Green Bay Packers (2-1) 31, Baltimore Colts (1-2) 20
Sunday September 29th 1963 (at Green Bay)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(GREEN BAY) - A little bit of luck, some skill and 60 minutes of fight added up to a hard-earned and thrilling 31 to 20 Packer victory over the Colts in City Stadium Sunday. The Packers came from behind twice to win. They scored all their points in the second half. And the capacity crowd of 42,327 never relaxed until the final seconds. The Bays combined luck and special skills in less than four minutes of the fourth quarter to go in front to stay. Like so: Bart Starr fumbled on making a handoff, scooped up the bouncing ball, ran away from some Colts, spotted Boyd Dowler and threw to him for a makeshift 35-yard touchdown aerial and a 21-17 lead. The skills in order: Herb Adderley made an over-the-shoulder interception of a John Unitas pass and returned 39 yards; Max McGee made a miracle one-handed catch of a Starr pass for 35 yards; and Jerry Kramer kicked a 42-yard field goal. That made it 24-17. The Packers weren't about to go behind again. Jim Martin followed with a 52-yard field goal and Earl Gros scored a clinching TD with 36 seconds left. Green Bay, adding Sunday's triumph to the 31-10 decision over the Lions last week, now has a 2-1 record and a second place tie with Minnesota - one game behind undefeated Chicago. The Packers host the Rams next Sunday while the Colts play the Bears in Wrigley Field. The Packers and Colts blistered each other to the tune of 10 fumbles for the day and there were four interceptions, two by each team. The game was loaded with "breaks" and the defense produced them with jarring tackles. The Packers recovered all five of the Colts' fumbles and the Colts grabbed three of the Pack's five. Willie Wood recovered two and Dan Currie, Lionel Aldridge and Hank Jordan each got one. Wood and Adderley made the interceptions. The Colts led at the intermission 7-0 on a two-yard plunge by Jerry Hill in the second quarter. The Pack went ahead 14-7 the first two times they had the ball in the third quarter on Starr's four-yard touchdown pass to Dowler and Tom Moore's three-yard dash. Baltimore tied the score at 14-up when Bob Boyd grabbed the ball from Gros (it's scored as a recovered fumble) and returned 34 yards for a touchdown. The Colts went ahead 17-14 as Martin kicked a nine-yard field goal two minutes later. Then, the Packers broke away on Starr's "invention" on the first play of the fourth quarter. Fumbles and interceptions preceded all but two scores and only four punts were required in the weird game - three by the Pack's Jerry Norton. Jerry Kramer missed two field goals, another from the 42 and one from the 28. The Bays committed five penalties and were nicked for 61 yards - not to mention a touchdown. A holding verdict ruined a seven-yard TD run by Moore with 2:20 left in the game. Adding spice to the day were 11 kickoffs, five by Packer Dave Robinson and six by Martin. The boots were returned a total of 264 yards. The Bays produced a balanced 355 yards, 203 by passing and 168 by rushing, against the Colts' 333, including 267 by Unitas' 19 completions in 30 attempts. Starr completed 13 of 27. The Bays piled up 73 plays and the Colts had 62. Individually, Taylor came up with 72 yards in 16 trips despite the bench most of the second half. Dowler wound up with five catches for 74 yards, not to mention two touchdowns. The Bays salted the Colts down to 80 yards rushing and their big Lockett was held to 37 in 14 trips. What kind of a day did it start out to be? Starr fumbled on the opening play, but recovered, oh job. Norton punted and the Colts got to the Packer 28 on Unitas' 27-yard pass to Lenny Moore. Two plays later Wood recovered J.W. Lockett's fumble but Norton had to punt right back after Jim Colvin tossed Starr for a nine-yard loss. The Colts, with Unitas pitching again, got to the Packer 36 and Martin tried a field goal from the 43. The boot went short and the Bays got a drive going. Starr completed three passes to McGee, Dowler and Kramer and reached the Colt 30 where the Bays drew a holding penalty. This ended abruptly when Boyd intercepted Bart's short pass. Wood returned the compliment when he juggled and then squeezed a pass tipped up by Adderley for an interception. Four plays later, Welch intercepted Starr's pass aimed at McGee and the Colts were on the