, and halfback Al Carmichael, who injured his chest, will be ready to play. Defensive halfback Marv Johnson, who suffered a shoulder injury, is improving but his status as to playing in Sunday's game is uncertain. The usual light loosening-up workout was held this morning. The squad will plunge into heavy drills tomorrow. Monday was off day, although a number of players visited the training room for "conferences" with trainer Bud Jorgenson...Sunday's game marks the start of the second half of the 1953 schedule for both clubs. After the Bear game, the Packers return home to battle the world champion Detroit Lions Nov. 15. Then they'll invade Milwaukee to meet the San Francisco Forty Niners Nov. 22. After the Thanksgiving day date, Nov. 26, at Detroit, the Packers play in San Francisco Sunday, Dec. 6 and in Los Angeles Saturday afternoon, Dec. 12. The key game in the Western conference Sunday will send the Forty Niners, against the Rams in Los Angeles. And the Packers are hoping the Forty Niners win. A SF victory and a Packer triumph would put the Bays only two games out of the lead.
DRIVE THAT GAVE PACK 14-14 TIE TURNING POINT OF GAME?
NOV 3 (Green Bay) - There were turning points in the Packers' victory over the Colts in Baltimore Saturday night. The one that really tickled us and proved to every Packer that they could beat the Colts and the 33,797 maniacs in the stands occurred just after the Colts had taken a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. When big John Huzvar crashed 36 yards for the lead teedee, things looked black from the Packer side. If the Bays were going to fold under the damaging pressure by the Colts and their fans, this was the time. But Howie Ferguson lugged the kickoff back 20 yards to the Packer 33 and the Packers roared 67 yards (72, including a five-yard penalty) in nine plays to tie the score and strike terror in the hearts of the Colts and their screaming backers. Actually, only two of the 10 plays failed to gain yardage and one of them resulted from a penalty for backs in motion. The other was an incompleted pass from Babe Parilli to J.R. Boone, the ball sailing a trifle too high. Al Carmichael started the drive by ripping 24 yards to the Colt 43; Breezy Reid hit for three to the 40; Parilli completed a 13-yard pass to Fred Cone to the 27; and Carmichael shot right guard for four and then hurdled right tackle for five-plus, just short of a first down around the 18. Needing only inches for a first down, Parilli hit the middle for three yards, but the Packer backs in motion. The key third down was started over again from the 23, and Parilli, on a keeper, made an even five yards (a measurement proved it for a first down). After the pass to Boone went high, Parilli threw to Ferguson for four yards and then hit Bill Howton in the end zone for the touchdown. Howton's catch was one of those basket-like snatches that Elroy Hirsch made so famous. He took the ball over his shoulder just inside the end line...Just to show how this quick tying touchdown keyed the Packers even higher, the Colts' two ace halfbacks, George Taliaferro and Buddy Young, both ran into misfortune on the Colts' second play from scrimmage after the TD. Taliaferro fumbled (Ace Loomis recovered) and Young was injured and had to be helped from the field. The Packers quickly moved 50 yards in eight plays for their lead TD...From the time Huzvar scored his touchdown until the last three minutes of the third quarter, the Colts made just one first down - on a pass from Fred Enke to Taliaferro. During the same period, the Packers scored three touchdowns and compiled 13 first downs...Packer backers must have crossed their fingers when Bobby Dillon, the Packers' defensive halfback, went over to take a shot at the freight-train (Huzvar) on "its" touchdown run. Fortunately Bobby (175-pounds) had to go for a side shot at the big fullback and it can be added that it was just as fortunate that 240-pound Huzvar stiff-armed Dillon before Bobby could get tangled up in the wheels. Bobby, despite his slim size, would have tackled big John head-on if he had been able to get in front of him. There are few defensive halfbacks in the league who can escape injury by crashing head-on with a freight train. But when two freight trains meet, one is likely to be sidetracked. This situation occurred several time when big Clayton Tonnemaker smacked Huzvar a couple of time with jarring tackles. And how did Mr. Huzvar and the Packers' Mr. John Martinkovic get along? These two belligerents who mixed during most of the first Colt-Packer game was fairly peaceful. As Martinkovic put it later, "I didn't want to get kicked out of the game!"
