Green Bay Packers (9-3) 24, Minnesota Vikings (5-7) 19
Sunday December 5th 1965 (at Green Bay)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(GREEN BAY) - A little offense. A quite a little defense. And a whole lot of guts. Add 'em all up and they somehow spell out the 1965 Packers. And they could add up to a championship, too. The Packers' thrilling 24-19 victory over the Vikings at Lambeau Field Sunday was a classic example. The Packers got three touchdowns - two of which were set up on thank-you plays (a fumble recovery and a 71-yard return of a missed field goal) and one field goal. The Vikings scored one TD and four field goals - one a wind-driven 53-yarder. Nowhere in this crazy contest did the 50,852 fans, not to mention the Packers, get a chance to breathe. It was a screamer right down to the end - with the Vikings almost pulling ahead in the last minute. Sometimes you wondered if the Packers ever could win this one, and other times you felt it would be a snap - so changing were the fortunes. But there was nothing changeable about the Western Division standing today. The Packers got the outside help they needed Sunday - the Bears' victory over the leading Colts. The Packers, with 9-3, are in a position to win the championship outright with victories in their last two games - at Baltimore and San Francisco. The Colts now have 9-2-1, the Bears 8-4. The Packers took a 7-0 lead in the first 51 seconds on Bart Starr's 27-yard pass to Boyd Dowler and the Vikings almost won it in the final 60 seconds when they "caught" two balls in or near the Packer end zone, both off Fran Tarkenton's scrambling runs. Tom Hall caught the first but he was accused of offensive interference, pushing Herb Adderley. The flag was on the ground before he got possession of the juggled ball. Red Phillips got his hands on next, but he caught it off the ground and out of bounds - on the Vikings' last play. Phillips was wildly unhappy and the other Vikings joined him in swamping the official in the end zone. Finally, the official threw down his flag, signaling an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Vikings. Zeke Bratkowski, who had replaced Starr on the third series of the game, froze out the last 27 seconds, with a quarterback fall. Starr had jammed his ring finger on his right hand in the pre-game warmup and was forced out after completing two passes to Dowler. Between the first TD and the Vikings' almost-TD, the Vikings tied the game 7-7 on Tommy Mason's one-yard plunge in the first quarter. Fred Cox, with the 20-mile wind behind him, kicked three field goals from 25, 35 and 53 yards in the second quarter. He then tried one from 59 yards out and Willie Wood returned the "short" kick 71 yards to the Viking 21 with 19 seconds left in the half. Two plays later, Elijah Pitts scored from the 3 and it was 16-14. From then on, the Vikings were limited to one field goal - a 23-yarder by Cox to make it 19-14 early in the third period. Five plays later, Bratkowski threw a 23-yard scoring pass to Bill Anderson for 21-19. And to widen it a bit Don Chandler kicked a partially blocked off the left crossbar 25-yard field goal with 3:19 gone in the fourth quarter. With two minutes left in the game, Chandler missed a 27-yard field goal. And then the Vikings put on their hair-raising finish. The game started in bright 40-degree sunshine - with a 20-mile wind, and finished under the lights and dark clouds, with the same win. And on the scoreboard was the wonderful news from Baltimore - first 7-0, then 10-0 and finally 13-0. Perhaps the Packers out-escaped the escape artist, himself - Tarkenton, who left a few gray hairs among the Packers and their fans with his elusiveness. The Packers never red-dogged him all day and left it up to Willie Davis, Lionel Aldridge, Hank Jordan and Ron Kostelnik, permitting the other seven defenders to dog the receivers. It worked, judging by the Vikings' one touchdown and Tarkenton's 11 completions in 30 attempts - a low 36 percent completion ratio. The Packers got to him three times for a total 21-yard loss but he ran (fled is a better word) six times for 29 yards. The Vikings won the statistics, but this can't remove anything from the Packers' gutty play. Most of the edge - 21-16 in first downs and 336-266 in total yards - resulted from a brilliant individual performance by Tommy Mason, the Vikings' ace back. He ran for 101 yards before his knee gave out in the fourth quarter and caught 4 passes for 32 yards; fullback Bill Brown added 85. The big figure was the Vikings' 85 yards in the air, which shows the 'job" the Bays did on Tarkenton. The Packers' yardage shows up in different ways - Chandler's 51-yard punt into the wind that helped avert disaster; Willie Wood's 71-yard missed FG return; and Pitts' 51-yard pass to Carroll Dale; and a couple of key runs by Jim Taylor, who
finished with 89 hard yards in 17 attempts. Bratkowski threw three interceptions - one of the Viking 3, but he held the Packer offense together and organized a five-play, 59-yard touchdown move, capped by the TD toss to Anderson. The Packers recovered two fumbles - all in the first two minutes, and they turned one into a TD. On the third play of the game, Mason lost the ball when tackled by Dave Robinson and Adderley recovered on the Viking 27. Starr promptly pitched a TD pass to all-alone Boyd Dowler for a 7-0 lead. It looked like 14-0 when Dan Grimm recovered Lance Rentzel's fumble on the next kickoff on the Viking 26 and Starr pitched to Dowler for 13 yards to the 13. Taylor zoomed nine yards in the first two plays but Moore was held for nothing on Down 3. Unlike a week ago at LA when they went for a field goal under the same circumstances, the Packers went for a TD, but this time fumbled - on the handoff between Starr and Moore - and the Vikings recovered. After an exchange of punts, the Vikings drove 80 yards in 12 plays for a 7-3 lead. Mason ate up 37 yards with two runs and finally scored on second down from the 1. Cox then started his field goaling, the first going 25 yards after Jeff Jordan intercepted Bratkowski. The Vikings got a 15-yard "good" bounce on a 50-yard Chandler punt to set the stage for the next field goal - from the 25. Ed Sharockman intercepted Bratkowski on the Viking 47 and returned to the Packer 49 to set up Cox' wind-blown 53-yarder for a 16-7 Viking edge. Jordan got his second interception with 1:30 left - this one a damaging blow on the Viking 3. The Vikings launched a drive from their own 20 to midfield setting the stage for Cox' try from 59 yards out with 39 seconds left. The boot was short and Wood started his return from the Packer 21. He cut up the west sideline, escaped two Vikings and then put his blockers to work for 71 yards to the Viking 21. The Vikings interfered with Bob Long and it was first down on the 3 with 14 seconds left. After a timeout, Pitts went in standing up for a 16-14 score. Minnesota upped it to 19-14 in the third quarter and things didn't look good - until Moore took the kickoff beautifully for 40 yards to the Packer 41. The Bays scored what turned out to be the winner in five plays. Pitts opened with 3 and then Taylor, boxed in at center, cut to his right for 16 yards. Pitts, also slammed back at midfield, lunged forward and found an opening for 12 yards to the 28. After Pitts made one Bratkowski threw to Anderson in the left flat and the tight end eluded Karl Kassulke and steamed down the sidelines for the TD and a previous 21-19 lead. The Packer defense stiffened but good, forcing three straight Viking punts and the offense got a field goal. The big play, early in the fourth quarter, was a 51-yard option pass by Pitts to Dale who almost got away for the TD with a block by Anderson. The Bays wound up with a five-yard loss in three plays and Chandler booted his welcome "skimmer" with Bratkowski holding. After two Walden punts and one by Chandler, the Packers moved again - with Taylor smashing 26 yards in five straight plays to the Viking 19. Chandler, with Starr holding, missed a field goal from the 27 - his first miss inside 30 yards this season. The Vikings then put on their last-ditch but shorted drive.
