Green Bay Packers (1-0) 41, Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) 9
Sunday September 19th 1965 (at Pittsburgh)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(PITTSBURGH) - The Packers have three strong points - offense, defense, and physical conditioning. They needed all three despite their lopsided 41 to 9 victory over the Steelers in Pitt Stadium Sunday afternoon. The Packers actually had to come from behind twice to win. Going away, of course, with 13 points in the third quarter and 21 in the fourth. They were behind 6-0 in the second quarter when Herb Adderley intercepted a pass and ran 29 yards to give the Bays a 7-6 lead. Mike Clark kicked a third field goal just before the half to give Pitt a 9-7 lead. The audience of 38,383 was shaken out of the clouds in the second half as the Packers scored the first six times they had their hands on the ball - touchdown, two field goals, and three touchdowns in that order. The victory set the stage for the Game of the Week in Milwaukee next Sunday when the Packers get their mitts on the defending Western Division champion Colts, who smacked the Vikings 35-13 in Baltimore Sunday. The Packers ran into a highly-charged Steeler team and this, in the first half, kept things sticky for Green Bay - not to mention a sizzling 94 degrees on the floor of the stadium and high humidity. In the end, it was the Pack's superb physical conditioning that blunted the strength-robbing heat and dampness. While the Packers were sweating down the home stretch, the Steelers just plain wilted. The Bay offense, scoreless in the first half, produced two touchdowns on 78 and 71-yard drives, with Bart Starr capping each with a TD pass - 32 yards to Marv Fleming to start the second half and 10 yards to Paul Hornung in the fourth quarter. The Bay defense scored one TD and set up two others, both on short plunges by Elijah Pitts, on an interception by Ray Nitschke and a fumble recovery by Rich Marshall - both late in the game. What's more, the defense set up the second of two Don Chandler field goals. Adderley's second interception in the third quarter gave the Bays position on the Steeler 13 and Chandler hit from 19 yards. On the Pack's previous series, Chandler got a "three" from the nine-yard line after the offense moved 46 yards. This was a game of amazing contrasts. The Packers were on the short end of first downs, 11-7, and total yards, 167 to 116, in the first half. But at the end, the Bays led in first downs, 21 to 15, and total yards, 354 to 193. The Steelers had only one first down in the second half until after the final score was set, and they finished with just 27 yards rushing and 37 yards passing in the second half. With Boyd Dowler (six catches) and Carroll Dale (four) and Marv Fleming (four) as his major targets, Starr is off and running with 17 completions in 23 attempts for 286 yards, two touchdowns and NO interceptions. Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung, who started, picked up 92 yards between 'em while Pitts got the most out of the least. He gained only three yards in five attempted but scored two touchdowns. The Steelers, with 20 players from other NFL teams in the lineup and only two weeks under new coach Mike Nixon, held together well until the heat started to bore in. In addition, they lost their ace fullback, John Henry Johnson, with a leg injury in the first quarter - not to mention their starting center, Art Hunter, who went to the hospital with a head injury in the first half. Bob Skoronski hurt his leg early in the second half and stayed out a few series, bringing about a unique switch in the offensive line. Steve Wright went from right
to left tackle, Forrest Gregg went from left guard to right tackle, and Fuzzy Thurston went in at left guard, while jerry Kramer stayed at right guard. The Packers drove 79 yards the first time they got the ball but stalled on the 31 when Rod Breedlove threw Taylor for a six-yard loss. Chandler was wide on a field goal try from the 38. The Packers were unable to get a defensive rush on in the first half and young quarterback Bill Nelsen moved the Steels 61 yards to set up the first of three Clark field goals, a 21-yarder in the second quarter. Six minutes later, he kicked another - this from 34 yards. With less than two minutes left in the half, Adderley moved in front of Roy Jefferson, stole Nelsen's pass and raced down the sidelines for the TD. Chandler kicked the first of five extra points. Undaunted, Nelsen put together four first downs and set up a third field goal by Clark, from 32 yards, to put Pitt in the lead again. The first play of the second half didn't ring a bell since Pitts was thrown for a seven-yard loss. But Starr started throwing and the bays had a TD in eight plays. He hit Dale for 28, Pitts for 5 and Fleming for 7 before Taylor bumped 11 yards in two trips to the 32 from where Fleming took Starr's pass right out of Clendon Thomas's hands and raced in for the TD. Starr hit Dowler twice, for 10 and 13 yards, to set up Chandler's first field goal and a 17-9 lead. Moments later, Chandler hit from the 19-yard line and it was 20-9. Early in the fourth quarter the Packers really moved. Starr threw to Dowler down the middle for 14 yards, Hornung ran right end for 17, Starr passed to Dowler on the right side for 31, Hornung hit for two and then Hornung took Starr's pass on the two and whirled into the end zone. It was 27-9. Nitschke then intercepted Nelsen's pass and returned 12 yards to the 4 and three plays later Pitts barged over with Breedlove on his back. Young Tom Wade, a rookie QB, fumbled on third down and Marshall recovered on the Steeler 3. With Zeke Bratkowski in the game at QB, Pitts scored from the 3 for 41-9. With 7 minutes left, that was it. And to top off a busy afternoon, Chandler belted a 56-yard punt, setting the stage for three meaningless Steeler first downs, one on an interference penalty.
