Green Bay Packers (6-0) 13, Dallas Cowboys (2-4) 3
Sunday October 24th 1965 (at Milwaukee)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(MILWAUKEE) - The Packers needed a strong defensive performance in County Stadium Sunday. And they got it, plus. The Cowboys smothered Green Bay's offense and for a spell it appeared that an upset would be in the making. Until the Packer defense came to the rescue. The low score, 13 to 3, and the fierce-hitting game represent sort of a throwback to grandpa's day when a single touchdown or a field goal was a day's work. But this was a 1965 phenomena and the Packer defensers not only shackled the Cowboys, they set up all three Packer scored with an interception and two fumble recoveries before 48,311 fans. The whole business looked gorgeous in the Western Division standings today, what with the Packers sitting on top with a winning-streak 6-0 record, a full game in front of the Colts (5-1) who came from behind to whip the Rams Sunday. Green Bay finishes the first half of its 1965 schedule against the Bears in Chicago Sunday, and that game needs no explanation. The Bears won their third straight by creaming the Lions, 38-10, Sunday. The Packers stayed unbeaten with two field goals by Don Chandler - 44 yards in the second quarter and 22 in the third - and a 7-yard touchdown by Jim Taylor - his first TD of the season, in the third quarter. Dallas tied the score with a 20-yard field goal by Danny Villanueva in the third. The Packer counters were set up by an interception of a Craig Morton pass by Tom Brown and recovery of fumbles by Junior Coffey on the Cowboy 22 and Willie Davis on the Cowboy 7. On the first play after Davis' recovery, Bart Starr sent Taylor around right end for the game's only TD, with Jerry Kramer putting down the big block. That was the scoring, but the real rarity of this game rested with the defenses, which produced these rare bits: The two clubs punted 18 times - 10 by Chandler and 8 by Villanueva, somewhat of a modern record. The record is 31 by the Bears (17) and Packers (14) in 1933. The ball changed hands 24 times. Both teams were held to a minus 11 yards passing (net), with the Cowboys leading, a minus 1 to a minus 10. Quarterbacks were dumped 14 times, with Morton getting it nine times and Starr five. In fact, the minus yardage for the two teams breaks the league record of one yard gained by both teams - the Chicago Cardinals and Eagles in 1936. The question with the record, however, is how passing yardage was figured. Losses by the passer on an attempt are deducted from the team totals, but not from his individual figures. The Packers were limited 7 first downs and a fantastic 63 yards for the day. and three of the first downs didn't come until the last three minutes when the Bays ran out the clock on Starr' 10-yard pass to Paul Hornung and two runs by Hornung of 16 yards. Starr, who hit on one of his first 11 passes, finished with four completions in 19 attempts for 42 yards while Morton hit 10 of 20 for 61 yards and the 2 interceptions. Don Perkins led the rushers with 133 yards on 22 carries and set up the Cowboys' only score with a 43-yard run to the Packer 19. Hornung led the Packers with 42 yards in 8 carries. Defensively, Davis was the Packers' standout. He made a dozen tackles and gave Morton fits. The Cowboys finished with 192 yards for the day, with the rookie, Morton, going the distance. Oddly enough, the Cowboys were credited with 193 yards rushing, the difference behind the minus 1 yard via passing. The Packers' platoons must come in for some bows. Cowboy punt returners gained only eight yards in four tries, and the Bays forced one fumble with just plain hard knocking, which set up Taylor's TD. Villanueva and Chandler punted five times in the first quarter, with each club making two first downs. Sharp tackles by Davis, Henry Jordan, Lionel Aldridge and Doug Hart helped along the first quarter punts. Early in the second quarter, the Cowboys moved into Green
Bayland for the first time, reaching the Packer 34. At this point, offensive interference was called on Buddy Dial who interfered with Adderley's right to take the ball and the Cowboys had to punt. Chandler and Villanueva punted five times in the second quarter, and the only action was a first down by the Packers. Despite an in-motion penalty, Starr hit Boyd Dowler for a 17-yard gain - the longest pass of the day, and the Bays were on the Cowboy 40. The attack stalled, with Taylor getting dumped for a four-yard loss on third down, and Chandler booted his first FG from the 44. The Cowboys took the second half kickoff and ground 66 yards in 7 plays, with Perkins' 43-yard run being the big move. The Cowboys reached the Packer 19 and the Bays got tough, forcing Villanueva's 20-yard field goal for a 3-3 score. Two series later Chandler got off a 50-yard punt (he averaged 40 on 10 punts) and Renfro fumbled when he was hut by Fuzzy Thurston and Bill Curry, with Junior Coffey recovering. Three plays later Chandler gave the Pack a 6-3 lead with a 22-yard field goal. The Cowboys started on their own 17 but on second down Davis knocked Morton for a 7-yard loss. Perkins then fumbled coming up the middle and Davis recovered on the 7. From there Taylor scored and the final score was set just before the third period ended. The Cowboys made a solid drive with 5:00 left in the game when Morton threw to Buddy Dial for 17 yards to the Packer 35. Jim Stiger ran 16 yards to the 19 for another first down, but Morton lost control of the snap-back and Ron Kostelnik recovered. With 2:56 left, the Packers froze out the clock, getting three straight first downs.