MINNESOTA - 7 9 3 0 - 19
GREEN BAY - 7 7 7 3 - 24
MINNESOTA GREEN BAY
First downs 21 16
Rush-yards-TDs 45-251-1 28-113-1
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 11-30-106-0-0 9-22-181-2-3
Sacked-yards 3-21 3-28
Net pass yards 85 153
Total yards 336 266
Fumbles-lost 2-2 1-1
Turnovers 2 4
Penalties-yards 8-97 2-18
SCORING
1st - GB - Boyd Dowler, 27-pass from Bart Starr (Don Chandler kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - MINN - Tommy Mason, 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick) TIED 7-7
2nd - MINN - Cox, 25-yard field goal MINNESOTA 10-7
2nd - MINN - Cox, 36-yard field goal MINNESOTA 13-7
2nd - MINN - Cox, 53-yard field goal MINNESOTA 16-7
2nd - GB - Elijah Pitts, 3-yard run (Chandler kick) MINNESOTA 16-14
3rd - MINN - Cox, 23-yard field goal MINNESOTA 19-14
3rd - GB - Bill Anderson,. 27-yard pass from Zeke Bratkowski (Chandler kick) GREEN BAY 21-19
4th - GB - Chandler, 25-yard field goal GREEN BAY 24-19
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 17-89, Elijah Pitts 6-24 1 TD, Tom Moore 4-1, Zeke Bratkowski 1-(-1)
MINNESOTA - Tommy Mason 21-101 1 TD, Bill Brown 13-85, Fran Tarkenton 6-29, Billy Ray Barnes 4-29, Dave Osborn 1-7
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 2-2-40 1 TD, Zeke Bratkowski 19-6-90 1 TD 3 INT, Elijah Pitts 1-1-51
MINNESOTA - Fran Tarkenton 30-11-106
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Boyd Dowler 3-51 1 TD, Carroll Dale 2-77, Bill Anderson 1-27 1 TD, Bob Long 1-17, Jim Taylor 1-6, Elijah Pitts 1-3
MINNESOTA - Tommy Mason 4-32, Bill Brown 3-38, Tom Hall 1-15, Gordie Smith 1-14, Paul Flatley 1-5, Billy Ray Barnes 1-2
PUSHED ME IN BACK - BALL WAS TRAPPED, SAYS HERB
DEC 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Like the man said, "You pays your money and you takes your choice." About what happened on those two frightening last minute Viking "bombs" in Lambeau Field Sunday afternoon, that is. There is no doubt that in the mind of the star witness for the defense, Herb Adderley, in either case - the offensive interference ruling against Minnesota's Tom Hall or the official decision that his teammate, Jim (Red) Phillips, had not only trapped (rather than caught) Fran Tarkenton's last gasp pitch on the fringe of the Green Bay end zone, but also was out of bounds. Quietly dressing before his yellow cubicle just inside the Packers' quarters, Adderley dealt first with the Hall episode. "He ran a jog-and-go on me," the multi-muscled Michigan State alumnus reported. "I recognized the pattern, so I just turned and ran. I looked up and saw the ball. And, as I went up, he pushed me in the small of the back with his left hand. Once the ball is in the air, we're both entitled to it. I can't touch him and he can't touch me." He had said something to Hall as the latter headed back upfield to the Viking bench, it was noted. "I told him he'd pushed me," Adderley replied. "I've had interference called on me once since I've been in this league (five seasons)," Herb added. "I'd let the man catch the ball first and then try to make the tackle...I don't believe in interfering," Over in the quiet Viking dressing room, Hall has been somewhat less emphatic, although he had protested vigorously at the time of the decision. "I was just going after the ball," he said in a low, muffled voice. "I couldn't say I was at fault, or vice or versa. I touched the ball and I didn't catch it, and then I saw it coming down. During that time, I might have touched him (Adderley), I don't know. I never saw it, so I couldn't say one way or another. I never got to the official (Herman Rohrig), there were so many around him." Discussing the other ruling, which had triggered a violent outburst from the Minnesotans (particularly tackle Errol Linden, who appeared to shove the official), Adderley opined. "It looked like he (Phillips) trapped the ball. And, of course, you have to be in bounds. He was lying across the flag and half out of bounds. I don't know what they raised so much cain about," Herb quietly concluded. "You have to be bounds to catch the ball." Still bitter, Phillips was equally firm about the accuracy of his interpretation. "I think the official called out of bounds," he said, "but it was no trap at all - I caught it like this (he held his hands, palms upraised, about a foot above the imaginary ground)." "The official called me out," he rapped, adding cynically. "I don't have the money to say I wasn't - if you know what I mean." Back in the now rapidly emptying Packer quarters, Bill Anderson was still lolling back upon his locker chair and staring contentedly into space. Anderson, whose third quarter snare of a Zeke Bratkowski pitch and subsequent ramble produced the Packers' winning touchdown, wasn't clear about the details. "I felt somebody hit me - I don't know if he was going for the ball or what," Bill softly concluded. "After I caught it, I saw a clear field and I just ran." Locker-mate Tom Moore interjected, "That's right, he (Karl Kassulke) was going for the ball and you got it and got away from him." "All I know," Anderson said, with pardonable satisfaction, "is that we're back in it again." Elijah Pitts,
whose 3-yard TD sweep had made quick capital of Willie Wood's freewheeling 73-yard scamper with a 59-yard Fred Cox field goal attempt in the final seconds of the first half to revitalize the Pack, grinned and observed, "They sure kicked a lot of people out of there on that one. I went over behind Gregg (Forrest) and Thurston (Fred) and there sure was a hole. Everybody wanted that one - the way they blocked indicated that." Bratkowski, who had called that profitable maneuver, explained. "It took us awhile to make adjustments to their defenses, with me just popping in there like that when Bart had to go out. But we started to move the ball well in the second half. As far as those interceptions in the first half are concerned, I didn't see the weak safety man on one and on the other one, I shouldn't have let the ball go. It was my fault." These items, happily, were all academic now, he added, pointing out, "The most important thing is our record is 9-3." Asked about his swollen fingers, Starr flexed them gingerly, grinned puckishly, and replied, "They're pretty good. If I wear my ring below my knuckle, it's all right." How and when had it happened? "I did in the pregame warmup," Starr reported, almost apologetically. "Every time I took a snap after that, it was hurting more, so I took myself out." At the far end of the room, Willie Wood was the effervescent epitome of good humor. Appraising his first half canter, which loomed large in the happy final accounting, Willie said, "That's what we needed - a big one to cut loose." "The thing that saved me on that one," he elaborated, "was that they had two safeties back there, and I was running out of blockers. In fact. Herb (Adderley) was the only one left. He took one of them, but I could see it would be hard to get by the other one, so I decided to run out of bonds, with only 20 seconds left in the half, rather than try to score myself." Taking one last look around before leisurely taking his leave, the Pack's all-pro safety purposefully announced, "We've got to win two more."
