Baltimore Colts (5-1) 24, Green Bay Packers (3-3) 21
Sunday October 18th 1964 (at Baltimore)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(BALTIMORE) - The Packers played their hearts out. They deserved to win. And they were the best team on the Memorial Stadium turf Sunday afternoon. But they were snake-bit. The Colts got away with a hard-to-believe 24 to 21 victory - in broad daylight before 60,213. The Packers, for a sampler, once had a first down on the Colt 2-yard line and wound up missing a field goal from the 17. Paul Hornung missed five field goals in all, the Packers were assessed 116 yards in penalties, and to top it off the Colts' winning touchdown was set up on an either-way interference call on Herb Adderley in the last minute. The Game of the Day left the Colts in first place alone with 5-1 and dropped the Packers into a 3-3 fourth-place tie with the Vikings. The Packers next host the Rams in Milwaukee while the Colts visit Detroit. Green Bay now has lost three games by five points - two conversions and a field goal. The Packers rolled up 401 yards and held the Colts' vaunted 40-point offense, John Unitas and all, to 258 yards rushing and passing. The ball changed hands 26 times and the Packers missed many opportunities, but they stayed in there. It would have been much easier to throw up their hands in disgust, especially with some of the indecision that characterized the officials. The Packers exploded the long ball on touchdowns of 16, 42 and 65 yards, but their longest play of the day, a 73-yard aerial from Bart Starr to Ron Kramer to Max McGee, fizzled into trouble on the 2-yard line. Green Bay had to come from behind twice. The Colts took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on Tony Lorick's five-yard run but the Bays charged back for a 14-7 halftime edge. Jim Taylor zipped 16 yards to tie the score, and Starr then passed to McGee for 42 yards for the lead TD. The Colts regained the lead in the third quarter. Lou Michaels kicked a 40-yard field goal for 14-10 and Lenny Moore ripped 21 yards off left tackle for 17-14 going into the fourth quarter. Elijah Pitts ran a punt back for 65 yards, straight up the middle, for a 21-17 Packer lead and the Bay lead appeared safe with 2:16 left as the Packers put together three first downs, setting up Hornung's fifth and final field goal try, a shot from the 47. Th kick was low and into the line, Jerry Logan made a 36-yard runback and four plays later Moore ripped five yards into the end zone for the Colts' winning edge. In all, Hornung missed from the 46, 43, 17, 32 and 47-yard lines. This was the first time the Packers had received over 100 yards in penalties since they drew 102 in clinching the 1961 title against the Giants in Milwaukee. The payoff was the interference on Adderley. Herb and Colt receiver Jimmy Orr came together on the five-yard line as Unitas lobbed a high floater that sailed out of the gridiron on first down on the Packer 24. It appeared that the interference was on Orr and later Unitas, himself, said it could have gone either way. Thus, the crucial game was virtually decided on an official's call - with the ball being uncatchable. The Packer defense, with Hank Jordan returning for the first time in a month, held tight throughout and never allowed Unitas use of a rocking chair - with Willie Davis leading the charge. They held the Colts to the same yardage rushing and passing, 129. Starr brewed 254 yard passing (on 18 of 33 attempts) and 147 rushing. Starr, too, ran into penalties and he might have widened the Packers' 14-7 lead just before the half but for two 15-yard penalties. The two ace quarterbacks got by without an interception, but Unitas was just plain lucky in the fourth quarter. Willie Wood had a Unitas pass in his mitts, with a clear field ahead, but dropped it. Fortunately, three plays later, Pitts made his TD runback. Individually, Taylor led the rushers with 82 yards in 17 attempts, while Raymond Berry topped the receivers with seven catches for 78 yards. The two clubs broke away evenly, each making two first downs and each missing field goals. Hornung's boot from the 46 was short. So was Lou Michael's from 54 yards out. The Colts made the first scoring move, advancing 66 yards in 12 plays after giving up a field goal by penalty. Strong running by Lorick and Unitas' passing gave the Colts a first down on the Bay 14. Lorick then ran five, Moore lost one to the 10 and Unitas' pass to Berry made three to the seven. Thus, on fourth down and three on the seven, Michaels kicked a field goal from the 14. Lee Roy Caffey was ruled offside on the kick, but apparently the Colts
weren't notified and most of them were off the field. Suddenly, some of the Colts noticed that if they accepted the penalty they'd have a first down on the 2-yard line. The sticks had been moved and nobody was sure where the ball was to go. The officials appeared flustered and had to "answer" to both benches for their indecision. They finally put the ball down on the 5. Lorick ran it over on first down. Michaels kicked the first of his three PATs for the 7-0 lead. After Hornung missed a field goal from the 43 early in the second quarter and an exchange of punts, Wendell Harris called for a fair catch of Ray Norton's boot. The ball slipped through his arms and John McDowell recovered on the Colt 16. On the first play, Taylor popped off the right side and into the open, running over Boyd, for the TD. Hornung booted the first of three points and it was tied. Gilburg got off a 19-yard punt next, giving