Green Bay Packers (7-2) 6, Los Angeles Rams (1-8) 3
Sunday November 14th 1965 (at Milwaukee)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(MILWAUKEE) - The Packer offense may be out in left field - at the moment, that is - but the Packer defense sure knows what to do in County Stadium's short left field. There is this space behind the left side of the baseball infield. And perhaps it should be hallowed Green Bay ground. The Colts got down to the spot - around the 20-yard line - and they were on their way to tying or beating the Pack in the waning seconds Sept. 26. Tom Matte fumbled and Herb Adderley recovered to save a 20-17 victory. The Packers and Rams were locked in a bitter 3 to 3 defensive struggle with two minutes left Sunday and the Rams had the ball - until Bill Munson fumbled and Lionel Aldridge recovered in that spot. Six plays later - from the seven-yard line (the line of scrimmage was on the one-inch line), Don Chandler kicked the field goal that gave Green Bay a precious 6 to 3 victory with 37 seconds left. Chandler must rank as a special hero in Beertown. He has kicked two field goals in each of the three league games here. His boots were the difference in the Colt game; the two in the Cowboy game were enough to win that 13-3 struggle; and besides the winning boot vs. the Rams he kicked a 22-yarder to tie the game in the first quarter. Sixty to three or six to three. It all looked the same in the standings today. The Packers, with 7-2, are one game behind the leading Colts (8-1) and two games ahead of the Vikings, Lions and Bears (each with 5-4). The Packers now play the Vikings in Bloomington, Minn. The Packer defense was superb and the Rams never got beyond the 50 from midway in the second quarter to the end in what turned out to be a "historical" battle before a record crowd of 48,485. This was the first game in 27 years that the Packers and their opponent battled 60 minutes without a touchdown. Back in '38, the Bears nipped Green Bay 2-0 in a driving rainstorm. The weather was great Sunday - cold, crisp, dry, little wind, and apparently just right for the defenses which didn't permit more than two straight first downs by either team. In the end, the team with the fewest mistakes scored the victory. The Packers fumbled once - by Tom Moore to set up the Rams' only field goal - and didn't permit an interception. The Packer defense recovered three fumbles (by Dave Robinson, Willie Davis and the payoff by Aldridge) and intercepted one pass - by Doug Hart, to kill off the Rams' last hope. The Rams had the ball 12 times and reached Packer territory just three times - the first on Moore's fumble on the third play of the game and the other two times in the second quarter. In each case, Bruce Gossett tried field goals. He hit the first from 35 yards and then missed from 42 and 35 in the second period. The Packers allowed the Rams 116 yards rushing (60 by Les Josephson), but they all but eliminated the Ram air attack with 26 yards. The defense hurled Bill Munson five times for 43 yards. The big defensive play was Ron Kostelnik's tackle of Munson that forced the fumble the Packers turned into the winning field goal. Kostelnik went in untouched and shook the ball out of Munson's hand by "pinning" his arms. Aldridge flopped on the loose ball. The Packer offense ran into a strong defensive showing by the Rams, but the hard-pressed unit came up with 177 yards. And this is something to holler about in view of the drop off the last three Sundays. The Packers picked up 102 yards rushing with Jim Taylor looking good, gaining 68 yards. The Bay air game was limited to 75 yards, and the Rams tossed Bart Starr four times, and Zeke Bratkowski once, for 45 yards in all. Starr hit four of nine passes for 73 yards and set up Chandler's tying field goal with a 22-yard pass to Taylor to the Ram 22. Just before the third quarter ended, Bratkowski took over at quarterback and hit two of three passes and five first downs the rest of the way. While the Packer offensers weren't knock down any fences, the "scorers" had the ball 13 times and got into Ram territory seven times - four in the fourth quarter. This was quite an accomplishment in view of the Rams' determined defense, not to mention the offensive problems of late.