PACKERS 'ALMOST TOO HIGH,' SAYS LOMBARDI
DEC 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Can a team be too high? Such was the case with the Packers, Vince Lombardi was convinced, in the early stages of Sunday afternoon's hectic, Hollywoodian rumble with the Minnesota Vikings in Lambeau Field, a situation which he obviously felt contributed to our heroes' difficulties en route to the breath-taking comeback victory which again zoomed the Pack into the heart of the NFL's Western Division race. Now about to assess what had transpired with a certain amount of objectivity (those nightmarish final seconds were 10 minutes into history), Lombardi asserted, "We were over-running everything in the first half. It was the highest I've seen my team in a long time - two or three years." "They were," he added significantly, "almost too high." Still buzzing about three items, the press corps lost no time in posing the burning questions. What had caused quarterback Bart Starr's early departure in favor of Zeke Bratkowski? "Starr jammed the second and third fingers on his right hand, and I had to take him out after that fumble down near the goal line," the Packer headmaster replied. "I don't know who fumbled, but I do know Moore (Tom) was all the way in there - without the ball. I guess he lost the ball. As I said, I'm not sure who fumbled - one of the two did. I don't know whether he (Moore) had control of the ball." The other questions, inevitably, sought Lombardi's opinion of the two "calls" which nullified successive near-touchdowns for the Vikings in the final minutes. "No comment," Vince declared. "Nor do I," he appended meaningfully, with a pointed nod of the head, "comment when they are against me." Turning the tables on the fourth estate, Lombardi asked, "Have you ever heard me comment?" The writers murmured in unison, that they had not. Had he called Elijah Pitts' touchdown run in the closing seconds of the first half? "No, I did not," he said. Starr's early scoring pitch to Boyd Dowler, Lombardi added, had been called at the line of scrimmage. He also interjected, "I blew it myself when I didn't take three points." This was an obvious reference to the Pack's fourth-and-one situation in the first quarter, when Moore fumbled with a first down apparently achieved and the Vikings recovered. The Packers had been better able to contain the Minnesotans' nomadic Fran Tarkenton than on previous occasions, it was suggested. Did he have any explanation? Lombardi could find no ready answer, but pointed out, "We also contained him pretty well in Minneapolis two weeks ago, if you recall. But he's amazing." Why had Forrest Gregg been stationed at his old right tackle post, rather than at left guard, where he has been holding forth since the season started? "We put an all-veteran line in there, with the exception of Bowman (center Ken)," Vince informed. "We thought it might help us today." How did he assess the Packers' performance as a whole? "I thought," he said, "we played a spirited game." Lombardi also conceded that Willie Wood's electrifying 73-yard runback of Fred Cox field goal attempt in the last minute of the first half "gave us a big lift. It gave us our second touchdown." And, finally, why did he think the Vikings had run so many sweeps? "I think they thought they could run sweeps on us," Lombardi said dryly, "and they did."...Down the hall, the Vikings' customarily loquacious Norm Van Brocklin was tightlipped and taciturn. In fact, the first wave of writers to reach the Viking dressing room was informed the Dutchman was not disposed to converse at that point. He did appear in the visitors' quarters some minutes later, however, but his comments were brief, sparing and acidulous. Flushed of face and patently more than slightly perturbed by what had just befallen his athletes, he declined to comment on the officiating. "The officials and Madison Avenue," he snorted decisively. "Our image - that's the big concern in the NFL today. We've got to consider our image. So I can't say anything." What, a Milwaukee scribe asked, had been the Viking thinking in running so many sweeps? "Running sweeps," Van Brocklin said curtly, "that was our thinking." "Those," he added gratuitously, "are referred to as the Lombardi Sweep. I read about it in his book. I've been running it for 18 years - before he got into the league." Had he felt kicker Fred Cox had had a legitimate chance to make the 59 yard field goal he attempted in the first half? He fixed his questioner with an unblinking, slightly incredulous stare and coldly replied, "If he didn't, we wouldn't have tried it. The wind was blowing like a hurricane at the time." The Vikings, it was suggested, must have enjoyed their best rushing day of the season, with the Messrs. Mason, Brown, Barnes, et all, running up the imposing total of 251 yards. "We lead the league in rushing," was the terse response. And so it went. But the mercurial Dutchman did make one prediction before he somberly departed. The Packers, he said, would dispatch the Baltimore Colts in their showdown next Sunday, now that Colt quarterback John Unitas is shelved for the season...PACKER PATTER: The Packers had a number of honored guests sit in on the proceedings, including 45 Air Force enlistees from northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, who took their oath of enlistment as members of a Green Bay Packers "buddy" flight during special swearing-in ceremonies before the game, emceed by the Pack's TV voice, Ray Scott. Maj. Ed Thoren of the USAF's Milwaukee recruiting office administered the oath. He later presented a certificate of appreciation to Packer president Dominic Olejniczak in recognition of the Packers' support in their recruitment program. The enlistees left Milwaukee today for Lackland Air Force Base (San Antonio, Tex.) where they will go through their first six weeks of training as a unit. Another honored guest was Tony Jeter, brother of Packer defensive back Bob Jeter, the University of Nebraska tight end who was drafted No. 3 by the Packers. Tony, also drafted by the Oakland Raiders of the AFL, has ample time to make a decision, since he will be appearing with Nebraska in the Orange Bowl New Year's Day and cannot be signed until that assignment is completed. The younger Jeter, whose brother Lion was also a guest on the Packer bench, admitted, "Bob is attempting to influence my decision, but he hasn't tried to push me. He's letting me make up my own mind. He's brought me here and showed me I around and I appreciate that. I like what I've seen of the town."...Five-year-old Laurie Wagner, the 1965 March of Dimes poster girl, led the 50,000-odd customers in the singing of the National Anthem. The crack Milwaukee Continental Youth Band also entertained between halves.
LOSS OF UNITAS COULD AROUSE COLTS: VINCE
DEC 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - How will the Colts react to the loss of their leader and star quarterback, John Unitas? Vince Lombardi had a ready answer for that one today: "A lot of teams will become aroused and play better with a key player out. We had a similar situation a few years ago and won three out of four games." The Packer coach was referring to the loss of Bart Starr in 1963 and the way the Packers rallied around his replacement, John Roach. Starr broke his hand in the Cardinal game and the next Sunday Roach and the Packers beat the Colts in Balitmore 34-20. Now, the Colts will send their three-year veteran, Gary Cuozzo, against the Packers Sunday. "He's far from being a poor quarterback," Vince said, "and don't forget he threw five touchdown passes against the Vikings." As to Unitas, Lombardi said, "I'm sorry to see John out of there. He's a fine young man and a great performer." Cuozzo never played against the Packers. He warmed up several times but he never got in. Gary, a free agent, came up in 1963 and the Packers' five games with the Colt since then have all been barn burners - and all Unitas. Incidentally, the Bays won three of the five, including two in '63 and the first one this season. The Packers face other problems in playing in Baltimore, and Lombardi noted one of them: the crowd. "They gave Bukich (Rudy, Bear quarterback) a hard time out there last Sunday with their screaming and yelling. I don't think he could hear a thing. You can bet the crowd will have the Colts aroused." The Packers held their final practice of the season here today - unless they get into a playoff or championship game, and then headed for the Washingtonian Motel in Rockville, Md., where they'll work for the rest of the week. The Bays will leave here via United Airlines charter at 5:30 this evening. Lombardi said "our practice fields are frozen solid, and we've got to keep the field (stadium field) covered." A couple of feet of hay has been placed over the field - in case a playoff or title game is played here. The Packers can win the championship if they win their last two and they could also finish in a tie with the Bears or Colts. A division playoff with either team would be played here Dec. 26. The Packers came out of the Viking game in good physical condition although Lombardi said that "Starr is questionable." The Bay signalist jammed his right finger on his right hand while taking snapbacks from center Bill Burry in pregame practice, and then took himself out after six plays, in which he completed two passes, one for a touchdown. Starr said the finger "feels fine now. It hurts just a little, but I've had this before and recovered quickly." Lombardi and his aides Phil Bengtson, Norb Hecker, Red Cochran, Tom Fears, Dave Hanner and Ray Wietecha viewed films of the Bays' ninth victory Monday, and he noted today that "we played a good game overall - certainly good enough to win it." As to the two disputed plays near the finish, Vince said the films showed "he trapped the ball, and he was out of bounds. The other one didn't show." The "trapping" was done on the Vikings' last play - on a pass from Fran Tarkenton to Red Phillips. The other was the offensive interference call on Tom Hall of the Vikings - on the Pack's Herb Adderley. Asked about a turning point, Lombardi said, "I believe it was Wood's runback of the short 59-yard field goal just before the half. We scored and that put it at 16 to 14 instead of 16 to 7 when we went to the dressing room." The coach said, "They took a gamble trying that long field goal. If they had punted, we would have 80 yards to go for a touchdown. And who the hell do you they think they are, trying 60-yard field goals."
COLTS DON'T NEED UNITAS TO BEAT PACK
DEC 7 (Baltimore) - There's at least one person in Baltimore who believes that the Colts don't need John Unitas to win Sunday's game with the Green Bay Packers and take the Western Conference championship of the NFL. His name: John Unitas. The veteran quarterback - named the Most Valuable Player in the NFL last year - said from his hospital bed Monday that the Colts can win Sunday's game. "They can do it if they make up their minds," said Unitas. At the same time, he said he will be out six weeks which means that if reserve signal caller Gary Couzzo pulls the Colts through Sunday, the young dental student will keep the responsibility when the Colts meet the Cleveland Browns for the NFL championship Jan. 2 "I'd like to be in it," said Unitas, shaking his head and tapping the cast that encases his right leg from ankle to groin. His right knee was hurt Sunday in the second quarter of Baltimore's 13-0 loss to the Chicago Bears. Torn ligaments were repaired in surgery and a cartilage was taken from the knee. At first, there was hope that he would recover in time to play Jan. 2 in Baltimore - if the Colts get by Green Bay. But those hopes were dispelled b Unitas, who spoke shortly after a visit from his orthopedic surgeon. Another person who thinks the Colts can win without their great quarterback is Don Shula, coach of the Colts. "We'll have a full week to get Gary Cuozzo ready," Shula said Monday. "He will be working with the No. 1 receivers all week, and I think he and the team will be ready." With Unitas out, Cuozzo becomes the sole member of Baltimore's quarterbacking corps. He'll be backed up by halfback Tom Matte, who was a quarterback at Ohio State, but has been a halfback since joining the Colts. Matte said earlier this season that he can't read defenses, but he'll probably get a short course this week as he prepares to back up Cuozzo, who seems to profit from working out with the first line receivers. The Colts are short one man on the roster with Unitas out, and Shula can fill the vacancy during this week, but no later. Baltimore's roster would have to be the same in the championship as it would be against Green Bay. Shula could pick another quarterback, or leave it to Cuozzo or add strength somewhere else.