the Pack possession on the Colt 41. The Bays didn't wait long. Starr hit Max McGee straight down the middle and The Taxi made a reaching catch on the 15 and ran away from Lenny Lyles for the TD. The Colts cut the lead to 14-10 early in the third quarter. A costly interference penalty on Jess Whittenton on Berry put the Colts on the Packer 30, but the defense held and finally Michaels hit a field goal from the 40. The Packers quickly threatened to jump off to a good lead. Starr hurled to Ron Kramer around the Colt 43 and Ron lateraled to McGee, who raced down the sidelines to the two where he stepped out of bounds evading Lyles. Moore lost two yards on the right side and then Taylor made one at left tackle. Starr rolled out to his right for a pass by Gino Marchetti threw him for a 7-yard loss to the 10 - by the jersey. Hornung's try for a 22-yard field goal was a bit wide. This set off the crowd and the Colts. The Hosses went 80 yards to a TD in nine plays. Unitas hit Wilson for 15 yards and then Berry twice for 16 and 20 yards to eat up most of the yardage. Moore ran off left tackle and finally broke away from Whittenton on the 10 for the TD. That made it 17-14. Things really looked black when Taylor fumbled and Steve Stonebreaker recovered on the Packer 20 on the first play. The defense met the challenge and Michaels was forced to settle for a field goal. The kick was wide. Michaels missed a field goal from the 47 just before the third quarter ended and the Bays put on a drive. Starting on their own 11, there were two big plays. First, Starr and Boyd Dowler worked a 46-yard pass to the Colt 13. The two clubs exchanged holding penalties and the Bays had to punt. However, Norton ran instead, as the Colts made no effort to block it, and picked up 23 yards and a first down on the Colt 34. The attack stalled though and Hornung's field goal try from the 32 was wide. After Pitts' punt runback which made the score 21-17 and another Colt punt, this by Joe Don Looney, the Bays put on a good drive, rolling up three first downs. Starr passed to McGee for eight and then to Taylor for 13. Taylor ran 15 up the middle to the Colt 48. Then came Hornung's low kick and Logan's return to the Packer 34. Three plays later, Adderley was booked for interference and Moore ran the ball in from 5 yards out. That was it - except for four pass attempts by Starr in the final seconds.
GREEN BAY - 0 14 0 7 - 21
BALTIMORE - 7 0 10 7 - 24
GREEN BAY BALTIMORE
First Downs 20 16
Rushing-Yards-TD 33-147-1 31-129-3
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 33-18-286-1-0 27-14-157-0-0
Sack Yards Lost 4-32 3-28
Net Passing Yards 254 129
Total Yards 401 258
Fumbles-lost 1-1 3-1
Turnovers 1 1
Yards penalized 6-114 4-26
SCORING
1st - BALT - Tony Lorick, 4-yard run (Lou Michaels kick) BALTIMORE 7-0
2nd - GB - Jim Taylor, 16-yard run (Paul Hornung kick) TIED 7-7
2nd - GB - Max McGee, 42-yard pass from Bart Starr (Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 14-7
3rd - BALT - Michaels, 40-yard field goal GREEN BAY 14-10
3rd - BALT - Lenny Moore, 21-yard run (Michaels kick) BALTIMORE 17-14
4th - GB - Elijah Pitts, 65-yard punt return (Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 21-17
4th - BALT - Moore, 5-yard run (Michaels kick) BALTIMORE 24-21
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 17-82 1 TD, Tom Moore 9-25, Jerry Norton 1-24, Paul Hornung 4-13, Elijah Pitts 2-3
BALTIMORE - Lenny Moore 18-71 2 TD, Tony Lorick 11-51 1 TD, Johnny Unitas 1-3, Tom Matte 1-0
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 33-18-286 1 TD
BALTIMORE - Johnny Unitas 27-14-157
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Tom Moore 5-22, Max McGee 4-123 1 TD, Jim Taylor 4-33, Ron Kramer 3-53, Boyd Dowler 2-55
BALTIMORE - Raymond Berry 7-78, Butch Wilson 3-42, Jimmy Orr 2-37, Lenny Moore 1-1, Tony Lorick 1-(-1)
VINCE 'PROUD OF TEAM IN DEFEAT AS ANY IN VICTORY'
OCT 19 (Baltimore-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "I'm as proud of this team in defeat as I was of any Packer team in victory." Coach Vince Lombardi thus saluted the Packers for their all-out performance in losing a heartbreaker 24 to 21 decision to the Colts here Sunday. "Missing the field goals beat us," Vince pointed out Sunday night, "but I am proud of the way we kept fighting back." The Packers "deserved to win," Coach Don Shula of the Colts said and even the Colt fans seemed resigned to seeing their team lose. The Packers had pieced together three first downs with two minutes left and the wild spectators were noticeably quiet. They, and the Colts, got a new life on Paul Hornung's fifth field goal miss. "All he had to do was get it up in the air, but he just didn't do it," Vince said after the game, adding: "There was no question about going for the field goal. That was the only play. How could anyone think it's an easy matter to pick up a yard on fourth down when early in the third quarter we had four shots at the goal for the two-yard line and couldn't make it." Hornung was extremely low after the game, and the versatile star wasn't of a mind to discuss the field goals. "He's pressing and trying so hard, maybe too hard," Vince said. The final field goal was kicked low and into the line. Billy Ray Smith said, "I stuck out my hands and there the ball was - just like a line drive. I sure wasn't much good out there so I'm glad it was me that blocked it." Shula wasn't exactly overjoyed with his team's performance. "We were outplayed and we made some mistakes that we have to correct. You don't win the