PACKERS BACK RONZANI BEFORE EXECUTIVE BOARD
NOV 3 (Green Bay) - Green Bay Packer players, represented by Capt. Bob Forte and four other veterans, went down the line for Head Coach Gene Ronzani and the other coaches at a meeting with the club's executive committee Tuesday. The special session was called at the insistence of and for the express purpose of hearing the players whose own jobs have been made more difficult by a flood of rumors and constant criticism. Forte was accompanied by Clayton Tonnemaker, Dick Wildung, Tobin Rote and Gus Cifelli. "The players wished to express full confidence in the coaching staff and the committee expressed its appreciation of the attitude," was the official announcement by President Russ Bogda following the meeting. But it is understood that it was much a more vigorous and voiciferous gathering than the news release indicates. Cifelli is among those who stressed the "vicious circle" nature of the grumbling and growling, emanating even from the executive committee itself, which followed each of the four defeats in six league starts to date. The greater the criticism and the more numerous rumors of every description, including alleged fights and other forms of dissension among players and coaches, the tougher the problem of building a winning ball club, Cifelli is said to have pointed out. The players' demand for an opportunity to be heard by club executives grew out of a meeting last Saturday morning in Baltimore before the game that night with the Colts. They were so incensed by the week of behind-the-scenes turmoil back in Green Bay, highlighted by the quite definite understanding that Ronzani was about to be fired, that they decided right then and there to take two definite steps: 1 - Win the ball game. 2 - Insist upon a session with the bigwigs. Both objectives were achieved. Line Coach Chuck Drulis, who didn't make the Baltimore trip, supposedly because of illness, was slated to walk the plank with Ronzani. But every player and all coaches, including Drulis, were on hand Tuesday morning for the first workout in preparation for next Sunday's game with the Bears. There was every indication that all the unrest is turning into something beneficial when Ronzani labeled it "the best practice of the year". The only sour note was the report that Marvin Johnson, rugged defensive halfback, sustained a dislocated shoulder in the Baltimore game and is lost indefinitely. Al Carmichael and Byron Bailey also are hampered by injuries, but very likely will be available for at least limited service at Wrigley field Sunday.
PLAYERS VOTE CONFIDENCE IN PACKER COACH
NOV 3 (Green Bay) - A five player committee gave Coach Gene Ronzani a vote of confidence today during an audience with the executive committee of the Green Bay Packers in a special session called to discuss the club's coaching situation. The players, Capt. Bob Forte, Dick Wildung, Gus Cifelli, Clayton Tonnemaker and Tobin Rote, asked the committee not to consider any coaching changes at the present time. The Packers, a preseason choice for contendership, have won only won two of six National league games. "They told us," said Max Murphy, a member of the executive committee, "they did not feel the coaches were completely at fault for the team's showing. They said the players felt they themselves also were responsible." Murphy did not deny that the special session had been called to consider the coaching situation, especially the contract of Ronzani, who has been the center of fan controversy all season. "We have the same situation they have in Chicago," Murphy said. "We've got to start winning. This thing's getting too old." The players said they had asked for a hearing because they understood the meeting had been called to make changes in the coaching staff. President Russell Bogda told the Associated Press, however, that the meeting had not been called for "any special reason."
PACKERS GAIN NEW 'CONFIDENCE'; EYE HARD BEAR CONTEST SUNDAY
NOV 4 (Green Bay) - The Packers resumed Bear Week practice today with new "confidence". And kept their fingers crossed at the same time! In all, two expressions of confidence have been given thus far this season and both, oddly enough, came before the traditional battle with the big, bad Bears. The first was given by the executive committee on Sept. 29 and was an expression of confidence in the Packer coaching staff and players after the team's 27 to 0 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Milwaukee Sept. 27. The Packers lost the next game to the Bears, 17 to 13, here Oct. 4. The second was made by the players, themselves, who expressed confidence in the present coaching staff at a meeting of the executive committee yesterday. The Packers clash with the Bears in Chicago Sunday. Two official announcements have been made concerning yesterday's two-hour, player-representative meeting with the executive committee. The committee, through its publicity chairman, said: "A Committee representing Packer players met with the executive committee at the Northland hotel and expressed their confidence in the present coaching staff." Captain Bob Forte, who spoke for the player group which also included Tobin Rote, Dick Wildung, Clayton Tonnemaker and Gus Cifelli, said last night: "We have nothing further to add to the official report of the meeting other than we're planning to go down the Bears a good, hard time." While the scores of varied versions of the weekend happenings in Baltimore have been popping up here and there, it all boils down to these main points: (1) Coach Gene Ronzani stated his entire feelings on the matter of coaching and the season to date at the usual pregame meeting Saturday afternoon. (2) The Packer players, in a squad meeting after Ronzani's talk, decided they owed it to themselves, the coaches and the fans to make up for their poor performance (31-14) against the Steelers in Pittsburgh the week previous. (3) The Packers whipped Baltimore, 35 to 24, and then shouldered Coaches Ronzani and Hugh Devore off the field. Today, as they did yesterday, the Packer coaches - Ronzani, Devore, Ray McLean and Chuck Drulis, carried out strategy designed to get revenge for the licking handed the Bays by the Bears in Green Bay earlier. There was only one unhappy note in the harmonious camp today. Defensive halfback Marv Johnson, who injured his shoulder in the Baltimore game while intercepting a pass, probably will miss the Bear game...Fred Cone, the veteran fullback, today became the first Packer to take a statistical "first" in the National league. Cone is tied with Cleveland's Lou Groza for the scoring lead, each with 47 points. Groza compiled his total on 17 extra points and 10 field goals while Cone counted his on four touchdowns, 14 extra points and three field goals. Cone scored 11 points against Baltimore on a TD and five extra points. Cone, as it developed, missed a chance to take over the lead when he missed a 20-yard field goal late in the Colt game. Ben Agajanian, the Ram kicking specialist, is close behind with 45 points on 24 extra points and seven field goals. Halfback Al Carmichael is the only other Packer near the top in statistics. The Southern Cal rookie is second in kickoff returns with an average of 34.6 yards in eight tries for 277 yards. The Steelers' Lynn Chandnois is tops with 36.0 in eight for 288. Al is third in punt returns with 11 for 148 yards, an average of 13.4. Woodley Lewis of Los Angeles leads with 14.5 and Charley Trippi of the Cardinals is second with 13.5.