Packer 45. On second down, big John Mackey took Unitas' pass up the middle and raced to the two before Jess Whittenton could pull him down. Hill scored on second down at 6:32 and Martin converted for 7-0. With Starr passing to R. Kramer for 17 and Jim Taylor running for 17, the Bays reached the Colt 23, but Dowler fumbled a reception of a Starr pass on the 15. The Bays got it right back when Currie snared a fumble by Mackey, but the short drive ended when J. Kramer missed a field goal from 42 yards. Hill fumbled on the first play of the second half and Adderley recovered on the Colt 21. The Bays weren't denied this time. Moore and Taylor combined for 16 yards to the 5 and on second down Dowler took Starr's pass in the end zone to tie the score at 2:08 with J.K. converting. After a quick punt, the Bays moved 47 yards in eight plays for a 14-7 lead. The big gainers were Starr's passes to McGee for nine yards, 11 yards in two trips by Moore and Taylor, and Starr's 19-yard pass to Gros to the 5. Two plays later Moore ran inside right tackle for the TD. The point kick made it 14-7 at 8:50. After three first downs by the Colts, there were three fumbles on the next three plays. Unitas fumbled on the Bay 34 and Jordan recovered. On the Pack's first play, Boyd performed his grab from Gros to tie the score and on the first play after the kickoff Gros fumbled and Bill Pellington recovered on the Packer 37. After a 27-yard Unitas pass to Mackey, Martin put the Colts ahead with a 9-yard field goal. Starr ran 15 yards, himself, to set up the broken-play TD pass to Dowler who took the ball about 15 yards downfield. Unitas went deep on a pass to Orr in an attempt to grab a quick lead, but Adderley intercepted and, with Wood as convoy, returned 39 yards to the Packer 43. Starr's pass to McGee then set up J. Kramer's field goal at 3:48. After Martin's 52-yard field goal, which incidentally had plenty of distance, the Colts had the ball for seven more plays while the Bays ran off 19. Wood's recovery of a fumble
by Matte set up J. Kramer's field goal attempt from the 28 but the boot was way wide. With 1:40 left, the Colts gave up the ball on downs as Unitas tried four straight passes from the Packer 20. Bill Forester batted down the fourth and the Bays took over the Colt 14. Five plays later, Gros scored from six yards out in the northwest corner - the same spot Boyd ran with his fumble.
BALTIMORE - 0 7 10 3 - 20
GREEN BAY - 0 0 14 17 - 31
BALTIMORE GREEN BAY
First Downs 16 21
Rushing-Yards-TD 30-80-1 44-168-2
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 30-19-267-0-2 27-13-203-2-2
Sack Yards Lost 14 16
Total Yards 253 187
Fumbles-lost 333 355
Turnovers 7 5
Yards penalized 2-20 5-61
SCORING
2nd - BALT - Jerry Hill, 1-yard run (Jim Martin kick) BALTIMORE 7-0
3rd - GB - Boyd Dowler, 4-yard pass from Bart Starr (Jerry Kramer kick) TIED 7-7
3rd - GB - Tom Moore, 3-yard run (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 14-7
3rd - BALT - Bobby Boyd, 34-yard fumble recovery (Martin kick) TIED 14-14
3rd - BALT - Martin, 9-yard field goal BALTIMORE 17-14
4th - GB - Dowler, 35-yard pass from Starr (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 21-17
4th - GB - J. Kramer, 42-yard field goal GREEN BAY 24-17
4th - BALT - Martin, 52-yard field goal GREEN BAY 24-20
4th - GB - Earl Gros, 6-yard run (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 31-20
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 16-72, Tom Moore 16-53 1 TD, Earl Gros 8-23 1 TD, Bart Starr 2-12, Lew Carpenter 2-8
BALTIMORE - J.W. Lockett 14-37, Tom Matte 10-31, Jerry Hill 4-8 1 TD, Johnny Unitas 2-4
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 27-13-203 2 TD 2 INT
BALTIMORE - Johnny Unitas 30-19-267 2 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Boyd Dowler 5-74 2 TD, Max McGee 4-69, Ron Kramer 3-41, Earl Gros 1-9
BALTIMORE - John Mackey 5-98, Tom Matte 5-43, Lenny Moore 4-68, Jimmy Orr 4-43, Willie Richardson 1-15
WIN PROVED 'THIS CLUB HAS ABILITY TO COME BACK,' VINCE