Western Division championship by beating Green Bay twice." Shula felt that the Colts' stand on the goal line in the fourth quarter was the game's turning point. "Defense did it for us," the coach said. Max McGee, commenting on his 42-yard touchdown pass from Bart Starr when he outraced Lenny Lyles, said, "If Lyles would have blocked that pass, he would have fouled me," adding an explanation of the 73-yard Starr-Ron Kramer-McGee pass play: "The play was a pass to Ron Kramer, and I was supposed to run a clearing pattern trying to draw off the defense. But Lyles knocked me back. So actually I was supposed to be further downfield. If it hadn't been for Lyles, I wouldn't have been able to receive any laterals." Maxie said, "I wasn't surprised when Kramer lateraled. I was shocked." Veteran end Raymond Berry had one of his better days of the season, catching seven passes for 78 yards, and he's more than glad the Colts are done with the Packers this season. "It was a hard fought game," he said. "I didn't feel like we beat them either game but there we were, ahead when the clock ran out." Berry also said he felt he had a fine day because he rates the man guarding him, Jesse Whittenton, one of the best pass defenders in the league. "I feel like anytime I catch a pass on Whittenton, I am ahead of the game." he said. Lenny Moore scored two of the Colt touchdowns, including the winning one. But the most spectacular
score came on his 21-yard touchdown jaunt in the first period where he outfought at least three tacklers. But Moore didn't want to talk about that, stating, "I'm just trying to help them win and I'm happy about that."
AGAJANIAN 'TUTORS' HORNUNG
OCT 20 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Ben Agajanian went to work on Paul Hornung today in an effort to shake the Packers' versatile star from a kicking slump. The ageless Californian, who has been kicking field goals and extra points for over 20 years - including the 1961 season in Green Bay, has been hired as a kicking advisor. This was announced today by Coach Vince Lombardi, who also revealed that Jerry Kramer can start kicking. Kramer, while he'll be unable to play, returns for the first time since he underwent surgery two weeks ago. Lombardi acted quickly after Hornung missed five field goals from the 46, 43, 17, 32, and 47-yard lines in the Packers' 24-21 loss in Baltimore Sunday. Owner of several sporting good stores in the Los Angeles area, the athletic Agajanian, who kicks field goals in his back yard just for exercise, dropped everything and hurried out to Green Bay, arriving in time for today's light drill. "Hornung is a great kicker, and he doesn't need any coaching," Agajanian said. "I'm just here to kick with him and help him restore his confidence." Lombardi likened Hornung's missing to "a baseball player in a batting slump. He hadn't lost his form but he has lost his confidence. But he's got to get it back and the only way he can get it back is by keeping on playing." Paul has kicked five field goals in 16 attempts and missed two extra points in 15 attempts. Ironically, Hornung opened the season with three field goals in five tries, including a record-tying 52-yard field goal on a free kick, in the Bear game. He added kicks from the 29 and 20. Since that game. Hornung kicked a 20-yarder against the Vikings here and a 21-yarder vs. the 49ers in Milwaukee. Also in the 49er game. Willie Wood kicked an extra point but missed a field goal from the 33. Hornung recovered enough from a shoulder injury to boot his 21-yarder in the third quarter. Agajanian was hired as an insurance kicker in 1961 because Hornung was in and out of the Army. Old Ben did the kicking off and hit one field goal in two attempts. Hornung finished the season with 15 of 22. The Packers are just two extra points and a field goal removed from a 3-0-3 record. They lost to the Colts 21-20 and the Vikings 24-23 and then there was the narrow loss in Baltimore. While the lack of a field goal killed the Packers in Coltville, folks around here were still simmering about the officiating. But Lombardi, who is not one to mince words, said, "I don't want to say anything about the officiating. It might be taken as an alibi." Three was more fuel today following showing of pictures of the game - chiefly that Tony Lorick actually fumbled before he went into the end zone for the Colts' first touchdown. The Packers recovered the ball in the end zone and complained but the TD signal already had been given. The payoff was the interference called on Herb Adderley against Jimmy Orr in the final minute - a ruling that set off the Colts' winning TD. Herman Rohrig, the official, said there was no doubt that it was a foul on Adderley, but John Unitas, the Colt quarterback, said the call could have gone either way. The irony of the situation was this: The ball was one of those high floaters and actually landed out of the playing field. This recalled a similar situation in a Bear game in Chicago back in the early 1950s. The Packers were called for interference in the end zone when the ball wound up in the stands on the fly. Lombardi, after viewing the pictures with his staff Monday, emphasized that "we played a very fine game. We did everything but get enough points to win." The coach felt that "everyone played a good game and Willie Davis was outstanding." Fuzzy Thurston went the route at left guard despite a shoulder injury. "It started to
bother me some in the second half," he said. Dave Robinson injured his knee and Hank Jordan came out with an eye injury.