HALAS ORDERS REST IN DRILL FOR PACKERS
NOV 4 (Chicago Tribune) - In 34 years of operating a major league franchise, George Halas had has comparatively little experience with losing teams. He has had sufficient, however, to know that overwork is no remedy for a string of defeats. As a result, he opened his Chicago Bears' preparation for Sunday's Green Bay game in Wrigley field with a day of rest. "The boys worked hard on the coast and played two fine ball games," he said. "Then, they had a long, confining nonstop flight from San Francisco on Monday. Rest will do them more good than a workout." While his players sought surcease from the thought of a 1-5 record, Halas and his assistants holed up in the Burgundy room, their closely guarded strategy factory, to catalog some of the more pleasant aspects of the recent trip to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Foremost among the smile raisers
was the play of George Blanda. On the basis of his performance, Halas has ample reason to believe the quarterback problem that has plagued the Bears ever since the retirement of Johnny Lujack has been solved. Los Angeles Ram players and their coach, Hampton Pool, were high in their praise of the former Kentuckian after their game in the Coliseum, and last Sunday in San Francisco Blanda helped set a professional football record for completions when he connected on 29 of 46 attempts for an average of .630. Blanda has a ready explanation for his rapid improvement. "I'm getting more chance to play. When you are being used only occasionally, you have a tendency to try too hard. Our club's general improvement in all departments helps, too. We played good games on the coast. We just can't get any breaks." Blanda has had an unusual career with the Bears. Brought up in 1949 as a quarterback with two years of T formation experience at the University of Kentucky, he found Sid Luckman and Johnny Lujack ahead of him and wound up being a linebacker and placekicking specialist. In 1950, he was traded to the Baltimore, but the Colts released him before the season opened. The Bears opened on the coast against Los Angeles that year and suddenly found themselves without adequate kicking. A hurried wire to Blanda brought the husky youngster flying out to San Francisco the following week in time to grab a suit and take a seat on the bench. This morning Halas will start parceling out the plays which will be used by Blanda and company in the 70th meeting with the Packers Sunday. All hands are reported ready to participate in the workout. Bobby Jack Floyd, burly fullback, who showed to advantage against the Rams before he was hurt, will be available Sunday to face his old team, the Packers.
'STAX' NO FACTOR IN BEAR TILT
NOV 4 (Green Bay) - The statistic charts were thrown in the basket Wednesday as coach Gene Ronzani pepped his Packers in preparation for their rematch with the Bears at Chicago Sunday. "Comparing team 'stax' doesn't mean too much when the Packers and Bears play," said Ronzani. "Of course, statistics point out a squad's weaknesses, but anything can happen and usually does when Green Bay and Chicago clash." League statistics did point out that fullback Fred Cone has tied Cleveland's Lou Groza for the NFL scoring lead. Both have scored 47 points, Cone getting his on four touchdowns, 14 extra points and three field goals. Cleveland's Otto Graham was pacing the passers. George Blanda, who will direct the Bear "T", is ranked 10th. Green Bay's Tobin Rote is 11th and Babe Parilli 14th. Ronzani was especially concerned over the steady improvement of Blanda. "Blanda never got much of a chance when I was with the Bears," commented Ronzani. "But now being the team's No. 1 quarterback has given Blanda confidence and poise." Last Sunday in San Francisco Blanda helped set a professional football record for completions when he connected on 29 of 46 attempts for an average of .630. "The Bears' poor (1-5) mark certainly isn't an indication of the power of the club," warned Ronzani. "They've had some tough breaks this season losing twice to the 49ers and Colts and once to the Rams." The Bears' lone win was a 17-13 victory over the Packers in Green Bay. Blanda, incidentally, engineered that win with a touchdown pass in the final 3 1/2 minutes. Defensive halfback Marv Johnson injured in the Baltimore game with a dislocated shoulder, will probably miss the Bear game. Other "doubtfuls" are backs Byron Bailey and Al Carmichael. Both are bothered by leg injuries. Ronzani indicated that spirit was especially high in drills this week. But that's traditional in Green Bay during "Bear Week."
TELEVISION CHANGE
NOV 4 (New York) - The Pittsburgh Steelers-Cleveland Browns pro football game will be telecast coast to coast Sunday by the DuMont Network instead of the previously scheduled contest between Green Bay and the Chicago Bears. The switch was made because of cable difficulties, Tom McMahon, director of sports for DuMont, said today.
