Green Bay Packers (4-1) 37, Minnesota Vikings (2-3) 28
Sunday October 13th 1963 (at Minnesota)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(MINNESOTA) - From the brink of defeat to victory in one thrilling spectacular. That was the Packers' story Sunday - an unforgettable windup that led to a 37-28 Green Bay triumph. Here's what happened" The aroused Vikings, who had fought back from a 27-7 deficit, lined up for a field goal from the Packer 10 with the score 30-28 and two minutes left in the game. By pro field goal standards, the Vikings were a cinch to take a 31-30 lead, but the Bays weren't buying any of that. Herb Adderley raced in from right "end" and face-blocked the kick by Fred Cox. Hank Gremminger fielded the ball around the 20 and raced 80 yards for a touchdown. The Packers had displayed why they are world champions. They did what they had to do to win. Had they failed they would have had two minutes left in which to score, and win. Green Bay thus remained one game behind the unbeaten Bears who trounced the Rams for their fifth straight victory. The Packers, with 4-1, have a two-game lead on the Lions, who lost to the Cowboys. Green Bay now meets the Cardinals, who hold the same rank, 4-1, in the Eastern Division race. This was a two-faced game. The Packers were off to a 17-7 lead at the first quarter mark. It was 24-7 at the half and 27-14 going into the fourth heat when the two clubs ran up 24 points. The game produced 10 fumbles and four interceptions and the miscues, including seven fumbles and two interceptions on the Pack, figured heavily in the scoring. Bart Starr threw two touchdown passes - to Ron Kramer and Elijah Pitts, and Tom Moore hurled a TD aerial to Max McGee. These TDs were set up by fumble recoveries by Hank Jordan and Gremminger and an interception by Willie Wood - all in Viking territory. The fourth TD, of course, can be credited to the field goal defense team. Jerry Kramer kicked three field goals in three attempts from 20, 15 and 31 yards and Starr drove the team from his own 20, 33 and 31-yard line to set up the boots. The Vikings - oddly enough - came as close a 27-14 without even scoring a touchdown on the Packer defense. Their first came on Ed Sharockman's 47-yard return of an interception of a Starr pass and the next was on a 26-yard runback by Roy Winston of a fumble by Earl Gros. The Vikings drove 57 yards for their third TD, making the score 30-21, and scored on a 29-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton to Paul Flatley. After recovering a fumble by McGee, the Vikings drove 60 yards for their final TD - a plunge by Bill Brown. The two clubs rolled up 373 net yards and 522 came in the air as Tarkenton, Starr, Moore and Pitts completed 34 of 58 passes. Starr completed 18 of 33 for 252 yards and had three or four dropped while Tarkenton hit 14 of 23 for 282 yards. The Packers out-rushed the Vikings 153 yards to 98, with Gros getting 67 in 15 trips to lead the Pack. Jim Taylor started and ran seven times before retiring for the day with a leg injury midway in the second quarter. Boyd Dowler, who led all receivers with seven catches for 93 yards, injured his shoulder. The record throng of 42,657 (this broke the stadium record of 42,034 at a Twins-Yankee baseball game last summer) was rather quiet as the Packers broke away to a fat lead. This audience, however, cheered strangely (it was mighty loud) as Gremminger raced to the clinching TD. The Packers took the opening kickoff and latched together three first downs. J. Kramer was forced to go for the field goal, from the 20, after McGee dropped a first down pass around the 3. That 3-0 looked real good three plays later when Jordan recovered Brown's fumble on the Viking 32. Moore and Taylor ran 13 yards to the 19 and Moore, running close to the line to his left, lofted
a TD pass to McGee in the end zone. J.K. converted and it was 10-0. The Vikings used only two plays to give the ball back this time, Wood intercepting Tarkenton's pass on the 25. Starr quickly threw to Dowler for 13 to the 12 and three plays later Starr pitched to Ron Kramer who tip-toed inside the flag and into the end zone for the TD. J.K. made it 17-0. The Vikings made a first down next time but the Bays forced a punt again. GB seemed bent on scoring again as Moore opened with a 23-yard romp to the 40, but, boom, Sharockman took Starr's pass and weaved 47 yards to a TD behind some good blocking. Cox' kick made it 17-7. A lost fumble by Dowler who hurt his shoulder when he was slammed to the ground by Lee Calland and four punts, two each by Jerry Norton and Cox, signaled a stalemate - until the Vikings got generous. Gremminger recovered Tommy Mason's fumble on the Viking 26 and Starr showed why you shouldn't make mistakes against the Pack. Pitts, racing to his right, rifled a 21-yard pass to Kramer, who made a good catch on the 7. Starr then threw a TD pass to Pitts in the end zone. That made it 24-7 after J.K's conversion.