The Bays turned in 56 plays, averaging 3.2 yards per, against the Rams' 49 and 2.9. Other than Moore's fumble, the Packers didn't have another fumble or an interception. The Packers hurt themselves, especially in the first half, with penalties. Chandler attempted four field goals and missed on two - from 46 yards in the second quarter and from 45 in the fourth period. The tight struggle produced 11 punts - six by Chandler for an average of 41.7 yards. Billy Lothridge averaged 37 on five boots. Things looked bleak for the Pack early. In quick order, Herb Adderley fumbled the opening kickoff in the end zone but recovered and ran to the 20; Moore fumbles and the Rams recovered; Taylor slipped on his first carry and missed the handoff, leaving Starr with the ball; Taylor then gained 10 yards for a first down but the Packers were offside. The tide "turned," as it were, as Kosetlnik caught Munson back on his own four. This forced an end zone punt and the Bays got position on the Ram 41. Starr was trapped for a seven-yard pass but he then threw to Taylor for 22 to the 22. Three plays netted seven yards and Chandler then tied the game with his first field goal. The Rams picked up a couple of first downs, reaching the Packer 19, but Munson was trapped twice in a row and Gossett wound up missing a field goal from the 42 early in the second quarter. After Dan Currie, the former Packer, was hurt hitting Taylor on a 13-yard run Chandler was forced to punt. The Bays got it right back when Robinson recovered Baker's fumble on the Ram 38. Starr was thrown for a 16-yard loss and the crowd let out quite a "boo" before Taylor went up the middle for 12 and Starr passed to Fleming for eight. Chandler then missed from the 46. The Rams tried some razzle dazzle with Baker rolling to his right and then throwing a left handed pass to Munson across the field. Munson then pitched a 35-yard pass to McDonald on the Packer 30. The attack stalled, with Munson getting tossed back seven yards, and Gossett missed a field goal from the 37. It was back and forth in the third quarter with the Packers once getting the ball at midfield when Davis recovered Munson's fumble. Near the end of the third quarter, Bratkowski took over at QB and passed to Paul Hornung for 10 yards to the 50. Taylor and Hornung hit for 12 yards and another first down but that was all. Early in the fourth period, from the Bay 29, Hornung completed his first option pass of the year - a 29-yarder to Fleming to the 48. Bratkowski pitched 18 yards to the Ram 35 and the picture was rosy - until Jones hit Zeke for a nine-yard loss. Chandler tried a field goal from the 45, but it fell short. Clancy took the ball on the goal line and Robinson put him down on the six. The Packers had the Rams in a hole but they escaped with two first downs on Munson passes to McKeever to the 35. But that's where Kostelnik and Aldridge collaborated, and the Bays took over on the 20. From there, Hornung hit for 7, Taylor 3, Taylor 3, Hornung nothing and Taylor just short of the goal line. In fact, it appeared that he was in - easy - but the official moved it out an inch from the goal line with 40 seconds left. Chandler than hit the winning field goal. On the Rams' first play, Hart put up his right arm - a la fair catch - to tell his teammates that he was going to intercept Munson's wild pass. Taylor then ran out the clock in four plays.
