Green Bay Packers (4-1) 49, Cleveland Browns (3-2) 17
Sunday October 15th 1961 (at Cleveland)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(CLEVELAND) - The Packers were savage, devastating and great in Municipal Stadium Sunday afternoon. They rolled up seven touchdowns and 487 yards on the offense and gang-tackled with fury on the defense in exploding the myth of the Cleveland Browns before a horrified gathering of 75,042. The final score of Green Bay's first victory in history over the Browns was almost unbelievable - Forty-Nine (49) to 17. Green Bay had been a tight three-point favorite and this battle of Division favorites was supposed to be a dog-eat-dog affair, a preview of the championship game. But the Packers scored touchdowns the first three times they had the ball and then topped the cold, grey afternoon off with a 21-point fourth quarter. The Browns hadn't allowed a touchdown by rushing this year, but the Packers scored six on the ground. The Packers thus roared their fourth straight win since losing to Detroit in the opener, and they are now tied with San Francisco for the Western Division lead, with 4-1 marks. Next up are the Minnesota Vikings - for back to back games. The first tilt is set at Minneapolis Sunday, and the replay in Milwaukee the following Sunday. The Packers were a relentless, powerful football machine Sunday. They gained nine yards every time Bart Starr called an offensive play. They rolled up 221 yards rushing and 266 passing - the real tribute to the manner in which the offense blocked. The Packer defense was a masterpiece of teamwork, never allowing a touchdown until the Bays had soared to a 28-3 lead in the third quarter. The Browns' solid offense was boiled down to 290 yards. A week ago, Paul Hornung lit the Packer explosion with his 33 points. Yesterday, Jim Taylor was the arsonist. The big fullback rolled up 158 yards in 21 carries and scored four touchdowns on rips of 27, 1, 45 and 4 yards. Taylor's total was 33 yards more than the entire Brown team made rushing. Taylor turned on the speed and power like he never did before. This was his first head-on crash with the Browns' great fullback, Jim Brown, and our Jim was the winner by 86 yards and four TDs. Brown finished with 72 in 16 trips. Taylor was off and running with 95 yards in 13 trips in the first half; Brown had 26 yards in 7. For five games, Taylor now has 518 yards in 81 tries against Brown's 387 in 96. The other touchdowns were scored by Hornung, who added seven extra points to give him 13 marks for the day; John Roach, replacement QB for Starr; and Max McGee, who worked a 48-yard aerial TD with Starr. Starr was just a shade this side of fantastic. He tried 17 passes and completed 15 of them for 266 yards - not to mention a percentage of 88 percent. He threw the incompletions away when his receivers were covered and the other was dropped. The Pack QB produced TDs on drives of 69, 67, 80, 80, 25 and 42 yards, while Roach moved the Bays 25 yards for TD No. 7. Starr worked key passes into each drive, always keeping the Browns off balance. The Packer offensive line reacted quickly to Starr's calls, gave Bart excellent protection. The Browns never upset him until after the score was 35-17, when he was smeared back six yards late in the third period. But on the next play Starr and McGee worked their 48-yard TD aerial. The Pack's big offense line was led by Jim Ringo, who went the route despite painful boils. Jerry Kramer, Fred Thurston, Norm Masters and Forrest Gregg rounded out the wall of protection. McGee and Ron Kramer each caught five passes. Taylor caught three and Boyd Dowler two. The Bays' defensive aces were all over the field, gang tackling from sideline to sideline, with the three ex-Browns, Bill Quinlan, Willie Davis and Hank Jordan, leading the tacklers. Dave Hanner, back in top shape after his appendectomy, recovered a fumble. The defense linemen got key support from linebackers Dan Currie, Ray Nitschke and Bill Forester, who grabbed Brown and Bobby Mitchell on many sweeps. The Packers made one interception, Jess Whittenton stealing a Milt Plum pass that was deflected by John Symank. Hank Gremminger recovered the other fumble. The Browns' offense never really got out of hand, being held down to 125 yards rushing and 165 passing. Mitchell was a constant threat out wide, but thanks to thanks to quick reactions by Wood and Symank. Mitchell was kept boxed in. The Pack's point total was the highest under Coach Vince Lombardi, exceeding the 45 vs. the Colts last Sunday. The totals gave Green Bay 94 points in two games. This was the worst beating the Browns had absorbed since 1959 when they lost to the Giants 48-7. Taylor's big part in the victory was evident the first time the Packers had the ball. He carried twice for 17 yards, caught a pass from Starr for six and then ran for 3 to the Browns' 46 on the Bays' first TD drive. Three plays later, Taylor hit off left guard, picked up a sharp block by Hornung on Shofner on the 10, and then carried Fraklin in the end zone with him for the touchdown to complete a 26-yard run. So it was 7-0 at 6:45. The Browns made two first downs but that ended when Gremminger tackled Mitchell for a four-yard loss. Now the Packers moved 67 yards for touchdown No. 2. Taylor picked off 16 yards on two runs and a pass from Starr and then Starr laid one up high for Dowler who took the 25-yard pass on the Browns' 26. Taylor fired off left guard for 24 yards to the 1 and Taylor, on third down, ripped off right tackle for the TD. That made it 14-0. Near the end of the first period. Gremminger absorbed an interference penalty rather than let Renfro go all the way on a Plum pass. The attack stalled and Lou Groza kicked a field goal from the 27 for a 14-3 score. Taylor again led off the next TD drive but he lost two yards. Starr then hurled off to the right to R. Kramer and the big end slammed 35 yards when he lateraled off to Dowler for an additional 12 yards, the play reaching the Browns' 35. Two plays later Starr
hurled to McGee for 13 yards and then Taylor zipped 16 yards off guard to the three from where Hornung scored. That made it 21-3. Just before the half, Groza missed a field goal from the 42 and McGee delivered the Pack's only punt from five yards deep in the end zone, the ball going 40 yards. The Bays took the second half kickoff and went right down and scored, moving 80 yards. The crowd put on a yell and Starr waved his arms on the first play and the officials finally took time out. After Taylor and Hornung gained 12 yard, Starr pitched to Kramer twice for 23 yards to the Browns' 45. From there, Taylor hit off right tackle and weaved his way to a touchdown. He ran from the last three defenders and it was 28-3. The Browns charged back to score on a 72-yard push, with Plum, on the chase, throwing to Gern Nagler in the end zone for 28-10. The Packers came right back, thanks to 19 and 23-yard passes to Dowler and McGee, but Hornung missed a field goal from the 21. Just before the third period ended, Whittenton intercepted the pass deflected by Symank and returned 35 yards to the Browns' 35, with Hanner getting a good block on Mike McCormack. The Pack scored in three plays. Starr passed to McGee for 12, Hornung fired 19 yards to the 4 and Taylor, behind J. Kramer, scored for 35-10. Plum threw a 13-yard pass through the arms of Gremminger and Willie Wood to Refro for a Brown TD a moment later but the Packers soon scored. The two clubs exchanged fumble recoveries after Tom Moore's 60-yard kickoff return. Fleming grabbed Taylor's fumble and Gremminger took Mitchell's bobble on the Browns' 42. After Starr was smeared back six yards to the 48, McGee took Starr's pass on the 20, juked Fleming out of his uniform and then continued untouched into the end zone for 42-17. Three straight holding penalties, the last of which was refused, and Brown's fumble, which was recovered by Hanner, gave the Bays a shot from the Browns 25. The shock troops, under Roach, scored in five plays. Elijah Pitts ran 20 yards in two trips and on a second and two feet to go, Roach fumbled the handoff, recovered and slid into the end zone for a 49-17 score. Just before the end, the Browns lost the ball on fourth down when Dawson was penalized for intentionally grounding the ball on the Browns' 6. Pitts carried to the four, but on second down Roach fumbled and Peters recovered for Cleveland on the last play of the game.