GREEN BAY - 0 7 13 21 - 41
PITTSBURGH - 0 9 0 0 - 9
GREEN BAY PITTSBURGH
First downs 21 15
Rush-yards-TDs 35-134-2 29-92-0
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 17-23-226-2-0 8-30-144-0-3
Sacked-yards 1-6 5-43
Net pass yards 220 101
Total yards 354 193
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Turnovers 0 4
Penalties-yards 4-48 0-0
SCORING
2nd - PITT - Mike Clark, 21-yard field goal PITTSBURGH 3-0
2nd - PITT - Clark, 34-yard field goal PITTSBURGH 6-0
2nd - GB - Herb Adderley, 34-yard interception (Don Chandler kick) GREEN BAY 7-6
2nd - PITT - Clark, 32-yard field goal PITTSBURGH 9-7
3rd - GB - Marv Fleming, 31-yard pass from Bart Starr (Chandler kick) GREEN BAY 14-9
3rd - GB - Chandler, 9-yard field goal GREEN BAY 17-9
3rd - GB - Chandler, 19-yard field goal GREEN BAY 20-9
4th - GB - Paul Hornung, 10-yard pass from Starr (Chandler kick) GREEN BAY 27-9
4th - GB - Elijah Pitts, 2-yard run (Chandler kick) GREEN BAY 34-9
4th - GB - Pitts, 2-yard run (Chandler kick) GREEN BAY 41-9
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Paul Hornung 11-50, Jim Taylor 10-42, Tom Moore 4-19, Junior Coffey 2-15, Allen Jacobs 3-5, Elijah Pitts 5-3 2 TD
PITTSBURGH - Dick Hoak 8-25, Cannonball Butler 7-24, Mike Lind 6-19, John Henry Johnson 3-11, Theron Sapp 2-8, Bill Nelsen 3-5
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 23-17-226 2 TD
PITTSBURGH - Bill Nelsen 26-7-122 3 INT, Tommy Wade 4-1-22
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Boyd Dowler 6-104, Marv Fleming 4-61 1 TD, Carroll Dale 4-52, Paul Hornung 1-10 1 TD, Elijah Pitts 1-5, Jim Taylor 1-(-6)
PITTSBURGH - Red Mack 2-34, Gary Ballman 1-32, Roy Jefferson 1-22, Paul Martha 1-18, Lee Folkins 1-15, Dick Hoak 1-12, Cannonball Butler 1-11
Pittsburgh Steelers Chuck Hinton (64) in action, slapping Green Bay Packers QB Bart Starr (Photo by James Drake/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
PACKERS MADE NO CHANGES AT HALFTIME - LOMBARDI
SEPT 20 (Pittsburgh-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "We were sluggish out there in the first half, but we didn't decide on any changes at the halftime." This was Coach Vince Lombardi's view after the Packers defeated the Steelers 41 to 9 in Pitt Stadium Sunday afternoon. The two teams paused at the intermission with the Steelers holding a surprising 9-7 lead. "The answer was getting to Nelsen in the second half and we were able to do that," Vince said, adding with a laugh: "I'm glad there are two halves in every football game." The Packer coach, noting the 94-degree heat and high humidity, said "it's hard to play in this kind of heat, but I think the weather bothered them more than us." Despite the close first half score, the Packers moved up and down the field as Vince noted: "We were moving the ball at will, but we weren't putting anything together." He also noted that "they were playing us a blitzing defense. We knew we had to throw. The Steelers did a good job in the first half. They have new personnel and a new coach and they were high. We had to fight their emotions." Herb Adderley, one of the principal heroes of the afternoon, said, "I didn't think the Steelers would fall apart, but I knew if we put on a good rush it would be different. Our front four really put on a rush in the second half." Adderley made a study of Nelsen and passed the course with two key interceptions - the first for a 29 yards touchdown run that wiped out the Steelers' 6-0 lead. The second, which led to a field goal that made the score 17-9, was a scooping catch on the run that even Willie Mays seldom makes. "Their quarterbacks betray themselves," Adderley said. "These rookies go back in the pocket, and they start moving around too soon. They're not cool. The good ones like Bart, Starr and Johnny Unitas don't have to be looking right at the receiver. The heat? It was like this every day at training camp. Coach Lombardi worked us hard in it, and it made us a little mad, but you saw how it paid off today." Starr had one of his best passing days of his career - 17-for-23 for 284 yards and two touchdowns and in the third quarter he hit Paul Hornung flush in the middle on the two-yard line and Hornung dropped the ball, but the Packers scored on the next play anyhow. "Bart," Hornung kidded Starr afterward, "quit throwing the ball so hard, will you. You must be taking isometrics or lifting weights or something." Marv Fleming, replacing the departed Ron Kramer at right end in his first regular season start, counted his catch for the go-ahead touchdown as one of his biggest plays ever. "It had to be," he said. "It put us out in front. We both wanted the ball, but I got it." "The big ox took it right away from me," moaned defender Clendon Thomas. Of his performance, Starr said: "I never think in terms of individual performance. We're concerned with game plans. The main thing is winning. Individual statistics don't mean a thing. We just couldn't seem to get untracked in the first half and they were playing real inspired football," Starr said. "We weren't getting as much yardage out of a pay as we should have." Mike Nixon, the new Steeler coach, called Green Bay "a strong subtle team both ways with a good deep bench." Asked if he thought the Packers will win the Western division championship, Nixon said, "They're plenty good enough to win it. I won't say after one game that they are going to win it, because they have to beat some other good teams like the Colts."