'WE WANT VANDY'
Just before the half, Cox missed a field goal from the 28 and, closer yet, the Packers roared (in two minutes) from their own 20 to the Viking 9, when Lamson intercepted Starr's pass on the two. The audience set up a "we want Vandy" (Ron Vander Kelen) chant early in the third period, when Mason fumbled and Forester recovered on the Packer 33. With Gros running 26 yards and McGee bumping guys around like a fullback after taking Starr's pass for 23 yards, the Bays got into a spot for a field goal and J. Kramer connected from the 15 for a 27-7 score. Just about the time things seemed safe, Gros ran to his right and fumbled when hit by Calland. Winston picked up the bouncer and ripped 26 yards to make it 27-14. Starr slammed the Pack right back, chiefly on his 35-yard pass to McGee and a 10-yarder to Downer, and J.K. kicked a 31-yard field goal on the fourth play of the fourth quarter. Now it was the Vikes' turn to howl. Bob Reed almost got away on the next kickoff but Wood saved the day on the 43. Tarkenton brought the Vikes a TD in three plays, throwing to Flatley for 12, sending Tom Wilson on a 16-yard run, and then throwing to Flatley in the end zone for the TD. This made it 30-21. Moore moved 25 yards to put the Pack out of danger but McGee fumbled after catching a pass from Starr and Stonebreaker touched it before it went out of bounds. After two runs by Wilson and one by Tarkenton, Tarkenton hurled to Reichow for 34 yards to the Packer 4. Three plays later, Brown slammed across and it was 30-28. The het-up Vikings forced the Packers to punt and Billy Butler brought it back 24 to the 42, with Forrest Gregg making the stop. The big crowd roared as Tarkenton and Flatley worked a 45-yard pass to the Packer 10. Jess Whittenton argued that he stepped out of bounds around midfield but to no avail. Mason gained 6, 1 and zero yards in three trips and then Cox went in for the field goal. The snap-back to holder Tarkenton was shoulder high. And you know the happy rest. After the TD, which came at 13:12, Ray Nitschke intercepted a pass by Tarkenton around the Viking 31. Gros ran twice to run out the clock.
GREEN BAY - 17 7 3 10 - 37
MINNESOTA - 7 0 7 14 - 28
GREEN BAY MINNESOTA
First Downs 21 14
Rushing-Yards-TD 34-153-0 31-98-1
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 35-20-292-3-2 23-14-282-1-2
Sack Yards Lost 10 42
Net Passing Yards 282 240
Total Yards 435 338
Fumbles-lost 7-4 3-3
Turnovers 6 5
Yards penalized 1-5 1-15
SCORING
1st - GB - Jerry Kramer, 20-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
1st - GB - Max McGee, 19-yard pass from Tom Moore (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 10-0
1st - GB - Ron Kramer, 10-yard pass from Bart Starr (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 17-0
1st - MINN - Ed Sharockman, 47-yard interception return (Fred Cox kick) GREEN BAY 17-7
2nd - GB - Elijah Pitts, 8-yard pass from Starr (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 24-7
3rd - GB - J. Kramer, 15-yard field goal GREEN BAY 27-7
3rd - MINN - Roy Winston, 26-yard fumble recovery (Cox kick) GREEN BAY 27-14
4th - GB - J. Kramer, 31-yard field goal GREEN BAY 30-14
4th - MINN - Paul Flatley, 29-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Cox kick) GREEN BAY 30-21
4th - MINN - Bill Brown, 1-yard run (Cox kick) GREEN BAY 30-28
4th - GB - Hank Gremminger, 80-yard blocked field goal return (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 37-28
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Earl Gros 15-67, Tom Moore 11-51, Jim Taylor 7-31, Bart Starr 1-4
MINNESOTA - Tommy Mason 10-25, Tommy Wilson 7-24, Bill Brown 10-22 1 TD, Bobby Reed 3-19, Fran Tarkenton 1-8
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 33-18-253 2 TD 2 INT, Elijah Pitts 1-1-20, Tom Moore 1-1-19 1 TD
MINNESOTA - Fran Tarkenton 23-14-282 1 TD 2 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Boyd Dowler 6-80, Max McGee 5-104 1 TD, Ron Kramer 4-87 1 TD, Tom Moore 3-11, Elijah Pitts 1-8 1 TD, Bob Jeter 1-2
MINNESOTA - Paul Flatley 4-90 1 TD, Tommy Mason 4-29, Ray Poage 3-106, Jerry Reichow 2-42, Bill Brown 1-15
GREAT PLAY BY ADDERLEY - VINCE; VAN LIKES COMEBACK