LOS ANGELES - 3 0 0 0 - 3
GREEN BAY - 3 0 0 3 - 6
LOS ANGELES GREEN BAY
First downs 9 10
Rush-yards-TDs 28-116-0 38-102-0
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 7-16-69-0-1 7-13-120-0-0
Sacked-yards 5-43 5-45
Net pass yards 26 75
Total yards 142 177
Fumbles-lost 3-3 3-1
Turnovers 4 1
Penalties-yards 3-39 5-42
SCORING
1st - LA - Bruce Gossett, 35-yard field goal LOS ANGELES 3-0
1st - GB - Don Chandler, 22-yard field goal TIED 3-3
4th - GB - Chandler, 7-yard field goal GREEN BAY 6-3
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 19-68, Paul Hornung 8-18, Elijah Pitts 6-14, Tom Moore 3-3, Bart Starr 1-0, Zeke Bratkowski 1-(-1)
LOS ANGELES - Les Josephson 14-60, Ben Wilson 6-25, Bill Munson 2-18, Terry Baker 5-13, Willie Brown 1-0
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 9-4-73, Zeke Bratkowski 3-2-28, Paul Hornung 1-1-19
LOS ANGELES - Bill Munson 16-7-69 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 2-49, Marv Fleming 2-27, Max McGee 1-18, Carroll Dale 1-16, Paul Hornung 1-10
LOS ANGELES - Marlin McKeever 4-39, Tommy McDonald 1-35, Ben Wilson 1-4, Les Josephson 1-(-9)
VINCE SALUTES DEFENSE; SVARE NOTES 'FUMBLE'
NOV 15 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Although a dedicated perfectionist, Vince Lombardi is, above all things, an eminently practical realist. When asked, in the wake of Sunday's 6-3 "pitchers' duel" with the hulking Los Angeles Rams in County Stadium, if he had seen "any other game in which neither team scored a touchdown," the ex-Block of Granite flashed a broad smile and countered, "About five or seven of 'em." "Before I'm finished," he added with philosophical aplomb, "there'll be a few more, I'm sure." Lombardi, who earlier had announced "Certainly, I'm happy with the victory," took obvious pleasure in another salutary development. "For the first time in three or four weeks, our running game looked like it was coming," he declared. "And Taylor (Jim) ran better than he has all season." "So even the blackest days have a little light," he chuckled, appending in an aside to a Los Angeles scribe, "Eh, Bob Oates?" Why had he supplanted Bart Starr at quarterback with Zeke Bratkowski? "I thought it would give us a little lift," Vince replied. "The other boy hadn't been able to get us moving." "Yes," he agreed in response to another question, "Bratkowski did a good job of moving the team. He did very well." Did he intend to employ the same offensive combination against the Vikings in Minnesota next weekend? "How do I know," the Packer major-domo shot back. "You live from day to day in this business." Lombardi laughed and continued, "I don't even know what combination I had in there at the end of the game." Some observers felt that Taylor had "scored" on the third down play prior to the Packers' winning field goal, it was interjected. "Taylor was in there," Lombardi asserted, nodding his head vigorously for emphasis. "Depending whether the ball was up here or done at the waist," a Los Angeles writer facetiously suggested. "Are you trying to be funny?" Lombardi queried, his brow darkening. "Are you trying to be a comedian? I don't like comedians. This isn't a funny game." The conversation turned to the defense, again heroic in victory as it had been in defeat a week earlier. "They played an excellent, fine defensive game," Vince said. "Willie Davis and Lionel Aldridge played very well," Lombardi said, adding, "I believe they gave the game ball to Lionel. And the linebackers did a real good job. Actually, it's not fair to single out anyone," he pointed out, "because they did so well."...As might be expected, the Rams' youthful headmaster, Harland (Swede) Svare, had little difficulty pinpointing the Angelenos' downfall. "Yes, it had to be Munson's fumble," the dapper ex-Giant linebacker, a one-time Lombardi pupil, sadly agreed, "It was our ball and we were driving. We brought it out from the end zone." Elaborating on that development, Svare reported, "Bill didn't even see Kostelnik (Packer defensive tackle Ron) coming in. He was completely at Kostelnik's mercy. And he couldn't even remember the fumble because Kostelnik had hold of him." Had he been surprised to see his athletes hold the Pack without a touchdown? "A coach should never say he's surprised to find his team doing anything like that," Swede said wryly, absent-mindedly rolling a set of statistics sheets in his palms while holding forth from a table in the heart of the now nearly-deserted Ram dressing room. "But, yes, i guess I would have to say that I really didn't expect t hold the Packers without a touchdown. But," he noted, "it was that kind of a game. They played very well defensively and we played very well defensively." Did he sense any possible trend, suggested in some quarters, which might find the defense dominating the offense? "No, I don't," was the unhesitating reply. "There are a lot of high scoring games. This one today was just one of those things - you get in games like that once in a while where
both defenses are up." Would he say this had been the Rams' best defensive effort? Again there was no hesitation. "Oh, yes," Svare replied with obvious fervor. And that startling 35-yard Terry Baker-Bill Munson-Tommy McDonald collaboration, longest gainer of the afternoon, in the second quarter? Had it been called from the bench? Svare said it hadn't. Had it been successfully attempted in any previous game? "It's been attempted," Swede replied, with some apparent reluctance, but would go no further. Asked about the physical status of former Packer linebacker Dan Currie, injured in the second quarter, Svare reported, "Currie was just knocked out - he's all right now." Currie, it might be added, subsequently discovered Wisconsin's fans hadn't forgotten him. He was tendered warm and substantial applause while being helped to the sidelines by two teammates after "colliding" with Jim Taylor, who was en route to a 13-yard burst up the middle...PROPHET?: "McGee (teammate Max) made the quote of the week," Paul Hornung chortled in the dressing room after the struggle. "I asked him earlier in the week what he thought the score would be today and he said, 'Oh, it'll probably be 3 to 2.'"