PLAYOFF HERE...IF
DEC 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - If the NFL's Western Conference race ends in a tie, the tie playoff game will be in Lambeau Field, Sunday, Dec. 26. This was determined Monday in the NFL office in New York by coin flips with club representatives participating in a conference call. It is not possible for Baltimore and Chicago to finish in a tie, nor is a three-way tie possible. If Baltimore and Green Bay tie, the game will be in Green Bay. If Chicago and Green Bay tie, they also will play in Green Bay. In any event, the championship game between the ultimate winner and Cleeland will be played Jan. 2 in the home park of the Western champion. PS - Lambeau Field is being covered with several feet of hay - just in case there's a playoff or championship game there.
IMPROVISING WORKS FOR TAYLOR, PITTS - 26 YARDS
DEC 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Some wag suggested in the pressbox during the height of the Packer-Viking thriller that "if you don't have the blocking, improvise." Jim Taylor and Elijah Pitts found themselves in no-blocking and-or broken plays situations and came out with 28 yards in a back-to-back rushes on the way to the Packers' third touchdown in the third quarter. On a second and seven play on the Viking 44, Taylor hit full tilt at the right side of the Packer line but everybody and his brother were waiting for him. He slipped off the pile of Vikings and Packers and cut out wide for a 16-yard gain. On the next play, Pitts tried a course up the middle but he was slammed back a yard or two. He kept his feet, forged forward and, presto, the opposition had disappeared. It was a 12-yard gainer to the Viking 28. Two plays later Zeke Bratkowski and Bill Anderson worked their 27-yard aerial touchdown. The Vikings' Fran Tarkenton would seem to the game's major improvisor, what with his dashes off broken passes. But he was caught one on a play that started out as a rush. He handed off to Tommy Mason in the first quarter, but Mason didn't take the ball. Fran hesitated a moment and then took off toward right end. Dave Robinson ripped in and tackled him for a five-yard loss...The no-so-gentle nudge Tom Hall gave Herb Adderley in the end zone Sunday isn't an uncommon move, in the opinion of Adderley. "It happens quite often," Herb said, adding:" "Those receivers don't have much to lose - just the penalty, and the ball goes back. If we (defensive back) do it, the ball goes down on the spot." In other words, if Adderley had interfered with Hall in the end zone, the ball would have been placed on the Packer one-yard line. And it's an automatic first down. Since the interference was on Hall, the Vikings were penalized from the line of scrimmage which was on the Packer 36, and they retained the down. Adderley agreed that "this was a bad time for Hall to interfere with my right to catch the ball, but many receivers will risk interference to prevent an interception."...You've heard that old cliche about "the ball bouncing the right (or wrong) way." The Packers had plenty to howl about in the second quarter when Don Chandler got a crazy wrong-way bounce on a punt. Booting into a 20-mile win, Chandler put the ball up high and it just seemed to hand high over midfield. It finally landed on the Viking 45 and zinged back to the Packer 43 - a loss of 12 yards.
DUTCH HAD MOTIVE TO QUIT SUNDAY
DEC 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The rules of building a successful business are interchangeable with those for a winning professional football team, E.W. Boyer, Minnesota Vikings vice-president, told the Green Bay Rotary Club Monday. A football team needs a goal, a detailed plan with everything from personal conduct off the field to game plays, a desire from pride in accomplishments, and confidence breathed into it from leaders, Boyer said. The goal part of the formula was the reason Viking Coach Norm Van Brocklin quit after a loss several weeks ago, he said. "The Dutchman had a goal of a championship for the Vikings in five years. He felt that he had failed," Boyer said. Boyer joked that the Vikings' loss to Green Bay Sunday on a disputed pass ruling in the last minute might have furnished Van Brocklin with a better motive. "I wouldn't have blamed out coach if he quit after Sunday's game, but I'll be darned if I know why he did several weeks ago," he said. Boyer said the Green Bay Packers' facilities "are the greatest in the entire country" and that football has given Green Bay business "a world famous name." The Vikings' history of five years is an attempt to gain the same stability the Packers have built in 50 years, he said. When the Vikings franchise was offered, Boyer noted the NFL put down the conditions of $1 million in available cash, $600,000 more in reserve, 25,000 season tickets sold, and a stadium with 40,000 seats. The conditions were met with the aid of one advantage the Packers history did not include, television, he said. Boyer said it was fortunate Minnesota was assigned to the Western Division because it is better. "We have never lost to an Eastern team, but we have lost to a heck of a lot of Western teams," he noted.
PACK COULD PLAY TWO MORE GAMES HERE...IF
DEC 8 (Rockville, MD-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - This is If Day, 1965. So let's look at the Packers' possibilities. Do you realize that the Packers could play two more games at Lambeau Field? Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Better check your funds, bub. They could miss both games and wind up in the Playoff Bowl in Miami. Which would leave you with nothing but a telecast of the Packers and somebody else on Jan. 9. Or they could miss everything. The Colts presently have a 9-2-1 record for .818; the Packers have 9-3 for .750; and the Bears 8-4 for .667. Here are some ifs to mull over while we get our feet planted in the Washingtoinian Motel where the Packers started practice Wednesday for their showdown in Baltimore Sunday: If the Packers beat the Colts and the 49ers; the Colts beat the Rams; and the Bears beat the 49ers and Vikings, the standings would show the Pack as champs and sent the Colts to Miami as follows:
W L T .PCT
Green Bay 11 3 0 .785
Baltimore 10 3 1 .769
Chicago 10 4 0 .714
If the Packers beat the Colts and lose to the 49ers; the Colts beat the Rams; and the Bears beat the 49ers and Vikings, the standings would show the Colts as champs and put the Bears and Packers in a second place tie, sending the Bears to Miami, as follows:
W L T .PCT
Baltimore 10 3 1 .768
Green Bay 10 4 0 .714
Chicago 10 4 0 .714
If the Packers lose two; the Colts beat the Rams; and the Bears split against the 49ers and Vikings, the standing would show the Colts as champs and the Packers and Bears tied, sending the Bears to Miami, as follows:
W L T .PCT
Baltimore 10 3 1 .768
Green Bay 9 5 0 .643
Chicago 9 5 0 .643
If the Packers lose two, the Colts beat the Rams, and the Bears lose two, the standings would show the Colts as champs and the Packers as outright winners of second, as follows:
W L T .PCT
Baltimore 10 3 1 .768
Green Bay 9 5 0 .643
Chicago 8 6 0 .571
If the Packers beat the Colts and tie the 49ers; the Colts beat the Rams; and the Bears win their last two, the standings would show the Packers and Colts tied in first place, as follows:
W L T .PCT
Baltimore 10 3 1 .768
Green Bay 9 5 0 .643
Chicago 8 6 0 .571
If the Packers beat the Colts and lose to the 49ers; the Colts lose to the Rams; and the Bears win two, the standings would show the Packers and Bears tied in first place, as follows:
W L T .PCT
Green Bay 10 3 1 .768
Baltimore 10 3 1 .768
Chicago 10 4 0 .714
If the Packers beat the Colts and tie the 49ers; the Colts beat the Rams; and the Bears win their last two, the standings would show the Packers and Colts tied in first place, as follows:
W L T .PCT
Green Bay 10 4 0 .714
Chicago 10 4 0 .714
Baltimore 9 4 1 .692
If the Packers tied the Colts and beat the 49ers; the Colts beat the Rams; and the Bears win two, the standings would show the Colts winning the title and send the Packers to Miami, as follows:
W L T .PCT
Baltimore 10 2 2 .833
Green Bay 10 3 1 .769
Chicago 10 4 0 .714
If the Packers tied the Colts and 49ers; the Colts lost to the Rams; and the Bears win two, the standings would leave the Packers and Colts in a tie as follows:
W L T .PCT
Green Bay 9 3 2 .750
Baltimore 9 3 2 .750
Chicago 10 4 0 .714
We could go on and on but those pretty well cover the waterfront. Keep in mind that the Packers can't go to Miami if they finish in a tie for second place because of a new league rule which says that a tied team can't if it was there the previous year. The Packers have been there the last two Januarys. The Packers have already "won" - the coin flips to determine the site of a division playoff. If Green Bay gets into a sawdown with either the Colts or the Bears it will be held in Lambeau Field Dec. 26. How about another Bear-Packer game, eh Mac? But all this goes out the window unless the Packers can beat Baltimore Sunday. If Baltimore wins Sunday, they're champs - regardless. For the benefit of you superstitious folks, this is the same place the Packers stayed at and worked one day before they lost the infamous 56-0 game to the Colts in 1958. But it's not worrying Dave Robinson, the Packers' veteran linebacker. "When I was with Penn State, we trained there and then beat Maryland in a big game," he recalled...Jim Grabowski, the Illinois fullback who was drafted first by the Packers, was in Green Bay briefly Tuesday for a chat with Coach Vince Lombardi. The Big Ten ace is weighing offers from both the Packers and Miami Dolphins and reportedly is in no hurry to make up his mind...Two more draft choice have been signed, Lombardi announced before leaving for the East yesterday. They are guard Ralph Wenzel of San Diego State, the 11th pick, and defensive end Bob Schultz of Stevens Point State, No. 16. Wenzel packs 240 pounds, Schultz 255.