GREEN BAY - 14 7 7 21 - 49
CLEVELAND - 0 3 7 7 - 17
GREEN BAY CLEVELAND
First Downs 23 20
Rushing-Yards-TD 35-216-6 33-125-0
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 17-15-272-1-0 36-17-187-2-1
Sack Yards Lost 1-6 2-22
Total Yards 482 290
Fumbles-lost 2-2 3-2
Turnovers 2 3
Yards penalized 4-50 2-26
SCORING
1st - GB - Jim Taylor, 26-yard run (Paul Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - GB - Taylor, 1-yard run (Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 14-0
2nd - CLE - Lou Groza, 27-yard field goal GREEN BAY 14-3
2nd - GB - Hornung, 3-yard run (Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 21-3
3rd - GB - Taylor, 45-yard run (Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 28-3
3rd - CLE - Gern Nagler, 21-yard pass from Milt Plum (Groza kick) GREEN BAY 28-10
4th - GB - Taylor, 4-yard run (Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 35-10
4th - CLE - Ray Renfro, 13-yard pass from Plum (Groza kick) GREEN BAY 35-17
4th - GB - Max McGee, 45-yard pass from Bart Starr (Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 42-17
4th - GB - John Roach, 1-yard run (Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 49-17
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 21-158 4 TD, Paul Hornung 7-37 1 TD, Elijah Pitts 3-22, Tom Moore 2-4, John Roach 2-(-5)
CLEVELAND - Jim Brown 16-72, Bobby Mitchell 9-39, Tom Watkins 5-10, Milt Plum 3-0
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 17-15-272 1 TD
CLEVELAND - Milt Plum 26-17-187 2 TD 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Max McGee 5-120 1 TD, Ron Kramer 5-74, Jim Taylor 3-22, Boyd Dowler 2-56
CLEVELAND - Ray Renfro 7-100 1 TD, Bobby Mitchell 4-18, Gern Nagler 2-32 1 TD, Rich Kreitling 2-26, Jim Brown 2-11
PACKERS PLAYED 'FINEST GAME,' VINCE
OCT 16 (Cleveland-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Vince Lombardi called Sunday's victory "the finest game I've ever seen the Packers play." That would seem to cover the tremendous 49 to 17 triumph but the pleased Packer coach, relaxing on the United Airlines charter after the game, pinpointed four factors that produced the victory. "The offensive line blocking, Hornung's blocking, Taylor's running, and they were tigers on defense." Vince beamed, adding: "Our first touchdown - Hornung got the big block down there (he dumped over Shofner on the 10-yard line) and Taylor was in. This was the first time we went through a game without running a sweep. Can you imagine playing a game without Hornung running a sweep? The feature was Taylor inside and he did a real job." The coach said quarterback Bart Starr "followed the game plan to a tee. He called a perfect game." He called 52 plays and they averaged out to 9.3 yards per. Vince also paid tribute to the defense. "They had tremendous pursuit and they gang tackled all over the place," he added. Earlier in the Packer dressing room, Lombardi told a large group of writers: "Every guy that got into the game was at, or near, his best. They had to be to beat the Browns. We were able to stop the Browns because we balanced our defenses to halt their whole attack. When you plot for Jimmy Brown or Bobby Mitchell, or any individual, you are courting disaster."..."I just had to play today," Jim Ringo said on the trip home. "I just couldn't let him (Coach Lombardi) down," Ringo has several boils and they are extremely painful. Before the game, Jim all but passed out twice when Dr. Jim Nellen "froze" them for the game. He was in bed from the time he arrived in Cleveland Saturday afternoon until shortly before going out to the stadium Sunday. "I've never felt pain like that," Ringo said, recalling the pregame ordeal. Ringo went out and played the game of his life - note the block he's making for Jim Taylor's TD run in picture above...Three played sustained injuries but they are not serious. Taylor and Hornung came out with a few limps
and Bill Forester hurt his neck..."Hey, Jim, you're doing 100 yards a game," Jerry Kramer jabbed at Taylor, but Jim noted this about the other Jim (Brown): "We were really laying out there, Brown was getting hit pretty hard by our defense." Taylor said he had met Brown just once - "out at the pro bowl game. He's a fine guy." Taylor felt that "I never played a better game in my life. Our blocking made it easy. Gosh, I never scored four touchdowns in one game and probably never will again." Taylor tied a Packer record held by Hornung and Don Hutson with those four TDs. Hornung spoke for Taylor in the dressing room after the game. "Let's face it, everyone wanted to see Jim Brown and Jim Taylor meet on the same field. It was a personal battle. Our James came into Cleveland No. 1 in rushing and he wanted to leave here No. 1. He did."...BRIEFS: Both defensive teams were introduced before the game for the TV viewers...The Packers had won four straight pregame tosses before Sunday. Like somebody said later, that's all the Browns won all day...Author, artist and TV'er Robert Riger predicted Sunday morning as a steady drizzle fell: "Great games are always played in bad weather." He was so right - at least from the Packer standpoint. Perhaps it was from Cleveland's view, to them it was shockingly great. Witness to the show was Commissioner Pete Rozelle, who arrived from New York Sunday morning...Shortly before the bus left for the stadium Sunday morning, Bill Quinlan, perhaps a "bit" keyed, sat down to a cup of coffee in the hotel coffee shop, took one sip, announced that "it's too hot," and got up and left. Quinlan, Willie Davis, Hank Jordan and Lew Carpenter, the ex-Browns, were extremely happy. "I would not have asked for a better ending - even if I had written the script myself," said Quinlan. "It was great to win in the hometown. I have a lot of friends here. Maybe they aren't friends anymore," laughed Davis.