'DON'T THINK HE SAW ME' - KOSTELNIK
NOV 15 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "As I went int, the center was supposed to block me, but I was hiding behind the guard and I don't think he saw me." Continuing with "Anatomy of a Fumble," a fortuitous two-man maneuver which enabled the Packers to forge a last-minute 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams here Sunday afternoon, mountainous Ron Kostelnik explained, "As the guard spun out, he was looking up field and I had such a steep angle, I don't think he saw me. It was just one of those lucky things - sometimes you rush right in there and sometimes you hold back." "When I got to Munson (Ram quarterback Bill Munson), he was raising up to throw the ball. At least," Kostelnik grinned, "I think he was." "I don't think I hit him that hard - it was just one of those lucky things. I couldn't get to the ball but Lionel (Aldridge) was there, thank heaven. I saw a lot of white shirts down there, so I wasn't too sure we were gong to get it." Aldridge, the third-year defensive end whose highly opportune recovery set up Don Chandler's decisive 7-yard field goal less than two minutes later, revealed with a happy smile, "The ball was on the ground a little before I got there." The impressively hewn Utah State alumnus, later presented with the game ball by his grateful colleagues, added, "Carollo (Ram tackle Joe) was trying to move me to the inside and I was trying to fight to the outside to cut the play off - I thought Munson might run. When I saw the ball, I went inside - and when I turned and started to go for the ball, I think Carrollo realized that it was a fumble. But I had a little edge, so I was able to cut him off and beat him to the ball." Happy over the honor done him by his teammates, the handsome Californian exhibited a shy smile and confided, "It was quite a thrill. It's the first time I ever got it."..."SCREEN YOU OFF": Another defensive hero, alternate captain Willie Davis, conceded it had been a grueling afternoon. "They have a very good offense and this Munson is a great quarterback potentially," Aldridge's all-pro opposite said. "He does such a good job of getting out of pressure. And their line is as big as any in the league which means they take a lot away from the defense - they don't worry about you overpowering 'em. As a result, they can play you different - they try to screen you off from the passer. And Munson's like Unitas - he gets back to set up in a hurry." Although he had been officially denied a privately disputed touchdown by a scant inch, Jim Taylor's rugged features were wreathed in smiles a few feet to the left of Davis. The Bayou Bronco, obviously delighted over the discovery he could once again run with his former authority after shaking off a nagging heel injury, reported, "My head and shoulders were past the post." Taylor, who had reference to that third down stab in the final minute of play, appended, "The rule says the ball has to break the plane (an invisible line running from the crossbar to the ground), and I think I hit the post with my back and slid inside. I know I was across the goal line." Inclined to be magnanimous since the matter was now happily academic, the multi-muscled linebuster pointed, "But they (the officials) were right on the play and they made the decision." Tossing a bouquet in the direction of the offensive line, much-maligned of late by some of the faithful, "We came off the ball real well," Taylor said. "We had good, solid blocking." "I don't know if the statistics will show it," he summed up with a slightly apologetic smile, "but we did a lot better on the ground today then we have been doing." Offensive Capt. Bob Skoronski happily concurred, "I think our running game was better than it has been - and that was our objective today." It hadn't been easy, he added fervently. "They're a tough football team and that's a great defensive, believe me. I'd much rather work our running game against some other front four," Skoronski said dryly. "We hope this is the one that gets us over the hill." Don Chandler, author