PERSONALITY PARADE
DEC 8 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Crew-cut Bill Anderson, a retiring, soft-spoken Tennessean, has had no occasion to regret his decision to forsake coaching for the rigors of combat after a one-year sabbatical as a "brain truster." And neither, it might be added, have the Packers. The rangy tight end, it will be fondly recalled, eluded the Vikings' Karl Kassulke and cantered into the end zone with a Zeke Bratkowski pass for the Packers' winning touchdown in last Sunday's come-from-behind struggle with the Minnesotans, one of several substantial contributions he made to a project which again thrust the Packers into NFL title contention. Acquired from Washington in a mid-August trade at which point he pronounced himself "tickled to death to be here," Anderson had viewed the 1964 football season from the safety of the sidelines as a member of the University of Tennessee coaching staff. This, he subsequently declared, was not for him - at least not yet - and applied for "reinstatement" with the 'Skins. "I found," the Knoxville resident explained simply, "I missed playing more than I do coaching." A split end for four of his six seasons with the Redskins, including his last pre-coaching campaign with Washington, he was acquired as a backup man for mountainous Marv Fleming, who has been designated as successor to the departed Ron Kramer. Had he encountered any readjustment problems after the one-year hiatus? "Yes, I had a little trouble in training camp," Anderson confessed. "I felt a little awkward - on my timing and catching the ball. I was a little rusty. But I felt I was about ready to play when the season started. Coming up here and learning a new system and everything made it a little more difficult, of course." Prior to Sunday's match with the Vikings, the well-knit University of Tennessee alumnus had started two of the Pack's first 11 games. Unfortunately for him, they came in successive misadventures with the Bears (Oct. 31) and the Detroit Lions (Nov. 7). Anderson, who has been employed infrequently since, played all of the second half in Sunday's opportune revival and contributed several key blocks, in addition to that clutch touchdown. One of the former came on Elijah Pitts' 51-yard collaboration with Carroll Dale in the fourth quarter, a maneuver which triggered Don Chandlers' final field goal. "I don't know what happened there," Bill says.
"Carroll must have been caught from behind. I didn't realize there was anybody close behind me. I blocked the only guy down there and it looked like Carroll might be away, but somebody apparently caught up with him when he cut back." Known for his economy of expression, Anderson also was a little hazy about his timely touchdown. "It was just a simple sideline pattern," he explained. "I got behind him there, I guess. I just don't know whether he was trying to tackle me or going for the ball. I think somebody threw a block for me. I think it was Jim Taylor - at last I saw him flashing by." Always a starter in the past, Bill accepts his current No. 2 roll philosophically. "You'd like to play, of course, everybody wants to play," he says. "I'd like to play a lot more, but that's the way it goes." He views Sunday's Baltimore showdown with the Colts in the same practical light. "We've got everything to win, or we can lose everything. That's a good way to have it, I guess. Win it all or lose it all. It's up to us now. If we don't win it, we don't deserve to win it." An ardent golfer, although he makes no claim to uncommon skill at the game of the Scots, the 24-year-old Scandinavian also is one of the Packers' most eligible bachelors, and, apparently, intends to maintain that status for the present. "I probably will get married some day," he laughed, "but not in the near future. I don't have any prospects at the moment."
FORMER PACKER, CAREY, DIES AT 68
DEC 8 (Chicago) - Joseph Carey, 68, who played with the 1921 Packers, died Tuesday in Chicago. Carey, a widower, had been an electrician for the city of Chicago. He died in a Veterans Administration hospital following a lengthy illness. He was a member of the Moose and Elks. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday at Christ the King Catholic Church, Chicago, with burial in Holy Sepulcher cemetery.
CUOZZO SEES SUNDAY AS CAREER MAKE OR BREAK DAY FOR HIM
DEC 9 (Baltimore) - Gary Cuozzo is the scholarly type, well aware that he is going into the make-or-break game of his life Sunday as a stand-in for injured Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts. Cuozzo is Phi Beta Kappa, a graduate student at the University of Tennessee dental school in the offseason and the No. 2 quarterback of the NFL Colts. Nobody knows Cuzzo is No. 2 more than the man himself. He calls Unitas a "legend in his time" but he appears unawed at the prospect of facing Green Bay is the most important game of his life. "It's a make or break game for me," the University of Virginia grad said in the Colts' locker room. "If I do well I suppose I will get a lot of credit. If we lose, I will be just another forgotten second string quarterback. I'd like to make it for all the other guys. Don't forget there are 39 other men on this team. And am I glad they are there. I don't want to let them down." In five more years, Cuozzo hopes to have completed his dental studies. Perhaps he will be ready to set up shop with his dad and his older brother, John, back home in Glen Ridge, N.J. Perhaps it will be a long time before he turns to dentistry on a full time basis. Much depends on Sunday's game. Brother John will finish at Loyola of Chicago in June and will practice at Glen Ridge. "I wouldn't want to be a rookie quarterback thrown into this league," he said. "I know others have done it, like Fran Tarkenton of Minnesota. But it takes a long time to learn. The only answer is experience. I make mistakes because I lack experience. I have learned a lot from Don Shula, Unitas and Raymond Berry. Everybody talks about pressure. Sure this is a pressure week. But I am trying to do my best to not let it get me. I couldn't ask for a better spot to be in, actually. It is a great opportunity. I am sorry that John is hurt and can't play. All I can do is play my best." This will be the first time Cuozzo has faced Green Bay. In fact, it will be his second regular season start in his three years as a pro. When Unitas was out with a back injury Nov. 14, Gary started and threw five touchdown passes against Minnesota. "Green Bay and Los Angeles are the only teams I never walked on the field against," said Cuozzo. "But I have seen plenty of them. This week really wanders when I know I am not going to play. This week I really have to learn everything exactly because so much is at stake." Cuozzo may sympathize with Steve Juday, Michigan State's quarterback ho remarked he is the only All-America quarterback who hasn't been drafted by the pros. Nobody drafted Cuozzo either. He was No. 9 in the nation, but everybody passed him up. Weeb Ewbank, then Baltimore coach, finally signed him. "I still don't know the true story of how they signed me after not drafting me," said Cuozzo. "But I am glad they did." For three years they have been saying Cuozzo is the best No. 2 quarterback in the NFL. They may be saying nicer things about him Sunday night.