TAYLOR 'REAL GOOD' - JIM BROWN
OCT 16 (Cleveland-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - In a locker room as festive as a tombstone, the Browns of Cleveland, Jim and Paul, by name - reacted differently to the 49-17 disaster that befell them at Municipal Stadium yesterday afternoon. Jim Brown, who is a fine gentleman as well as a fine football player, graciously praised the Green Bay Packers in general and his fullback counterpart in particular. "Jim Taylor," said Jim Brown, looking surprisingly fresh after his weekly pounding, "is a real good ball player. He's got terrific blocking and, besides, he does a lot on his own. He runs hard. I never saw a fullback have a day like he had today." Jim, of course, never had a good view of one of his own great days. Paul Brown, who is a fine gentleman as well as a fine football coach, was noticeably less gracious. "What did you think of Taylor?" someone said. "Who?" said Paul Brown. "Taylor. Jim Taylor." "Oh, Taylor," Brown said, vaguely recalling the name. "He's good." "Did you ever see a fullback - other than one of your own - have such a great day as Taylor had?" "Yeah," said Brown. "Motley, for one." It was then explained to Paul Brown that Marion Motley was one of his own fullbacks. "Oh, lots of fullback," Paul said. His answer was about as convincing as his team's defensive play. This is the coach who used to warn his player, "shape up or I'll ship you to Green Bay." By late Sunday afternoon, there were some 35 Cleveland players who would have been happy to join Willie Davis, Bill Quinlan, Hank Jordan and Lew Carpenter in Green Bay. "This is the greatest win of my life," insisted ex-Brown Quinlan. "There's no guy I'd rather beat." Pressed for further comment about Taylor, Brown said: "I coached him in the senior bowl game." This is a favorite Brown comment. He generally says, "He'll never make it in the NFL. I coached him in the Senior Bowl game." This time he did not say that Taylor would never make it in the NFL. Brown would not concede that Green Bay was one of the most powerful teams he had ever seen. "In this league," said Brown, blandly, "you can be Superman one week and Andy Gump the next." But Brown didn't appear too upset by the triple tragedy. "We took a pretty good shellacking - but in the standings it counts as only one game," was his reaction. "We've won a lot of 'em like that, but they don't count anymore than the one-pointers." The Cleveland defense, both up front and in the passing zones, never solved the Green Bay offense although Coach Brown said: "We were using practically the same plays they were - but you'd never know it the way things turned out."
HORNUNG, NITSCHKE CALLED TO ARMY
OCT 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Paul Hornung and Ray Nitschke have been ordered to active military duty. This was announced today by 14th Army Corps headquarters in Minneapolis. Maj, Edwin J. Caffey, public information officer, said Hornung is to report to the 896th Engineer Co. at Fort Riley, Kan., Oct. 30. Nitschke is to report to the 32nd National Guard Division of Wisconsin at Fort Lewis, Wash., Nov. 2. Packer Coach Vince Lombardi said the club has been trying to work out arrangements so that the players could finish out the complete 1961 season. Four or five players are subject to call for active military duty. Hornung and Nitschke, barring availability for weekend play such as Dick Schafrath of the Browns, will play two more games before going in. Both are against the Vikings - in Minneapolis next Sunday and in Milwaukee Oct. 29. Loss of Hornung is an exceptionally costly blow to the Packers because he did so much - running, passing, kicking. In addition, he was cited by Lombardi just last Sunday for his blocking against the Browns. Hornung established a new NFL scoring record of 176 points last year and he already has scored 77 in five games thus far this year, including a record breaking 33 against Baltimore. Hornung, who had been in the Army reserve, is in his fifth Packer season, which loomed as his greatest. Two different players will be needed to fill Hornung's two positions - halfback and kicker. Tom Moore, sophomore halfback who replaces both Hornung and Jim Taylor, will step into Paul's halfback shoes. Jerry Kramer has been the No. 2 kicker, although Taylor did some kicking in the non-league season. Hornung, onetime Notre Dame great, was the Packers' bonus choice in 1957. Nitschke, former Illinois fullback and linebacker, is in his fourth pro season. He came to Green Bay for the Giants' third draft choice for John Martinkovic in 1958. Nitschke has played the middle linebacker spot in each of the Bays' five league games this year, as well as the final four games, including the playoff, in 1960. Ray's position will be handled by Tom Bettis, the seven-year veteran. The Packers tackled the problem of the Vikings today, opening with movies of the 49 to 17 victory over the Browns, a light workout and a report from Scout Wally Cruice, who viewed the Viking-49er game. The Packers face a double problem in the Vikings since they play them again in Milwaukee. There is one comparable situation. The Packers faced the then-new Dallas Cowboys after a tough game last year and whipped the Cowboys 41-7. However, the Vikings, profiting by the Cowboys' team-preparation mistakes, are considerably stronger than Dallas was in its first year. And the Packers were rebounding from a 38-24 loss to Baltimore last year. Lombardi is the first to admit that "it's humanly impossible to stay up week after week in this league." As he pointed out Sunday, "you'll have a bad game here and there and ours may be coming up next Sunday. Every game is equally important." The victory over the Browns put a new light on the Pack. This was revenge on the Eastern Division for losing the playoff last year to the Eagles. As a result, the Packers now are shaping up as a possible beat-team in the league. That can only be proven over the long haul and there are nine games left. But the Pack's new reputation means that every opponent from now on will be "up" for them...Jim Ringo was in the hospital Monday, recovering from boils which have plagued him for two weeks. Lombardi, after viewing the pictures, noted that Ringo played a "fine game." Taylor and Hornung came out of the game with leg injuries and Bill Forester has a sore back. All will be ready for Sunday.
PACK NFL'S BEST BALANCED: MILLER
OCT 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The 1961 Packers "are the best balanced team in the NFL," says publicist Tom Miller - and he has the facts and figures to prove it. "The latest statistics show, for example, that we have fine offensive balance between our running and passing," Miller told the Mike and Pen Club of Green Bay at its Monday luncheon meeting at Fox River Lanes. "Breaking it down, they show that Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor have carried the ball almost the same number of times and, although we haven't thrown a lot of passes, Bart Starr has passed enough to keep the defense honest. And, of course, we have all-pro Jim Ringo at center, Jerry Kramer, who has been mentioned for all-pro at one guard, and Fred Thurston - we all know what can he do - at the other. And there is all-pro Forrest Gregg at tackle. We also have good defensive balance," he pointed out. "The defense has given up only 667 yards rushing and 666 yards passing in five games." In contrast, he noted the Packers have amassed 886 rushing and 808 in the air. Another indication of the defending Western Division champions' overall strength, Miller observed, is the fact that "players of the caliber of Tom Bettis and Bob Skoronski get hurt and they can't win their jobs back." The personable tub thumper admitted "the team lacks depth at some positions, but that's coming along, too. Ron Kostelnik did a pretty good job when Dave Hanner was sidelined with an appendectomy and big Ben Davidson is coming along, too. He hasn't played too much but I'm sure the coaching staff wouldn't be concerned about using Ben more extensively if the occasion demanded." Submitting further evidence to support his contention, Tom added, "We are leading our opponents in all categories except one - scoring. The 49ers have scored six more points than we have - but we have allowed six fewer than they have." Continuing his statistical analysis, he noted, "We have averaged 32 points per game to our opponents' 10, we have gained 1,694 yards to their 1,333 and we have 102 first downs to their 84." Miller, who has been spreading the gospel with increasing fervor in recent weeks, enthused over Starr's performance. "I rated him No. 2 among all quarterbacks," he said. "You have Unitas, you have Starr. I think he's better than Layne (Pittsburgh's Bobby) or Plum (Cleveland's Milt) or any of the others." Tom also took glowing note of Ron Kramer's renaissance, declaring, "If he keeps on playing like he has, I don't see how anybody can keep him off the all-pro team at tight end." The Packers have been prospering at the gate, as well as on the turf, Miller reported. "With the addition of 6,000 seats to our City Stadium and better attendance in Milwaukee, we're about 35,000 ahead of 1960 at this point," he said, "and with that big (75,042) crowd at Cleveland Sunday, we're almost 75,000 ahead of last year overall." The recent Sabbath may have been an expensive day for the Browns, however, he revealed. "One writer told me," Tom confided with a chuckle, "'You've just ruined football in Cleveland.'"