PACK PENALTY TOTAL HIGHEST SINCE '61
OCT 20 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers, since Vince Lombardi took over the club in '59, have not been a high-penalty team. Thus, the Packers' 114-yard penalty total in the 24-21 loss to the Colts Sunday raised these old eyebrows. In the 72 league games Lombardi has coached the club, the Packers exceeded 100 yards in penalties only three games - the first time in 1960, the second in '61, and the third in Baltimore two days ago. The 1960 Packers walloped the 49ers in Milwaukee one Sunday afternoon 41 to 14 and drew 11 penalties for 117 yards, The 49ers had 5 for 79. The following year the Packers beat the Giants 20-17 to clinch the Western Division championship in Milwaukee and drew penalties for 102 yards. The Giants had 3 for 45. The Pack's penalties in Baltimore were exceptionally costly - to the tune of about 17 Colt points, not to mention a possible 3 or 7 more points for the Packers. An interference penalty on Jess Whittenton while guarding Raymond Berry helped the Colts to a Lou Michaels' field goal and cut the Pack's lead to 14-10 in the third quarter. An offside penalty on a successful field goal by Michaels on a fourth and three situation gave the Colts touchdown life and they made it for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. And finally an interference penalty called on Herb Adderley (by ex-Packer Herman Rohrig, incidentally) virtually gave the victory to the Colts in the final minute, putting Baltimore on the Packer 5. The Packers also drew two holding penalties and one for unsportsmanlike conduct - each 15-yarders. Two of these ruined the Packers of a chance of taking a possible 17-7 lead and even 21-7 at the half. The Bays took over on their own 20 with 3 minutes left in the half and actually reached the Colt 20 with about 40 seconds left but on the play that put them there (Bart Starr to Max McGee for 11 yards) the Bays were found guilty of holding. This put the Bays back on their own 46, the penalty being from the point of infraction. In the same drive, Ron Kramer caught an 11-yard pass to the Colt 46 but was shoved by Bob Boyd when the two were off the playing field. Kramer threw the ball at Boyd as they walked toward the field (it all took place in front of the Colt bench), and an official came running over from the middle of the field waving a flag. Which brings up a question: Do the officials have jurisdiction outside the playing field - after the play is dead? The other holding penalty came in the fourth quarter and helped force Jerry Norton's attempted punt, which he turned into a first-down run. This penalty nullified a 13-yard gain by Tom Moore. The three 15-yard penalties actually cost the Packers 80 yards because each removed a good gain - 11-yard pass receptions by McGee and Kramer and Moore's run. And do you know the irony of this whole business. The Packers didn't have a penalty - not one - when they lost to the Colts 21-20 in Green Bay Sept. 20. The Colts drew 3 for 50 yards in Green Bay and 4 for 26 in Baltimore. The Packers made quite a jump - zero to 114, or maybe the officials ought to get together and standardize their thinking. P.S. - The same crew didn't work the two games.