QB SNEAK? NELSEN GETS A LESSON FROM STARR
SEPT 21 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It was interesting to watch the two quarterbacks in the Packer-Steeler game. Bill Nelsen, the Steelers' third-year signalist, was making his first start in a league game. Bart Starr, the league's top passer who shares the best-QB title only with John Unitas, was starting his 10th season. Nelsen, the pupil, received a first-rate lesson from Starr, the professor, and that's as it should be. They had an exciting time in the first half and Nelsen won't forget it. He had a 9-7 (and the defense got that 7) lead on the teacher, but Starr corrected that by engineering the Packers 78 yards (actually 85 because the first play lost 8 yards) to a touchdown in seven plays off the second half kickoff. From then on, Nelsen must have drooled at Starr's workmanship. But that first half. The two pitchers were confronted with five third-down yardage situations- two yards or less, and Nelsen had to "decision" on four of them. On the first, Nelsen pulled a real Starr but (and
this will in Bill's book of memories) lost a fullback. John Henry Johnson, the fullback, had rammed 7 and 2 yards in the first two hits to the Steeler 43. Now it was third and one. The safe play, of course, would have been to send his fullback into the line for the first down but, like Starr has done on many occasions, he called a pass play. He hit Johnson about 12 yards upfield but John Henry couldn't hang onto the ball as Willie Wood hit him. What's more, Johnson limped off the field and now will be lost for six weeks with a knee injury. After getting the ball back, Nelsen had another short yardage situation. This time he called the old-fashioned quarterback sneak to gain a yard and a first down on the Packer 32. Now it was Bart's turn - early in the second quarter. Tom Moore had just carried five and Elijah Pitts added almost four. It was third and one-plus on the Packer 25. The Pitt defense drew in and our thoughts went to Minneapolis two years ago. Sure enough, Max McGee popped out behind the in-tight secondary like a shot, but Starr's quick throw was just off McGee's fingertips. He would have gone for six - just as he did against the Vikings and as he almost did on fourth down against the Browns in Milwaukee last year. Before the half was over, Nelsen tried quarterback sneaks on his last two short yardage situations, making first downs on each third-down play. Did somebody say quarterback sneak? We though that went out of style about 10 years ago. You don't' see the play much anymore," said Henry Jordan, the defense tackle who is one of the targets on all enemy QB sneaks. "It's almost impossible to stop if the quarterback is any good, and if the line has a good charge. They (the Steelers) had a good charge Sunday - especially in the first half." Nelsen now goes up against the 49ers and you can bet they'll be QB-sneak conscious. And our Starr now prepares to oppose a fellow professor - Unitas.