VINCE TAKES HEAT OFF: PACK LOOSE VS. BROWNS
OCT 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - There's something about Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. It scares and/or chills you - especially when you're on the field. And if you're a pro football player making your first showing in that giant skeleton of steel against a team like the Browns, you are apt to become a little tight. Tight in this case is the opposite of free and easy. You are now swash-buckling and carefree when you are drummed up tight. Sometimes it takes three quarters, sometimes a whole weekend to loosen up. Sometimes it's too late and the game is lost. The Packers seemed pretty agog when
they were blown into double-decked "muny" stadium the field. And if you're a pro football player making your first showing in that giant skeleton of steel against a team like the Browns, you are apt to become a little tight. Tight in this case is the opposite of free and easy. You are now swash-buckling and carefree when you are drummed up tight. Sometimes it takes three quarters, sometimes a whole weekend to loosen up. Sometimes it's too late and the game is lost. The Packers seemed pretty agog when they were blown into double-decked "muny" stadium Saturday afternoon - on the wings of a 40-mile gale off adjacent Lake Erie. And it was raining lightly, and it was cold. About the only friendly faces, the Packers saw were each each other. A few visiting scribes and picture takers looked friendly enough but even they seemed to be locking their chops in anticipation of the kill. You felt like the stadium would open its big trap and swallow the whole group. If that didn't happen the Browns would the next day. Vince Lombardi, sensing the grimness, looked around at those 82,000 tooth-like seats and broke the tension. He went on like this, with a sweep of the hand: "Just imagine, more people than there are in the whole city of Green Bay can sit up there." And he remarked to some of the players from small towns that the capacity in the stadium is larger than your whole population. The Packers had a chuckle. The heat was off. They relaxed. They were loose and they stayed that way. No tight team can score 49 points. Lombardi's therapy worked...Here are some reminders we jotted down in the notebook during the course of the victory: WATKINS STARTS - Rookie Tom Watkins started at left half in place of the talented Bobby Mitchell. The Browns received and had to punt after three plays. Mitchell was in on the next series after the Pack went ahead 7-0. CURRIE FORCED OUT - On Mitchell's first carry, he went wide to his right. Dan Currie shot in sharply and slowed Bobby up but he kept running wide, enabling Hank Gremminger to make a clean tackle. That's the Pack's one-two punch on defense. PERFECT AIR - It's impossible to defense a pass completion when the passer receives good protection and the ball is thrown so the receiver can leap above the defense. Bart Starr and Boyd Dowler worked this kind of play to set up TD No. 2. Starr had good time and his throw made Dowler leap, making it impossible for the defense back to stop it. DETROIT WIN - A United Press International writer sitting next to us remarked when Jim Taylor scored the second TD: "How did Detroit ever beat these guys?" THIRD DOWNERS - The Browns twice had third down and good yardage to make after the Pack took a 21-3 lead. Plum threw 11 yards to Nagler to make a first down and then he threw to Renfro for 13 on the next situation. Nothing happened fortunately because Lou Groza missed a field goal. MICHAELS KNEE - Taylor had lost two yards at left tackle and was bounced down hard. He was flat on his back when Walt Michaels came in knees first early in second half. THURSTON PATS J.K. - When Taylor shot through a big hole at inside right tackle for the TD that gave GB a 35-10 lead, guard Fred Thurston patted guard Jerry Kramer on the back as they got from the pile. Kramer and Jim Ringo had opened the hole. PENALTIES, REFUSAL - The Browns had three straight holding penalties late in the fourth quarter on successive second down runs by Mitchell, Brown and Mitchell for a total gain of nine yards. The Packers refused the third 15-yarder and on the third down play Brown fumbled and Dave Hanner recovered. The Packers went on for their seventh TD from there.
WOES MOUNT: HANNER, RINGO IN HOSPITAL
OCT 18 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - When it rains, it pours. Yesterday, the Packers learned that Paul Hornung and Ray Nitschke will be called into service. Today, Dave Hanner was in the hospital - in traction, for correction of a back injury. And Jim Ringo is there, too, recovering from painful boils. All this on the heels of the Packers' greatest triumph of the new season - a 49 to 17 victory over the Browns in Cleveland Sunday. Coach Vince Lombardi said today Hanner's availability for Sunday's game against the Vikings won't be known for a couple of days. Hanner is in the hospital for the second time. He underwent an emergency appendectomy Sept. 19 and was back in action for part-time duty Oct. 1. He was at peak form for the Cleveland battle. Jim Taylor and Hornung both suffered leg injuries and they're still hobbled. Bill Forester has recovered from a leg injury. The heavy preparation for the Viking game was launched today and Lombardi, wary of a letdown after the big effort in Cleveland, was quick to point out that the two quarterbacks (George Shaw and Fran Tarkenton) are both passing over 50 percent. Shaw, the ex-Colt and ex-Giants, has a 53.2 percentage, while rookie Tarkenton, whose passing beat the Bears, has 51.9. They have thrown seven touchdown passes. The Packers will see nothing but Vikings for two weeks since the two clubs will meet again in Milwaukee the following Sunday. The two games will be the last for Hornung and Nitschke before they report for military service. Hornung reports to the 896th Engineer Co., at Fort Riley, Kan., Oct. 30, and Nitschke will report Nov. 2 at Fort Lewis, Wash., for duty with Wisconsin's 32nd National Guard Division. The versatile Hornung showed up today with a 29-point lead among scorers in the NFL. He has scored 77 on six touchdowns, 20 extra points and seven field goals in 10 attempts. Bill Kilmer of the 49ers and Lenny Moore of the Colts each have 48. I's conceivable Hornung still could win the league's scoring title, although he'd have to do it in just half the 14-game schedule. He's averaging slightly over 15 points now. It's a long shot. Hornung and Nitschke, who represent the biggest losses to the military in major league sports, will be marked men before the Vikings' first sellout, slightly over 40,000, in Metropolitan Stadium. Tom Moore looms as the top candidate to replace Hornung at halfback. Tom has relieved Paul on a number of occasions in the past two seasons. The successor to Hornung's kicking chores might take two different players, which was the case when he was injured during the non-league season. Taylor did the placekicking and Jerry Kramer the kicking off. Tom Bettis is ready to step in as Nitschke's replacement...BRIEFS: A.D. Williams, the former Packer end, has caught 10 passes for the Vikings. Williams, traded to Cleveland for Willie Davis, was then traded by the Browns to Minnesota...Hugh McElhenny, the former 49er star now with the Vikings, noted a few novel sensations when the two clubs battled last Sunday. "I've never been hit before by a guy who handles my insurance and four or five other 49ers are customers in my San Francisco supermarket," Hugh said. Matt Hazeltine sells insurance when he isn't playing...Jim Taylor says he sometimes gets conversation when being tackled. "They're always talking to me. They'll say 'Well, Jimmy, you didn't do very good this time.' Sometimes I talk back to them, but the less you talk the better it is," Jim said. Incidentally, Taylor had 11 touchdowns running last year; this season, he has seven already...Green Bay has drawn 33,709 more fans thus far this year already...What's this? The Vikings are only the second team to score a touchdown on the 49ers. The other team is Green Bay. The Packers whipped "Frisco 30-10, and the Vikings lost 38-24. The 49ers held Washington to three points and blanked the Lions and Bears.