SIX ROOKIES TO START FOR RAMS (3-2-1) VS. PACKERS
OCT 21 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Two residents of Long Beach, Cali., with opposite interests, were in our town Tuesday. We are referring to Ben Agajanian, the kicking phenom, and Jack Teele, publicity director of the Rams. Teele went south today - all the way to Milwaukee, and Agajanian, stocking cap and all, stayed around for the purpose of working with two Packer kickers, Paul Hornung and Jerry Kramer. Jack was here to tell about the Rams since the Packers will play those fellers in Milwaukee Sunday. He addressed the Mike and Pen Club. Teele's tales will be continued in some detail as the week progresses but for a starter here are a couple of thoughts he dropped at the press, radio and TV gathering: "We have 13 rookies this year and six of them are starters, three each on offense and defense. The rookies on offense are Bucky Pope, a good pass receiving end; center Joe Wendryhoski; and Lester Josephson, a fullback from little Augustana College. On defense, we are starting halfbacks Jerry Richardson and Aaron Martin and linebacker Andy Von Sonn. Three of them were waived by other clubs and we got Wendryhoski in the Arnett trade. Our coach (Harland Svare) knew we'd be improved over last year's 5-9 record and now we are sure of it. Do you have any more players like Kenny Iman around? (Iman went to the Rams in the Zeke Bratkowski deal). He can't play anymore because of his broken leg, but he's around every day and threatening our guys with his crutches - if they don't play hard. He has great spirit."...SHAKE SLUMP: Coach Vince Lombardi brought in Agajanian in an effort to shake Hornung out of a kicking slump. The 45-year-old Ben is a real wizard at booting, having kicked for nearly 30 years in college and professional football. Now retired but still on call, Agajanian booted a couple of dozen field goals from the 15 to the 35-yard lines with amazing accuracy Tuesday, alternating with Hornung and Kramer. Aggie said, "Hornung is a great kicker and he doesn't lose his knack of kicking. He has just lost his confidence and perhaps his timing." "I looked at some pictures of his kicking when I first got here, and there are a few things on his field goals. His form on extra points is fine." The mere presence of Agajanian, who kicks with such ease and precision, is expected to be a tonic for Hornung, who has hit on only five of 16 field goal tries. In addition, he missed two extra point kicks. Agajanian has another pupil in Kramer, who started kicking Tuesday for the first time since his surgery. Jerry, in his first try at a kickoff, booted the ball over the goal line. He also was consistent on his field goal tries. Ben, who will be here the rest of the week, was here in '61 when Hornung was in and out of service. He did the kicking off and hit one of two field goal attempts. "I guess I'm quite a Packer fan, and I'd like to see this club go. They have wonderful personnel - all fine people. Maybe I can develop a kicker for the future," Agajanian said. The Bays presently have a 3-3 record and the three losses were by only five points - the two extra points and one of the missed field goals in Baltimore Sunday. The Packers held a light workout Tuesday, followed by the kicking session, and then headed for the clubhouse and the weekly report by Scout Wally Cruice, who viewed the Rams' lopsided victory over the 49ers. Dave Robinson picked up a knee injury in the Colt game, but was running a bit Tuesday.
PERSONALITY PARADE
OCT 21 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - All of what we are pleased to call Packerland, it can be safely assumed, is suffering with Paul Horning in his present placekicking plight which, he is all too painfully aware, looms large in the Packers' modest 3-3 record at this point. But none has more empathy with the unhappy Golden Boy than fellow kicker Jerry Kramer, the ailing giant who Tuesday returned to limited service as an alternate "toe." And, although this obviously means that Kramer, who kicked with sufficient facility to rank as the NFL's No. 4 scorer last season in Hornung's enforced absence, may be available for extra point and field goal purposes against the Rams at Milwaukee Sunday afternoon, he is confident he won't be needed. "Paul's going to snap out of this thing," says the former College of Idaho athlete, perennial all-pro and one of sport's great gentlemen. "He kicks the daylights out of the ball in practice. In fact, he was kicking 'em 46 and 47 yards into the wind before the game in Baltimore Sunday." (Hornung, who missed one extra point in each of the Packers' 21-20 and 24-23 losses to the Colts and Minnesota Vikings earlier in the season, subsequently was off target on four field goal attempts and had a fifth, a low kick, blocked and converted into a touchdown and a last minute 24-21 victory by the opportunistic Hosses.) Jerry, who set a Packer record by connecting on 43 of 46 conversion attempts and tied another with 16 of 34 field goal tries for 91 points a year ago as "interim" kicker, added sympathetically, "I had the same trouble last year. I was looking up, I guess - I'm not sure. I don't know what Paul is doing wrong - he doesn't either. It's just one of those things, like a slump in baseball. But he's going to snap out of this and there won't be any need for me to do any kicking," the strapping blond insists. "I thought he was going to snap out of it this week - and I'm sure he will next weekend." Kramer's availability is strictly for kicking duties, he emphasized. "I've still got that opening in my stomach, you know. I definitely can't have any contact, the doctor says. If I'd get hit there, I'd be in beautiful shape," says pro football's Mickey Mantle, who, like the Yankee superstar, has been plagued by an incredible collection of physical misfortunes throughout a distinguished career. Jerry, recovering from what has been medically described as "a benign growth on the liver," is happy to report, however, that he is "feeling exceptionally well. I've taking a lot of vitamin pills and eating more than I have any time in the last five years, I think. I had two meals on the plane coming home from Baltimore," he added with a laugh, "mine and somebody else's. I'm not putting on much weight, yet, though. I was down to 222 at one time and now I'm about 232 or 233, compared to my normal of about 245 to 247."...'EARN THEIR MONEY': Up to this week, exercise has been forbidden. "I haven't been doing a thing - the doctor
wouldn't let me play golf or go hunting, or anything else." He told me I still can't run at all, or anything like that," Jerry, who has undergone three operations since discovery of the growth three weeks ago, explained. The voluble Careful Drive resident, who viewed Sunday's proceedings from the sidelines in Baltimore's raucous Memorial Stadium, found it a harrowing experience. "I died a thousand deaths," he confessed. "I was so upset and tired, I thought I was going to pass out once. I was screaming and running down the sidelines and yelling - you get so emotionally involved. When I got to the locker room after the game, I had to lie down for a minute. I was thinking before the game, coaching might be all right," he concluded with a dry chuckle. "But when it was over, I was thinking, 'these coaches earn their money.'"