OCT 14 (Minneapolis-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Still taut and tense, Vince Lombardi took a deep breath and summed up his Packers' smash finish in five words Sunday afternoon. "It was a great satisfaction," he said quietly. Lombardi had reference, of course, to the manner in which the Pack, with Herb Adderley and Hank Gremminger playing feature roles, had struck swiftly with 1:48 remaining to convert imminent disaster into a 37-28 victory over Minnesota's Vikings to the general dismay of a record Metropolitan Stadium house of 42,657 witnesses. "That," he added with emphasis, "was a great play by Herb Adderley." This prompted a Minneapolis scribe to ask what he had been thinking when the suddenly incendiary Vikings surged irresistibly downfield for the last time? "I was thinking if they were going to score," Vince informed with a grim smile, "I hope they score right now. Then there would still be time for us to come back." He hadn't been disposed to "give up" at that point? Slightly incredulous at this suggestion, he replied, "Certainly not. While there's still time, you don't think of losing. That's the way this game has always been." The blocked field goal, it later developed, was not a new instrument of victory for Lombardi. "Against Detroit, when I was with the Giants, we blocked a field goal in the last couple of minutes, and it won a championship for us. It was either in 1956 or 1958 - we won championships both years." Had he made any changes in the normal alignment to block Fred Cox' kick? "No," Lombardi said. "We always use the same setup. But, of course, we work on it in practice." Although he had found the victory "a great satisfaction," the Packer head man was hardly jubilant about his athletes' overall performance. "We moved the ball well," he admitted, "but we dropped it too often. We get two guys out in the open for scores and both drop them. You can't do that in this league, brother." "We lost our momentum when we dropped the ball, he rapped. "You can't drop the ball as many times as we did and keep your momentum. We've had more fumbles this year than in all my four previous years with the Packers. I'm not taking anything from the Vikings, but we gave them the game." "And they're a darned scrappy bunch - they don't need much," he said of the enemy. It had been, he noted in reply to a question, "the best played and cleanest game we've played here. I think that comes with the maturity of the Viking team." What, he was asked, had happened to Jim Taylor, who left early in favor of Earl Gros and did not return? "He's not well," Vince explained. "He hasn't been well all year." Did he think Taylor's troubles were related to last spring's bout with hepatitis? "I don't know what it is," Lombardi said. Any injuries? "No, I don't think so," he responded. "We don't get hurt." In this connection, he revealed Boyd Dowler's shoulder hurt was "nothing serious. It was just a pinched nerve." Why, Lombardi was asked, had he elected to go for a touchdown, which did not materialize, rather than for a field goal just before the first half ended? "The field goal wouldn't have helped us then. Later on," he chuckled, "I wished we had it. But I didn't know it was going to turn out like that." "We thought you had it when you scored 17 points in the first quarter," a Twin Cities scribe told him. "I thought," Vince laughed, "we had it, too."...A somewhat subdued citizen, the normally ebullient Norm Van Brocklin was a man of few words on this occasion. He did, however, label the Vikings' second half resurgence "the greatest comeback we've ever had. We gave them 24 points in the first half, but the kids just wouldn't quit," he said with quiet pride. Customarily fearless, the Dutchman sidestepped a query about what he thought the Vikings' chances might have been of holding off the Packers in the final two minutes had Cox made the field goal. "I don't think there's any point in talking about a situation that didn't exist," was Van Brocklin's cryptic reply. He also dodged another poser which asked if he thought he "had 'em" when the Vikings were on the march in the closing minutes? "I learned a long time ago that you don't have 'em until you get over the goal line," the Viking major-domo said. "But," he added as an afterthought, "we could have had 'em." "We've just got to quit fumbling so much," Van Brocklin insisted. "Except for that one early in the third quarter, we didn't have any in the second half. And then the Packers started fumbling." "We played giveaway in the first half," he concluded sardonically, "and the Packers did it in the second half."...WHO'S HOME?: An impartial outside might have wondered which was the home team when pregame introductions were made. The Packers, to their surprise, drew a bigger cheer from the record audience than did the home-standing Vikings. This situation changed, of course, when the Vikings staged their second half surge. Most of the house then was clearly behind the Vikings...FOOTLOOSE: Two of the Packers, Bob Skoronski and Tom Moore, shed a shoe in the first half. Skoronski lost his left on the third play of the game and stumped off the field waving it to attract the attention of Norm Masters, who replaced him for one play. Moore's right brogan came off 4:10 before the end of the second quarter and likewise left in haste, to be replaced by Elijah Pitts.