SEPT 30 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "Ten fumbles? Holy good gravy!" Although painfully aware there had been more than the normal quota of miscues, Vince Lombardi was understandably incredulous upon sighting this spectacular statistic while conducting his customary post-mortem for the fourth estate following Sunday's bizarre 31-20 Packer victory over the Baltimore Colts in City Stadium. "Ten fumbles," he repeated, half to himself. "We recovered five of theirs, they recovered three of ours. Holy good gravy." Continuing his analysis of the statistics (they were particularly revealing on this occasion), the Packer headmaster found a more comforting figure. "We had 73 plays," he noted with satisfaction, peering over his spectacles at the press corps. "That's quite a few plays." Further down the sheet, he discovered, "They only punted once. Didn't have to punt," Vince elaborated with a mirthless chuckle. "We just handed the ball to each other." There was one other "statistic" which outweighed all others he found, especially in the light of the 11-game grind remaining for his defending world champions. "We scored 31 points in the second half," the ex-Block of Granite pointed out, "which means this club has the ability to come back." Earlier, Lombardi had capsuled the afternoon's maneuvers by observing, "We never seemed to get a series of downs going without stopping ourselves with a fumble, a penalty, a dropped pass, or something." "Of course," he quickly appended, "they stopped themselves, too." The conversation turned abruptly to the Colts' eel-like John Unitas. Shaking his head in wonder, Lombardi said, "He's an amazing man. He gets out of some awful scrapes in there. You think you've got him pinned and he ducks under somebody and completed a pass." Had the Colts sprung any surprises? "One," Vince replied. "Lenny Moore, I thought he'd be playing, but not that much." The Hosses, he added in response to a Baltimore scribe, "are a real solid football team." The wealth of misadventures on the part of both principals had not diminished the quality of combat for him, Lombardi also observed. "That was good, clean football out there today," he said. "Good, hard hitting." What about Mackey (Colt rookie tight end John Mackey)? "He's a fine football player," Vince responded, without hesitation. "He was well covered today, but he made some great catches. That's what we weren't doing in the first half. We were well covered and we weren't making the catches."..."BROKEN PATTERN": Speaking of catches, what about that Starr-to-Dowler eruption for the winning touchdown? "It was a broken pattern," Lombardi said, adding with a faint smile. "I don't think that Dowler was the intended receiver, though." About this time, Packer TV voices Ray Scott and Tony Canadeo arrived to offer their congratulations, which prompted the Packer head man to chuckle and chide them with, "You had no trouble upstairs today. It must have been a helluva game to broadcast." Scott grinned back and retorted, "No, it wasn't. I didn't know who had the ball."...Youthful Don Shula, the Colts' freshman head coach, glumly wrapped up his summation in one sentence. "When you lose the ball seven times (five fumbles and two interceptions), you don't play very well." The Packers, it was observed, also had yielded possession five times on similar miscues. "That's right," he agreed, "but we gave it away more than they did, although that wasn't the difference today." Things had looked bright after the Steeds had forged into a 17-14 lead in the third quarter, Shula also conceded, but was quick to point out, "We dropped one in the end zone (a Unitas pitch to Lenny Moore) just before that field goal that would have made it 21-14 for us." Had he intended to use Moore, just back after a Sept. 12 appendectomy, all the way? "Yes, I did. That is, he was ready to play and I was planning to start him and see how far he could go. That had to depend on him, of course." Although understandably unhappy over the outcome, Shula found two items of cheer. "I thought the defense played a real good ball game, especially in the first half," he said, "and Unitas threw the ball well." He was not, however, quite so enchanted with the punting of Tom Gilburg, shaking his head upon discovering that the third-year tackle's lone punt had traveled a scant 25 yards. Had this second Colt defeat and the Bears' 37-21 thumping of Detroit affected his original appraisal of the NFL's Western Division race? "Not too much," he said. "I thought the Bears would be real strong, and I still think Green Bay is the team to beat, although the Bears are off to a good start." "Some of the other teams have to get hot to get back into it," Shula declared grimly, setting his jaw and concluding, "We have to get hot."