NFL FIGURES TELL SECRET OF PACK SUCCESS
OCT 18 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The secret of the Packers' success? The NFL's individual statistics announced today tell a big part of the story. Led by the
1-2 running punch of Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor, the Packers are well represented in every department except kickoff returns. There they don't have much chance as the defensive unit surrendered only 51 points in five games. Hornung leads the league in scoring with 77 points on six touchdowns, seven field goals and 20 conversions. His closest pursuers are San Francisco rookie Bill Kilmer and Baltimore's Lenny Moore, with 48 points each. Taylor took a commanding lead in individual rushing while scoring four touchdowns in the 49-17 rout of Cleveland last Sunday. He has gained 518 yards in 81 carries for a 6.4 average. Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns is second with 387 yards in 96 carries. Taylor's touchdown spree boosted him into fourth place among the leading scorers. He has seven touchdowns for 42 points. Hornung is eighth in rushing with 282 yards on 51 carries - an average of 5 1/2 yards per attempt. Quarterback Bart Starr moved into third place in the complicated pass ratings. Starr hit on 15 of 17 tosses against Cleveland and now has 66 completions in 107 attempts, for a sharp-shooting attack mark of 61.7 percent. His passes have gained 874 yards. Max McGee, one of Starr's favorite targets, is fourth in pass receiving. He has grabbed 21 aerials for 377 yards and two touchdowns. Willie Wood, the Packers' sophomore speedster, maintained his lead in punt returns. He has returned seven boots for 176 yards. Teammate Johnny Symank is among the pass interception leaders with four thefts of aerials. Green Bay's Boyd Dowler is sixth in punting, averaging 43 yards in 13 kicks.
LOMBARDI PUTS OFF ANY DECISION ON REPLACEMENTS FOR TWO STARS
OCT 18 (Green Bay-Associated Press) - "They're gone, they're gone," groaned Green Bay Packer Coach Vince Lombardi when he learned that the military had called up two of his stars - center-linebacker Ray Nitschke and halfback Paul Hornung, the NFL's scoring leader. "What the hell can I do?" asked Lombardi, stunned by the announcement that Hornung and Nitschke has been ordered to report to active Army duty in about two weeks. The Packers smacked down the Cleveland Browns 49-17 last Sunday and it appeared that the powerhouse Lombardi built in less than three years had been completed. His only task seemed to be to keep the machine rolling smoothly...HOPE JOLTED: Then the blow fell Tuesday, jolting title hopes for the Packers, defending champions in the Western Conference and tied with the San Francisco 49ers for the league with a 4-1 record. Lombardi put off a decision on replacements, noting that the pair won't leave for several weeks. Former starting center-linebacker Tom Bettis is available as a replacement for Nitschke. Tom Moore looms as the top candidate to replace Hornung in the running attack. The 14th Army Corps Headquarters in Minneapolis announced that Hornung has been ordered to report to the 896th Engineering Co. at Ft. Riley, Kan., Oct. 30. Nitschke was told to report Nov. 2 at Ft. Lewis, Wash., for duty with Wisconsin's recently activated 32nd National Guard Division. Both are privates and served six months of active duty earlier....EARLIER RUMORS: They will take physicals after reporting, the Army said. An Army spokesman said that orders normally are "personal information" but an announcement of the callup of Hornung and Nitschke was made "because of earlier rumors." Before the Army announcement, Lombardi said that "four or five" Packers were subject to military call, but that the club was trying to work out arrangements to permit them to complete the 1961 season. Lombardi said that even if the pair received permission from their commanding officers to play on weekends, he wouldn't like to use them that way. Hornung, in addition to his running, does all the Packer placekicking. He scored 176 points, shattering the league mark of 138 by Don Hutson of Green Bay, in leading the club to the title last year. He was injured and sat out most of the second half as the Packers bowed 17-13 to Philadelphia in the title game...77 POINTS: This season he has piled up 77 points. His greatest performance was against Baltimore on Oct. 8, when he scored 33 points on four touchdowns, a field goal and six conversions. Nitschke was a fullback at Illinois, but was converted to defense by the Packers and earned from his teammates the nickname, "Wildman." Nitschke became a regular last year and has been a strongman in the Green Bay defense which has limited opponents to 51 points, the fewest in the league, in five games. Nitschke, who will be 25 Dec. 29, was married about a year ago.