LAST-SECOND SHIFT HELPED TRIGGER ADDERLEY'S 'BLOCK'
OCT 14 (Minneapolis-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A tough act to follow? How about "Herb and Henry?" That would be, of course, Herb Adderley and Henry Gremminger, who collaborated in a dramatic grand finale in rocking Metropolitan Stadium here Sunday afternoon, the startling likes of which are not likely to be seen anytime soon - even in Hollywood. Their heroics, which forged a budding defeat into spectacular victory, was born of a bid for redemption (on Adderley's part) as well as obvious desperation. "I had the worst day I've had on pass defense since I've been playing regular," confided Herb, dripping his way from the shower to his locker. "I felt real bad about it, and I was hoping I could do something to make up for it." A last-second change on his part may have played a major role in blocking a Fred Cox field goal attempt, the upshot of which was an 80-yard spring by opportunist Gremminger with the "loose" ball, it developed. "First, I lined up on the left side," Adderley explained. "But the man who holds the ball (Fran Tarkenton) had his back to me, so I changed to the right side. I wanted him to see me - hoped it would rattle him." " I actually thought Willie Davis, who was next to me was going to go in," Herb confessed. "I thought the corner man would block me, giving Willie a chance to go in. But he didn't, he took Willie, so I went right around him - he never touched me. The ball," he added, "hit me right across the faceguard. I didn't see Hank running with it until he was 50 yards downfield. I was on the ground when he got the ball." Did he have any explanation for what he had termed his "worst day?" "No, I don't," Herb said, after a brief pause. "The Viking receivers are no tougher than those on an of the other clubs. Just mental lapses, I guess. Some days you just don't have it, I guess." The soft-spoken Gremminger
deprecated his role in the show stopper. "You have to give Herb credit for blocking the kick," he said. "I was just in the right spot. It was just a matter of grabbing the ball and taking off." "I'm not the primary rusher in that situation," the handsome Baylor alumnus revealed. "I'm just there to see that they kick and don't pass." Had there been any Viking in the vicinity when he scooped up the ball? "After I picked it up, I thought I saw somebody there, but I don't know who it was," Gremminger said. Although he understandably could not be positive, Hank was reasonably sure the ball "never touched the ground. When Herb blocked the kick, the ball bounced right to me in the air. It may have bounced off the ground, but I don't think so." "Just remember," be concluded with a smile, "it would not have happened if Herb hadn't blocked it."...Surprisingly enough, Fran Tarkenton, the Vikings' nomadic quarterback, disclosed, "I didn't see Adderley come in on that kick." Surprising, that is, because Herbert, as explained earlier, had taken great pains to make his imminent presence known to the youthful field general. The two-minute warning had come just before that maneuver. Did he think this might have affected the Minnesotans adversely? "No, I don't think it added any pressure. As a matter of fact," Tarkenton said, "I was glad to see it. We were moving pretty fast at that time, and I thought it might help us regain our composure." "It was not so much a Viking breakdown on the play," Fran summed up," as it was just a great play by Adderley."
FOUR STRAIGHT...BUT LET'S REPLAY ADDERLEY SPARKLER
OCT 15 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers have a four-game winning streak going despite the expected extreme pressure from the enemy. There's a juicy red-shirted challenge coming up next Sunday. But right now the mental vision of the blocked field goal by Herb Adderley keeps popping up. The eight--column picture above tells a million words and notice how it is divided into three distinct groups - (1) kicker Fred Cox and holder Fran Tarkenton, (2) Adderley and the ball and (3) the crashing lines. Herb is out there all by himself - like he'd been drawn by a magnet. Coch Vince Lombardi and staffmen Phil Bengtson, Norb Hecker, Bill Austin, Red Cochran and Tom Fears viewed the game pictures Monday and Lombardi reiterated his postgame stand that "Adderley made a great effort." Vince noted that the Vikings had a difficult angle to kick from. The ball was on the hash mark to the right of the goal posts. "More field goals are blocked when the ball is in that position," Vince said, but quickly reminding that "this is taking nothing away from Adderley's great effort." Adderley blocked the kick with his face guard but nobody seems to know whether the ball hit the ground and into Hank Gremminger's hands or "flew" straight to him. "We couldn't tell from the pictures, and they tell me Hank doesn't even know," Vince said. This is an unnecessary point, to be sure, since Gremminger wheeled 80-some yards for the game-saving touchdown. The movies show that he picked the ball up on the 16, making it an 84-yard run, rather than 80 he was officially credited with. And this brings up a thought. The two-minute warning was sounded just before the