PACK REGAINS 'ONLY' MAJOR LEAGUE STATUS
OCT 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers play in Milwaukee County Stadium Sunday. And it seems significant today in view of the Braves imminent departure. Green Bay again is on the verge of becoming Wisconsin's one and only major league sports franchise - a "title" our town held for 30-odd years except for a brief stand in the early 1950s by the Hawks basketball team (now thriving in St. Louis) and the Braves' 12-year reign. Coach Vince Lombardi sounded a sort of keynote for fans hereabouts when he said, "I am sorry to see the Braves move - if they do move. It would be a great loss for Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin." Lombardi, a director of the Braves, said he had "no opportunity to say anything either way as far as the Braves' decision to move was concerned." While the state, and especially sports-minded Green Bay, was pretty well shook up today with the possible loss of the Braves, the Packers were doing a little shaking up themselves this day. Thursday is the day for pads, and this means hitting the sleds and the blocking dummies in preparation for the Ram game. The Packers have one casualty - linebacker Dave Robinson, and Lombardi said he won't play Sunday. This makes Tommy Crutcher, who also has been working on offense, as the backup man for Dan Currie, Ray Nitschke and Lee Roy Caffey. The Bays face, among other things, a fantastic crew of interceptionists Sunday. The Rams have intercepted 15 passes in six games and if you don't think this is rare it must be noted that the Packers have stolen but three enemy passes. Interceptions aren't everything, of course, since the Redskins, who have only one win, also have
intercepted 15. Detroit is second in the league with 12. The Rams went wild by intercepting seven in the 49er game last Sunday. The Rams' interception leader is rookie Jerry Richardson, who grabbed off five and returned them for 146 yards. Aaron Martin, also a rookie, stole two and returned them 107 yards. Other Rams with two are Bobby Smith and Eddie Meador, while Jack Pardee, Lindon Crow, Frank Budka and Lamar Lundy each intercepted one. The 15 interceptions were returned a total of 467 yards - for an amazing return average of 31.1, not to mention three touchdowns. The Rams did their stealing against the Steelers, Lions, Vikings, Colts, Bears and 49ers in that order. They beat the Steelers, tied the Lions, beat the Vikings, lost to the Colts and Bears, and then walloped the 49ers 42 to 14. Ben Agajanian continued to work with kickers Paul Hornung, Jerry Kramer, Willie Wood, Jerry Norton and Robinson Wednesday and the kicking phenom said he felt that "we're making some headway." Agajanian is here this week to work with the kickers - and Hornung in particular.
CAN PACKERS MOVE THROUGH RAM 'TREES'?
OCT 23 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers are no slouches in the "rush" department, what with 959 yards by running in the first six games. Only one team has more - the Vikings with 1,022 and most of that came in their opener. Now the question is: Can the Packers rush on the tallest and biggest defensive line in football in Milwaukee Sunday? This gigantic unit belongs to the Rams and is composed of Rosey Grier and Merlin Jones at the tackles and Dave Jones and Lamar Lundy at the ends. They averaged 6-6 in height and nearly 275 in pounds. Grier is the heaviest at 290 and 6-5, while Lundy is the tallest at 6-7 and 265. Olsen stands 6-5 and packs 276 pounds, and Joes is the shortie at 6-4 and 261. The Packers defensive line, by comparison, averages around 250 pounds and is a normal 6-3. The Vikings already worked against the California "trees" and came out with only 103 yards rushing. In fact, the trees apparently can move, too, because Fran Tarkenton was boiled down to 111 yards passing. Packer quarterback Bart Starr always said the line is difficult to pass against because "it's hard to see over it." Rushing through this line can be tough - for obvious reasons, plus the fact that the four defenders have quickness. This also makes it troublesome on outside maneuvers. The Rams have allowed 632 yards rushing which stands third best in the league. Two clubs have allowed less the Lions 520 and the Eagles 597. The Packers permitted 661, which ranks fourth...The four giants have been together over two seasons now, adding to their success. Jack Teele, LA publicitor, said the other day that "Jones is having a helluva year."...The Rams have announced a switch in offensive end personnel. Rookie Bucky Pope, who did so well vs. the 49ers last Sunday, will move out to flanker and Red Phillips will go at left end. Last week Pope played the left side. Terry Baker, part-time halfback and quarterback, will also be used at left end on an as-needed basis. Marlin McKeever, the former linebacker, will be at tight end. Dick Bass, out last week with injuries. may see some action, but rookie Lester Josephson, who gained 56 yards in 14 carries in his debut last Sunday, will start at left half. Ben Wilson will start at fullback and Roman Gabriel at quarterback...The Rams use the messenger system of calling plays. The messenger are guards Charlie Cowan and Roger Davis, the lineman obtained from the Bears in the Jon Arnett trade...The Packers finished out a good week of heavy practice today and the team appears ready to cut loose with another big effort. Coach Vince Lombardi said that Dave Robinson will be unable to play because of a knee injury. Tommy Crutcher has been shifted over from fullback to become the fourth linebacker. Paul Hornung practiced kicking field goals Thursday - with a rush on from the defense. When he made his first kick, everybody let out a big cheer...The Packers will bus down to Milwaukee Saturday morning and drill in County Stadium upon arrival. The team then will headquarter at the Milwaukee Inn...The Breakfast Optimist Club is sponsoring a trip to Minneapolis for the Packer-Viking game, leaving at 10:30 Sunday morning and returning at 6. Arrangements can be made by calling Arnie Morrison.