PACK OFF TO RECORD (SCORING) START
SEPT 21 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers are off and running. With an all-time scoring record, at that. Do you realize, dear faithful, that the Packers scored the most points for an opener in their 46-year history when they hammered the Steelers 41 to 9 in Pittsburgh? And they actually tied the record in one half. Green Bay's highest previous opening-day total was the 34-point total in the 34-7 victory over the Vikings here in 1961. Which is what the Packers scored in the second half in Pittsburgh. The third highest total was the 31 scored against Boston in 1948 - the last time, until Sunday, the Packers opened on the road. The Packers ran away from the Steelers - without emotion, so to speak. Coach Vince Lombardi noted that the Steelers "had much to get emotional about but we didn't have that going for us. We didn't have anything to become emotional over." This was a major factor in the Steelers' taking a 9 to 7 lead in the first half. The Bays had to cool off the Steelers' emotion, fight the heat of the day (it was 94), and then play some football. Then, it added up to what Lombari called "sluggish football" by the Packers in the first half. Lombardi said the difference in the second half was that "we realized that we had to get out there and play some football." Asked if he thought the Packers were "up" for the Steeler, Vince laughed: "I've been in this game a long time and that's something you just don't know." He did point out that "we scored 41 points and that must mean something." The Packers held the Steelers without a touchdown, which is the second time a Lombardi team performed this feat in an opener. The Bears were limited to two field goals in the Bay's history 9-6 winning start under Vince in 1959. The Steelers never got out of their own territory in the entire second half Sunday - until after the score was 41-9 in the waning minutes. Green Bay scored a touchdown, two field goals and three touchdowns in the first six times they had the ball in the second half. During that span, the Packers had the ball for 30 plays, the Steelers 17. And the Steelers' 17 included two interceptions, one lost fumble and two punts. For the afternoon, the Packers made six yards per offensive play, the Steelers three. It was 2 to 1. And now the Packers face what Lombardi calls "the best team we will have faced this year," namely the defending Western champion Colts in County Stadium Sunday...Besides the record score, Sunday's game in Pittsburgh was marked by the Packers' first presentation of a punt-kick specialist. That would be the former Giant, Don Chandler, who did all the toing. Chandler was in for 20 plays. He kicked off eight times, attempted three field goals, delivered four punts and booted five extra points. What's more he's almost continually changing his low-cut kicking shoe. When the Bays are in their own territory, he keeps his standard football shoe but when they cross the 50 he changes into his square-toed kicking shoe. Chandler averaged four yards into the end zone on his kickoffs, and two of them went clear out of the end zone. He averaged 44.3 yards on his punts. He just barely missed his first field goal try - from the 38, and hen hit from 9 and 19 yards...Speaking of firsts and records and things, this was the hottest league opener in history for the Packers, 94 degrees - plus high humidity...The Lions, Browns and Packers ranked 1-2-3 on defense in the league openers. Detroit allowed no points, Cleveland seven, and Green Bay nine. Offense-wise, the 49ers and Packers ranked 1-2. San Francisco picked up 52, which, like Green Bay, was an all-time opening day record. That "52" really wowed the Packers on their United Air Lines charter on the way home Sunday night. The scores were announced by the captain on the plane's PA system.
MICHAELS, NUTTER, GAUBATZ SPARK BALTIMORE BOOM
SEPT 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - One year ago the Colts were shell-shocked by the Vikings 34-23. They played their second game in Green Bay and licked out a 21-20 verdict. It was the first of 11 straight wins and led them to the Western Division championship. Today the Colt are fresh from a shocking 35-16 victory over the Vikings. And they play the Packers again in the second game - this time in County Stadium. What's the difference in the champion Colts of '64 and the defenders of '65? Judging by those two openers against the Vikings, the current Colt must be better. Harry Hulmes, publicity director of the Colts who stopped here Tuesday, won't say which is better but he points out that the present Baltimore have made three major changes that "have apparently worked out for us." The changes: (1) Buzz Nutter, the Colt center in the 1958-59 championship era, has been obtained from the Steelers and is now the No. 1 center, with the departure of injured Dick Szymanski. (2) Lou Michaels has replaced the retired great, Gino Marchetti, at defensive left end. (3) Dennis Gaubatz has replaced the all-pro middle linebacker and captain, Bill Pellington, who also retired. "We know what Nutter can do, and there is no problem at center, but Gaubatz and Michaels really saved us. They were key figures in stopping the Vikings and especially Fran Tarkenton," Humes said. Other than those three, these are the same Colts who shipped Green Bay twice last year. The interior offensive linemen are Bob Vogel and George Preas at the tackles and Jim Parker and Alex Sandusky at the guards. The receivers are Raymond Berry, Jimmy Orr and John Mackey and the backs are John Unitas, Lenny Moore and Jerry Hill or Tony Lorick. The defensers, besides Gaubatz and Michaels, are end Ordell Brasse; tackles Fred Miller and Billy Ray Smith; linebackers Steve Stonebreaker and Don Shinnick; cornermen Bob Boyd and Lenny Lyles' and safetymen Jerry Logan and Wendell Harris. Humes made a few other points, such as: "Our running backs are very close in ability and they were interchanged during the preseason. Lorick has the better speed and is more apt to go outside, but Hill is a better pass blocker. Both hit hard. There was some doubt about Lorick's pass catching but he caught a key one to set up a TD against the Vikings. Mackey is better than last year when he couldn't shake a thigh injury. Butch Wilson (Mackey' replacement) is good, too. He caught two important passes against you in Baltimore last year. Mackey is a better blocker. Moore has now scored a touchdown in 18 straight games. He has scored 99 touchdowns as a pro. Lenny came to us in 1956. Unitas had a strained elbow during the exhibition season and played less than he ever did. He's okay now but he started off against the Vikings by hitting only one pass in nine attempts. We started giving him protection and he hit nine of his next 10 passes. Logan changed the game against the Vikings with his 38-yard run with an interception. He hadn't played in two weeks because of a knee injury. Our depth was a big factor against the Vikings because of the heat. Tarkenton wasn't scrambling much, and we got to him five times for 58 yards in losses. Last year, the Vikings got 463 yards in that opener in Minneapolis. This year, we allowed them only 263. That's 200 less. They (the fans) never let us forget about our shutout loss (27-0) in the championship game at Cleveland. We heard about it all winter and even now it keeps coming up...The Packers worked out on their own, engaging in a little tough football Tuesday, and then returned to their dressing rooms to hear a report on the Colts from Scout Wally Cruice. Meanwhile, Coach Vince Lombardi and aides, Phil Bengtson, Norb Hecker, Red Cochran, Tom Fears, Ray Wietecha and Dave Hanner, mapped out plans for the first of the important outdoor sessions today.