SUMINSKI WITH CARDS
NOV 4 (Chicago) - The winless Chicago Cardinals Wednesday signed two linemen, the seventh and eighth new players of a club reshuffling the past few weeks. Latest to join the Cards are George Schmidt, 230-pound defensive end, who played with the Green Bay Packers last year, and Dave Suminski, 220-pound offensive guard released by the Washington Redskins two weeks ago, and formerly of Wisconsin.
'BJ' EYES FORMER PACKER MATES; BEARS TAKE TO AIR
NOV 5 (Green Bay) - It might be wise to say something about the Bears before this week slips away. The first three publication dates of this particular Bear Week were devoted largely to the Packers’ victory over Baltimore, the Packers players’ vote of confidence in the coaches and other assorted homefront items. Just to keep the record straight, it must be recorded that the Packers engage the Bears in Chicago Sunday. It can be added, too, that (1) the Bears returned home safely from their double loss on the West Coast and (2) Mr. George Halas is still head coach of the Bears. One rather interesting squib is that Bobby Jack Floyd , the former Packer halfback, will be in the Bear lineup Sunday. Floyd hooked up with the Bears shortly after being released by the Packers before the league season opened. “BJ” did well against the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago before he was hurt and was held out of the San Francisco battle last Sunday. Floyd, however, is well know and particularly anxious to mix it with his ex-teammates…THIRD IN RUSHING: Floyd underwent an operation for removal of a spur from his heel during the Packers’ “spring” training at Grand Rapids, Minn. He never quite recovered and actually saw no action during the non-league season. The former Texas Christian fullback ranked third behind Tobin Rote and Fred Cone in rushing as a rookie in 1952 and sixth among the pass catchers behind Bill Howton, Bob Mann, Floyd Reid, Jim Keane and Stretch Elliott. Floyd averaged 3.9 yards in 61 rushes and caught 11 passes for 129 yards. Another interesting – and unusual – item is merely that the Bears are going slightly pass crazy. Halas apparently has decided that the only way to salvage something out of the current season is to pass the opposition to death. Against the Forty Niners, for instance, Bear quarterback George Blanda threw 46 passes and completed 29 for an Otto Grahamish percentage of .630. The Bears presently rank as the second passingest team in the league, placing only behind their crosstown rivals, the Cardinals. The Cards have thrown 239 passes in six games and the Bears tried it 225 times. By comparison, the pass-minded Cleveland Browns have tried only 139, the Los Angeles Rams 167 and the Packers 179…PASS BEAT PACKERS: Blanda has shown tremendous improvement in the last four games – so much, in fact, that coaches Hamp Pool of the Rams and Buck Shaw of the Forty Niners offered the made-over kicking artist special praise. Blanda, who ranks 10th among league pitchers – a notch above Tobin Rote and four above Babe Parilli, threw the pass that beat the Packers in Green Bay 17 to 13 last Oct. 4. It was a 16-yarder to Jim Dooley with 3:35 left in the game. Earlier, the quarterbacking was in the hands of veteran Steve Romanik and rookie Tommy O’Connell, who set up the Bears’ first TD with five straight completions. Romanik since has been traded to the Cardinals and O’Connell is gaining experience behind Blanda…The Packers went through another spirited workout this morning – the final rough offensive session. Friday’s practice likely will be devoted to defense. Halfback Marv Johnson remains as the club’s No. 1 doubtful participant for the Packers Sunday. The defensive star hurt his shoulder while intercepting a pass in the Baltimore game…Bear officials are expecting a crowd of around 40,000 fans – a tribute to the type of football the Bears and Packers play against each other in Wrigley field. The game is generally a sellout if both or one of the clubs is high in the title running…The Packers will leave for Chicago on the 11 o’clock North Western Saturday morning. They’ll headquarter at Knickerbocker hotel and return home on the North Western, arriving here at 10 o’clock Sunday night. Kickoff Sunday is set for 1:05…The Pittsburgh Steelers-Cleveland Browns games will be telecast coast to coast Sunday by the DuMont Network instead of the previously scheduled Packer-Bear game. The switch was made because of cable difficulties, Tom McMahon, director of sports for DuMont, said in New York today. A total of 71 stations in 70 cities will carry the Cleveland game. Originally, the Packers-Bears game was to be sent over 58 outlets while the Steelers-Browns game was slated for a regional telecast over 13 stations in 12 cities.
HALAS WON'T STEP DOWN UNTIL...!
NOV 5 (Chicago) - George Halas will never step down as head coach of the Chicago Bears until the team "is back on top", Luke Johnsos, assistant coach, said Wednesday. The Bears are in the midst of one of their most dismal seasons, losing five of their first six NFL starts. They will face the Green Bay Packers, the only club they have beaten, at Wrigley Field Sunday. "It may take another 10 years to get the Bears on top," Johnsos told a Bear Luncheon club, "but Halas will stick around to see it . When that time comes, and if he offers me the job of head coach, I'll take it." Johnsos said that the coaching staff has not lost confidence in rookie quarterback Tommy O'Connell of Illinois but that George Blanda had played so well of late he would continue as No. 1.