BIG GAME FEVER INFECTS PACKERS IN 'MOTEL CAMP'
DEC 9 (Gaithersburg, MD-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It doesn't take long to catch the "big game fever"" at the Washingtonian Motel. All you have to do is inspect the faces of the coaches and players of the Packers moving about at this spa 20 miles outside of Washington. The Packers are preparing for one of the most important games in their history. And certainly the biggest one of this season. They meet the Colts in Baltimore, 30 miles north of here, Sunday. If the Colts win, they take the Western title. If the Packers win, they take over the Western lead and then captur4e the title by winning in San Francisco. There's not much of a tomorrow left if the Packers lose sand that's why everything is going into this one game. Coach Vince Lombardi is putting the Packers through what amounts to a 24-hour "beat the Colts" day. "It's the best thing that ever happened to us, getting ready like this," Ray Nitschke said over his coffee this morning, adding: "This is the second chance for us and we're not going to blew it." The Packers just about blew it by losing to the Rams two weeks ago, but received some help from the Bears last Sunday when they pinned a 13-0 loss on the Colts, while Green Bay won over Minnesota. Thus, the second chance. The Bays start their "big game" day with a call at 7:30. It's breakfast at 8 and the first morning meeting is schedule for 9:30 and the field practice starts about 11:30. Meetings, featuring movies of Colt games, are held in the afternoon and evenings. The normal 11 p.m. curfew has been advanced to 10:30 for the week. The team will move into Baltimore Saturday noon and work in Memorial Stadium in the afternoon. The Packers practice on an 80-yard field that was ordered and built by George Marshall, former president of the Redskins, about 10 years ago. Marshall often brought his team here for midweek practice and privacy. Actually, there isn't much privacy. The Bays' first workout here was witnessed by 100 curious, including press, radio and TV people and football fans who happened to be driving by on Interstate 70, which runs between Baltimore and Washington. A Washington Post writer, Bob Addie, asked Coach Lombardi where the 1965 championship game will be played, the East or the West? "I'll tell you where the game will be played," said Vince. "It will be in Green Bay."...There's not much word from Baltimore although the Colts reportedly will put Don Shinnick on the active list. They have room on the roster since Unitas has been placed on the reserve list until 1966. Shinnick is the star linebacker who intercepted the Bart Starr pass that killed the Packers' last hope in the 24-23 loss to the Colts in Green Bay last year. Shinnick had broken his arm earlier this season but he is supposedly ready to go. The Colts have to put him on now if they want him eligible for the championship game. As you see, the Colts are figuring on getting into the big show, too. There's another spot of bad news from the north. Ordell Braase, the Colts' gifted right defensive end, is ready to go - full speed. He was held out against the Bears last Sunday to make sure of his presence Sunday. He missed the last two and a half games with a back injury...The weather has been good. They tell us it reached 50 Wednesday. And it should approach that today, though this day dawned gray and damp...Folks around here are wondering whether Unitas will be among the present Sunday. The Colts could make a spectacle of their hero, rolling him out in a wheelchair or something, or they could keep him in the hospital. At any rate, he can't play.
PACKERS GAIN VETERAN GUARD, LOSE A ROOKIE
DEC 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers gained a veteran, but lost a rookie today when signings were announced in Texas and South Carolina. Ray Schoenke, an insurance man who once played with the Dallas Cowboys as a guard, signed with the Packers in Dallas. Len Sears, a 236-pound tackle drafted a year ago by Green bay as a 19th round "future," signed with the Houston Oilers of the AFL in Columbia S.C. Schoenke was twice an all-Southwest Conference lineman and played in 1963 and 1964 with the Cowboys. They released him this year. The Packers contacted him last week and he agreed to a contract Wednesday that lets him stay with the local insurance company for which hre works and also play ball.
HERB ADDERLEY COULD BE KEY TO PACKERS CHANCES AGAINST COLTS
DEC 9 (Baltimore) - Herb Adderley could be the key to the Green Bay Packers' chances of beating Baltimore Sunday and taking over first place in the Western Conference of the NFL. Adderley, the Packers' prize safetyman, will be assigned to Jimmy Orr, the dangerous Colt flanker capable of making another Johnny Unitas out of understudy Gary Cuozzo. Orr managed to catch only one pass two months ago and that was a big reason for the Packers' 20-17 victory. Not only did Adderley freeze out Orr, he also intercepted two passes, running one back 44 yards for a touchdown. Herb also recovered a fumble on the Green Bay 24 in the closing minutes to break up a Colt drive that threatened to pull the game out...TAYLOR BACK: The Packer defense should be as strong as ever in the Sunday showdown, and the offense should be improved by the presence of Jim Taylor, who did not play at all in the first Baltimore game. The Colts will not only be without Unitas, who was placed on the injured reserve list Wednesday, but must also go for all the marbles with linebacker Don Shinnick. End Ordell Braase, missing from the lineup for the past three Sundays, will return to action, however. He was suffering from a muscle pull. Bart Starr, who missed most of last Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings, has shown no ill effects from the finger injury that caused his benching. He was reported passing and passing well in drills Wednesday.
BRATKOWSKI NOT CONCERNED BY RESERVE ROLE
DEC 9 (Green Bay) - When you are 34 years old and a second string quarterback, the future is not exactly rosy, but Green Bay's Edmund Raymond (Zeke) Bratkowski is unconcerned. "Our winning record is what counts. It takes 40 players producing all the time to make a winning team," he said, "not just two or three. I would rather see the Packers win than worry about my playing." Bratkowski, gentleman in waiting to the Packers' Bart Starr, spends his time on the bench preparing rather than pouting. As a result of the veteran understudy's efforts, the Packers are only a half-game behind Baltimore in the NFL's Western Conference race going into Sunday's showdown with the Colts...SUMMONED THRICE: Three times Bratkowski has been summoned to engineer late Packers victories, including a 24-19 decision over Minnesota last weekend and the 20-17 victory over the Colts when he hurled a touchdown pass with 2:48 left in their first meeting. "It's not luck but more a matter of being ready to play every time I come to the ballpark," Bratkowski said. "I'm right on top of each game because I handle the scouting phone," he said. "I like my aspect of participation on the sidelines, but I don't think that I wouldn't rather be playing - everybody in this game wants to start." Starr is grateful for the clutch backup role filled by Bratkowski, a well-traveled veteran obtained by the Packers from Los Angeles in the last half of the 1963 season. "It's a rough situation from time to time but Zeke and I are only interested in one thing - the best means of winning," Starr said. "He is so unselfish and such a student of the game that we are extremely fortunate to have him May clubs don't have a quarterback of his caliber and experience available to play," said Starr. Bratkowski, a former Georgia star, now in his 10th pro season, said he has no plans for retirement. "I will play as long as I can. I've never been with a championship club, but I'm looking forward to ending that nine-year streak with the Packers this year. Before I retire, I want to play on one championship team - at least."
HORNUNG ON MOVE; ANDERSON HURT
DEC 10 (Gaithersburg, MD-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Old No. 5 is on the move. No, Paul Hornung isn't going anywhere. The scourge of the league during the Packers' championship hay day, Hornung flashed amazing speed and quickness in Thursday's rugged practice. This had to be the highlight of the Packers' drilling at the Washingtonian Motel field for their showdown with the Colts in Baltimore Sunday. But there was a sort of lowlight Thursday, too. Bill Anderson, who caught what turned out to be the winning touchdown pass in the crucial game with the Vikings last Sunday, popped something in his back. He could hardly move after practice and spent the rest of the day getting heat treatments. Anderson was back on the field today, but he was slowed down considerably. He certainly will play Sunday but the question now concerns his effectiveness. What's more, Tom Moore is still bothered by his leg injury, and to offset the burst by Hornung, he is running below his normal speed. While the Anderson and Moore business seemed to be disconcerting, coach Vince Lombardi signed after practice, "We'll just go with what we got and see what happens." Hornung was beaming after the workout, witnessed by another 300 pop-eyed spectators. "You know, I felt pretty hood out there," he understat4ed, and added, with obvious surprise, "maybe this will be my day." Hornung has been bothered by a groin injury for the last couple of weeks and he keeps himself heavily taped. The rest of the backfield is in fine spirits. Jim Taylor says, "I'm ready to go right now," while Elijah Pitts, wearing high shoes in practice, confided that "I'm sure we can beat them." The Packer running game, what with Taylor's earlier injury and Hornung's drop off - not to mention Moore's continuous injuries - has been just a shadow of its former self. But to watch them run now, with the exception of Moore, you get the feeling that Green Bay will have a "new weapon" to unleash in Memorial Stadium. Anderson said there was "nothing unusual when I got this. I just made a quick turn going for the ball and it popped." If Anderson is below par, the Packers may make more use of their three-flanker offense - Boyd Dowler at tight end, Carroll Dale at split end and fleet Bob Long at flanker. In this setup, Dowler plays a bit wider and becomes a sort of slot back. This alignment, however, commits the Bays pretty much to passing, and Zeke Bratkowski used it against the Vikings when the Packers dropped behind. Marv Fleming, who started the season at tight end and then changed off with Anderson, had his best day in Baltimore - as a rookie in 1963. He caught two touchdown passes from John Roach in a 34-20 victory while subbing for Ron Kramer, who was hurt in the second quarter. Bart Starr, who jammed his finger last Sunday and then was in for only the six plays, is feeling well and he has no trouble with the injury. "It will seem unusual playing the Colts without Unitas, but I recall working against them when they had Shaw. That seems like a long time ago," Starr laughed. The Packers are closing out one of their most concentrtat4ed late season weeks in the Lombardi regime. Like Willie Wood said, "We have some kind of formation almost every two hours." It starts with breakfast at 8 o'clock in the morning. A later drill was held today. From Baltimore comes word that Don Shinnick and Ordell Braase, two injured defensive stars, will play Sunday. Shinnick, who has the cast removed from a broken arm only Wednesday, said, "It's going to hurt, but it will only be a couple of hours Sunday." Gary Cuozzo, the three-year quarterback who will replace Unitas, is spending considerable time at the hospital conferring with John. If he can't make the visit, he's on the telephone. Incidentally, one of Unitas' telephone callers was Lombardi, who expressed his regrets over his injury. This has been the Packer feeling about the Unitas thing. As Vince said earlier in the week, "I'm sorry about this. John is a fine young man and a real credit to football."