STINGY PACK HOLDS FOES TO 10.2 POINTS PER
OCT 19 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers have allowed only 51 points in five games. That figure's worth shouting about. It's the best in the league. The 49ers are best in the defense yards but, as the railbird chirp, they only pay off on points. Green Bay has allowed 17, 10, 0 , 7 and 17 points to the Lions, 49ers, Bears, Colts and Browns, respectively. Thus, two of the games accounted for 34 marks against the Bays' rugged defense - an average of 17 per. The other three games saw the Pack give up only 17 points - a fantastic average of 5.6. The five-game points-allowed average of 10.2 per is rare enough. By comparison, the Packers allowed an average of 17.4 last year in winning the West. The Packer defense has allowed three touchdown passes, three touchdowns rushing and three field goals. Two of the field goals were from more than 40 yards out, the other 27. Nick Pietrosante of the Lions scored two of the touchdowns and there was one each by J.W. Lockett of the 49ers, Lennie Moore of the Colts, and Gern Nagler and Ray Renfro of the Browns. Nobody has been getting away for long-distance TDs. The sixers came on advances of 1, 14, 1, 1, 21 and 13 yards in that order. Here's the rundown of enemy scoring for the five games: Lions (Packers lost 17-13) - The Lions moved 52 yards in seven plays, with Nick Pietrosante scoring from the one in first quarter. They moved 46 yards in 8 plays, with Earl Morrall, trapped, overhanded ball to Pietrosante who ran 15 yards for touchdown in second quarter. Jim Martin kicked 44-yard field goal in fourth quarter to cap 34-yard nine play drive. 49ers (Packers won 30-10) - The 49ers moved 51 yards in 11 plays, with Lockett plunging over from a foot out in first quarter. Tommy Davis kicked 46 yards field goal to end 31-yard 11 play push. Bears (Packers won 24-0) - This gave Pack a shutout for each of Coach Vince Lombardi's three seasons, Bays blanked Washington 21-0 in '59 and stopped 49er 13-0 in '60.
Colts (Packers won 45-7) - The Colts moved 72 yards in 10 plays, with Moore running one yard for TD in second quarter. Browns (Packers won 49-17) - The Browns moved 56 yards in 13 plays to set up 27-yard field goal by Lou Groza in second quarter. They moved 72 yards in 8 plays, with Milt Plum, standing on line of scrimmage, throwing 21 yards to Nagler for touchdown in third period. They moved 73 yards in 11 plays, with Plum throwing to Renfro for 13 yards for TD in fourth quarter. Three of the TDs came on first down plays - Pietrosante's and Moore's. The two Cleveland TD s were scored on second down plays and Lockett's was scored on third down. The Packers have been extremely tough in the second half, giving up only 17 of their 51 marks in the last two periods. Going in Sunday's game in Cleveland, the Packers had given up only three points in the last halves of the first four games - that field goal by Martin. The Browns broke the last-half TD scoring ice but the Packers already had rolled up a substantial lead (28-3) before the first TD. It was 35-10 when the Browns went in again. The Packers have counted 82 of their 161 points in the second half. Thus, they have edged their foes, 83 to 17, in the second half. Things must happen when Lombardi and Aides Phil Bengtson, Red Cochran, Bill Austin and Norb Hecker gather with the Bays between halves. Here's the Packers' composite scoring by quarters thus far:
GREEN BAY - 42 36 31 52 - 161
OPPONENTS - 14 20 7 10 - 51
Yardagewise, the Packers have stepped into second place in offense and third in defense. San Francisco heads both departments...The Packers faced the worst practice weather of the season today - a cold win out of the northeast and rain, in preparation for the Vikings in Minneapolis Sunday. Dave Hanner, Paul Hornung and Jim Ringo - the three injured players, displayed improvement today. Hanner was out of the hospital where he was in traction for treatment of a back injury; Hornung was running better; and Ringo, while still in the hospital, displayed marked improvement from a severe case of the boils. Hornung hurt his knee kicking late in the Cleveland game. "You know me," Ringo said. "I'll be ready for Sunday." Jim expects to get out Friday.
BIG DAY LOOMS FOR EX-PACKER PESONEN
OCT 20 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Vikings purchased three players from the Packers last winter - Ken Beck, Dick Pesonen and Paul Winslow. Beck was cut during the training season. Winslow broke his hand Aug. 13 and doesn't figure to return. But Pesonen, the second-year man from Duluth Branch, University of Minnesota, made it - but good. He's the Vikings' regular right cornerbacker. Other than part of one non-league games when he was hurt, he hasn't missed a minute. Besides playing against the Packers, Pesonen will get another special thrill. Nearly 700 fans from the Duluth-Superior area will hold their own Dick Pesonen Day in Metropolitan Stadium Sunday. Pesonen, a real Viking since his home is in Dulith, will be presented with a gift from the hometown fans, who will make up part of a sellout of over 40,000. Pesonen will have no picnic once the action starts. The hard-working defender will be looking chiefly at Max McGee. Maxie ranks fourth in the league with his 21 catches for 377 yards. The Taxi grabbed five of them from Bart Starr in Cleveland last Sunday, including a 48-yarder for a TD. Dick works in a secondary composed of Jack Morris, ex-Ram and Steeler; at left corner; Rich Mostardi, Browns, at left safety, and Gene Johnson, Eagles, right safety. Johnson replaces Charlie Sumner, Bears, who has been taken off the list for this game due to injury. Two other changes might be required on defense due to injury, according to Vikings Publicist Jack Thompson. Clancy Osborne, ex-49er, may start at left linebacker in place of Jim Leo, the onetime Giant. Other linebackers are Rip Hawkins, the only rookie in the starting lineups, in the middle and Karl Rubke, 49er, on the right. Former Brownie Jim Marshall, the regular right defense end, may not start due to injury. His place would be taken by Don Joyce, the ex-Colt. Other defense line starters are LeBaron Shields, Colts, at left end; Jim Prestel, Browns, left tackle; and Ed Culpepper, Cards, at right tackle. Shields packs 250 pounds, Prestel 250, Culpepper 255, Marshall 232, and Joyce 255. Under the NFL's new-team plan, the Vikings are allowed to carry 43 players. But they can suit up only the league limit of 36. Coach Norm Van Brocklin must removed seven players from the list for each game. The "removals" for Sunday's battles are halfbacks Jamie
Caleb, Bill Gault and Sumner; tackle Paul Dickson; and ends Dave Middleton and Fred Murphy - plus tackle Ed Scharockman, the All-Star game injuree who is the 43rd man on the roster. Middleton, the pass-catching doctor who tormented the Pack some as a Lion, apparently has been cast in the shadow of ex-Packer A.D. Williams. Williams was with the Pack in '59 and showed some possibilities but Coach Vince Lombardi got a chance to exchange him for some defense line help. He was traded to the Browns for Willie Davis, who has been one of the Pack's Big Four in the defense line. Williams, who shared left end with Middleton in the early part of the season, has moved in as the Vikings' No. 3 receiver, with 10 catches for 150 yards and one touchdown. Jerry Reichow, the starting flanker, leads with 16 catches for 305 yards and three TDs while Hugh McElhenny, the left half, has 11. Oddly enough, Minnesota lists 11 different pass receivers. The others are Tommy Mason, 8 catches; Raymond Hayes and Middleton, 7 each; Mel Triplett, 6; Bob Schnelker, 5; Dick Haley, 2; Doug Mayberry, 1; Caleb, 1. Besides Williams, Reichow, McElhenny, Schnelker and Triplett, the Vikings will have George Shaw at quarterback; Grady Alderman and Frank Youso at tackles; Gerry Huth and Mike Rabold at guards; and Bill Lapham at center.