PACKERS' PASS POWER LEAVES BEARS UP IN THE AIR
NOV 5 (Chicago Tribune) - Pass defense, football's most difficult assignment and every coach's headache, was the order of the day in Wrigley field yesterday where the Chicago Bears opened drills for the 69th renewal of their traditional series with Green Bay. Accepting reports of internal dissension, special board meetings and player votes of confidence for Coach Gene Ronzani as so much routine psychological folderol in the Packers' preparations for Sunday's game in Wrigley field, the Bears centered their attention on scout reports concerning end Bill Howton. Howton, the slender, fleet-footed Texans, returned to the Packer lineup for the first time against Baltimore last Saturday and Green Bay immediately became a formidable outfit. It upset the Colts for the second time, 35 to 24. Ronzani is reported to have collapsed emotionally before the Colt game. Howton caught only two passes against the Colts. But both went for touchdowns, one for 41 yards. The former Rice star led the league last year as a rookie with an average gain of 23.2 yards on 53 receptions good for 13 touchdowns. Paired with Bobby Mann, another excellent receiver, and quarterbacks Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli, Howton helped the Packers to lead the National league in team passing in 1952. The Bears beat the Packers, 17 to 13, in Green Bay in September, but Howton sat out that one in a cast. Sunday's game is expected to measure up in every respect to the best traditions of the series, which long ago established itself as one of the bitterest and most spectacular rivalries in football. Some 42,000 fans, many from Wisconsin making it a weekend holiday to take in the Wisconsin-Northwestern game on Saturday, are expected to see the contest.
NO DISSENSION SIGNS AS BAYS DRILL HARD
NOV 5 (Green Bay) - There were no evidences of internal dissension among the Green Bay Packers Thursday as coach Gene Ronzani directed a vigorous passing drill behind the doors of City Stadium. A raw, cold wind biting out of the northwest pepped the club as it ran through numerous pass patterns. And the Packers, bitter over an earlier 17-13 defeat to the Bears, seemed to sense responsibilities to avenge their ancient rivals in Chicago Sunday. The result was a sharp session. Quarterbacks Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli and ends Bill Howton and Bob Mann were combining on aerials which resembled the spark of the '52 club which led the NFL in passing. Howton and Mann, crippled with injuries throughout the season, seriously weakened Ronzani's offense. Once back, they restored the feared Packer aerial game. Howton caught only two passes against the Colts last Saturday, but both went for touchdowns, one for 41 yards. The fleet-footed Texan sat on the bench against the Bears in Green Bay, but he'll be ready as ever Sunday at Wrigley Field. Thursday's session ended offensive drills. Friday the club will sharpen its defense before leaving for Chicago Saturday morning. Reports from Wrigley Field indicate that Bobby Jack Floyd, the former Packer fullback, will be ready to oppose his old mates. Pass defense, especially concerning Howton, was the theme of Bear drills. Then, too, coach George Halas is keeping quarterback George Blanda and Tommy O'Connell limbering their pitching arms. Blanda will start. Sunday's game is expected to draw some 42,000 fans, including a large group from Green Bay. Sunday's game is expected to draw some 42,000 fans, including a large group from Green Bay.
PACKERS TO FLASH 'LIGHTNING' IN CHICAGO
NOV 6 (Green Bay) - The Packers will be out to prove that “lightning does strike twice in the same place” when they battle the Bears in Chicago Sunday afternoon. Packer Coach Gene Ronzani, speaking at the weekly meeting of the Men’s Quarterback Club at Washington Junior High School last night, made this “lightning strike” in recalling the Bays’ 41 to 24 victory over the Bears in Chicago a year ago. “We had to convince the boys than that the Bears actually could be beaten by the Packers in Wrigley field; Green Bay hadn’t beaten the Bears there since 1941 before last year’s game,” Ronzani said, adding: “Our spirits are high; the practices have been excellent all week, and the boys are really ready. I’m sure the boys will do their best to win two in a row over the Bears in Chicago – make that lightning strike twice in the same place.” But Mr. Injury isn’t exactly cooperating with the Packers. Ronzani presented two of the injury “exhibits” at the QB meeting – defensive halfback Marv Johnson, who has a shoulder dislocation, and tackle Gus Cifelli, who has a broken hand, and one player in good physical condition – offensive halfback Breezy Reid. Ronzani said he was ready “to swoon” at one stage in the Baltimore game last Saturday night. "Two of our defensive halfbacks were flat on the field on one play – Johnson and Bobby Dillon, and we had only two left, Ace Loomis and Val Joe Walker,” he recalled…ALDRIDGE WAS FIRST: Needless to say, the coach was happy to discover that both of them wasn’t knocked out of commission, thought the loss of Johnson looms as a damaging blow. Johnson is the second defensive halfback to be placed on the sidelines – probably for 30 days. The first was Bennie Aldridge, who formed, with
Ferguson each grabbed 10 while Bob Mann and Stretch Elliott each nailed eight…The Packers will leave for Chicago on the 11 o’clock North Western Saturday morning and headquarter at the Knickerbocker. Kickoff is set for 1:05.