PERSONALITY PARADE
DEC 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Although tumors currently are rife in local pubs and coffee houses that Jim Grabowski has affixed his expensive signature to a Packer contract, it would appear the anxious faithful (and, of course, the Miami Dolphins) will be kept in suspense for a while longer. So, at least, says the man in question. Contacted by telephone at Champaign, Ill., where he again is attacking academics after shattering all of the fabled Red Grange's 40-year-old records at Illinois, everybody's All-America fullback explained Thursday. "I didn't have much of a chance to talk to Coach Lombardi when I was up there Tuesday. They wer getting ready to leave for Washington, and I got tied up and didn't get there as early as I had planned." Because of the tight schedule, he added, "I told Mr. Lombardi I wouldn't make any decision until after the Packers got back from San Francisco (Dec. 19) and I talked to him again. So, actually, I'm no closer to a decision than I was before." As might be expected, the 21-year-old linebuster declined, albeit graciously, to compare the offers he has been tendered by the Pack and their AFL rival for Grabowski's professional services, the Dolphins, beyond observing. "They're both quite reasonable and fair offers." Might there be a substantial difference between the two? "There is some difference," Grabowski admitted, then paused, perhaps soon recalling the advice of his legal beagle, who had accompanied him to Green Bay. He laughed before adding, "They are just nice offers, both of them." Discussing Tuesday's visit to the famous football factor on Highland Avenue, he said, "Coach Lombardi certainly did make quite an impression. And they sure have a terrific physical setup. Considering the ones I've seen, it's one of the best. It's something to be proud of." Asked how he assesses his chances in pro football, Grabowski replied with evident sincerity, "I don't know. I just hope I can play. I have a lot of learning to do - I'm just hoping for the best." He modestly declined to compare his running style with any of the pros, opining, "I don't feel I should be compared to anyone. If anybody said I was as good as Jim Taylor was (Taylor's name has been mentioned), that would be a heckuva compliment." The 6-2 Grabowski, who scales "about 215 or 216 pounds right now, which is about what I played at during the season," indicated it is likely he will carry in the neighborhood of 225 as a pro., predicting, "I'll probably put on 5 or 10 pounds." Queried about his speed, the Illini bulldozer replied, "I haven't been times in the sprints since early in my high school days. Since then I have been timed in anything." He laughed and added, "I don't know if I want to be."
RADIO, TV WON'T NEGLECT GEMINI DURING PACKER TILT
DEC 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The CBS Television Network said today it plans full television coverage of Sunday's Green Bay Packer-Baltimore Colt game but will add coverage of the Gemini 6 and 7 space rendezvous on a split-screen basis during the game and at halftime. Radio Station WJPG will carry the Packer-Colt game on a continuous basis with possible bulletins on the Gemini activities as they develop/ Television space coverage of the actual launch of the Gemini 6 mission will last about 90 minutes, beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday. Plans call for additional coverage during the day as the two Gemini spacecraft undergo various space maneuvers in preparation for the actual rendezvous at about 2:20 p.m. The network said it will run two-minute split screen segments at several points in the Packer-Colt game by inserting space coverage in the upper left hand corner of the TV screens, allowing the football game to remain in view on the rest of the screen. The sound portion of the football game will be cut out to permit newsmen to report on the space coverage during the split screen intervals. Plans also call for a three-minute full screen space report during the halftime period. Similar plans will provide additional space coverage during the Cleveland-Los Angeles football telecast which will follow the Packer-Colt game. Again, the split screen device will be used to provide space information during the game itself, with another three minute segment allotted for space coverage during the half.
MAKESHIFT FIELD BEING USED BY PACKERS FOR WORKOUTS
DEC 10 (Baltimore) - "It's like training camp," commented Willie Wood as he and his fellow Green Bay Packers prepared for the game that should make or break their season Sunday against the Colts. "About the only thing you can do here is think, eat and sleep football," Davis said of the Packer encampment outside Baltimore where Coach Vince Lombardi is trying to isolate his chargers. The team is working out on a makeshift field adjacent to a motel. Lombardi reportedly has been using his players to form a protective screen blocking the field action from the view of the spectators...SPIES WATCHING: "We've had quite a few spectators," Davis said, but paid no heed to the possibility that Colt spies might be watching. "Let's face it," he said. "It's a matter of getting some work done in practice. You don't change your complete plan this time of year." Davis, a crack defensive end, said the team is fully aware of the importance of Sunday's game. The Packers are one-half game behind the Colts with two left to play. "Our seasons is all wrapped up in this one, and everyone realizes it," he said. Davis wasn't so sure the loss of Johnny Unitas would be a lift for the Packers. "Physically the Colts will be missing a great player," Davis said. "But I can remember when we lost some key players, including Bart Starr. Suddenly this became an emotional factor as made up for the difference with greater individual determination. The only way you can prepare for this game is to think of Cuozzo as the same as Unitas. Unitas or not, they are still the Baltimore Colts and play just as hard."
BRAASE WILL START SUNDAY FOR COLTS
DEC 10 (Baltimore) - The Baltimore Colts will have their defense bolstered for their crucial clash against the Green Bay Packers here Sunday, but that may not be where they need the most help. Ordell Braase, who missed three games because of a pulled groin muscle, will be in the lineup at defensive right end for Baltimore. And Don Shinnick, who returned to the practice field Thursday for the first time since fracturing his
arm Nov. 7, may be back at the corner linebacking spot behind Braase. With a spot open on the roster because of the knee injury which has sidelined quarterback John Unitas for the season, Shinnick will be reactivated even if he is unable to play Sunday. "If Shinnick doesn't get in this week," Coach Don Shula said. "he'll be all set to go against Los Angeles the following week."...BOGS DOWN: Braase and Shinnick undoubtedly were missed during their absence, which forced a lot of personnel shuffling by Shula. Even so, the Colt defense held the Chicago Bears to a meager 13 points last week. But the offense, bogged down of late, wasn't about to score, and Baltimore lost its second decision of the season. That left the Colts with a 9-2-1 record, only a half-game ahead of Green Bay (9-3) with two weeks of the season remaining. A victory Sunday will give the Colts their second consecutive Western Conference crown and move them into the NFL title game against the Cleveland Browns. A Green Bay victory will leave the conference championship in doubt until the final week, with the Chicago Bears (8-4) still in the running.