PACKERS' PITTS TIED FOR NFL SCORING LEAD
SEPT 22 (New York) - Gary Lewis, an obscure minor league player at this time last year, is the rushing leader of the NFL after the first week of action. In th4e years since Jim Brown came bursting into the league, only five other men - Tom Wilson, Bobby Joe Conrad, Bobby Mitchell, the late Willie Galimore and Bill Brown - have topped the league. Lewis ground out 91 yards in seven carries for the San Francisco 49erws in their 52-24 romp over the Chicago bears, including a 60-yard touchdown run. A year ago, the 49ers cut Lewis, a product of Arizona State University, and he shuttled along to Joliet in the United Football League. When a wave of injuries hit the San Francisco running backs in late season, Lewis moved up to the big club and became the starting fullback in the last three games...NOT FAR BEHIND: As usual, Jim Bown was not far behind. The Cleveland fullback was limited to 65 yards in 21 carries against Washinton, but that was good enough for third place, behind Lewis and Ernie Green, Cleveland halfback who had 89 yards. John Brodie's passing against the Chicago Bears put the veteran San Francisco quarterback in first place with an average of 13.45 yards. Terry Barr of Detroit and Tim Brown of Philadelphia each grabbed seven passes, but Barr's 133 yards gave him the lead. The scoring race was a five-way tie at 12 points among
Charlie Bivins of Chicago, Tim Brown of Philadelphia, Bernie Casey of San Francisco, Perry Lee Dunn of Dallas and Elijah Pitts of Green Bay. Green Bay kicking artist Don Chandler was only one point behind with 11 points. Packer quarterback Bart Starr was second in passing behind Brodie with 17 completions in 23 tries for 226 yards, averaging 9.13 an attempt. His favorite target in the Packers' 41-9 romp over Pittsburgh, split end Boyd Dowler, was third in receptions behind Barr and Tim Brown. Dowler caught six passes last Sunday for 104 yards. Teammate Marv Fleming was ninth with four catches for 61 yards. The Packers' Paul Hornung was seventh in rushing with 50 yards in 11 carries, averaging 4.5 a trip.
PACK'S 'NEW' OFFENSE LINE ADDS ANGLES TO COLT CLASH
SEPT 23 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - There's something missing this year. The usual story about the two great all-pros, Forrest Gregg and Gino Marchetti, will battle each other! Marchetti, of course, has retired from his defensive left end duties. And to make it complete Gregg no longer is at the right tackle post. In fact, the realignment of the Packers' offensive line - as against a year ago - creates several interesting situations for the big tangle between the Packers and Colts in County Stadium Sunday afternoon. The Packers line up with Bob Skoronski at left tackle, Gregg at left guard, Ken Bowman at center, Jerry Kramer at right guard, Steve Wright at right tackle. Last year, Skoronski was at left tackle, Forrest Gregg at right tackle, and the guards were Dan Grimm and Fred Thurston - and, at times, Gregg. The Colt defensive wall presently has Ordell Braase at right end, Billy Ray Smith at right tackle, Fred Miller at left tackle and Marchetti at left end. The lineup is the same this year except Lou Michaels has replaced Marchetti. The individual head on fights Sunday will pit Skoronski against Braase, Gregg against Smith, Kramer against Miller and Wright against Michaels. Kramer, though he missed both Colts games last year, will find Miller no real stranger since they clashed occasionally the previous season. Miller is a corner, though, and big Jerry will find him a big challenge. Viking Coach Norm Van Brocklin said after his team lost to the Colts last Sunday that "Michaels will be the next great tackle in this league." Skoronski has great respect for Braase and he noted after the Steeler game: "I'll have to be at my best for Braase. He's a good one." Gregg isn't sorry to see Marchetti go. "After batting heads with Gino for all these years, I'll be happy to make the change. I've never played against Smith, but he looks amazingly quick." Wright, one of two sophomore starters along with Bowman, made his first league start against the Steelers last week, and his opponent was none other than big John Baker, the former Ram who stands about 6-6 and weighs 270. Being defensive captain, Baker led the Steeler charge and Wright was given a severe test. "I played my worst game," Steve explained, "but I don't know whether it was the heat or my nerves. I thought Baker was a good end." As to Michaels, Wright said he discovered in pictures of the Colt win over the Vikings that Michaels "is the stronger type and he likes to run right over the top of you. I'm going to have my hands full." An eight-year pro, Michaels is smaller than Baker - at 6-2 and 240. Bowman gets a variety of opponents, but he will be looking mostly at Dennis Gaubatz, the Colts' middle linebacker who replaces Bill Pellington. Gaubatz, along with Michaels, keyed the Baltimore defensive against Tarkenton and Co. Michaels also handled the Colts' kicking. The left-footer didn't attempt any field goals last Sunday but booted five extra points. He finished fifth in scoring last year with 104 points on 53 extra points (one miss) and 17 out of 35 field goal attempts...The Colts are aware that the Packers have their two losses (21-20 here and 24-21 in Baltimore) on their mind this week, as Coach Don Shula said: "The Packers undoubtedly gain added incentive from the two defeats we handed them last year - by a total of four points. We're expecting a gang war in Milwaukee, and we'll just have to be ready to play as well as we did in beating the Vikings."...The Packers had their pads on Wednesday and Coach Vince Lombardi sent 'em through a rugged drill, starting with sled hitting. They'll be doing the same today and the tapering off process will start Friday.