LUCKY ON TD PLAY, SAYS BART STARR
SEPT 30 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A puckish smile overspreading his "All-American Boy" features, Bart Starr bent to towel a damp left calf and quipped, "We'll have to put that one in next week." As may already have been deduced, the gentlemanly Packer field general had amused reference to his unexpected fourth quarter collaboration with rangy Boyd Dowler for what proved to be the winning touchdown in Sunday's 31-20 conquest of the explosive Baltimore Colts at City Stadium. What really did happen? "I bobbled the pass from center and missed Tom Moore on the handoff," Starr confessed with customary candor, "and the ball was squirting around in the backfield. We were just lucky." The original maneuver had been designed as a sweep, he revealed, "so everybody was around the line of scrimmage - everybody was moving laterally. So we were extremely lucky that things worked out the way they did." How had he happened to sight Dowler? "After I picked up the ball, I just looked around for something to do with it," Bart smiled. "Thought maybe I'd have to run with it. But I just looked around and there he was." The other principal in this impromptu but profitable project had not been in the right place at the right time entirely by accident, it developed. "I saw the ball scooting around back there and Boyd (Baltimore defensive back Bobby) run by me," Dowler explained, "so I thought we might have something going if Bart could get to the ball." Across the room, fast-developing Lionel Aldridge, the hard-hitting freshman who had recovered an earlier fumble which figured prominently in the final reckoning, reported with becoming modesty, "The ball came right to me." Aldridge, whose timely retrieve on the Colts' opening offensive play in the Pack's trying touchdown, revealed, "They ran the play to the inside and when he fumbled, the ball squirted to the outside - it came right to me." It was not recovered without complication, however, he admitted. "One of the Colts was trying to get under me," he said, "to get to the ball." Any theory on what might have caused the rash of fumbles (each team was guilty of five)? "It was the hitting," the impressively-built Utah State product said with conviction, "that caused it." Still another fumble in the Sabbath's titillating Alphonse and Gaston drama was just that, sophomore fullback Earl Gros informed. "No, Boyd didn't steal it from me," the muscular LSU alumnus said. "The ball just popped out of my hands and before I knew it, it was gone. Boyd was about 10 yards away from me when I got hit. I tried to
chase him but I couldn't catch him."...PRETTY WELL BEAT UP: Gros' fellow fullback, Jim Taylor, was a battered and bruised citizen who readily admitted "I'm pretty well beat up." Limping on a sprained left ankle which kept him inactive for a major portion of the second half, the Bayou Bronco winced and reported, "It's still sore." Then, ruminating upon the afternoon's combat, Taylor coined a word to describe what had transpired. "This game was good for the sportswriters, sportscasters and the fans," he said, "but for the coaches and players, it was frustrating." "If we could just put a handle on that football," a somewhat disgusted John Unitas lamented in the Colts' quiet quarters, "we'd be all right." Despite an imposing 19-for-30 completion record, General John admitted that he again was plagued by arm trouble - at least at the outset. "It's still a little sore," he confided, "but it works itself out when it gets warmed up." The Packers will ruefully concur. Another Colt "convalescent," the perennially obstreperous Lenny Moore said he felt "pretty good, but a little weak" after going the distance on offense in his first appearance since undergoing an appendectomy Sept. 12. Had he planned to play the route? "You always plan to go the whole way," Lenny replied, "but I didn't realize that I had today." The mustachioed Moore, who said he had been "definitely rusty," pointed out, "You can't drop those passes in the end zone in this game."
TOBUREN DONS CLEATS AGAIN...FOR COLT 'ANNIVERSARY'
SEPT 30 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Nelson Toburen puts on his football cleats again Sunday. Just one "schedule"' year after they were carefully removed from doctors during what proved to be the last football game of his short-lived career. The rest of his uniform Sunday consisted of dark blue slacks, white dress shirt and a blue sweater, a stark contract to the padded green and gold uniform he wore as one of the NFL's most promising young players against the Baltimore Colts in City Stadum last Nov. 18. It was in that game that Toburen made a spectacular, jarring tackle of Colt quarterback Johnny Unitas, forcing a fumble which the Packers recovered and converted into a victory. But it was also in that game, on that very play, that Toburen suffered a serious neck and spine injury. He was taken from the field on a stretcher and has never returned. The injury has mended for normal use now, but it will never allow him to return to his hazardous love of pro football
linebacking. Sunday, Toburen was on the Packer bench, a special guest of the team. He sat at the worktable between reserve quarterback John Roach and cab squader Doug Hart, who were handling the phones, and sorted diagrams. After the game, the muscular blond with glittering blue eyes had a smile to match but he declared, "I was just a spectator, like anyone else. I wasn't really working. They just asked me if I would like to sit on the bench for the game. So I did." The invitation was obviously a psychological move that provided a constant reminder for this year's combatants of the unfortunate break suffered by the Packers, and more particularly by Toburen, in last year's effort against the Colts. More subtle reminders had been issued to the Packers during the week in the form of matchbooks carrying the printed suggestions that they win it for Nellie. The former Wichita star, now a Green Bay businessman, admitted that "it was nice to be back," then added with pardonable ruefulness, "But I'd rather be playing." He said it was probably the only game he would attend in that capacity. Although possibly afflicted with some mixed emotions over being forced to savor the day's sweet from a civilian standpoint, Toburen grinned, "There must be an easier way to win. We must have used 16 plays for those last 16 yards. But that's the way it always is against the Colts. A lot of aerial stuff and wide open." That's from a man who knows.