'CUOZZO'S GOT TO SHOW ME,' DAVIS
DEC 11 (Baltimore-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - For a spell during the crucial Packer-Viking game in Green Bay last Sunday, it looked like Dennis Claridge might be pressed into action. The Packers' fine second-year quarterback, who is being brought along slowly under Bart Starr and Zeke Bratkowski, was reminded as this. He thought for a moment and then laughed, "With all that pressure out there, I probably would have died." Somehow, Claridge's off-hand quip had a bearing on Sunday's Packer-Colt showdown in Memorial Stadium. And we are referring to Gary Cuozzo, the Colts' three-year quarterback who replaces the great Johnny Unitas. Cuozzo will be exposed to a pressure he has never experienced before as a pro - not to mention the strongest defense in the league. The question today is: Can he handle the pressure of a critical game - especially if it goes right down to the wire? "He's got to show me," Willie Davis, the Pack's outstanding defensive end, said the other day, adding: "He's never gone through anything like this before. He's good, but we'll see." Cuozzo operates behind a powerful offensive line and the unit is spearheaded by the great guard, Jim Parker, who won the Menasha 1,000-Yard club's national award for blocking last spring. Parker is Henry Jordan's pet project. The Packers' quick defensive tackle and Parker conduct a fierce individual duel each time the two teams meet. Each pick the other as his personal all-pro. For the sake of some fun after practice Friday, it was suggested to Ron Kostelnik, who plays tackle against Jordan, that he switch tackles with Henry so Ron could get a taste of Parker. "Well, now," Kostelnik chuckled, "maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea. I'd like to see what would happen." About that time, Jordan has returned from his shower and got wind of this strange project. Big Koz quickly quipped, "Oh, I always let Henry do the light work. And on second thought, this Sandusky is pretty good, too." Kostelnik plays across from Alex Sandusky, the Colts' 12-year veteran at right guard. The top level conversation switched to many subjects and finally Henry was asked if he might not have something to say to Cuozzo during the course of Sunday's game. "I don't think so," Jordan started, "because I don't know him very well. But wait a minute, maybe we will talk. He's from Virginia, and all people from Virginia are fine people." Nobody really registered until Henry added, "That's where I'm from you know - Virginia. The same school and everything. We have much in common."...The Packers finished off practice at their camp at the Washingtonian Motel in Gaithersburg with a light but lively drill Friday. With the heavy work out of the way, Coach Vince Lombardi shortened up the practice in the tapering-off process. Everybody was going full steam except Bill Anderson, who developed a back injury Thursday, and Tom Moore, who has a leg injury. The team moved into Memorial Stadium for a short warmup this afternoon and then headed for the Sheraton-Belvedere Hotel.
COLTS' SHULA RESPECTS BAYS' DEFENSIVE UNIT
DEC 11 (Baltimore) - Don Shula has a healthy respect for the Green Bay defense, Willie Davis and Willie Wood in particular, and looks for another bruising head-knocker Sunday when his Baltimore Colts meet the Packers in the NFL's game of the year. Baltimore, 9-2-1, and Green Bay, 9-3-0, will be fighting for first place in the Western Division on this next-to-last Sunday of the season. "Just look where the ball is and you'll find Willie Davis and Willie Wood," said the Baltimore coach. "Green Bay has the fines defense in the league, real pressure defense. Forget the yards other teams have run against them, look at the touchdowns scored - nine on the ground and only seven in the air in 12 games." Respectful as he is of the Packers' defense, Shula is confident young Gary Cuozzo can do the job as a replacement for injured Johnny Unitas at quarterback. "Everything rides on this game," said Shula. "All the hard work of the season and all the sweat is at stake. If we won, it's all worthwhile. Our guys realize how important it is. I have confidence that Gary can do the job. We threw him into the toughest situation you can imagine in Chicago in our first game with the Bears and he helped us win. The next day he had a fine day against Minnesota. Last week, when Unitas got hurt, we weren't doing a thing against the Bears. We didn't do a thing after Gary came in either. We just didn't play our game. We gave up the ball six times, four times on fumbles and twice on interceptions." Shula realized he is asking a great deal of his second-string quarterback, but he rationalizes the situation. "Anytime you take Unitas out of the attack, you are hurt," he said. "But you have to forget that. What can you do? We are fortunate as the devil to have a guy as capable as Cuozzo. Everybody talks about the pressure. I don't think there is that much on a quarterback. He has too many things to do. He has to worry about the game situation, select the plays and study the defenses. Gary is an intelligent boy. He hasn't had a lot of experience, but he has picked up tremendously." While the Colts and Packers are banging heads, the Cleveland Browns - already set for the Jan. 2 league championship game as Eastern titleholders - play the Rams in Los Angeles.
STATE FIRM ASKS PRIORITY FOR PACK OVER GEMINI 6-7
DEC 12 (Sheboygan) - The executive board of the Garton Toy Co., has more than a passing interest in Sunday's NFL showdown battle between the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts. That was shown by the telegram it sent Friday to the president of CBS-TV, which televises NFL games each Sunday. "Question advisability of preempting NFL conflict with Gemini 6 launch," the telegram said. "Suggest rendezvous with Green Bay 9-3-0 and Baltimore 9-2-1 take priority over that between Gemini 6 and 7. Strongly believe these sentiments concur with the vast majority of viewing public. Advise." CBS, meanwhile, planned a little something for everyone, with split screen coverage of both the Gemini rendezvous and that between the Packers and Colts.
HOUSTON SIGNS PACKER DRAFTEE
DEC 12 (Houston) - The Houston Oilers Saturday signed a tackle from the 1964 futures draft and two free agents. The draftee is Len Sears from South Carolina. He was picked eighth by the Oilers and 23rd by the Green Bay Packers in the NFL draft.
'ALL THE WAY WITH GREEN BAY?'...OR 'ONE MORE FOR BALTIMORE?'
DEC 12 (Baltimore-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - All the way with Green Bay. That time-worn line of Packer lore seems to fit the Green Bay attitude toward today's game in Memorial Stadium. For the Colts, the rhythmic slogan might say "one more for Baltimore." In case you haven't guesses, both teams are confident of winning this 13th NFL contest. Here's the picture: A Green Bay victory would put the Packers in first place in the Western Division with a 10-3 record - a half game in front of the Colts, and thus set the stage for a title clincher in San Francisco next Sunday. A Baltimore victory or tie would give the Colts their second straight Western title and create a rematch with the Browns in the championship game. Kickoff is set for 1:05 Green Bay time, and 60,238 of the noisiest football fans in captivity will get the privilege of seeing it live. The game wasn't scheduled for national television, but many areas around the country will cut in on what easily ranks as the game of the year. Green Bay was a three-point favorite earlier in the week, but this has dwindled down to where it's virtually even. The Colts undoubtedly would have gone into play a slight choice if John Unitas was available, but the game's greatest quarterback is out for the season with a knee injury. His position will be handled by three-year quarterback Gary Cuozzo. There is no question as to Cuozzo's ability to throw the ball as he proved with five TD passes against Minnesota. But this is his first trip into a pressure-packed chamber and...well, let's hope. While they are moaning here about the loss of Unitas, the Packers you'll recall had plenty to moan about in the first home game in Milwaukee Sept. 26. The Packers won that squeezer 20-17 without Bart Starr, Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung. Taylor didn't play at all and Starr and Hornung went out early in the third quarter with the score tied 10-10. The Packers won it in the last three minutes on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Zeke Bratkowski to Max McGee. The win was clinched when Herb Adderley recovered Tom Matte's fumble on the Packer 24 with 53 seconds left. Getting his first crack at the Colts, Taylor has been nothing short of "wild" in preparations this week at the Washingtonian Motel down in Gaithersburg. The big gunner is the Packers' key to victory...GROUND GAME FALTERS: With their ground game faltering so many times this season, the Packers hope to run on the Colts with Taylor, Hornung, Elijah Pitts and Tom Moore, and thus open the gates for Starr's passing. Statistics point to a low-scoring barnburner. The Colts' aerial game is the best in the league, but the Packer defense against passes happens to be the best. Neither team is any great shakes on the ground, while the Packers have gained 1,000 yards less than the Colts in the air. The Packers have permitted opponents an average of 4.2 yards per rush. The Colts allowed 3.7. The Packer defense won't have to double up on the Colts' star receivers, Raymond Berry and Jimmy Orr, thanks to the skills of Doug Hart and Herb Adderley. Willie Wood and Tom Brown will change off on the Colts' star tight end, John Mackey. Most teams must put two men on Orr. The Packers' chances rest largely on the defensive front four - Willie Davis, Henry Jordan, Ron Kostelnik and Lionel Aldridge, whose major job will be to pressure Cuozzo. This kind of game could come right down to the field goal talents of the Pack's Don Chandler and the Colts' left-footed Lou Michaels. Chandler's two FGs were the difference in that first game. Michaels has
connected on 13 of 18 field goal attempts, Chandler 16 of 23. The Packers also will have to fight the crowd, but it is expected that the officials will direct the Colts to make an announcement of warning to the fans before the game or between halves. They were so screamy last Sunday, upsetting the Bears' Rudy Bukich something fierce, that they had to be warned between halves. There will be two distinguishable spectators. One, of course, is Unitas, who will handle the telephone on the bench or sit with the scouts in the press box. The other is Joseph Kennedy, father of former President John F. Kennedy, who is coming against his doctor's advice. He's a Colt fan, unlike the late president, who was a Packer fan.