VAN FACING PACK WITH HUMOR
OCT 20 (Minneapolis-St. Paul) - Minnesota Vikings football coach Norm Van Brocklin faced Sunday's contest with Green Bay with a bit of dry humor and some real troubles. "I told my captains today that if we won the toss, we should ask the officials for a two week delay in the ball game," Van Brocklin quipped before a fan club audience. He was referring to the call to military duty in two weeks of Green Bay stars Paul Hornung and Ray Nitschke. Both will be around for two more games - both against the Vikings. Van Brocklin said he has nothing but the highest regard for the Packers offense, saying, "They've really improved themselves because they get a lot more out of the passing game than they have before. True, the running of fullback Jim Taylor and halfback Hornung help the passing, but quarterback Bart Starr has arrived as a top-flight quarterback." The Minnesota coach, who last year quarterbacked the Philadelphia Eagles to a NFL playoff victory over Green Bay, said the Packers have one of the best offenses in the league, but "their defense is probably even tougher." Van Brocklin said Green Bay's defense and that of San Francisco were "comparable, but if I had to give one team the edge, I'd give it to the Packers because of their linebackers." San Francisco came into last week's game with the Vikings shooting for a modern NFL defensive record of three straight shutouts.
WHEN PACK MET THE MARINES
OCT 21 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Tomorrow afternoon in Minneapolis the Packers face a new league rival in the Minnesota Vikings. The schedule makers probably never realized it, but no opponent could be more suitable for this particular weekend. Just 40 years ago Monday, on Oct. 23, 1921, the Green Bay Packers made their own debut in the NFL. They won it by the narrowest of margins - and the opposition was the Minneapolis Marines. A lot of footballs have been inflated in the NFL - which wasn't even called the NFL in those days - since then, but none ever took a more significant bounce for the Packers than the one Curly Lambeau dropkicked over the crossbar in the closing minutes to give the Packers a 7-6 decision. How much of what has happened in the ensuing four decades rode on that kick no one can say...INDEPENDENT TWO YEARS: The Packers had been in existence as an independent, sandlot semi-pro team for two seasons when the chance to get into the American Professional Football Assn., as the NFL was originally called, came in the late summer of 1921. In that time, they had lost only two games, been tied once and were so tough in their own neighborhood they had about run out of playmates. Even so, Green Bay had its nerve trying to edge into what then passed for the Big Time...STILL HAD DOUBTS: If $50 hadn't been real lettuce to the boys who were trying to establish professional football, Curly and his backers probably wouldn't have gotten the time of day from them. Even so, the promoters had doubts about letting Green Bay play in their backyard. The story has never been verified - nor denied - but it was generally believed at the time that the Packers' membership in the league was conditional. If they didn't show well in their first effort against the fearsome Marines, out they went. The Pack opened its 1921 season with much of the same squad that had started the whole thing in 1919. The players were all local and regional products. Cub Buck was the only "big name" on the roster, but Cub was a neighborhood boy, too, hailing from Appleton...THREE ARE SIGNED: Although the team disposed of its first four opponents handily, Lambeau was sure that home talent couldn't meet the challenge of the Minneapolis pros. New men were gradually worked into the lineup, but it wasn't until the week before the game that well-known outside players were obtained. That week, Lambeau signed Billy DeMore, former Syracuse wingman; Jigger Hays and Paul Malone, both of Notre Dame. Hayes, another end, and Malone, a fullback, only joined the squad on Friday...NOT FULL STRENGTH: The club wasn't at full strength for the big test. Tubby Howard, the regular fullback and himself an import, had an injured ankle, and Lambeau had been ordered by his doctor not to play. The Marines, on whom the Packers were expected to cut their teeth, were an awesome crew. Organized for 12 years and claimants of the Midwestern championship the past six, they were a smoothly blended mixture of seasoned pros and recent college stars. Key man was Rube Ursella, the captain and quarterback. Rube never went to college, but in a dozen years of the rough and tumble of pioneer pro ball, he had established a reputation as one of the canniest signal callers in the business - if you could call it a business...3,000 ON HAND: When the Packers took the field in old Hagemeister Park - now the site of East High School - that Oct. 23, the whole town was in a stew of enthusiasm, tempered by anxiety, and the largest crowd ever to see a game here up to that time was on hand. Official attendance figures were never announced but the turnout was later estimated at a whopping 3,000. Only one "charter member" of the home club was in the startling lineup - Sammy Powers at right guard. DeMoe and Hayes were on the flanks, Buck and Jab Murray were at the tackles, Jim Cook held down the other guard slot and Fee Klaus was at center...BACKFIELD LINEUP: The backfield consisted of Roger Kliebahn at quarterback, Malone and Buff Wagner at the halves and Art Schmael at fullback. Before the game was over, Lambeau, Joe Carey, Milt Wilson, Howard, Cowboy Wheeler and Toodie McLean saw action, Howard only briefly. Lambeau, Wilson, Wheeler and McLean were 1919 holdovers. Shortly after the opening kickoff, the Marines missed a field goal from 30 yards out, took over again at midfield and crunched to a first down on the Packer four-yard line. The Bays piled up three thrusts but on fourth down Dvorak burrowed through for the first score of the season against the Packers. The power and
precision of the drive didn't make Art Sampson's muff of the conversion seem very important...HOLD ON FOUR: Through the rest of the first half, however, the Marines enjoyed only a slightly offensive edge until a partly blocked punt gave Green Bay possession on the Minneapolis 30. An interception squelched that threat, but the Packers marched back to the visitors' 35, only to be thwarted when a forward pass grounded in the end zone with less than a minute to go. (In those days, an incomplete pass into the end zone meant loss of the ball.) Early in the second half, the Packers got the job when Malone carted an interception to the Marine 20. Schmael plunged to a first down but Minneapolis braced and held on its four...MARINES ROLL: Again the invaders opened with a well-executed assault. With Sampson punching through the middle and Dvorak and Pete Regnier sweeping the ends or slicing off tackle, the Marines rolled to the Packer 25 as the third quarter
Jim Taylor runs with the ball through a gap in the defensive line of the Cleveland Browns. Offensive lineman Jim Ringo #51 does some blocking for Taylor. (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images)
ended. Carey opened the final period by recovering a fumble but the Packers couldn't gain. The pattern was repeated as minutes ticked off, neither team being able to make much headway. Time was getting short when Sampson punted over the Green Bay goal line. Once more the Packers stalled after reaching their 40 and, with only six minutes remaining, Buck kicked. Dvorak tried to field the ball on the run, fumbled and Jigger Hayes gathered it in on the Marines 35. The crowd, resigned to just a good try in the big bid, came up roaring but two cracks at the line netted only a couple of yards...CURLY OBLIGED: With fans pleading for the obvious pass, Lambeau - who had been at quarterback most of the way in defiance of Doc Kelly - obliged with a bullet to Wagner. Buff made a circus catch and raced to the Minneapolis 14 before being pulled down. Four line smashes netted ten yards. The distance was so thin, however, that a measurement gave the Packers first down with only an inch to spare. The park was tense and silent as Curly barked his signals over the crouching lines - the huddle hadn't come into use yet. Schmael took a direct pass from center and disappeared under a huge pileup on the Minneapolis goal line. When the stack peeled off and Art was found across the big stripe with the tying touchdown, the crowd went crazy. Hats and cushions sailed into the air and staid businessmen hopped around like kids. Lambeau's drop kick between the uprights for the winning point touched off a continuous din that could be heard for blocks. It hasn't stopped yet.