BEARS SHAKE UP SECONDARY FOR PACKER BATTLE
NOV 6 (Chicago Tribune) - Still defiant and determined to prove they are not a last place ball club, the Chicago Bears yesterday began a long overdue revision of their secondary defense. Working out in Winnemac park to save the turf on Wrigley field, where they meet the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the Bears drilled on defense with three new faces in the secondary. Identity of the players switched from other assignments has been kept secret by Coach George Halas, principally to add to the worries of Packer Coach Gene Ronzani, if possible. It is safe to bet, however, that no matter what alignment the Bears choose for the game on Sunday. Don Kindt will be among those charged with keeping Breezy Reid, Bill Howton and Bobby Mann from running wild as they did against Baltimore last week. Up to now Halas has relied on what he had a right to expect would be normal improvement in the play of rookie Billy Anderson, Eddie Macon and several others. Anderson and Macon were tabbed as logical defensive aces because of their speed. Anderson, however, has been handicapped by a lack of experience and an all-consuming urge to make good. Macon just seems to become confused in aerial traffic. In six games so far - half their schedule - the Bears have only intercepted seven passes. Los Angeles and Cleveland, who lead the division races for championship playoff berths, have intercepted 19 and 18, respectively. Not only have the Bears been unable to intercept, they have been unable to knock down enemy attempts with any degree of regularity. Opponents have completed 49 percent of their passes against the north siders. So far, Kindt has been the only consistent performer in the secondary. Kindt tackles with authority, has yet to see the runner he is afraid to meet head on, and is only infrequently outmaneuvered by receivers. Long gainers were the Bears' undoing in Los Angeles two weeks ago in a game they could just as easily have won as lost, after outplaying the Rams to tie the score in the second half. Long gainers, even in major league football, more frequently are the result of defensive ineptitude, rather than offensive brilliance. Somebody has to make a mistake, even against Hugh McElhenny and Joe Perry. Green Bay, with its high-geared pass attack of Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli to Mann and Howton, can raise havoc with a secondary and did at Baltimore. The Bears are knuckling down to prove the exception Sunday.
INJURY WOES INCREASE FOR GREEN BAY
NOV 7 (Chicago Tribune) - Al Carmichael and Howard Ferguson, a pair of rookies who have been making frequent appearances in the Green Bay lineup this year, were added to the list of doubtful participants in the Chicago Bear game by Coach Gene Ronzani yesterday. The Packers will meet the Bears in Wrigley field tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 o'clock. Carmichael, a halfback from the University of Southern California, was scheduled to start. Ferguson, a 215 pound line smasher who did not go to college, has been Fred Cone's No. 1 relief at fullback. Both have been taking light workouts, but are reported by Ronzani to be handicapped by injuries received last week against Baltimore. Ronzani previously had said the Packers will attempt to even their season series with the Bears in tis 69th renewal of their traditional rivalry without the services of Jim Ringo, another rookie and regular center, and Marv Johnson, a veteran defensive halfback. Carmichael's place in the starting lineup will be taken by Larry Coutre, former Notre Dame star, or Byron Bailey, a veteran back obtained at the start of the season from the Detroit Lions. Dave Stephenson, a 245 pound veteran, will replace Ringo. Bobby Jack Floyd, a fullback formerly with Green Bay, was declared ready for the Packer game as the Bears continued their defensive drills yesterday. Floyd has played only one game for the Bears, breaking into the lineup against Los Angeles two weeks ago. Lloyd Lowe, a speedy little halfback from North Texas State, who worked out with the Bears during preseason training, will make his Chicago debut in tomorrow's contest, Halas announced.
RENEW 'HOT' PACKER, BEAR RIVALRY
NOV 7 (Chicago) - One of the most storied rivalries in the NFL will be renewed Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field when the Green Bay Packers clash with the Chicago Bears. The Packers are confident that they can narrow the margin in this 70th game of the series. The Bears hold the edge, 40-24, with five games ending in ties. With an expected crowd of 42,000, including a large Green Bay contingent, the Packers hope to avenge an earlier defeat at the hands of the Bears. It was a thrilling last minute finish that brought the Halasmen their only triumph of the year, 17-13. There is no doubt the Packers are in better shape for this one than for the previous meeting. The aerial corps of Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli will have two topnotch receivers, Bill Howton and Bob Mann, to pitch to this time.