snap, which meant that if Cox had made the boot, the Packers would have had something like 1:55 in which to score. Could the Packers have scored? The Packers practice at least twice a week on scoring in the last two minutes. This is a ritual later in the week - offensive practice, defense and then "the two-minute." Lombardi was concerned about the time left since this was uppermost in his mind at that point. "We got down there in less than two minutes at the end of the ball," Vince noted. The Packers got the ball on their own 20 with only 1:08 left and covered 71 yards in six plays. The drive ended on Play 7 from the Vikings' nine-yard line when Bart Starr's pass, intended for Ron Kramer, was intercepted by Chuck Lamson under the goal posts. Thus, the Bays had been in good position for a game-winning field goal. Ironically, the Vikings had the ball virtually on the same yard line and on the same end (third base line) of the field when Adderley made his block. Generally, Lombardi thought the Packers did "very good" in the Vikings' park, noting "we've never had it easy over there." Two years ago, the then first-year Vikings pushed the Packers into the fourth quarter before Green Bay won. Last year, the Bays suffered numerous injuries, plus a big comeback by the Vikings in the second half. "The defense was fine other than a few bad plays. And (offensively) we moved the ball at will," Lombardi said. The Packers had their best yardage day of the year, a total of 435, including 282 by passing. This could be considered amazing when you realize that the ball was lost four times by fumbles and twice by interceptions. The Packers had 292 yards passing and 153 rushing, with Starr hitting 18 of 33 for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Tom Moore and Elijah Pitts each tried one pass and completed it, Moore's for a TD. The Bays averaged 4.5 yards in 34 rushes - Moore 4.6, Earl Gros 4.5, Jm Taylor 4.4 and (who's this?) Starr 4.0. The Vikings' press box crew came up with a tackles chart and their figures show lee Calland, an energetic rookie, with nine unassisted tackles, which ties in with Boyd Dowler who led the Pack with seven pass catches. Willie Wood, Roy Winston, Ed Sharockman and Adderley each received credit for four unassisted tackles. Willie Davis and Ray Nitschke received nine assists each on tackles and Rip Hawkins of the Vikings had 12.
VIKINGS' SIGN-O-GRAM SHOWS EYE FOR BUSINESS
OCT 15 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Vikings have an eye for business. When the Minnesotans closed the gap on the Packers to a 30-28 midway in the fourth quarter, the big scoreboard came up with this sign-o-gram: "Tickets for All Viking Games on Sale At The Stadium Today." Though they lost, the Vikings certainly must have sold themselves a flock of new fans Sunday. But let's get into the scrawled notes in our playbook on the Pack's 37-28 victory in Minneapolistown: QUICK THROW - Bart Starr got off an amazingly quick throw as he back-pedaled under heavy pressure in the first quarter. The pitch was on target - to Boyd Dowler for 22 yards. THREE BLOCKS - When Tom Moore made nine yards off the right side in the first period the two Kramers, Ron and Jerry, and Jim Ringo got good blocks. DOUBLE DIP - The Packers have a dip play, when a back dips into the line and out in search of daylight as it were. Moore ran what looked like a dip pass, going into the line in the first period before moving out to throw a touchdown pass to Max McGee. It was a fooler. BOOMERS - Jerry Norton, in pregame warmups, put an 82-yard punt into the air, and drew the ahs of the crowd. Standing on the 13-yad line, Jerry dropped his punt on the opposite 5-yard line. Norton averaged 50.3 on three boots during the game. And speaking of boots, the opening kickoff of the game by Fred Cox landed three yards back of the end line. JUGGLER - Tom Moore juggled the handoff by Starr like a hot potato on a handoff late in the first quarter but kept in stride and wound up with a sparkling 23-yard run. He high-stepped and faked at least five would-be tacklers. BUTLERIZED - Billy Butler, the former Packer, was involved twice on Norton punts in the second quarter. Marv Fleming reached over Billy and made the tackle of Bob Reed to keep a return to four yards. Bob Jeter shook off a blocker and made the tackle on Butler on the other return. RUNNING QUARTERBACKS - Remember how much Zeke Bratkowski and Roman Gabriel ran while alternating for the Rams here a week ago? Just before the half, the Vikings had the ball on the Packer 9 and Viking QB Fran Tarkenton took timeouts after two straight plays. Each time he ran all the way to the opposite 40 to talk to his coach, Norm Van Brocklin. FIGURED AHEAD - When a defender has a play figured, watch out offense. Ray Nitschke apparently "knew" where Tom Wilson was headed on a run off right side in the third period. Result: No gain. On the next play, Willie Wood had Tommy Mason figured on a pass from Tarkenton and Willie threw him for a one-yard loss. BROKE TACKLE - Jim Prestel, a 275-pounder, had Earl Gros, a 225-pounder, for a loss in the fourth quarter but the bullish Gros broke the tackle and wound up with seven yards.