3 BABIES, 2 VICTORIES BRIGHTEN PACK'S DAY
OCT 1 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Sure and it's a bright Tuesday. The Packers have two wins on the board and three new babies in the crib. Dave Robinson, the Pack's rookie backer-up linebacker, was aroused at 6 o'clock this morning and the voice on the other end of the telephone announced that "its' two of them - boys." Elaine Robinson and the unnamed newcomers, their first and second, are all doing fine out in Mt. Holly, N.J., but Dave was a little excited when he reported for the squad meeting this morning. This could mean double cigars (and twice as much smoke), Robbie's teammates were quick to remind him. The Packers had just gotten over kidding with Robinson when somebody tapped Henry Jordan on the shoulder and said there was news from St. Vincent Hospital. You guessed it. Olive Jordan had just given birth (at 9:30) to a daughter. That's No. 3 for the Jordans. They have Henry Jr. (Butch) 4, and Terry 2. Olive and the newcomer are doing fine. And that concludes our baby report for today. This was an extra bright day for Coach Vince Lombardi since the Packers had sprung into "daylight" after splitting their first two games. Since losing to the Bears 3-10 the Packers piled up 62 points in beating rugged defenses owned by the Lions and Colts. Lombardi said he felt before the season began "we'd be in good shape" if Green Bay could win two of three games at the start. "I still feel that way. This was a great one to win - especially playing that badly," Vince said, referring to the 31-20 verdict over Baltimore in City Stadium Sunday. The Bays committed five fumbles (three were lost) and had two interceptions and, after viewing the pictures, Vince said he could see no particular reason for it "and we couldn't even see some of them." Most of them seemed to be "away" from the camera, although Lombardi, asked about Earl Gros' fumble that resulted in a Colt touchdown by Bob Boyd, noted that Gros lost the ball when Gino Marchetti hooked his arm. "Boyd was six feet away when it happened," he explained, but the Colt defensive back grabbed it before it hit the ground and took off. The Packers' fumblitis (the Colts also had five fumbles and the Packers recovered all of them), prompted Lombardi to remark, "since I've been here, we've made very few mental and physical mistakes. This year there's been a flock of them. There have been more fumbles than since I came. Bart Starr has nine interceptions - as many as all of last year. We've been dropping passes when we should have caught them. If we continue this way, it's going to catch up with us. We just can't go on like this and hope to win."...POWER ON KICKOFFS: One of the highlights of the game - and the early season has been the Packers' newfound power on kickoff returns. With Herb Adderley for tremendous break-away speed and Gros for sheer power, the KO returners pose a problem for the enemy. The Bays returned five of them vs. the Colts for 145 yards - an average of just under 30 yards per. The league average last year was 23.5. Adderley nearly broke away twice vs, the Colts - only to be stopped each time by the last defender between him and the goal line. Gros nearly ran one back all the way. The Packers also have a double threat in punt returns - Willie Wood and Elijah Pitts. Wood ranks second in the league. Trainer Bud Jorgensen had a little business today but fortunately none of the injures are considered serious. The squad will be in good shape for the Ram game at City Stadium Sunday. After viewing pictures of the Colt game and drilling lightly, the Packers heard a scouting report on the Rams from Wally Cruice.
'WE KNOW YOU KNOW HOW TO WIN,' PAPER ASSURES WILSON
OCT 1 (Detroit) - Coach George Wilson of the Detroit Lions, upset when a football publication implied Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers was the only NFL coach who "knows how to win," has been assured he, too, knows how to win. Roger Stanton, editor of the paper, The Football News, told Wilson Monday in an open letter "we know that you know how to win, too." "But please show us again so we don't forget," the letter added. Wilson became enraged last week when the paper featured an article after the Packers' 31-10 victory over the Lions entitled, "Lombardi Knows How to Win." Stanton defended the article in the letter. He said Lombardi is the holder of the best coaching record in pro football over the last few years and "we were completely justified in using that headline." "If you infer an implication that you or other NFL coaches do not know how to win, you are indeed thin-skinned, as nothing of that sort was implied or intended," the letter said.
WILL PACKER OFFENSE CATCH DEFENSES VS. LA?