DALLAS - 0 0 3 0 - 3
GREEN BAY - 0 3 10 0 - 13
DALLAS GREEN BAY
First downs 13 7
Rush-yards-TDs 33-193-0 29-73-1
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 10-20-61-0-2 4-19-42-0-0
Sacked-yards 9-62 5-52
Net pass yards -1 -10
Total yards 192 63
Fumbles-lost 3-3 0-0
Turnovers 5 0
Penalties-yards 4-40 2-19
SCORING
2nd - GB - Don Chandler, 44-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
3rd - DAL - Danny Villanueva, 20-yard field goal TIED 3-3
3rd - GB - Chandler, 22-yard field goal GREEN BAY 6-3
3rd - GB - Jim Taylor, 7-yard run (Chandler kick) GREEN BAY 13-3
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Paul Hornung 8-42, Jim Taylor 14-19 1 TD, Bart Starr 2-9, Tom Moore 5-3
DALLAS - Don Perkins 22-133, Dan Reeves 4-26, J.D. Smith 6-18, Jim Stiger 1-16
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 19-4-42
DALLAS - Craig Morton 20-10-61 2 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Boyd Dowler 2-27, Paul Hornung 1-11, Jim Taylor 1-4
DALLAS - Buddy Dial 3-43, Frank Clarke 3-10, Don Perkins 3-2, Pettis Norman 1-6
PACKER HERO HARD TO FIND ON KEY FUMBLE IN THIRD QUARTER
OCT 25 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Who hit whom? It was the burning postgame question in the Packers' quiet County Stadium quarters, where the thunderous instigators of two highly opportune Dallas fumbles were being pressed for details Sunday afternoon. The principals were a trifle hazy, understandably, since each of these items, two of which had triggered the Pack's final 10 points in a 13-3 victory over the tightfisted Cowboys, had erupted from a mass of hurtling bodies. It was, as a matter of fact, a little hard to find a hero. Fuzzy Thurston, who had appeared to be a major contributor in shaking Mel Renfro loose from the ball on a third quarter punt return, said emphatically, "No, I didn't hit Renfro." Taking refuge in the invariable coaching clique, Fuzzy added, "I'd have to see the movies, but I think Renfro ran into his own man. (And so, it developed, he had.) I hit somebody, but I don't think it was him," said the veteran guard, slowly wending his way shower-ward on a gimpy left leg ("I hurt my knee, but it's only a slight sprain," he explained). "The fumble? I had a hand on it, but Coffey (Junior) recovered it." Willie Davis, a towering figure all afternoon, also wasn't entirely sure what had preceded his fortuitous recovery.
"Somebody hit Morton (Cowboy quarterback Craig) - I think it was Aldridge (Lionel) and Kostelnik (Ron), and I think Lionel made the first contact. Morton tried to spin out of it, and the ball popped loose and bounced right to me," Willie reported with an offhand grin, making no attempt to crowd the heroes' bench. Henry Jordan, it turned out, also had been involved. "I pulled the ball out of his hands," Hank said, appending a little wistfully, "I thought, 'Here's a chance for a touchdown' - I could have fallen over the goal line with it - but the ball fell to the ground and Willie recovered it." Another defensive luminary, sophomore Tom Brown, had entertained fleeting visions of going all the way following his second quarter interception, a contribution that keyed Don Chandler's first field goal...RAN INTO GARBAGE: "I thought for a second I might have a shot at it, but the quarterback (Morton) cut me off, and I tried to go back and," Tom confided with a rueful smile," I ran into a lot of other garbage there." He appeared on the verge of a second interception in the Green Bay end zone in the fourth quarter, but the opportunity dissolved when receiver Buddy Dial "intervened." "I should have had that ball," the slender Maryland alumnus said. "He hit me before I had the ball, but I should have had it, no matter if he touched me or not." Now alternate captain of the defense, Davis asserted the overall effect in two words, "I'm satisfied," he said, then added, "I'm a little disappointed they moved the ball on the ground so well on us, but they've got some quick inside runners. Our lateral pursuit was trying to cut their running off wide, and they would catch you going the wrong way - you couldn't get back in time. But we thought we had to rush the passer," Davis pointed out, "because of their great outside receivers." Further analyzing the success of the Cowboy ground game, king-sized Lee Roy Caffey revealed, "They were faking the sweep to the outside, and as the linebackers moved out, the quarterback would turn and hand the ball off on a 'give' play to the inside." Jim Taylor, who had figured prominently in one bright moment in an otherwise bleak afternoon for the offense, capsuled his 7-yard touchdown sortie in two sentences. "It was just a sweep play back to the weak side," he said simply. "And Jerry (Kramer) really came out of there nice to block for me - I think he cut off two men." Forthrightly discussing the Pack's lack of attack, quarterback Bart Starr observed, "Because we weren't able to sustain anything, we never could see whether our game plan would work. We had some things that worked, but only one play here and there - we never got a chance to see if our counter plays would work. We never got a chance to sustain anything, because of their great defense. - and I think they should get all the credit in the world, they're really tough." "It was kind of frustrating," Starr, the league's leading passer heading into the game, admitted. "I couldn't hit a donkey with a handful of peas today. There were times they didn't get me - when the protection was good - and I still missed 'em. That's what frustrating. There were several times I could have taken us out of a hole." Towering Forrest Gregg, the NFL's premier offensive lineman, also paid wry tribute to the enemy. "They were coming on pretty smartly," he said dryly, "But our offense didn't play a good game - we didn't sustain a thing."...In the Cowboys' quarters, Renfro corroborated Thurston's suggestion that he had been sabotaged by "his own man" on that third quarter fumble. "I saw daylight there for a second, and then I saw this white shirt coming at me," he said, "and I though, 'What the hell...?'" The white shirt belonged to teammate Mitch Johnson, who explained, "I was coming back. And I already had committed myself - I couldn't turn."