DOWLER TAKING TO NEW POSITION
SEPT 23 (Green Bay) - Boyd Dowler, the veteran packer pass catcher switched from flanker to split end, wants few personal honors - just victory. "I'd rather catch fewer passes and win than a horde and a lose," said the 6-foot-5 Colorado product, who led or tied the Packers in most catches each of the last three seasons. Dowler snared six passes for 104 yards in Green Bays' 41-9 humiliation of Pittsburgh in its NFL opener and is looking forward to his best season in seven years with the Packers even though he's playing a somewhat unfamiliar position...ATTACKS ON LEFT: As flanker, Dowler normally charged down the right side. Now he's attacking on the left. He said: "Maybe the defensive backs are not as familiar with me coming down the left side, but I've had a few things to learn, too. It's a little different feeling catching the ball from an opposite side." Dowler explained the team's sluggish start against Pittsburgh, whom they trailed at halftime, by saying, "it seems that we're always fearful of making mistakes in the opener because the first league game is quite a contrast to the exhibition games." The 225-pound end will get a rugged test next Sunday in Milwaukee in a battle against the Baltimore Colts, which should make the victor the favorite to sweep the title in the NFL's Western Division. Dowler will have to tangle with Colt defensive back Lenny Lyles, whom he calls " a real hard-nosed defender."
CAN PACKER 'CHEER UP' MILWAUKEE?
SEPT 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Now that Milwaukee has kissed the Braves goodbye, it remains for the Packers to "cheer up" the good burghers of Beertown. Green Bay can pick up the Milwaukee spirits by whipping the Colts in County Stadium Sunday. But the immaculate ballyard hasn't been a happy place for the Packers against Baltimore. The Packers have a three-game losing streak vs. the Colts there. The Colts' last appearance there was in Coach Vince Lombardi's first year at the Packer helm - in 1959, and the Hosses made off with a 28-24 win. That loss was the fifth in a row for the Bays, but they bounced back to win four straight and finish with what was then a real miracle 7-5 record. The next five Colt game in Wisconsin were played in Green Bay, and the Packers won the first four before losing last year, 21-20. The Milwaukee loss skein was started in '57 with the Colts grinding out a 45-17 win and then the following year the Colts won there 24-17. Before '57, the Packers won in '54 by 24-20; the Colts won the Alan Ameche debut 24-20 in '55; and the Packers won in '56 by 38-33...Jim Taylor is still a doubtful starter for Sunday, Coach Vince Lombardi said today. The big fullback is limping from a leg injury sustained in the final preseasoner against the Cardinals here. Jim started against the Steelers in last Sunday's league opener but was limited to 10 carries. He still picked up 42 yards. An under-par Taylor would put the emphasis on Paul Hornung and Tom Moore and/or Elijah Pitts - plus the two anxious rookies, Junior Coffey and Allen Jacobs...The Colts came out of their victory over the Vikings in good shape. The first thing reported by Colt publicitor Harry Hulmes here the other day was "we're healthy."...The Colts made limited use of the blitz against the Vikings. Said linebacker Steve Stonebreaker: "We just wanted to show the blitz to them now and again. We didn't blitz as much as before against Tarkenton. Dennis Gaubatz was going on a free blitz, but the outside men were playing control. We were looking for Tarkenton dropping those short passes to Bill Brown and Tom Mason." The Colts' front four (Braase, Smith, Miller and Michaels) were getting a good "press" and this made it easier for the linebackers. Smith wound up with two blockers on him while Miller looped free and became particularly annoying to the Vikings...Speaking of the Vikings, Coach Norm Van Brocklin has a special interest in the Packer-Colt game. Said he: "I know that Baltimore is going to lose, but Green Bay will be harder to beat than the Colts." It boils down to this: Van thinks that the Packers are the toughest of the three...The Packers and Colts have played it close. The average spread in the last six games is a mere 7.3 points, with the Packers losing the last two by a total of only four points. The spreads went like this: 11 points, 4, 11, 14, 1 and 3...The Packers will go to Milwaukee via Chicago and Northwestern rail at 8:30 Saturday morning. They'll drill at County Stadium and then relax at the Milwaukee Inn. The team will return right after the game by Greyhound bus. Kickoff is set for 1:05...The current Sports Illustrated uses the Packers as its lead on the Pro Football roundup and the headlines read: "Those Fearsome New Packers. Loaded with youth and power, Green Bay crushed Pittsburgh on opening day and looked ready to reassert its old dominance in the NFL. But next Sunday's game with the Colts, who defeated the talented Vikings, will be an early and crucial test."...RATVILLE: It escaped notice but the highest that either a Colt or Viking jumped in Baltimore last Sunday was Paul Flatley's six-foot, straight-up leap when a big rat ran across his feet in the Viking dressing room before the game.