INTERCEPTIONS AND FUMBLES HELP AND HINDER PACKERS
OCT 16 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The worst - and the BEST - words in the Packer dictionary today are fumble and interception. It's a public secret that the
Packers have committed 13 pass interceptions and 16 fumbles while - and this is the real figure - winning four of their first five games. That's a sort of a record pace - as compared to 1962. The Bays had only 13 passes stolen and 29 fumbles in the entire 14-game schedule a year ago. These bits of information represent the "worst" of the two aforementioned words and there's no use chartering a plane for Siberia because they don't play football there and the only thing that really counts is the won-lost record. Now for the "best" of F and I: Packer opponents have fumbled 13 times and the Bay defenders scooped up 12 of them. That's a 93 percent alert ratio. The Bays also have intercepted nine passes. Thus, the Packers gained 21 scoring opportunities above the routine things like punting and kickoffs. And speaking of punting, the Browns and Packers have delivered the fewest number, 15 and 18, respectively. It is interesting to note that the Bays are afraid of last year's pace in stealing fumbles and slightly behind in pilfering enemy passes. The 1962 Packers recovered 19 of the foes' 28 fumbles, which is 68 percent, and intercepted 31 passes, which averaged out to 2.2 interceptions per game. The average for the first five games is 1.8. The Pack's success in getting the ball via these "other" ways isn't luck in the opinion of defense tackle Henry Jordan, who has recovered three of the 12. "It's a matter of pride. The first man through doesn't go for the ball. He shoots for the tackle on the ball carrier. The next man tries to hit hard enough to loosen the ball." Touchdowns followed recoveries of fumbles by Willie Davis and Jordan, a field goal followed a recovery by Bill Forester and a touchdown followed an interception by Willie Davis in the victory over the rugged and pesty Vikings last Sunday. Recovering fumbles and making interceptions can be handy tools for the offense, and that brings up the next opponent - the Cardinals in St. Louis Sunday. The Cards have fumbled 11 times (and lost five) and had seven passes intercepted. There's a little consolation in those figures. The real brutal truth is that the Cardinals have, among other things, the best offense in the league. St. Louis had piled up the league's highest yardage total, 2,056, and the most yards passing, 1,214. Quarterback Charley Johnson has thrown for `1,279 yards and nine touchdowns and Bobby Joe Conrad is the league's top receiver with 29 catches...RANDLE IN 10TH: And whatever because of Sonny Randle? He's down in 10th place with 19 catches. Cardinal Coach Wally Lemm noted today that fullback John David Crow, who saw limited action last Sunday, should see plenty of duty Sunday. Another injuree is ready to return, Billy Stacy, and he may be pressed into service guarding Boyd Dowler. Pat Fisher, a shorty at 5-10, would normally be on Dowler, who goes 6-5. "Fisher has been doing a fine job since Stacy was hurt but we have to put Stacy in if Fisher can't handle Dowler." Coach Vince Lombardi sent the Bays through a rugged workout today, featuring offense and defense.
EX'S VIEWS: AIR GAME 'MADE' CARDS
OCT 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers have a couple of authorities on the Cardinals and the Eastern Division. They are Frank Mestnik, the fullback-in-waiting, and Jerry Norton, punter deluxe and assistant defense back, who each carry the titles "ex-Cardinals" and "ex-Eastern Divisioner." Mestnik put in three years with the Cardinals and went through the exhibition season last year before joining the New York Giant taxi system. Norton, who did five years with the Cards, has been away from the "Big Red" for a season, having spent '62 in Dallas. Both Jerry and Frank put their finger on the same item when asked about the Cards' biggest improvement since they were there: "It's the passing game," said Norton, adding: "They've got the passer now in Johnson and they're throwing much better than I've ever seen them throw. They've always been able to run." Mestnik felt that "the Cardinals have always been a top contender, but they never could quiet connect because they didn't have the good quarterback, the good passer. They have him now in Charley Johnson." Frank pointed out another improvement, explaining: "They are no longer getting hurt all the time like they used to. They used to be kind of a fragile team, but that's not true anymore." The Eastern Division teams have a 5-0 record in league competition against the Western Division clubs this season. How come? Norton and Mestnik have no answer for that, but they have some comments: Jerry, who put in nearly 10 years in the East, said, "We always hated to admit it, but it seemed to us like the West had the best teams. I guess the West used to pass more when they had Van Brocklin, Tittle and others, but it has changed now with Tittle in the East and passers like Jurgenson, Johnson and the two with the Cowboys. Right now, I think the two divisions are even. They both have good balance, more than in the past. Four teams in each division are still well in the championship race." Mestnik said, "I've always though the West was tougher. Now I'm sure of it. But we'll have to prove it." The Packers upheld the prestige of the West very well in the past two championship games, beating the Giants 37-0 and 16-7. Now Green Bay is being called upon again to uphold the West's pride - in St. Louis Sunday. The Rams lost twice (to Cleveland and Washington) and Baltimore, Detroit and Minnesota each lost once to the East. The Viking loss was a 56-14 (ugh) verdict to the Cardinals. It seems to me the Packers had a little closer call with the Vikings! Incidentally, the Cardinals have quite an authority, themselves, on the Packers. That would be Johnny Symank, the Green Bay taxpayer, who was traded to St. Louis last winter. Symank is renting his home on the West Side to Jim Taylor during the season. And this sets up a first for Busch Stadium and the NFL. This will be the first time a landlord ever tackled his tenant before 30,000 people. It is hoped, Mr. Taylor, that your rent is paid to date.