LOMBARDI, LANDRY PRAISE PACKER, COWBOY DEFENSES
OCT 25 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Those customarily unsung units, the platoons, elicited glowing and grateful tribute from an otherwise tight-lipped Vince Lombardi here Sunday afternoon. Firmly declining to make apologies for the Packer's grubbed-out 13-3 decision of the Dallas Cowboys that didn't "figure," he declared, "Our special teams were great - as was our defense." Lombardi added, with considerable vigor, "There are still two parts to this game, you know - offense and defense." The offense, a Milwaukee scribe imprudently suggested, had not been too impressive, at least statistically, making pointed and somewhat gratuitous reference to a 192 to 63 Dallas edge in the figures. "I don't give a damn about statistics," the Packer headmaster rapped, "as long as win. I've told you many times statistics don't mean a thing - the important thing is whether you win." This, inevitably enough, prompted introduction of another statistics. The Packers and their reluctant victims had punted 18 times, it was noted. "I didn't know that," Lombardi said, without perceptible pleasure, an understandable reaction considering the punt is seldom employed as an offensive weapon. "Would you say you were lucky," he was asked. "I don't think we were lucky," Lombardi shot back. "How can you say we were lucky? Our special teams caused them to fumble. As I said, there are still two parts to this game, offense and defense. And our special teams and our defense were great." Elaborating on this point, Lombardi went a step further, asserting, "I thought out defense was great. Any time you hold anybody to three points, you've done a helluva job. And any time you hold a team to 13 points, you've done a helluva job." "It was," he summed up with a faint smile, "a battle of defenses." Turning to don his coat in the small, improvised coaches' room opposite the Packers' quarters, Lombardi abruptly terminated the press conference with, "That's all the questions...I don't have any more answers."...He couldn't be effervescent, in view of the outcome, but Cowboy coach Tom Landry accepted the disappointing result with surprising equanimity - and a modicum of quiet pride in his tigers' hardnosed performance. The ex-New York Giant aide, a former Lombardi coaching colleague, said, "This is as good a defensive game as we have played," a statement which the Packer offense is ready to take at face value. "Both our pass rush and our pass coverage were very good. Of course, we played well for the last two weeks - we played well against the Browns (a 213-17 defeat) last week, too." The tall, slender Texan was also obviously pleased with the way the Dallas attack had functioned against the Packers' grudging defense, observing with a smile, "We did a pretty job of moving the ball - Perkins (Don) was running well." What had grounded Bob Hayes? The world's fastest human was withheld "because he got a bruised ankle in the Brown game last week," Landry explained. "He could have played, but we had Clarke (Frank) running his spot all week so we thought, under the circumstances, it would be better not to use him." And what of the quarterback situation? Did he intend to stay with Craig Morton? "I don't know," Tom replied with an accompanying shake of the head. "They (Morton and fellow freshman Jerry Rhome) are rookies in this league, and it's pretty tough." Companion speedster Mel Renfro, an NFL sophomore, had made his first offensive appearance in Dallas silks just prior to the Cowboys' final fumble in the fourth quarter, recovered by the Pack's Ron Kostelnik to quash the Texans' last surge, he disclosed. "He was the slot back in the triple wing," Landry said, "But they (the Packers) picked it up pretty well. They moved into a zone defense almost immediately, I noticed." (The Packers' early discovery of Renfro's presence had triggered that final fumble, Morton later confessed. "I heard a Green Bay fellow say, 'Watch Renfro, watch Renfro,'" the ex-University of California luminary reported. "So I tried to get the play off in a hurry and I pulled away from the ball.") Pressed for his estimate of the Pack, Landry said, "We think they're one of the better teams in this league. St. Louis is pretty tough, too, we find, and so are the Browns." This was a defensive battle, of course, and the Packers have a great defense - we have the greatest respect for it because of the fine athletes they have in it." Speaking of defense, had he been surprised at the final score, something of a "throwback" in these days of double digits? "We didn't expect to hold 'em to 18 points," he smiled, "not in this league. I wouldn't have been surprised at 20-17, or something like that, but I certainly didn't expect 13-3. I thought both defenses played extremely well."...BEAR BUILDUP: Overcome by the Bears' then 24-3 lead over the Detroit Lions, and doubtless encouraged by the Packers' obvious difficulties with Dallas, Bear scout George J. Halas was already anticipating next Sunday's Packer-Bear rematch at halftime yesterday. "What a game that's going to be," he chortled. "What a game that's going to be." Adding fuel to the fire, press box aide Larry Witki facetiously queried, "Can you get us a seat in the press box for that one?" Halas snickered and shot back, "Are you kidding? They're selling space on the flagpole already."...THINKING MAN'S FAN: One enterprising fan employed the practical approach to the ticket problem. A tall, distinguished looking citizen sporting a black beret, spared the tonsils considerable wear and tear by pacing up and down in front of County Stadium with a large black and white sign which proclaimed, "I want 1 ticket." The results of his quest were not immediately available...U.P. PERFORMERS: The orange-and-black clad Escanaba, Mich., High School band, a smart-stepping unit, entertained with distinction before the game and between halves.
