Playoff Bowl: St. Louis Cardinals (9-3-2) 24, Green Bay Packers (8-5-1) 17
Sunday January 3rd 1965 (at Miami)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(MIAMI) - The Packers ended their 21-game 1964 season the way they started it. With a loss and in a lot of similar ways. It was on a hot sight in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans last August when they tangled with the Cardinals and dropped a 21 to 7 shocker. And the key play was a 70-yard interception return of a Bart Starr pass for a touchdown by Pat Fischer. On a hot afternoon (it was 76 and sunny) in the Orange Bowl Sunday, the Packers played the same team and this time an interception of a Starr pass all but ruined them in the fourth quarter. The score was closer, 24 to 17, and the Western Division came close to tying the postseason score. The Colts flopped much worse a week ago, losing 27-0 to the Browns of the Eastern Division in the championship. Green Bay closed out its long campaign with 12 victories, eight defeats and one tie. Five of the losses were in league competition - three by five points. The Packers came within 23 yards of producing the first sudden death game in the five-year Playoff Bowl series, getting the ball deep in Cardinal territory on Ray Nitschke's interception with 2:52 left. The PA announcer had just told the sun-baked audience of 56,218 that "in the event of a tie there will be a sudden death play - with no additional charge." The crowd screeched in delight as the "tie" approached and on the first play Paul Hornung drifted to his left for an option pass. But the pass, aimed at Max McGee in the end zone, was short and Jimmy Burson intercepted on the one. The Packers were out of business and the Cardinals, thanks to a first down, ran out the clock. The win meant $800 per Redshirt, and the Pack had to settle for the $600 fee. It appeared that the Packers would never get moving and they almost didn't. They got off to a 3-0 lead on Paul Hornung's field goal but the Cards held a 7-3 edge at the half on an 80-yard pass play between Charley Johnson and Billy Gambrell, who finished as the game's most valuable player. Jim Bakken kicked an eight-yard field goal to make it 10-3 in the third period and in a few plays later Johnson hurled another TD pass to Gambrell, this one for 10 yards, to make it 17-3 going into the fourth period. Elijah Pitts then recovered a muff of a punt by Burson on the Cardinal 13 and Jim Taylor scored the first of his two touchdowns in two rushes. Jerry Stovall then returned an interception of a Starr pass for a 24-10 lead after which the Packers put on their only real drive of the day, going 72 yards in seven plays, with Taylor banging over from the one. The Packers were unusually sloppy on offense and finished the day with a season-low of 131 yards. They had a miserly 62 yards rushing and 129 passing on Starr's 13 completions in 28 attempts. What's more, Starr was thrown for 50 yards in losses attempting to pass. The Packers used a number of combinations at running back, working in Taylor, Hornung, Tom Moore and Elijah Pitts. Marv Fleming started in place of Ron Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston got in occasionally at guard. Nothing seemed to work and the Bays finished with only nine first downs from scrimmage. There were four others via penalty. The Packer defense gave up 365 yards but it was a good game for this unit - other than the 80-yard TD play. Dan Currie was hurt early and Gene Breen closed at outside linebacker, and, at one point, Ray Nitschke was shaken up, leaving two rookies, Breen and Tommy Crutcher, at linebacker. Doug Hart went in some for Jess Whittenton, who was having a tough time guarding Gambrell. Gambrell's long TD went over Jess and the short TD catch was made with Hart. With the running game going to pot (blocks were scarce in the first half), Starr's passing to Dowler (2 for 25) set up Hornung's field goal at 5:17 of the opening quarter. The game then turned into a punting duel between the Pack's Jerry Norton, who finished with a fine 50-yard average, and Jackie Smith, who averaged a meek 37.1.
UNCORKED 80-YARDER
Just when the game threatened to get dull in the second period, Johnson and Gambrell uncorked their 80-yarder. Gambrell took the ball on the 50 about five yards behind Whittenton and scampered home. Jim Bakken kicked the first of three points. Two penalties hurt the Packers just before the half. They had third and one on the Card 31, when they were nicked for too much time. Then Starr completed a 16-yard pass to Dowler on the 20, but the Bays were in motion, winding up on the 41. The Cardinals moved 70 yards in 12 plays to set up Bakken's short field goal and then drove 47 yards for their second TD. A third down pass from Johnson to Gambrell. Johnson set it up with a 15-yard run when he couldn't pass. Bakken's kick made it 17-3. Norton punted twice more as the game moved into the fourth quarter when Lady Luck smiled. Burson couldn't hang onto Norton's long boot and Pitts recovered on the 16. Taylor crashed nine and then seven for the TD. Hornung's kick made it 17-10. With Johnson passing 47 to Gambrell, the Cardinals rammed right down the field but Lee Roy Caffey collared Johnson and recovered his fumble on the 16. This was a real bright break for the Pack but on the first play Starr threw his interception. That was Bart's first interception in 251 passes - away back in the third league game, but it was a costly one. The Packers then started to move and the Packer fans in the audience set up a howl. Starr opened, on a broken pattern, with a 48-yard pass to Taylor and the Bays reached the Card 24. An eight-yard loss for Starr and a 15-yard penalty on the Cards for roughing set the Bays on the 14. From there, Taylor hit for 2, Hornung 10, Hornung 1, and Taylor 1 and the TD. Hornung's kick made it 24-17. The Packers needed an interception and Nitschke made it on the Card 40 and returned to the 24. Then came Burson's interception! It was a fine finish for Nitschke, who played an outstanding game - he hurried home Sunday night to attend the funeral of his father-in-law, who died Saturday.