JETER READY, BUT TAYLOR MAY BE OUT
SEPT 24 (Green Bay) - The Green Bay Packs held their last full-scale practice today for Sunday's early season NFL showdown meeting with the Baltimore Colts in
Milwaukee. Fullback Jim Taylor was still a doubtful starter. He injured an ankle in the final exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals and is still limping. But defensive back Bob Jeter, who saw no action in last week's NFL opener in Pitsburgh, is ready to go. Both the Packers and Colts won their initial league games, Green Bay overwhelming Pittsburgh 41-9 and Baltimore beating the Minnesota Vikings 35-16. The Colts, defending Western Division champs, are reported in excellent physical condition for the game with the Packers, who are the choice of many experts to regain the title. Last year, Baltimore beat the Packers twice. Kicking was the deciding factor both times. A missed extra point and a blocked field goal try spelled defeat for Green Bay. In fact, kicking was a major problem for the Packers all season. To remedy the situation, Coach Vince Lombardi picked up Don Chandler, a kicking specialist, from the New York Giants in the offseason. Chandler kicked two field goals against the Steelers Sunday and missed no extra points. The Colts also have a big kicker in Lou Michales, a defensive end who is the only left footed booter in the NFL.
DOUG HART IN FIRST ATTEMPT TO STOP COLTS' HUTSON - RAY BERRY
SEPT 25 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - There's a first time for everything, and for Doug Hart, the Packers' sophomore defensive back, Sunday's Packer-Colt game in County Stadium will be his first crack at the Don Hutson of the Colts, one Raymond Berry. Hart, the Bays' starting right cornerbacker, made the Packers' taxi squad in 1963 and then made the active roster in 1964 as understudy to Jess Whittenton. This year the happy Texan has edged out Bob Jeter for Whittenton's old position. Hart has a ready explanation for
Berry - "This guy can make you or break you. I'd rather cover these fast guys like Warfield (Paul of the Browns) than Berry because he has so many moves." Hart went on: "Barry has good speed but not blinding speed like some of them. He has those great hands and tremendous fakes. They tell me Unitas and Berry work together diligently and many times the quarterback will throw the ball before Berry even looks back. Unitas knows exactly where he'll be." Berry, who stands 6-2 and weighs a splintery 182, holds the National League record for most receptions in a career - 506 in 10 seasons. He has scored 53 touchdowns and stretched his receptions to 7,583 yards. Raymond, 32, was an unheralded 20th draft choice out of SMU in 1954. Berry broke Don Hutson's lifetime mark of 489 receptions late last season. Berry played in the Pro Bowl six times and was named all-pro three times. Berry is considered the surest target in the league for crucial yardage, such as a third down toss from QB John Unitas for a first down. The Texan still has the knack for wrapping up the difficult pass - leaping, diving headlong or on the ground. Most opponents pay him the compliment of double coverage in the defensive secondary. The Vikings put two men on him last Sunday, but he still caught five passes for 56 yards, the longest 15. It will be interesting to see how the Packers play Berry. But at any rate Hart will be the first line of resistance.