PICTURE: PACK MADE FEWER ERRORS
OCT 26 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The two worst mistakes in football are, in alphabetical order, the fumble and interception. They're even worst than running the wrong way, providing the errant runner doesn't score. The Cowboys made five mistakes against the Packers in Milwaukee Sunday. The Packers didn't make any. "That was the difference," Coach Vince Lombardi said today after viewing the movies of the Packers' 13-3 victory with aides Phil Bengtson, Norb Hecker, Dave Hanner, Red Cochran, Tom Fears and Ray Wietecha Monday. "We had a lot of desire," Vince pointed out, "and we made the big plays," referring to the Packers' two interceptions and three fumble recoveries. The desire, of course, was reflected chiefly in the Packers' defensive performance and the payoff for same goes right back to those interceptions and fumble grabs. The Packer coach felt that "we did a poor job on offense. Starr was inaccurate and we were just flat on offense." Quarterback Bart Starr, who went into the game as the league's leading passer, had one of his rare off days, completing four out of 21 attempts. His protection wasn't exactly super, and he finished getting tossed five times for 52 yards in losses and running twice. The Cowboys' Craig Morton didn't have a picnic either. He was nailed nine times for 62 yards and fumbled once. Lombard praised the Pack's special platoons who kept such speed demons as Mel Renfro, Dan Reeves and Jim Stiger from breaking loose. The Bay platooners came down under punts and kickoffs like wild men and perhaps the Cowboy returners were softened up a bit come late in the third quarter Renfro fumbled running into his own man. Junior Coffey recovered the fumble in some fierce action and it was turned into Don Chandler's second field goal, putting the Pack ahead 6-3. Lombardi said it was Hank Jordan who forced the fumble by Don Perkins a few minutes later, setting up the only TD - a seven-yard sweep by Jim Taylor. Willie Davis grabbed the loose ball after Jordan knocked it out of Perkins' arms. Injurywise, Lombardi noted that it was too early to tell. Several players were banged up some, but all likely will be ready for the Bear game in Chicago Sunday. And that brings up another subject - the Bears. "They are a rejuvenated team. Their defense looks like the one they had in 1963, and they'll be the most improved team we've faced thus far," Vince said...As pointed out Monday, the Packers' minus 10 yards passing and the Cowboys' minus 1 yard passing represents a new both-team record for fewest yards passing. The Cardinals and Eagles got only one yard between 'em via passing in a game back in 1936. This sort of thing reminds of the Packer-Bear game in Green Bay in 1949 in which the Packers didn't have one completion in 13 attempts. Jug Girard missed on seven (with three interceptions); Jack Jacobs missed on four; and Stan Heath had one interception in two attempts. The Bears won 17-0...Out and out defensive battles are rare in this modern day of football, but the Packers and Bears put on a similar sockeroo in Lombardi's historic debut. That would be the Packers' significant 9-6 win over the Bears here in 1959. Taylor scored the only TD that day, too, sweeping left end for five yard midway in the fourth quarter. And just as a fumble recovery set up his TD vs. Dallas, the '59 score was set up by a fumble recovery by Jim Ringo on a kickoff. The Bears had just kicked their second field goal for a 6-0 lead. Paul Hornung kicked the lead point and to ice it the aforementioned Messrs. Hanner and Jordan caught Ed Brown in the end zone for a safety.
AT LEAST BEAR SCOUTS DIDN'T 'SEE' PACK'S OFFENSE
OCT 26 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Bears' two game scouts, George J. Halas and Bill Wightkin, were scratching their heads after the Packers' 13-3 victory over the Cowboys Sunday. They admitted that "we didn't see the Packers' offense," but readily agreed that "we'll see it next Sunday." This must be a tough situation for a game scout - an all-out defensive contest in which both offenses are dominated by hungry tacklers. Wally Cruice, the Packers' long-time scout, was asked about this Monday. Cruice pointed out: "You never know, of course, when you'll run into a game like this but to start with we try to look at the teams before they go into action. You can get a little bit of their attitude by the way they practice. You can almost feel the mental state of the two teams before the game - just by watching them. Now I didn't see our game (he was scouting the Bear-Lion game), but you must realize that Dallas has a very good defense. I saw them against Cleveland the week before and the Browns didn't get a legitimate (complete offensive drive) score all day. Nobody has a better defensive line than the Cowboys and who's better than Andrie and Lilly? They have fine linebackers and two good safeties." Cruice brought up another point - one that makes the Packers' job so difficult week after week: "Every team is looking at us. They're really ready because Green Bay has a reputation for being a strong team. People should realize this." Cruice was referring to the fans who were inclined to be a bit "upset" at the Packers' performance Sunday. This, of course, is part of the price the Packers must pay for their success. Each victory makes them a bigger prize the next Sunday, and the opponents set their caps accordingly. The Cowboys came into Milwaukee with everything to win and nothing to lose. Whether the Packers played good or bad isn't really the point (that's for the coaches to fret about). The point is that they won - even with an offense that was stifled by the wild Cowboys. The Packers won with the home run in Tiger Stadium in Detroit a week ago. Against the Cowboys in County Stadium they won with a scratch hit. They play in another baseball park Sunday - beautiful Wrigley Field, 'tis called. And they've got a short left field fence.