'PAUL HASN'T MISSED ALL WEEK,' AGAJANIAN
OCT 24 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Ben Agajanian's presence in the Packer camp must have helped Paul Hornung with his field goals. "Paul hasn't missed all week," Agajanian said Friday, "and they even put on a rush against him to try and fluster him." Agajanian was called in by Coach Vince Lombardi to work with Hornung and other Packer kickers this week. Aggie flew out to his home in Long Beach, Calif., Friday afternoon. "I have to get home to see my son (Larry, freshman at UCLA) play Saturday, but I'll be watching the Packers play the Rams on television," Ben said. The 45-year-old kicker, who has been kicking in high school, college and pro football for nearly 30 years, caught right along with Hornung and Jerry Kramer on field goals and extra points. "All he has to do it hit one field goal Sunday and he'll have his confidence back. He certainly was hitting in practice," Ben said. Hornung missed five in the 24-21 loss to the Colts last Sunday and goes into action against the Rams here Sunday with only five hits in 16 attempts. He also missed two extra points. Agajanian, who still kicks over the goal line with amazing consistency, has been working with a number of kickoff prospects, including Hornung, Jess Whittenton, Kramer, Dave Robinson, Willie Wood and none other than Lee Roy Caffey. Lombardi will likely assign Wood to the kickoffs against the Rams, but Caffey is coming up strong. Both had their good days in practice this week. "Wood was kicking it out of sight Thursday, and Caffey has the edge on Willie Friday. I imagine Vinnie will go with Wood because he has the experience," Aggie said...The Rams are the only team in the league with (1) two foot specialists and (2) a pass receiver with a 30-yard average. A 20-yard average for a pass receiver is generally considered out of this world. But 30, never! Bucky Pope, 21-year-old string bean (6-5, 195) rookie from Catawba College, has caught 11 passes for 226 yards, which boils down to an average of 30.5 yards per catch. He leads the club with five touchdown catches. Los Angeles' two specialists are Dan Villanueva, the veteran punter and placekicker, and Bruce Gossett, a rookie kicker. Villanueva was hurt shortly before the season started so both kickers were placed on the roster. Gossett started doing the field goal and extra point kicking and Danny wasn't able to beat him out. The newcomer has hit on nine of 12 field goal attempts and made all 15 of the club's extra points. His longest field goal was 44 yards. Villanueva is averaging 43 yards on 40 punts, while the Rams' opponent punters are averaging 46.1 yards.
RAMS FIGURE BIG RUSH ON STARR COULD BEAT PACKERS
OCT 24 (Milwaukee-Los Angeles Times) - To beat the Green Bay Packers here Sunday at County Stadium, the Rams will have to do something they've never accomplished with any degree of success during the Lombardi regime: Put an effective rush on quarterback Bart Starr. In other years, the Rams have held Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung to modest gains only for Starr to disrupt them with his accurate shots to Boyd Dowler, Ron Kramer and Max McGee (a particular Los Angeles nemesis)...GOOD GROUND GAME: Of course, Starr's passing is set up, in part, by an effective ground game. When you yield rushing yardage, you're off balance and vulnerable to a passing attack. Only Detroit has a better defense against rushing this season than the Rams. But, the Rams haven't confronted the Packer offensive line, reportedly the best in the NFL. It remains to be seen whether the Rams' front four, Jones, Olsen, Grier and
Lundy, can win the test of strength against tackles Masters and Gregg, guards Thurston and Grimm, and center Skoronski...LONE NEWCOMER: Grimm, a two year vet, is the only "newcomer" in this alignment, replacing the injured Jerry Kramer. Skoronski, a veteran tackle, slid over to center following the Jim Ringo trade. Conflicting percentages will be at stake. Starr has completed 60 percent of his passes (best in the league), while the Ram defense has restricted six opponents to a combined 44.4 completion percentage
(topped only by Dallas). Of course, a similar match will exist when the Rams are on offense. Roman Gabriel will try to dent a defense which is the stingiest in the league against passes, allowing only 785 yards, a league low. The problem will be just as acute when the Rams turn to their ground resources. Defensively, the Packers rank high in this department, only a notch below the Rams.