GREEN BAY - 3 0 0 14 - 17
ST. LOUIS - 0 7 10 7 - 24
ST. LOUIS GREEN BAY
First Downs 15 13
Rushing-Yards-TD 36-142-0 23-51-2
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 28-14-243-2-1 29-13-129-1-2
Sack Yards Lost 20 50
Net Passing Yards 223 79
Total Yards 365 130
Fumbles-lost 2-2 2-0
Turnovers 3 2
Yards penalized 5-55 3-15
SCORING
1st - GB - Jim Hornung, 40-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - STL - Billy Gambrell, 80-yard pass from Charley Johnson (Jim Bakken kick) ST. LOUIS 7-3
3rd - STL - Bakken, 7-yard field goal ST. LOUIS 10-3
3rd - STL - Gambrell, 10-yard pass from Johnson (Bakken kick) ST. LOUIS 17-3
4th - GB - Jim Taylor, 7-yard run (Hornung kick) ST. LOUIS 17-10
4th - STL - Jerry Stovall, 30-yard interception return (Bakken kick) ST. LOUIS 24-10
4th - GB - Taylor, 1-yard run (Hornung kick) ST. LOUIS 24-17
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 12-30 2 TD, Paul Hornung 5-15, Elijah Pitts 1-4, Tom Moore 3-3, Bart Starr 2-(-1)
ST. LOUIS - Prentice Gautt 16-67, Bill Thornton 17-49, Charley Johnson 2-24, Willis Crenshaw 1-2
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 28-13-129 1 TD 1 INT, Paul Hornung 1-0-0 1 INT
ST. LOUIS - Charley Johnson 28-14-243 2 TD 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 4-50, Boyd Dowler 4-46, Ron Kramer 2-14, Tom Moore 2-4, Bob Jeter 1-15
ST. LOUIS - Billy Gambrell 6-184 2 TD, Bobby Joe Conrad 4-38, Bill Thornton 2-15, Jackie Smith 1-5, Jim Bakken 1-1
St. Louis Cardinals defensive end Joe Robb (84) pressures Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr (15)
St. Louis Cardinals QB Charley Johnson (12) in action, pitching out vs Green Bay CREDIT: Walter Iooss Jr. (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr. /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
St. Louis Cardinals defensive tackle Sam Silas (72) pressures Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr (15)
'PLAYED LIKE WE WERE SLEEPING,' LOMBARDI
JAN 4 (Miami-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Two Packer people had a ready answer for what happened in the Orange Bowl Sunday: Vince Lombardi bristled - "We played the game like we were still in our sleep." Bart Starr explained - "I couldn't hit the broad side of this big stadium." Lombardi was just warming up: "Hell, we came out of the huddle like we were dead. Suree, it "the game" doesn't mean a thing, but we're out there to win." The Packers' head coach didn't spell it out, but the inference was almost plain that he wouldn't be reluctant to engage in some offseason trading...ABSOLUTELY HURTING: "Sure, we'll make some changes," he hammered, "and we'll trade if we like what's offered. But I won't trade until
it's going to help the team. There are some men on this team that won't be traded, I'll say that, but I won't say who they are." Lombardi said the Packers were badly hurt when linebacker Dan Currie was hurt early on the first series of the game. He was kicked in the head and spent the game with an ice pack on the side of his face. "We just absolutely were hurting at linebacker," Vince said. Asked why the Packers didn't try short pop passes against the Cardinals' seven-man rush, Vince explained, "I don't think he was rushed that much. We just don't do those things anyway. We just played a poor game, and that was it." Starr said he couldn't remember when he had played such a miserable game, noting the "big stadium."...BUSTED ASSIGNMENTS: "It was just one of those days when we were terrible, and they were good. We tried to do things to offset their rush, but nothing worked. We had a couple of busted assignments which made their rush even better than it was," Bart said. Paul Hornung, whose pass was intercepted to stop the Pack's last chance, said he didn't give any thought to running the ball on the option play. "I thought he (Max McGee) had a few steps on the defense, and I threw it." While the Packers were exchanging farewells after the game, McGee came over to Starr and said, "I didn't help you much there today," and Bart replied, "I wasn't much help either, but don't worry we'll get 'em next year." An early shoulder injury to Bobby Joe Conrad forced St. Louis to go with little Billy Gambrell as a receiver, said Cardinal Coach Wally Lemm. Gambrell caught two touchdown passes...GAMBRELL UNDER 170: "When Conrad was hurt," said Lemm, "we didn't have any choice, but the game plan was to go to Bobby Joe." Gambrell, oddly enough, is primarily a short receiver - he doesn't really have the speed to run long consistently. "He weighs less than 170 pounds,' said Lemm, "but he is quick, rather than fast." The St. Louis defense, a 4-2 defense, was one that was pulled out of the Cardinals' files - it hadn't been used in three years, not since St. Louis played Green Bay three years ago. "We figured it would force them to audible a lot," said Lemm. "It was just a surprise thing - it wouldn't work again next week." For Jerry Stovall, who broke Starr's interception-less string, the resultant touchdown was his second in two games. "Pat Fischer won three games for us with interceptions during the regular season," said Stovall. "And our free safety - Larry Wilson - is the best in pro football. We work hard at it."