RBS POSE PROBLEMS FOR PACK - BOTH WAYS
OCT 27 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Two Bear names comes to mind today. And they both have the same initials - R.B. One represents a problem for the Packer defense. The other same for the Packer offense. They are Rudy Bukich, quarterback, and Richard Butkus, middle linebacker. Bukich emerged this day as the NFL's leading passer. Butkus is fresh from receiving his biggest prize as a pro - the game ball after the Grizzlies' victory over the Lions last Sunday. Bukich, a school teacher in the offseason who previously labored for the Rams, Redskins and Steelers, replaced the Packers' Bart Starr at the head of the pitching class. Bukich has thrown 12 touchdown passes, had only one interception, and has 66 completions in 108 attempts for a glossy 61.1 completion percentage. The 205-pound hurler left quite an impression in his 1965 appearance at Lambeau Field Oct. 3. He came on in the second half, with the Bears behind 23-0, and worked up two touchdowns. In addition, he helped "freeze" the ball for 47 plays while the Pack had it for only 24. Bill Wade started that game at quarterback and once got the Bears all the way to the Packer eight-yard line - only to fumble it away. It's a safe bet that Bukich will start against the Pack in Chicago...SHOULDER SEPARATION: Bukich had an experience with Green Bay in Chicago last Dec. 5. He suffered a shoulder separation when he ran five yards around his own right end. Before his departure, he lost a fumble to Lionel Aldridge and had two passes intercepted by Herb Adderley - both aimed at Johnny Morris. The Packers won the hard-fought Saturday game 17-3. Butkus, a native Chicagoan, was accorded the "game ball" honor simply for his all-around brilliance on defense. He has recovered two fumbles and intercepted two passes thus. "Butkus is a great player," said Bear Coach George Halas, "and he gets better every week." Nick Pietrosante was miffed that the Bears gave the game ball to Butkus. Said Nick: "They should have given it to us." The Bears were unhappy that they didn't shutout the Lions. Said Bear Defense Coach George Allen: "We wanted a shutout and we gave them a touchdown. Dammit. A field goal's all right, but no touchdowns." PS - The Bears have another R.B. - one Ronnie Bull, the rusher who just happens to have the best average among Bear runners, 6.38 yards on 134 yards in 21 attempts...The Bears' swift Gale Sayers is leading the league in kickoff returns, with an average of 34.7 per, and is tied with Fred Cox of the Vikings for the lead in scoring. They each have 54 points. Sayers had nine TDs, four by rushing and five on pass catches. Sayers was shaken up on a clothesline tackle by Gene Hilgenberg last Sunday and retired in the second quarter after taking a seven-yard TD pass from Bukich. "All I remember was trying to get up," said Sayers, adding: "I was groggy. I never saw him coming. That's the hardest I've ever been hit by anybody." Starr, on the basis of his 4-for-19 record against the Cowboys, skidded from first to fifth in the passing race. Below Bukich and above Starr are John Unitas of the Colts, John Brodie of the 49ers and the idle Charley Johnson of the Cardinals.
PERSONALITY PARADE
OCT 27 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A sign on the bulletin board in the Packers' dressing room (the same sentiment is posted next to the scale for emphasis) proclaims, "Covering kicks is football's biggest test of courage." Soft-spoken Bill Curry, the Packers' talented freshman center-linebacker from Georgia Tech, is inclined to share Vince Lombardi's obvious conviction. But not, he quietly notes, because he is a valued member of the Pack's special teams, which sparkled in last Sunday's old-fashioned 13-3 rumble with the Dallas Cowboys in Milwaukee County Stadium. "I don't like to sound like everybody on our special teams is so courageous," the 23-year-old native of East Point, Ga., emphasized, "but with the kind of licks you get, I think it really is a big test of courage." "When somebody hits you on those things and you don't even see 'em, you really get belted," he confided with understandable
fervor. "Somebody might be coming from the ide and knock your head off. And, of course, some teams put their biggest men on the wedge, so you have to hit the wedge fill tilt to get any results. You can't diddle around or you'll get knocked down every time." Is there a feeling of unit pride, as with the offense or defense? "Yes, we have - our units have a great deal of pride," was the sober reply, "because we realize it's a pretty important part of the team. If we do a poor job, it puts a strain on the offense or defense, so our guys have developed quite a bit of pride." "We work very little on it in practice, of course, because it isn't anything you can really practice. It's more a matter of individual price and determination. You have to get down the field as fast as you can, and not worry about getting hit. If you don't get down the field fast enough, you get singled out," Curry added significantly. "As I said, it's a matter of pride and individual determination, and we happen to have a lot guys with pride. Junior Coffey, for one, has been doing a great job - he's been making I don't know how many tackles." The deep-chested Georgian, drafted in 1964 as a junior eligible, himself had been one of the many principals in Sunday's most celebrated special team "spectacular," credit for which, incidentally, had to be shared with the enemy. "I didn't hit Renfro (Cowboy punt receiver Mel, whose fumble was recovered by the Packers and triggered what proved to be the game's winning field goal in the third quarter)," Bill forthrightly reported. "His own man (Mitch Johnson) hit him - and he really cracked him. He must have been trying to block me. I was close to Renfro, but I didn't hit him. When Johnson got him, I dived over him or something, as I remember. I'd like to take credit for it," he laughed, "but I didn't touch him." The youthful southern gentleman, who has been employed at both center and linebacker, sincerely disclaimed any preference. "I've played more center than linebacker since I've been here," he said, "but I'm just happy to be on the team, any way I can. I appreciate the chance to cover kicks - I'd hate to be just sitting there. That's terrible. If I did get a chance to play regularly, I wouldn't care where it was," Curry appended, "just as long as I got in there somewhere." A realist, Bill is not overly optimistic about such a development in the near future. "I'll just have to keep plugging," he said, with a hint of determination in his tone. "That's all I can do."
HOW GOOD ARE THE PACKERS?