OCT 2 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - What with the World Series going for a spell now, it is difficult to separate the pigskin from the hosshide. The pigskin, alright football, if you must, season is young, what with only three games under the belt. That's like about 30 games in the other sport, better known as baseball. In baseball, the pitcher - sort of a first line of defense - usually has the jump on the batter. It takes a while for the batter (baseball's version of offense) to start untracking those curves, slides, ins, outs, drops, screwballs, etc. Football has its own little similarity since the defenses are usually ahead of the offenses. There are probably many reasons but it probably boils down to the fact that offensive play is a bit more complicated than defense. More meshing of intricate parts are required on offense - with abandon. And that brings us up to what baseball calls the "averages" and football the "statistics." The NFL figures would seem to indicate today that the Packers' defense is ahead of the offense, although the "great figure" (and the only one that really counts) shows the Pack with a 2-1 won-lost record. Whose department is ahead or behind doesn't really matter as long as the W-L totals look good, but: The Rams are coming in Sunday. They are edue to explode for some points and the Packer offense may have to do same. The Packers and Rams, who have yet to win their first league game, aren't leading in any offensive category - at least from scrimmage. The Bays and Colts are tied for the most opponents' fumbles recovered, six, but that's really a defense figure. The Rams are tops in number of kickoffs returned, 18, but, man, that's no honor. The Bay's offense, ranked 10th in the league based on yards gained, is certainly on the return, what with two 31--point performances behind them after a 3-point starter. Bart Starr, who engineered the Bays to three straight Western titles and two "worlds", said the other day, "I expect to snap out of it very soon." Starr actually hasn't been bad - because he never really is ever bad. but he feels there is room for improvement in his passing. Actually, 62 points against the murderous Lion defense and a Colt defense, which is always tough on the Pack, is something to cheer about. Defensively, the Packers are right up there, though they lost the lead in yards allowed to the Cardinals, who have permitted 690 in three games. The Bays allowed 711. Green Bay and Pittsburgh are tied for first in yards allowed rushing, each with 254. The Packers have the best average of yards allowed, 2.8, against the Steelers' 3.8. The big figure, though, is that the Packers have allowed the fewest touchdowns, four. The Bears also share that mark and one of their victims was Green Bay, which was held touchdownless. It is interesting to note that the Packers play each of the enemies mentioned in the last three paragraphs - the Cardinals Oct. 20, the Steelers Nov. 3, and the Bears Nov. 17...The Packers worked on their own Tuesday morning and the sight of the day was the way Jim Taylor and Bill Forester ran. Taylor and Forester both came up with leg injuries vs. the Colts, but both ran fairly well. Both said they'd be okay for the Rams. Wally Cruice's scouting report on Los Angeles followed. The story on LA? It boils down to something like this: "They're the biggest team in the league - and also the hungriest for a victory."
PAUL HOPES HIS CASE WILL 'SOBER US ALL'
OCT 2 (Atlanta) - Paul Hornung, Green Bay's "Golden Boy" suspended for betting on NFL games, says he hopes his case "will sober us all up to accepting responsibilities." Hornung told the Atlanta Quarterback Club Monday night that he bet "because, one, I didn't think I'd be caught, and, two, I didn't think it was serious." "It was a carefree, thoughtless thing I did, and I've always been carefree about life generally," Hornung said. "But I've learned that sports has an actual serious aide and that anything an athlete does is seen by a lot of people, especially young ones. So if my case does anything, I hope it will sober us all up to accepting responsibilities." The former Notre Dame great led the NFL in scoring for three straight years before being sidelined by a knee injury much of the 1962 season and relinquishing individual honors to Packer teammate Jim Taylor. Hornung was suspended indefinitely after he admitted placing wagers on games. The league emphasized in announcing the suspension that Hornung had never bet against the Packers, but that he violated an NFL rule barring gambling on football. "My case will come up before Commissioner Pete Rozelle in early 1963 and he will consider my reinstatement," the 27-year-old halfback said. "I know I have been guilty of putting my body into athletics and not my soul. If they let me play again, I hope to play body and soul."