PACKERS 'HURTING' FOR CHICAGO BEAR CLASH SUNDAY
NOV 8 (Green Bay) - The Green Bay Packers are hurting…plenty! The injury situation didn’t appear too serious along about last Tuesday; everybody was still numb with joy over the blasting of the Colts in Baltimore last Saturday night. Today, however, the Packers all but limped into Chicago and coach Gene Ronzani took a dim view of the club’s chances “under the injury circumstances.” The Packers, for instance, can field exactly three hale and hearty offensive halfbacks – J.R. Boone, Larry Coutre and Breezy Reid. On the injured list and far below par are Al Carmichael and Byron Bailey. Coutre is the only right half, while Reid and Boone will handle left half. The Packers are down to one fullback, Fred Cone, who scored 21 points by himself in last year’s 41 to 28 victory over the Bears here last year. The other fullback, Howie Ferguson, has a bad shoulder and won’t be his old self. The defensive outfield actually was hit harder because Ronzani does not have any No. 1 replacements for halfback Marv Johnson, who suffered a dislocated shoulder in the Colt game. Johnson was leading the Pack in interceptions with four. The Packers’ normal defense included four outfielders but the club may have to go with three, Ace Loomis, Bobby Dillon and Val Joe Walker, unless Dan Sandifer is pressed into action. Former Packer Sandifer, cut loose by the Chicago Cardinals earlier this week, reported to the Pack Thursday on a look-see. Just what kind of defensive alignment the Packers will uncork Sunday, of course, is what Bear coach George Halas would like to know – in advance. Thus, the status of Sandifer has been something of a secret…THEIR LITTLEST MEMBER: A number of the linemen are bothered with various aches and pains. Most serious is offensive right tackle Gus Cifelli who intends to play with a broken hand. Keying the Packers tomorrow will be their littlest member, 165-pound Boone – the club’s only full-fledged former Bear. Boone, also an ex-Forty Niner, will be playing against the Bears for the first time as a Packer; he missed the first Packer-Bear game this year because of injuries. A year ago such former Bears as Ray Bray, Wash Serini and Jim Keane helped lead the Packer verbal attack. The only other former Bear is in the Packer lineup this year is Reid, but Breezy came to the Pack before the league season opened in ’50. More than 40,000 fans – possibly 45,000 if the weather is ideal – are expected to sit in on the 71st clash between the two clubs in Wrigley field. Kickoff is set for 1:05. The Packers will be looking for their second straight victory over the Bears in Chicago. The Bay win in ’52 was the first there since 1941 when the Pack eked out a thrilling 16-14 triumph. The Packers haven’t whipped the Bears more than two games in a row in Chicago since the start of the Don Hutson era. Opening in 1935, the Packers took four straight games, 17-14 in ’35; 21-10 in ’36; 24-14 in ’37; and 24-1 in ’38. The Packers will enter action Sunday as a slight favorite despite the fact that the Bears whipped Green Bay, 17-13, in City Stadium last Oct. 4. The forecast is based on the fact that the Packers soundly trashed Baltimore twice, 37-14 and 35-24, while the Bears lost a pair to the Colts, 13 to 9 and 16 to 14. Green Bay’s big hope Sunday rests in its ability to make its ability to make its passing foursome work – quarterbacks Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli and ends Bill Howton and Bob Mann. The two wings will be working together for the second time this season. The Bears, with George Blanda throwing and about everybody receiving, are expected to spend the afternoon pitching against the Packers’ weakened pass defense. Jim Dooley, the club’s No, 1 receiver, ranks fifth in the league. The Bears’ passing game must be considered a dangerous weapon. They have three receivers among the top 10 in the league. Besides Dooley, who caught 28 for 455 yards, Bill McColl is 8th with 22 and John Hoffman 10th with 20. The Packers hold statistical advantages on the Bears in most departments except passing, oddly enough. The Bears, for instance, have gained 1,229 yards by passing compared to only 713 for the Pack. The guessers are looking for a typical, rough Bear-Packer game Sunday. With a 1-5 record, the Bears will probably do anything to whip Green Bay, which needs no explanation. Thus, such big gents as Dave
Johnson, Dillon and Walker, the defensive corps. When Aldridge suffered two broken bones in his vertebrae in the Los Angeles game, Ace Loomis was pressed into service, joining the remaining three. With Johnson out, Ronzani has brought in Dan Sandifer, the former Packers who was cut loose the other day by the Chicago Cardinals, to work with Loomis, Dillon and Walker. Sandifer, a holdover from 1952, started the current season with the Packers and left after the third non-league game. Besides Johnson and Cifelli, the Packers picked up a number of other injuries in the Colt game. “Al Carmichael can’t be here tonight,” Ronzani winked at the Quarterbackers, “because he’s in such bad shape.” But Gene pointed to Reid and said: “He’ll be ready to play left and right half and fullback.” Actually, the Packers ran out of fullbacks in the Baltimore game. Both Fred Cone and Howie Ferguson were injured before it was over and linebacker-captain Bob Forte went in at fullback and, incidentally, delivered a number of good blocks…Chief Quarterback Jerry Atkinson interviewed Cifelli, Johnson and Reid during the QB session and obtained some interesting comments: Reid, for instance, said that “I want to make up (against the Bears in Chicago Sunday) for some of the passes I dropped in the first Bear game this year. We would have won the game if I hadn’t dropped ‘em.” Breezy, referring to the Colt game, said: “It hurt me to the bottom when they (the packed crowd of 33,797) cheered when we got some of our boys injured.” Johnson, whose interception of a pass in the end zone just about ruined all hopes of a Cot victory, said that he was hurt when he came down with the ball and “Tommy Kalmanir fell on top of me.” Johnson, asked about the toughest passing combination he’s faced in the league, said that “the Graham to Lavelli (of the Browns) is the toughest to cover for me.”