OCT 28 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It's time for one of those "how good" stories. That's right. How good are the Packers. This is a logical question since the Bays are the only unbeaten team in the NFL, having scoring victories over the Steelers, Colts, Bears, 49ers, Lions and Cowboys in that order. Let's retrospect a speck before trying to answer: STEELERS - The Packers were behind 9-7 at the half and the lowly Pitts thought they were seeing things - until GB busted loose in the last two quarters for a waltz 41-9. COLTS - A real tug of war. Our boys won it 20-17 with a pass from Zeke Bratkowski to Max McGee, recovery of a fumble late in the fourth quarter - not to mention two field goals from Don Chandler. BEARS - The Packers took off like a big, strong bird - to a 23-0 halftime lead, and then hung on for dear life to win 23-14. 49ERS - The Packers put all the pieces together, offensively and defensively, and came up with an impressive 27-10 win. LIONS - Detroit threatened to blow us off the field in the first half, taking a 21-3 lead. Then the Packers blew the Lions off the same field in a great comeback for a 31-27 win. COWBOYS - The offense alarmed the alarmists with a 63-yard showing, but the Pack's sturdy defense came to the rescue beautifully to back up two Chandler field goals and Jim Taylor's seven-yard TD romp, which was set up by a fumble recovery. On the basis of these six games, the answer to the question in Paragraph 2 would seem to be the following worn-out cliche: The Packers were just as good as they had to be. This could fit any winning team, but we recall the Packers winning their first 10 in 1962, and, others than a couple of tight ones, the aforementioned cliche didn't apply - especially to such wins as 49-0 over the Eagles, 34-7 over the Vikings, 49-0 over the Bears, etc. The good-as-they-had-to-be theory could be attached to all but the Steeler game. Like so: COLTS - The Packers had to cool off John Unitas, which they did with two interceptions - one for a TD and a good rush, and they needed the bomb, which they got on the Bratkowski-McGee thing. BEARS - With 3:50 left in the game and the score 23-7, the Packers needed two first downs on rushing plays. They got 'em on rushes by Taylor and Paul Hornung, eating up 2 minutes and 47 seconds. The Bears got one TD in those 63 seconds, but they weren't about to get two. 49ERS - San Francisco came in here with a reputation for high scoring. The Packers stopped them comparatively cold and got 27 themselves. LIONS - The Packers just plain had to get off the floor and they did. COWBOYS - The Packers just had to play a great defensive game. And they did. And this all brings up Sunday's game against the Bears in Chicago. How good do the Packers have to be? They'll have to be at their absolute best. They'll have to lift the defense they showed against the Cowboys and the offense they displayed against the 49ers - and apply both for four quarters. This is logical, of course, but there's something un-logical about playing the Bears - especially in Chicago. Both teams usually reach great heights in this traditional rivalry and records, comparisons, statistics, etc., go out the window. Since their last quarter showing in Green Bay, the Bears have averaged 38 points and allowed their foes an average of only 14.3 in winning three straight. And the Packers? They're leading the West and they aim to stay up front. Any questions? Any answers?...The Packers worked in Lambeau Field Tuesday but came out in the open (the Oneida St. fields) for Wednesday's practice. Coach Vince Lombardi called for the regular Wednesday practice - plenty of hitting on the sleds - and the blocking dummy, and then a sharp session on offense, particularly passing.
TAYLOR RUNNING ON ONE LEG, BUT SEES HOPE IN BEAR GAME
OCT 28 (Green Bay) - Jim Taylor, off to his worst start since becoming an NFL regular, says he isn't alarmed and his slump is nothing that two sound ankles couldn't cure. The Green Bay Packer fullback, whose record includes an unprecedented five straight 1,000 yard seasons, has only scored one touchdown this season, while carrying the ball 72 times for 224 yards and a 3.1 average. Last year, the former Louisiana State University star produced 1,168 yards rushing for a 5.0 average and 12 touchdowns. "The difference is one leg," said the bull-necked 215-pound fullback. "I'm still as fast as I ever was, but I haven't had 100 percent drive off my right leg." Since 1960, Taylor's first full season, a strong ground game has been the Packers' hallmark, but with Taylor below par the rushing attack has been virtually punchless. The Packers are undefeated by virtue of a strong defense and the passing of Bart Starr. Taylor injured his ankle against St. Louis in Green Bay's last preseason game. He played little against Pittsburgh in the season's opener, sat out the next game against Baltimore. He has seen extensive action since then but has not been hitting the holes with his old-time authority. "This is the most serious injury I've had in pro football," said Taylor, "and it's not completely healed. It hasn't changed my running style, but I do have to favor the leg." "My running has been below par," he admitted, "and when you're a running back in this league you need everything working and going for you. You have to able to cut, drive and avoid those tacklers. For this you need complete mobility." The 30-year-old Taylor, who is the Packers' all-time leading rusher and third ranked in the NFL behind Jimmy Brown and Joe Perry, is now in his eighth season. He predicts that he'll play at least four more seasons. While the injury obviously hasn't been helping him any, he refuses to let it become a crutch. "There's only one way for me to go and that's up. No one wants to get ready more than I do," he said. "Our defense has been carrying us, but our offense will pick up. I hope it improves about 500 percent Sunday against the Bears. We'll need it."...HOME ACCIDENT: Although he considers his current injury the worst he's had as a Packer, he suffered a home accident that kept him out six games in 1959. He came back from that injury to gain 1,101 yards in 1960. And Taylor is confident he'll be ready for resurgent Chicago, which has won three in a row since losing to the Packers. "I feel good," Taylor said Wednesday, "the best I've felt so far. I'm ready to carry the ball 20-25 times. If they think I'm washed up, forget it."