WE'LL GET GOING, HOPE IT'S HERE, SAYS RAMS' TEELE
OCT 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "We'll get going, I'm sure of that. I just hope it's this week." Jack Teele of the Rams said that in the course of his remarks at the weekly luncheon of the Mike and Pen Club Wednesday noon. Publicist Teele isn't about to wave a red flag in front of the champion Packers but the young man from sunland appears not the least concerned by his club's three straight loss. He's confident that the Rams will break out all over, clobber somebody and then go on winning. The perfect springboard, of course, would be Sunday's battle in City Stadium. "Our defense is as good as anybody's," Jack warmed up, "and I know that sounds silly after I just told you all the games we lost but that defense plays so much that it's bound to get scored on." The rub, of course, is the Rams' offense and Teele makes no bones about it. "The quarterbacking, the receiving and the offensive line blocking have all been off, but," Telle brightened, "we ran 16 more plays than the Lions and five more than the Browns." Adding a bit of humor, the visiting fireman from Long Beach pointed out that "our blocking has been less than great. We made the most fantastic runs getting back to the line of scrimmage." The Rams are a well organized club - with one mission, winning. "All of our internal problems were solved when Mr. Reeves purchased the club. He has been working six days a week and has revamped our scouting system. The coaching is in good hands and I'm sure we'll get along." Harland Svare, the Rams' new head coach, is starting with the same theory Vince Lombardi applied when he took over the Pack in '59: Build a defense, first! The Ram defense had a giant four in the line - Lamar Lundy (6-7, 256) and Dave Jones (6-5, 267) at the ends and Merlin Olsen (6-4, 276) and Rosey Grier (6-5, 301) at the tackles. The linebackers, Jack said, are playing together for their second full season - Jack Pardee on the left, Mike Henry on the
right and Marlin McKeever in the middle. The secondary is headed by Eddie Meador, the defensive captain, at left corner, Bob Smith at right corner, Lyndon Crow at left safety, and Charley Britt at right safety. Crow also serves as an assistant coach. With the exception of Grier and Crow, Lundy is the oldest at 28, Teele reminded. The LA footballer said that quarterbacks Zeke Bratkowski and Roman Gabriel will be alternated on successive plays, with assistant coach Don Heinrich, the former Giant QB, calling the plays. "We moved the ball well with this system in Cleveland last Sunday, so the coach has decided to try it again," Jack said. Terry Baker, the Rams' fine rookie quarterback who started the season vs. the Lions, will return to a watch-and-learn role. The newcomer, Jack said, "is very intelligent and runs like a deep but he still hasn't learned to throw the pro pass yet. His passes go up like balloons."...On the statistical front, jarrin' Jim Taylor moved into third place among the league's rushers today with 207 yards in 50 carries - an average of 4 per. The big crasher was hurt Sunday in the win over the Colts but he was pounding hard in practice yesterday. Tom Moore remained in the first 10 with 199 yards in 42 trips for seventh place. Moore is among a dozen players who scored 18 points. The Packers aren't listed among the top pass catchers in the league but the club's leading three are just about even. Ron Kramer leads with nine catches for 114 yards while Boyd Dowler and Max McGee, who tied last year with 49 catches, are knotted again - with 7 each. Earl Gros has pulled into fourth place in kickoff returns and Herb Adderley is sixth. Willie Wood is second on punt returns. Jerry Norton has dropped to fourth in punting. Bart Starr is 12th in passing in the league's system of averaging passers. Bart has hit on 34 of 70 passes and ranks ahead of Milt Plum of Detroit and the Cowboys' Don Meredith.
PACKERS ADD MESTNIK, PUT BARRETT ON WAIVERS
OCT 4 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers made a personnel change today, adding running back Frank Mestnik to the roster and placing end Jan Barrett on waivers. Coach Vince Lombardi announced the switch and quickly added that "there is no significance" in the move. Mestnik, the onetime Marquette fullback who played with the Cardinals and then spent '62 on the Giants' cab squad, gives the Packers more insurance at a position noted for its high casualty rate. He'll back up Jim Taylor, Tom Moore and Earl Gros, who carry the brunt of the rushing. Taylor, incidentally, hurt his leg vs. the Colts last Sunday, but he's running hard again and will be ready for the Ram game here Sunday. Departure of Barrett reduces the replacements behind Ron Kramer at tight end to one - Marv Fleming...Taylor and Moore now have carried 92 times for a total gain of 406 yards - an average of 4.4 yards per carry at running back. Gros has carried 11 times for 27 yards. The Rams' two top running backs, Jon Arnett and Dick Bass, have picked up 220 yards in 65 carries - an average of 3.4 yards per trip. Lest we get too chesty about that one-yard average bulge, let's take a look at the passing record. On second thought, let's now. Seriously, comparing Bart Starr with the Rams' two throwers is a little odd but, why now? Starr has attempted 70, completed 34 for 408 yards, three touchdowns, a completion percentage of 48.6, and eight interceptions. Zeke Bratkowski and Roman Gabriel have thrown a combined 71 and completed 36 for 481 yards, one touchdown (by Zeke), a completion percentage of 48.3, and four interceptions...On the lighter side, the three Packer babies that arrived within three hours Tuesday morning have been named. Hank Jordan says his new daughter will be known as Suzanne Elizabeth, while Dave Robinson has put the names of Richard Edward and David Michael on his new sons...The Rams arrive tonight by plane from Cleveland, where they trained at John Carroll College this week. John Carroll had an unbeaten football record in 1962 and the Rams hope some of that wore off during the week. They'll headquarter at the Hotel Northland and drill here at 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon...The Colts will be a wee bit unhappy when they play the Bears in Chicago Sunday. Some of the Colts were taking about the Bears' beating them 57 to 0 in Baltimore last year after the game here last Sunday. This smacks of a case of revenge...John Gordon has returned to his part-time duties as an assistant to equipment manager Dad Braisher after surgery on his stomach. Kevin Egan has assisted Dad during Gordon's absence.