VIKING QB PAIR READY FOR PACK
OCT 21 (Minneapolis-St. Paul) - The Vikings, only rookie team in the NFL this year, have won just one game - a rousing victory over the Bears. That victory was engineered, appropriately enough, by a rookie - quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who pitched four touchdown passes and shocked the pro football world. George Shaw, the seven-year veteran, has stepped into the Vikings' QB picture since but Tarkenton still looms in the background as the apple of Coach Van Brocklin's sharp eye for QBs. Shaw is ticketed to start for the Vikings Sunday but Tarkenton will see plenty of action. The 21-year-old Tarkenton actually has thrown and completed more passes than Shaw, although the ex-Giant and Colt has the better percentage of completions, 53.2 to 51.9. Tarkenton has edged his teammate 4 to 3 in TD passes. Tarkenton attempted 79 and completed 41 for 566 yards. Shaw tried 62 and completed 33 for 362 yards. Fran had four intercepted, Shaw two. It's been a long time since a half-time first-string rookie QB came into the league and managed over 50 percent. Tarkenton's opposing QB, Bart Starr, had a 54.5 completion percentage as a rookie under Tobin Rote but he threw only 44 times. Lamar McHan threw 255 as a rookie with the Cardinals and his percentage was 41.2. Van Brocklin predicts Tarkenton will be an NFL standout in a short time. The former Georgia star is about three years ahead of schedule right now. The young QB can also run, gaining 44 yards in nine carries for an average of 4.9. Shaw tried six runs and lost a total of two yards. The Packers were scheduled to drill in Metropolitan Stadium this afternoon, arriving by United Airlines charter this morning. The team is headquartering at the St. Paul Hotel.
PACKERS FACE VIKINGS, SEEK FIFTH WIN IN A ROW
OCT 22 (Minneapolis-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Can the Packers lose to the Vikings in Metropolitan Stadium this afternoon? We're not about to answer that either way, but the Packers have two forces going against them - not to mention the Vikings themselves. First off, the Packers can be expected to level off some from their tremendous performance in ripping the Browns in Cleveland last Sunday. Green Bay can't possibly be that high. Still, the Packers are 17-point favorites. Secondly, the Vikings have been thinking about this game since the schedule came out and, according to former Packer Johnny Blood, "they'll be exceptionally vigorous because they want more than anything to win this one."...STARTS NEW RIVALRY: The Packers are like a favorite uncle in these parts. In fact, local observers at the Packs' Saturday workout in the Stadium felt that a lot of fans will watch this game with mixed emotions. This territory was solid Green Bay since the Bays played one game here every year and all of the club's games were TV'd here. Today's game is the start of a new rivalry. Kickoff is set for 1:36 and a crowd of over 41,000 will attend. All 40,809 seats were sold two days ago. Standing room at $3 per two feet then went on sale. The Packers will be going for their fifth straight victory since losing the opener 17-13 to Detroit. The Bays haven't had that kind of winning streak since the title year of 1944. They finished off Vince Lombardi's debut year of 1959 with four straight and they won three in a row at the close of 1960. The Packers will face a rarity right off the bat. Viking Coach Norm Van Brocklin announced Saturday that rookie Fran Tarkenton will start at quarterback. This is a real challenge to Tarkenton and quite typical of Van Brocklin, who delights in making daring moves...INEXPERIENCE HURTS: Tarkenton threw four touchdown passes against the Bears in producing the Vikings' only victory. Inexperience has plagued him since in dividing quarterbacking with George Shaw. The Packer defense, exceptional in whipping the Browns, has the best point-average in the league to protect. This unit, captained by Bill Forester, allowed only 51 points in the first five games. That's an average of 10.2 per game, and right now it doesn't seem likely that the Bays can hold the charged-up Vikings to that figure. The Bays' offense, likewise, has been hot - scoring 94 points in two games, 45 on the Colts and 49 on the Browns. Nobody counts on scoring 40-odd points in the NFL. Marked men today will be the Pack's Paul Hornung and Ray Nitschke, who received Army calls last week. Hornung apparently has recovered a leg injury that bothered him most of the week, although he ran hard in Saturday drills. Paul will share the block-busting with Jarrin' Jim Taylor. It will be interesting to see how the Viking defense the Packers, off their scouting reports and movies of last Sunday's win over the Browns. The Bays gained 487 yards with 270 coming on Bart Starr's 17 pass completions in 19 attempts to Max McGee, Ron Kramer, Boyd Dowler, Taylor and Hornung. One of the key figures in the Vikings' defense is Dick Pesonen, the former Packer who now plays the right corner. He'll be working against McGee. The Vikings are expected to try and power the Packer defense. Van Brocklin has named his most powerful runner, fullback Raymond Hayes, as a starter. Hayes is a rookie and 13th choice from little Central Oklahoma State. This is his first start and he replaces the great Mel Triplett, the former Giant who opened in the last five games. Triplett, a former Lombardi pupil, undoubtedly will be used. One of the Pack's major thorns likely will be Hugh McElhenny, the former 49er great who, they say, has been terrific in the first five games. The Vikes' starting left end will be A.D. Williams, the former Packer who is one of the few ends who can play both inside and wife. The Packers injured are in good shape. Jim Ringo, in the hospital most of the week with boils, had good drills Friday and Saturday. Dave Hanner, troubled with a back injury, noticed no trouble...BRIEFS: After the workout Saturday afternoon, Coach Lombardi went out to see his son, Vince, Jr., played fullback for St. Thomas College against St. John...Tarkenton ranks ninth in the league in passing, Shaw 13th...There's a new reason for timeouts here- the noise of the big jets taking off nearby Wold-Chamberlain Field. A quarterback can't be heard when they roar over...Will Sherman, one of the league's top defense backs, celebrated his 32nd birthday Saturday and he may start in the secondary for the Vikings...The Packers were highly spirited in Saturday's drill, which was noticed immediately by television, press and radio inspectors on the sidelines...Johnny Blood was an early arrival coming in from New Richmond...The Packers will fly out of here shortly after the game and arrive via United Airlines charter at 6:15 this evening.