FLEMING READY, TAYLOR 'THE SAME,' VINCE
OCT 29 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Marv Fleming was limping a bit this week. But no more. "It looks like he's ready," Packer Coach Vince Lombardi said today. Fleming picked up an ankle injury against the Cowboys last Sunday, though he went the distance in the hard-fought defensive battle. Big Marv is a prominent key in the Packers since the success of the ground attack rests to a great deal on his blocking. In addition, Fleming must be ready to catch the "tough pass" - mostly close to the briar patch. Fleming has caught only one pass in the last two games - an eight-yarder in Detroit. If Fleming is re-injured, his spot will be taken over by Bill Anderson, the former Redskin, who has seen action in two games thus far - the opener against the Steelers and the 49er test here. There has been considerable talk about Jim Taylor's injury this week - especially in the Chicago press, but Lombardi pointed out that "Taylor's the same as before." The blasting fullback has been bothered with an ankle injury since the start of the season and missed the Colt game entirely. Obviously, Taylor hasn't been himself (224 yards in 72 attempts), but, well, let's see what happens Sunday. It is to the Packers' credit - and the offense in particular - that they're sitting unbeaten with a below-par Taylor who has been a major factor for the past six years. Taylor, himself, feels confident he'll be ready for the Bears. "I feel good - the best I've felt so far. I'm ready to carry the ball 20 to 25 times," Jim said. Incidentally, Taylor's last big days were against the Bears and Rams in the last two games of the '64 season. He romped for 89 yards in 21 attempts in Chicago and then on the coast hit Ram defenses for 165 yards in 17 attempts. It appears that Jim's best days could be ahead...The Packers, besides working hard on the field, have doused themselves with movies of the Bears - the first Bear-Packer game and the Bears' big victory over the Lions last Sunday. Asked if the films revealed anything special, Lombardi noted that "the Bears are no different than the team that we saw here, but they are a greatly improved team." The coach pointed out that "Bukich has made the big difference." QB Rudy Bukich came on in the second half at Lambeau Field, sparked a Bear comeback, and then led the Bears to three straight wins over the Rams, Vikings and Lions. In addition, Bukich took over the league lead in passing with 66 completions in 108 attempts for 975 yards and 12 touchdowns. He had but one interception...The Packers stayed pretty much away from the public glare this week. They worked in the stadium Tuesday, went into the "open" Wednesday, and then returned to the privacy of the empty stadium Thursday and today. The Bears worked in secret all week. The Bays will drill there again Saturday morning before boarding a United Airlines charter for the trip to Chicago. They will headquarter at the Drake Hotel.
CAN PACK BLANK BEAR DUO AGAIN?
OCT 30 (Chicago-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Bears' split and/or left end spot is manned by two Big Ten rookies - Jimmy Jones of Wisconsin and Dick (Flash) Gordon of Michigan State. They went catchless against the Packers in Lambeau Field Oct. 3. Jones has nailed six for 66 yards and one touchdown thus far, Gordon four for 56 and one TD. Jones and Gordon figure to take some of the pressure off Johnny Morris, the Bears' brilliant flanker, who has been a marked man since John Farrington was killed in an auto accident (along with Willie Galimore) just before the 1964 season started. The Bears replaced Farrington at left end with Gary Barnes, the ex-Packer, and Rich Kreitling in 1964 but they failed to take the heat off Morris, who still caught a record 93 passes on the right side. Barnes and Kreitling since have departed. Jones or Gordon will be a special problem for Doug Hart, the Pack's right corner guardian, when the two rivals collide in Wrigley Field Sunday. The Bears likely will play both of them - off and on - and that will be a switch for Hart, who has good success against such full-time left ends as Raymond Berry, Gail Cogdill and Dave Parks. However, the Bears have been supplementing their left end receivers by one of their halfbacks. That would be the highly-touted Gale Sayers, who becomes everybody's headache when he goes down for a pass. Sayers ranks second among Bear receivers with 17 catches for 305 yards and five touchdowns. Morris leads with 24 for 401 and four while Mike Ditka has 16 for 191 and one...CAUGHT ONLY TWO: Despite his big output last year, Morris was able to catch only two for 24 yards in Wrigley Field last December - thanks to a strong job by Herb Adderley, who intercepted two passes aimed at Morris. One of the oddities of the Bears' scoring is the few field goals attempted. Roger Leclerc, the Chicago kicking specialist, has attempted only seven field goals. He made four and booted 24 of 24 extra point tries for 36 points. Those 24 PATs reflect the Bears' heavy scoring. The Packers' Don Chandler has attempted 18 extra points and one was blocked. He tried 12 field goals and hit on 10, giving him a total of 47 points. The Bears have scored 180 points, the Packers 155. There's a bigger difference in the opposite direction. Defensively, the Packers allowed only 74 points (best in the league), while the Bears gave up 158 - more than twice as many.
PACKEYS EYE LEAKY DEFENSE OF CHICAGO
OCT 30 (Chicago) - The punchless Green Bay Packers tangle with the porous Chicago Bears Sunday in an NFL glamour game that could cascade with surprises. Both Coach Vince Lombardi of the unbeaten Packers and George Halas of the red hot Bears ran secret drills this week, obviously cooking up plans and plays designed to catch someone napping. The Bears' biggest problem is the Packers' defense, the stingiest in the NFL at giving up points. The Packers' main worry is the Chicago offense, built around the breakaway speed of Gale Sayers, the power of Andy Livingston, and the passing of Rudy Bukich...TIED FOR LEAD: Sayers is tied for the NFL scoring lead with 54 points on nine touchdowns. Bukich has become the ranking passer in the league since winning the quarterback job from Bill Wade in
Green Bay Oct. 3. The Packers, who won the Green Bay game 23-14 on the strength of a 20-0 halftime lead, could do little to stop Bukich and Livingston after they entered the game in the second half. Green Bay must also regain its offensive touch, missing last Sunday when the Packers defeated Dallas 13-3 for their sixth straight win. Statistically, the Bears, despite losses in their first three games, have an edge over the Packers on offense while the Packers have a decided advantage on defense. The Bears have outscored the Packers, 180 to 155, while racking up 98 first downs to Green Bay's 90, and 1,896 yards to the Packers' 1,613. On defense, it is another story. The Packers have yielded only 74 points. The Bears have been touched for 158. Runners and passers have gained 2,130 yards against the Bears. Green Bay has allowed only 1,682. A victory would put the Bears (3-3) back into contention in the Western Division race. They are now tied for third with three other teams. A defeat would virtually eliminate Chicago from contention. The Packers, who must still play two games with the Minnesota Vikings and one more with the Baltimore Colts, can ill afford to lose to Chicago. A defeat coupled with a Colt victory Sunday over San Francisco would leave the Packers in a first place tie.