ROOKIE TIGHT END SPARKS CARDS; REDS' GRAY BEST IN NFL?
OCT 18 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers and Cardinals have good, tough blocking and sticky-fingered veteran tight ends. Our boy, of course, is Ron Kramer, who right now leads the team in pass catching. And just yesterday he ended a successful two-minutes-to-go drill by catching a short "touchdown" pass from Bart Starr. The Cards' top tight end is Taz Anderson, who caught 35 passes last year - two less than R.K. A couple of games ago, Andrson was hurt, and the Cards were "forced" to use a rookie by the name of Jackie L. Smith, who is skinny at 205 pounds compared to Kramer's 240 and Anderson's 230. "He's not built like a tight end," End Coach Tom Fears observed Thursday, "but he can get out there and get that ball. He caught nine last week against Pittsburgh." This is quite a feat. He started only the last three games. And then the jackpot. Jackie now has 11 catches for 229 yards and two touchdowns, including a 55-yard TD romp. It's doubtful Anderson, who is close to being healthy again, will get back in. Smith will start vs. the Pack in St. Louis Sunday. Who's playing behind Kramer? Marv Fleming is Ron's top aide and the big rookie has one pass catch to his credit. He caught one of
John Roach's tosses for a 21-yard gain in the Ram game here...The Cardinals list four rookies as starters - one on offense (Smith) and four on the defense, right end Don Brumm, a 245-pounder from Purdue; left linebacker Larry Stallings, 230, of Georgia Tech; and left safety Jerry Stovall, 205, of LSU. Veteran defensive left tackle Don Owens may not start because of an injury. His replacement would be Tom Redmond, a four-year veteran...Ex-teammates will be colliding when Stovall meets Earl Gros, who played in the game backfield at LSU. Redmond and the Pack's Tom Moore played together at Vanderbilt. Incidentally, Stovall has beaten our Johnny Symank, the former Packer who is listed as the replacement at both right and left safety. Symank could possibly get a starting role against the Packers...The crucial game would appear to be a cinch sellout but Card publicitor Joe Polack said yesterday he wasn't so sure. The ancient ball park (Busch Stadium) seats around 32,500. There will be many baseball people at the game since a huge testimonial for Stan Musial is scheduled for Sunday night and the two leagues will meet Monday...Dan Currie and Bob Skoronski are quite the experts on cooking and fine foods. They can reel off the ingredients of many dishes, and one of their pets in "beet soup." Bob explained that "it's red and has a beety flavor."...It seems like there's been a lot more fumbling in the league this year. But it really isn't so. The five weekends of action have produced 132 fumbles and that figures out to 26.4 fumbles per seven-game weekend, or less than four a game. The average for the 14 weekends in 1962 was a fraction over 28, which is four a game...Dave Robinson, the Pack's rookie linebacker, is new in these parts, of course, so it probably was no surprise Monday when he headed for Milwaukee and wound up in Oconto. "I picked up a sore throat and then when I got back I saw why, that brown fog up in Oconto," Robinson said, explaining also "that I must have taken the wrong direction on the right highway."...Wally Cruice, the Pack's scout, reported that the Cardinals feel their Ken gray (a one-time Packer) is the best guard in the business. Cruice was impressed by the entire Cardinal team, and he hammered this home to the Pack in his report Tuesday. "And don't forget," Wally reminded, "Charley Johnson can get that ball off in an awfully big hurry." Incidentally, this is really Johnson's first year. He shared the quarterbacking with Sam Etcheverry the last two years...The Packers leave for St. Louis in their chartered United Airliner at 10 o'clock Saturday morning. They'll drill lightly upon arrival and then head for the Bellaire Motor Hotel West.