PACKERS TRY TO GET OFF FLOOR AGAINST RAMS
OCT 25 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Knocked down three times already, the Packers must get off the floor again today. If they expect to keep their championship hopes alive. They bounced back from the first two kayoes. After losing to the Colts 21-20, they took it out on the Lions in Detroit 14-10. And after losing to the Vikings in Green Bay 24-23, they trimmed the 49ers in Milwaukee 24-14. The Packers were nipped 24-21 in Baltimore last Sunday. Now the bouncy Bays go against the huge Rams in County Stadium. The Rams are ahead of the Packers in the Western Conference standings, and that's a rarity right there, since Los Angeles has been "down" for the past five seasons. But the Rams have a 3-2-1 record, a half-game in front of Green Bay's 3-3. Kickoff is scheduled at 1:05 and another record crowd, upwards of 47,380, will be on hand to cheer Green Bay. This will be quite a treat after the booing the Packers received in Coltville last Sunday. The Packers have hopes of breaking loose today with a flock of points, although three will be enough if the Rams get less. The Bay offense rolled up over 400 yards in Baltimore but still came out with but 21 points and seven of those came on Elijah Pitts' 65-yard runback of a punt. A possible 12 or 15 points went down the drain when Paul Hornung missed five field goals - not to mention failure to score from the two-yard line, with first down. Defenses in the league have become exceptionally strong, a trend that was started here by Coach Vince Lombardi five years ago, and scoring in general is down. The Packers, for instance, haven't scored over three touchdowns in a single league game since the second last game in 1963. And the Rams were the victims in that one when the Packers put together four touchdowns and a field goal for a 31-14 victory in Los Angeles. Facing the largest defensive line in football, the Packers may find it rough to run on the Rams, but Bart Starr surely will try to loosen up the Ram defense with his trusty right arm. The Ram defenses pose a real threat to the forward pass since they intercepted seven 49er throws last Sunday. This is an exceptional feat and the Rams have already stolen 15 passes, which is one dozen more than the Packer steal total. The Packer air game faced the prospect of losing one of its ace receivers in the Colt game. That would be Ron Kramer, who suffered a back injury. He was slow coming around during the practice week but regained his form Friday. His "catch" mates, Max McGee and Boyd Dowler, are in top condition. The Packers' kicking game certainly should bounce back today, with a "new" Hornung. The versatile star, who has hit on only five of 16 field goal attempts. worked under the kicking phenom, Ben Agajanian, last week, and he was virtually "automatic" in practice. Willie Wood or Lee Roy Caffey will do the kicking off today in the absence of Dave Robinson, who has been ruled out of action due to a knee injury. Wood and Caffey were both tutored by Agajanian. The Packer defense faces the hardest-throwing quarterback in the league in Roman Gabriel - not to mention the rookie star, Bucky Pope, who has stretched his 11 pass catches into the amazing total of 336 yards and five touchdowns. Pope has been rewarded with his second starting performance, though at a different position. He'll be at flanker while Red Phillips figures to start at left end. The Packer defense came up with a strong game against the Colts, limiting John Unitas & Co. to only 258 yards. But the unit will have to come up with another bell-ringer, unless the Packer offense can break loose.
THE OPPOSITION GETS CLASSIER FOR RAMS
OCT 25 (Milwaukee-Los Angeles Times) - The Rams, like a young fighter who has scored impressive victories in the sticks, step up in class today. They'll meet a ranked opponent, the Green Bay Packers, an old champ with plenty of punch left. Oddsmakers are laying 11 1/2 points that the Rams won't be standing at the gun. There's enough interest in this march to lure a capacity crowd of 47,500 into County Stadium today while a Los Angeles television (KNXT, Channel 2) audience can watch the proceedings beginning at 11 a.m. (PST). Ram hopes of striking a blow for mother and Dan Reeves were buoyed when it was learned that fullback Dick Bass, hobbled by a knee injury, may play, although he won't start. This Western Conference meeting, which is expected to be contested in clear, cold (40 degree) weather, could be the "start of something" or just a predictable result. The Rams (3-2-1) are clinging to third place and would be considered a definite title threat if they could upset the Packers. Green Bay (3-3), frustrated by Paul Hornung's errant toe, must put up or shut up, so to speak. The time has come for the Packers to make their move; if they don't do it today, a dynasty is deteriorating. The Rams, loaded with rookies (13), haven't beaten a name opponent this season. Sure, they tied the Lions, but fell before the Bears and Colts in road engagements. Packer backers here will tell you that early season injuries and missed conversions and field goals are the contributing factors to Green Bay's so-so record...WOUNDED READY: The "wounded" - tackle Henry Jordan, defensive back Herb Adderley, end Max McGee, fullback Jim Taylor, quarterback Bart Starr - are apparently healed. And, Ben Agajanian has been employed to straighten out Hornung's aim. Paul has connected on an atrocious 5 of 16 field goals. If the Packers are in the physical shape they say they're in and halfback Hornung is on the beam, the Rams would seem to be overmatched. Still, a local joke may be a clue to the game. When Hornung reportedly was asked how he felt, the halfback replied, "I can't kick."