RAMPANT BEARS BATTLE UNBEATEN GREEN BAY TODAY
OCT 31 (Chicago Tribune) - Green Bay, the only unbeaten and untied team in professional football, comes to Wrigley Field today to meet the Chicago Bears in one of the most important games in the National League championship race. It will be the 94th clash between the old rivals, and the best wishes of the rest of the league go with the Bears, high scoring winners of their last three starts. If Green Bay is ever going to be overhauled in its headlong dash to the title, somebody has got to start beating it pretty soon, and today the league looks to the Chicagoans. The kickoff has been scheduled for 1:05 o'clock Chicago time. No seats are available at the box offices and the Bears have again requested fans without tickets to remain away from the park...IT'S THE DEFENSE: Despite its rather lackluster showing against the Dallas Cowboys last week, Green Bay is a slight favorite, largely on the belief among handicappers that its superb defense will keep the Bears' newfound offensive strength in check. Six opponents, including the Bears, have scored only 74 points against the Packers. Bear hopes rest on the swiftness of an attack that has scored 114 points in three games and the ability of the defense to stop the passing of Bart Starr, Green Bay's superb quarterback. Starr has been gaining stature steadily among football authorities, who now consider the crafty, silent Alabaman as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. His performance against Dallas, when he was able to complete only four of 19 passes, is written off as the result of a bad day in which Starr, like the rest of the Packers, suffered the letdown that must come to all teams at some stage of a grueling championship race...LOOKING AHEAD?: There also is the possibility, vehemently denied in the Packer camp, that Starr and his associates were thinking more about today's clash with the Bears than they were about the business at hand a week ago. Bear resurgence began at Green Bay on Oct. 3, after three consecutive defeats, when Rudy Bukich took over at quarterback in the second half with rookie Gale Sayers and sophomore Andy Livingston in the backfield. Although the Packers won 23 to 14, there was plenty of evidence in those last two periods that the
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton is chased by Green Bay Packers defensive end Willie Davis (87) at County Stadium
PACK ATTACK ON SPOT AGAINST BEARS TODAY
OCT 31 (Chicago-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers play the first rematch of the season in Wrigley Field this afternoon. And, unlike that first kiss, the second could be better than the first. The first Packer-Bear league smash - in Lambeau Field Oct. 3 - wasn't exactly a bell-ringer. The Packers won 23-14 but came away unhappy because they got pushed around in the second half after building up a 23-0 lead. The Bears weren't doing handsprings, either, what with the loss, but they went on from that second half uprising to blast out three straight victories over the Rams, Vikings and Lions. The Packers also added three more scalps - the 49ers, Lions and Cowboys to give them the only unbeaten record in the league, 6-0. That brings everything up to the minute - 1:05, to be exact, when pro football's oldest rivals collide for the 94th time. A standing room crowd of around 47,000 will witness the action. The spotlight will be on the Packer offense today and, perhaps, the Bears will be taking an extra look, too. The Bays were limited to 63 total offensive yards (including a minus 10 passing) by the Cowboys but the defense came up with the big plays to produce a 13-3 win. Bart Starr, dumped five times by the agile Cowboys, should get better protection and he surely will respond with more accurate passes. He completed four of 19 vs. Dallas in one of his rare off days. The Bear defense, likely to be highly charged (the Bears are always that way vs. Green Bay), has improved greatly since they lost their first three games. The unit revolves around Doug Atkins, Dick Butkus and Roosevelt Taylor, who represent, respectively, the rush on the passer, block-busting tackling, and close defending of pass receivers. Jim Taylor, hobbled with a leg injury for the first six games, is expected to come out strongly than ever and the burly fullback could be the key to the Packers' offensive. If Jim's rushing - along with Paul Hornung and Tom Moore, Starr's chance of passing successfully to Boyd Dowler, Bob Long, Carroll Dale, Max McGee and Marv Fleming are increased sharply. While the Bays' offense goes out for a "comeback," the Packer defense will be exposed to its stiffest test of the season. The Bears have averaged 38 points in their three victories, which is fair warning...FACE LEADERS: The Packer defense has ground the first six foes down to a fancy 74 points - just a shade over 12 per start, but the unit will be faced with two league leaders - Rudy Bukich, the top passer; and Gale Sayers, who is tied for the top in scoring. These are the two "danger" categories - passing and scoring, and the Bears have been exceptional in both. Bukich has thrown 12 touchdown
defensive tactics the Packers formerly used as a matter of routine against the Bears were going to have to undergo some revision. The Bears now have outside speed, a requisite they had lacked for a number of seasons, and the Packers no longer can concentrate on pass defense...JIM WILL BE THERE: Physically the Bears are in excellent shape. The Packers also are reported to be fit for battle, although Jim Taylor, their great fullback, issued a gloomy case history on his leg ailment in midweek. In the Bear camp, Taylor's pronouncement resulted in some eye lifting. Why should he wait until just before the Bear game to publicly admit infirmities that have plagues him all season? And particularly, when the grapevine is carrying word of his complete recovery. The Bears expect to see Taylor at his best. There is no other way to approach a Packer game.
passes and has a completion percentage of 61.1. Sayers, also a passer with two completions in two attempts - one for a TD, has scored five touchdowns on passes and four on rushing. For good measure, the Bears have the best tight end in the league in Mike Ditka - not to mention Johnny Morris, who caught 93 passes last year, and the young no-college fullback, Andy Livingston, who is averaging 5.5 yards on 38 carries...SEEK 36TH WIN: Sayers and Livingston gained 150 yards between 'em in 24 attempts in the first Packer-Bear game. The Packers will be seeking their 36th win in the long series. The Bears won 52 and six games ended in ties. The two rivals haven't split a series since 1960 when Chicago won in Green Bay 17-14 and the Pack won in Chicago 41-13. The Packers swept both games in 1961 and 1962, while the Bears, in winning the title, won both in '63. Green Bay won both in '64.