PACKER, COLT GAME SUNDAY OFFERS STUDY IN QUARTERBACKS
SEPT 25 (Milwaukee) - The Green Bay Packers' meeting with the Baltimore Colts in an early season showdown for NFL prominence Sunday will offer a study in quarterbacks who may hold the key to the Western Division title. Green Bay's Bart Starr is a thread-the-needle passer and his short, accurate tosses have made him the NFL's top passer two of the last three seasons. Johnny Unitas of the Colts is an explosive passer and his ability to run well out of the pocket makes him a constant double threat. The Packers lost two games to the defending Western titlists last season by a total of four points. The vendetta they have planned for Sunday could lead to a gridiron gang war before a sellout crowd of more than 48,000 at County Stadium...GREAT GAMES: Both Starr and Unitas had great opening games. Starr picked Pittsburgh apart for 226 yards as the Packers defeated the Steelers, 41-9. He complet4ed 17 of 23 passes for a fantastic mark of 73 percent, plus two touchdowns. Unitas hit 14 of 22 for 63 percent and 224 yards, just two behind Starr, as the Colts spilled Minnesota 35-16. Deadeye Bart hasn't had one of his passes intercepted the last 248 times he's launched one. But Starr, now the NFL record holder in that department, has reason to remember Green Bay's first game with the Colts last year when they shared three of his passes and won 21-20. That victory set off Baltimore's 11-game winning streak and the Colts ran away with the Western crown...RELENTLESS LINE: Starr will have to reckon with a relentless Colt defensive line, led by tackles Fred Miller and Billy Ray Smith, that racked Minnesota's Fran Tarkenton for 53 yards in losses last Sunday. Green Bay held the Steelers to one completion in the second half, but this time the Packer rushers will be running into massive guard Jim Parker, the NFL's outstanding blocker in 1964. Packer tackle Henry Jordan calls the 265-pound Parker "the biggest, the strongest, the toughest." Both teams are near physical perfection with the exception of Green Bay's Jim Taylor. The rugged fullback has been hampered with an injured ankle since the final exhibition game against St. Louis. Baltimore, like the Packers, is regarded as a better team when compared with last year's squad...MAJOR CHANGES: The Colts' major changes include the installation of former Steeler Buzz Nutter at center for Dick Szymanski; Lou Michaels at defensive left end in place of the retired great, Gino Marchetti; and Dennis Gaubatz at middle linebacker replacing all-pro Bill Pennington, who also retired. Gaubatz and Michaels were credited with key roles in stopping the Vikings and Tarkenton. As Jordan tersely puts it, "They're the champions and we've got to get 'em. It's as simple as that."
WIN OVER COLTS A 'MUST' IN PACKERS DRIVE FOR DIVISION CROWN
SEPT 26 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - One game does not a season make. But if the Packers have designs on the 1965 Western Division championship, they'll have to whip the defending champion Colts in County Stadium this afternoon. This is sort of a tradition. The Bears, in winning the 1963 title, downed the then-champion Packers twice. The Colts, in winning in '64, whipped the titled Bears twice - not to mention the contending Packers. There's a long wait between Packer-Colt games this year, since the second encounter isn't until Dec. 12 in Baltimore. But a Green Bay victory today would give the Packers the inspiration they need to replace Baltimore as division champions, assuming the road isn't too rocky between now and the Colt nightcap. Kickoff is carded for 1:05 and a capacity crowd in excess of 47,000 will witness what has been billed as the Game of the Week. It is the only game in the league today between two unbeaten teams. The Packers lost twice to the Colts last year by a total of four points, 21-20 in Green Bay and 24-21 in Baltimore and both were of the heartbreaking nature for the Packers. This furnishes something of a psychological edge for the Bays and is probably the reason why they are a sight favorite, four points, to win. The Packers' interesting and major changes in this year's team will come in for a supreme test - Steve Wright at right tackle, Boyd Dowler at left end, Marv Fleming at tight end, Doug Hart at right corner, Carroll Dale at flanker, Tom Brown at left safety, and Don Chandler at "kicker." Wright replaces Forrest Gregg, who has shifted to left guard; Dowler moves from right flanker to split end; Fleming replaces Ron Kramer' Hart starts in place of Jess Whittenton; Dale is at flanker in place of Dowler; Brown is in place of Hank Gremminger; and Chandler will do all the punting and kicking. The rest of the cast is the same as a year ago. Bart Starr, with swift Dale and Bob Long as pass catchers, has more speed at his disposal. But the Bays' ace quarterback has lost some of his brute power, what with Jim Taylor's injured leg. Taylor is a doubtful starter. But Starr as three aces left - Paul Hornung, Tom Moore and Elijah Pitts. Hornung is making a sharp comeback and Pitts, the quickest of the two, scored two touchdowns against the Steelers last Sunday. Moore as fully recovered from a preseason injury. The Colts had excellent success in containing Fran Tarkenton last Sunday - plus the confidence that goes with it. Baltimore's defense was supposed to be weakened by the loss of Bill Pellington and Gino Marchetti, but their successors, Denny Gaubatz and Lou Michaels, were the defense stars last Sunday. The Packer defense had a picnic last Sunday compared to what the unit will be
exposed to today. John Unitas, given a little protection, is nothing short of murder with his short passes to Raymond Berry, Lenny Moore and John Mackey...PRESSURE IS KEY: Unitas was rushed hard by the Vikings and completed one of nine, but then hit 12 of his next 13 when the Colts successfully surrounded their star QB. The Packers' chances depend on putting pressure on Unitas and that means an occasional red dog from linebackers Ray Nitschke, Dave Robinson or Lee Roy Caffey. The first pressure will have to come from the Front Four - Lionel Aldridge, Willie Davis, Ron Kostelnik and Hank Jordan. The Colts likely will pick on the Bays' sophomore right wing, Doug Hart, who is charged with guarding the clever Berry. The Packers will be out to square the Colt series. Baltimore holds a 13-12 edge, including three straight wins in Milwaukee, the last in 1959.