EX-RAM HENRY JORDAN PREDICTS 'STRONGER' LA ATTACK
OCT 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Come to think of it. A guy who plays with a couple of clubs in the NFL certainly accumulates a lot of buddies. How about Urban
Henry, the Packers' spare at defensive right tackle? Big Henry played with the Rams the last three years. He made a lot of friends. Those friends are now enemies - at least while the Rams and Packers slug it out in City Stadium Sunday afternoon. Henry's new set of friends are the Packers. Friends, buddies or enemies. It really
doesn't make much difference to the happy Henry. "We've just got to win Sunday, but they have to stuff to beat anybody," Urban pointed out, adding: "We always had a good defense out there but on offense it seems everybody is a star and nobody could quite get together. But once they get all their internal problems settled and get a new coach like they got now (Coach Harland Svare), they'll start winning and stay being tough. You can look for their offense to be stronger against us. They seem to be working together better." Henry is one of three players who had experience with other pro clubs. Bob Jeter, on the Packer cab team last year, played with Canada, and Frank Mestink, the fullback who was placed on the active roster Friday, saw action with the Cardinals. To make room on the roster for Mestnik, end Jan Barrett was placed on waivers. The Rams, who were scheduled to drill here this afternoon, are happy to have their strong sophomore tackle, Merlin Olsen, back in action - even at an 80 percent clip. The big injured star played vs. the Browns last Sunday, but was below par. The Rams have been starting John Adams, the former Bear, at left offensive end, but Carroll Dale may get the nod Sunday. Dale is in his fourth season and specializes in speed.
WARNING: PACK LOOKS DOWN RAMS' LOADED GUN TODAY
OCT 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Today's warning: That enemy gun the Packers will be messin' around with in City Stadium is loaded. The Rams haven't won a game yet but they're bound to explode and, like everybody else the Packers meet up with, they'll have both barrels highly charged up. Green Bay is a handsome favorite to post its third straight victory, but the Rams have always been tough for the champions. Just hark back to last December when the Bays closed their season in Los Angeles. The Packers were lucky to get out alive - much less win 20-17, finishing with two able-bodied backs. And speaking about the Rams being tough, it seems like only yesterday that LA crashed dear old GB 45 to 6 in 1959 and hipped the Pack 33-31 in '60. That lopsider, which ended a three-game winning streak, was the worst licking Coach Vince Lombardi ever took and it launched a five-game loss streak. The loss the next year opened a two-game losing skein. The Packers haven't lost two in a row since and the Rams haven't beaten GB since that tight setback. In fact, Greeen Bay has a five-game winning streak going with the Rams. So the Packers have history going for 'em, but let's get back to this afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1:06 and a sunkissed capacity crowd of 42,237 will attend. Ram Coach Harland Svare has announced that he'll alternate quarterbacks on each play, opening with Zeke Bratkowski and following with fireballer Roman Gabriel. This can be murder for a defense if the change of pace QBs can get the defense swinging at a lot of bad pitches. The Rams haven't been doing much scoring but that's where that unloaded gun business comes in. They've been moving the ball well and getting into scoring position, but, as Svare explained, "It's like making those three-foot putts. Once they start dropping, it's easy." Los Angeles' Red Phillips, who plays flanker back, has always give the Packers trouble and this swiftee led the league in receiving two years ago and finished fourth last year. The other receivers are Jack Adams or Carroll Dale at left end and Pervis Atkins, the tight end. The bulk of the rushing is handled by Dick Bass or Jon Arnett, who are both due to start running wild. While the Ram offense figures to "point," the Packer advancing machine is also looking for a bit of smoothness. The Bears, Lions and Colts were real sticky for QB the last three Sundays, and, although 65 points were produced, quarterback Bart Starr wasn't doing hand-springs over his performance. All of the Packers' hands are in good condition and that goes for fullback Jim Taylor, who hurt his leg last Sunday - plus linebacker Bill Forester, also a leg injury victim. The Pack's running will be looking up at the biggest set of defensive linemen in the business - a set of four which averages 6-5 and 270 pounds. Topping the list is Rosey Grier, the ex-Giant who gives everybody trouble. He is surrounded by such "trees" as Lamar Lundy, Merlin Olsen and Henry Jones. The talented Olsen had been hurt, but he's close to 100 percent now. The Bays added a bit of running assistance this week, fullback Frank Mestnik, who will back up Earl Gros, who, in turn, seconds Tom Moore at halfback. Also on the "run" lists are Lew Carpenter and Elijah Pitts.