...PLAYED FUNERAL MARCH: Cifelli said he thought: “I actually injured my hand in the Pittsburgh game as the result of hand fighting; it hurt during the week before the Baltimore contest.” Recalling the cheering in Baltimore when the Packers were injured, Gus said: “I was watching the trombone player in the game ‘cause I used to play the trombone when I was a kid and when Johnson was hurt that trombonist played the funeral march.” Cifelli, who played with four undefeated Notre Dame teams and then suffered his first loss as a member of the Detroit Lions, said that he couldn’t believe Jim David is a dirty player. David, the Lion defensive back, was accused of breaking Y.A. Tittle’s jaw and knocking out a Ram. “Jim is only 5-8 and weighs 165 pounds, but he’s got great determination; he just hits hard,” Cifelli said…The QB meeting was climaxed with a 45-minute show by the Packer Lumberjack band under the direction of Bill Burke. The band will play during the Packer-Bear game Sunday. Tom White narrated the Packer-Colt film…P-B NOTES: Reid has been selected the most valuable player in the Baltimore game. The Georgia halfback, who will receive a watch from a Milwaukee jeweler for being so honored, ripped off 120 yards in nine carries against the Colts. Breezy now is leading the Packers in rushing with 200 yards in 33 trips for an average of 6.1. Halfback Al Carmichael ranks second with 144 yards in 26 tries for a 5.5 average. Tobin Rote has gained 122 yards rushing and Babe Parilli and Howie Ferguson each picked up 111…Clive Rush tops Packer pass catchers with 11 for 116 yards. Bill Howton, Fred Cone and
Stephenson, Dave Hanner, Bob Forte, Clayton Tonnemaker, John Martinkovic, Dick Wildung and others will be on hand to “guard over” the Bays’ offensive threats – especially Howton and Mann. The Packers will be looking for their third league victory of the season. Such a triumph would put them in a fine mood for a climactic battle with the Detroit Lions in Green Bay Sunday Nov. 15. The Green Bays are staying at the Knickerbocker hotel here. They’ll return home at 10 o’clock Sunday night on the North Western. A “homecoming” will be held at the station – win or lose!
PACKERS MEET BEARS IN FIGHT FOR LAST PLACE
NOV 8 (Chicago Tribune) - Chicago's Bears and the Green Bay Packers meet in Wrigley field today in a contest that even before the kickoff is qualified for special mention in National league history. It will be the first time these arch foes in football's bitterest rivalry have ever clashed for last place. Play starts at 1:05 p.m. The Bears are at the bottom of the western division with one victory in six starts, a 17 to 13 conquest of the Packers on October 4. Green Bay is only slightly better off. It has just two triumphs, both over the Baltimore Colts. It has taken the Bears and Packers 33 years and 69 epic struggles to come down to today's unprecedented circumstances, but in the process they have built up not only a magnificent dislike for each other, but such a tradition for the dramatic that this 70th meeting is expected to attract an audience of 42,000. Some of the attraction undoubtedly is due to an indication that both are on the upgrade. Green Bay rallied last week with the return of Bill Howton, its star end, to make a most impressive television appearance at Baltimore. There was nothing alarmingly wrong with the Bears' performance at Los Angeles and San Francisco except the scores and the secondary defense. The secondary defense has been overhauled. The scores, unfortunately, stand. Green Bay, as always in its preparation for the Bear game, has pulled all the psychological stops, calling special board meetings, sending out long casualty lists, and even organizing player committees to extend a vote of confidence to Coach Gene Ronzani. In the first Bear game, the Packers attempted to discommode the enemy by springing unannounced a veteran halfback, Byron Bailey, obtained on waivers from Detroit. Bailey was prominent in that day's activities, but more or less forgotten thereafter. Today the Bears expect to be "surprised" by the sudden appearance in the Packer secondary of Dan Standifer, once a back with wide reputation for long returns, but more recently distinguished only as interim member of the Chicago Cardinals. Sandifer, the Bears hear, reported back to the Packers, with whom he opened the season, after having been released by the Cardinals last Tuesday. Bear preparation has been more casual and routine for this Packer game than for probably any other series that started way back there when George Halas and Curly Lambeau were first beginning to shave. Rest after the long coast trip and special work on defense have been the chief items on their training schedule this past week. Whether this has been enough will be determined but how well they contain the fleet Breezy Reid and Larry Coutre, filling in for injured Al Carmichael, and what luck their secondary has with Howton and Bobby Mann, a pair of dangerous receivers.