CARDS DIDN'T STACK DECK, FUZZY, "WE WERE AWFUL'
JAN 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Max McGee and Fuzzy Thurston were asked if they'd like to write a story about the Packers' 24 to 17 loss to the Cardinals in Miami Sunday. They were at a handicap because they were seat-belted in a jet between Miami and Chicago Monday and they weren't carrying a typewriter. What's more, they declined the invitation to become overnight sensations in journalism. So what went wrong out there Sunday, fellas? Thurston, with the offensive line on his mind because he plays with that unit, repeated a couple of times "we were just terrible and that includes myself." Asked about Card Coach Wally Lemm's claim that the Cardinals used an "odd" defense as a surprise, Fuzzy replied: "It wasn't the defense. We (the offensive line) got together with Bill (Offensive Line Coach Austin) and Vince (Coach Lombardi) on the sidelines in the first quarter and figured it out, but that wasn't it. We were just awful." Quarterback Bart Starr was thrown for 50 yards in losses attempting to pass. "He's got to have protection. I was out there for six one time, and Bart wound up under a pile," McGee explained. The Taxi, admitting that it was difficult to get up for the game, said, "We were coming in the last quarter and if we had tied we sure would have won in sudden death." The play that ruined the Packers' hopes of a late tie was the interception of a Paull Hornung pass aimed at McGee. "They pushed me out of there around the goal line and there was interference right there. And Paul said somebody hit his arm just as he threw," Max said, adding: "It was a good play and both of us were open." McGee referred to Ron Kramer, who was ahead of Jimmy Burson, who made the interception on the one-yard line. Hornung threw from the 23. Hornung, who said in the dressing room after the game that his arm was hit, apparently had made up his mind to throw as soon as he moved out of his left on the option. The pitch went short, but not short enough to reach Kramer...UNAWARE OF 'DEATH': McGee said "we were unaware of that sudden death business until they announced it on the PA system." The announcement came right after Jim Taylor's second touchdown with 4:56 left in the game. Three plays later Ray Nitschke intercepted a Charley Johnson pass and the Packers had a first down on the Cardinal 23. Actually, the final score made the Packers look fairly good offensively. The Bays' first TD came after recovery of a "muff" of a punt on the Card 13 early in the fourth period and the next was on a 72-yard drive that got its start in a broken-pattern pass of 46 yards from Starr to Taylor in the fourth quarter. The Cards didn't set the Orange Bowl on fire with TDs either, which is a feather in the Packer defense's cap. The first came on a bomb, 80 yards from Johnson to Billy Gambrell, the next was on a 46-yard drive and the final was on Jerry Stovall's return of a Starr pass...64-52 IN PLAYS: The Cards played without their two best backs - John David Crow and Joe Childress. St. Louis turned in 64 plays, the Packers 52. The difference was in rushing, with the Cards moving 36 times and the Packers 23. Besides the Pack's protection for Starr, the Packers' other drop-off was
St. Louis Cardinals defensive end Joe Robb (84) stops Green Bay Packers running back Jim Taylor (31)
in rushing. Taylor, Hornung, Moore, Pitts and Co. settled for 62 yards on the ground - a new low. Taylor got 31 yards in 12 tries and Hornung had the best average on 20 yards in five attempts. Lombardi had no excuses and his explanation was merely that 'we played like we were asleep." Most of the players felt that they couldn't get aroused for the game. The squad worked hard all week, but it boiled down to the individual efforts on Sunday. Waiting to pick up Hank Jordan at Austin Straubel Field Monday night was Jerry Kramer. And the big guard, recuperating from illness, just shook his head: "We didn't look so hot, did we."...BRIEFS: Walt Schlinkman, the former Packer fullback now on the Cardinal staff, said, "We could play tomorrow and the score could very easily be reversed."...The Packers didn't have a squad meal before the game and Forrest Gregg explained that "the hotel wasn't able to handle it." The players ate on their own...Six players are in the Pro Bowl game in Los Angeles next Sunday - Taylor, Gregg, Willie Wood, Herb Adderley, Willie Davis and Nitschke. Big Ray played an outstanding game and hurried home Sunday night to attend the funeral of his father-in-law. He will report to the Western All-Stars today or Wednesday...The officials experimented with Navy Gold "hankies" during the game, instead of the usual white. They may become standard equipment next year...The television boys were pulling for a sudden death playoff since those extra precious minutes on nationwide TV would have been virtually free...Starr completed a pass to official Ralph Morcroft just before the half. The gun barked just as Bart went back to pass, so he threw a short shot to Morcroft over the line.