FIGURES LIE? GIVE CARDS EDGE
OCT 19 (St. Louis-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers and Cardinals may have the same won-lost (4-1) record and occupy the same position in their respective divisions, but St. Loo has a healthy yardage edge for its showdown battle in Busch Stadium Sunday. Teamwise or individually, the Cardinals lead the pack in most departments. The Cards piled up 2,092 yards against the Pack's 1,637. Defensively, the two clubs are only six yards apart. Green Bay allowed 1,212 yards, the Cardinals 1,218. The Cards posted 109 first downs, Green Bay 86. The Cardinals gained 1,520 yards passing, the Pack 858. Rushingwide, the teams are virtually easy. The Packers smashed for 858 yards, the Cards 842. The Bays are better in at least one key department - yards lost attempting to pass. Packer passers were tossed back only 58 yards, the Cards 135. Individually, the Bays hold a wee edge in rushing. The Bays' Big Two, Jim Taylor and Tom Moore, gained 627 yards while the Cards' Joe Childress and Jim Triplett totaled 624 yards. Taylor and Moore carried 134 times, Childress and Triplett 139. Passingwise, Charley Johnson has thrown 23 more passes than the Pack's Bart Starr. Johnson has completed 19 more passes and gained 435 more yards. In the TD section, Johnson has nine and Starr eight. Starr
had 10 intercepted, Johnson seven. The Cardinals have 20 more pass completions than the Packers, and they have two receivers who caught more than the Packers' top two. Bobby Joe Conrad caught 29 (to lead the league) and Sonny Randle has 20. The Bays are topped by Ron Kramer with 16 and Boyd Dowler with 15. Max McGee has 14 and Tom Moore 12. Jim Bakken, the former Wisconsin star, handled the Cardinals kicking. He has connected on all 20 of his extra points and delivered on four of seven field goal tries. The Pack's Jerry Kramer missed two of 16 extra point tries and hit on six of 12 field goal attempts.
PACKERS, CARDS COLLIDE IN 'GAME OF WEEK' TODAY
OCT 20 (St. Louis-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers can't afford to lose the "game of the week" in Busch Stadium this afternoon. And that goes for the Cardinals, too. The Packers and Cards are in the same boat - with 4-1 records behind unbeaten leaders in their respective divisions. The Browns lead the Eastern with 5-0 and the Bears are 5-0 in the West. The Browns and Bears, both heavy favorites today, will be watching the Pack-Cards shuffle with great interest. The loser here will go two games back assuming the Browns beat the Eagles in Cleveland and the Bears whip the 49ers in San Francisco. More than 30,000 will watch the first real "natural" of the NFL season. Kickoff is set for 12:35, Packerland time. The Packers, fresh from a tight squeak at Minnesota, went about their practice duties this week with great gusto. The "big game" fever was in the air, just as it was during some of the weeks before the crucials of the last two championship seasons. The Cardinals rank as a solid contender - one of the top four along with the Bears, Browns and Packers - and today they serve as a mighty challenge to the Packers. This is the first game out of their own division and there is significance here. Eastern Division teams won the first five this season against the West. Thus, the prestige of the West is at stake. The Packers and Cardinals played a league smash in Milwaukee last year with Green Bay winning 17-0. The Packers froze the ball pretty much that day with Jim Taylor's running and the defense did the rest. The Cards have come up with what ranks as the top offense in the league and they haven't forgotten the shutout. Running the show alone now is Charley Johnson, whose signal calling and passing have helped the Cards to 152 points - an average of 30-plus in the first five games. The Cardinals have the leading pass receiving trio in the league in Bobby Conrad, Sonny Randle and Jack Smith, who caught 60 between 'em. Fur rush power, the Cards have Joe Childress, Bill Triplett and John Crow, who is just off the injured list. Childress and Triplett are averaging four yards a crack. The Packers defense submitted two touchdowns when the second half heat was on vs. the Vikings, but the task promises to be much more difficult today - unlike anything the defenders have faced this year. Jonnson is good at picking a defense to pieces with his three big backs and three fast receivers. The Packer offense is coming off a 450-yrd performance, including Bart Starr's most productive showing. The Bays turned three Viking errors inside the 35 into sudden touchdowns and went on three long drives for field goals. Green Bay can expect no errors from the Cardinals and the Bays will have to be at their offensive best, which boils down to no interceptions, no fumbles and no dropped passes. The Packer offense will be looking at three rookies - right defense end Don Brumm, left safety Jerry Stovall and left linebacker Larry Stalling. All three
beat out good veterans, including former Packer Johnny Symank, who backs up the two safetymen. There is a suspicion that Symank may get a starting berth. Coach Vince Lombardi announced that the Packer injured will play. This includes chiefly fullback Jim Taylor who has been bothered some by a groin pull. Earl Gros will be ready to back him up. The Cardinals' regular left defensive tackle, Don Owens, reportedly is hurt. His spot would be filled by four-year veteran Tom Redmond. The Bay offense will keep a particular eye for Dale Meinert, the Cards' strong middle linebacker. He's tough on fullbacks and also serves as a good pass defender.