of that all-important field goal in the waning seconds, said the angle on the short-range stab had been no problem. "The ball was just off the post," he explained. Any fleeting butterflies? "No," he replied with a smile, "not from that distance. If it had been out there about 40 yards, I might have been a little worried." Soft-spoken Zeke Bratkowski, who had driven the Pack to the one-inch line in the wake of the Kostelnik-Aldridge collaboration to set the stage for Chandler's climatic kick, pointed out, "The closer it is the better it is, so we tried to keep in the middle." Had he been surprised when summoned to replace Bart Starr at quarterback late in the third quarter? "No, as I said after we beat the Colts down here earlier in the season (Brat came off the bench to pitch a winning touchdown to Max McGee), I just come every week ready to play. I have to - I can't let myself get down. It would hurt me and it would hurt the team. Bart and I have a unique situation. We just help each other - no matter who's in there. Winning is the important thing." Starr, one of sport's greatest gentlemen, expressed similar sentiments when asked if he had been unhappy over being relieved. "I didn't feel bad at all," he smiles. "We're out to win. Zeke and I are close friends. If he can go in there, I have no ill feelings. We're a team first." Two doors down, Paul Hornung was his old jaunty self after a productive second half (he was not employed in the first) and confident about the immediate future. Toweling himself in front of his locker, Hornung declared, "We just got ourselves in a rut and it's going to take us a little while to get out of it. But if we can stay in contention playing this bad, we should be ready to roll when we snap out of it."
NORM VAN BROCKLIN RESIGNS
NOV 15 (Minneapolis-St. Paul) - Coach Norm Van Brocklin of the Minnesota Vikings resigned today. A Viking aide said he understood the resignation was effective immediately. There was no immediate clarification of the sudden move by the Dutchman, who had become a legendary quarterback with NFL teams in Los Angeles and Philadelphia before taking over the fledgling Vikings in their initial NFL season in 1961. Last year, Van Brocklin piloted the Vikings to a second-place tie with Green Bay in the Western Division. His move came less than 24 hours after the Vikings lost a 41-21 decision to the league-leading Baltimore Colts in Minnesota. The Vikings are in a three-way tie for third place in the Western Division with Detroit and Chicago, all with 5-4 records. Van Brocklin apparently called in a small group of Twin Cities football writers this morning and told them of his decision. He reportedly said he had "taken the team as far as I can." Jim Finks, general manager of the Vikings, and other Vikings officials were not immediately available for comment. Van Brocklin told the writers he was not under pressure to quit and would not take a coaching job anywhere else. Van Brocklin was asked if he was interested in a front office job and he replied, "No, I'm not that type." Van Brocklin told the writers he wanted to spend some time with his family. "They've been getting away from me already," he said. He said he hoped offensive line coach Walt Yowarsky would take the head coaching job. "I'm resigning effective immediately," Van Brocklin told the writers. "I've been leading them up to the big game and we can't win it. It's not the fault of the players, it's the coach." Van Brocklin said he was not considering any other coaching job.
GATE MARKS FALL AT PACKER GAME
NOV 15 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Two attendance records were set the Packer-Ram game Sunday, it was announced during the game by Ockie Krueger, in charge of the Pack's Milwaukee affairs. The attendance of 48,485 broke the record of 48,311 at the Packer-Cowboy game Oct. 24. The attendance for the three league games here this year was 144,926, which broke the record of 143,062 set in 1964.
'HAVE TO KEEP OUR SENSE OF BALANCE,' VINCE
NOV 16 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers have scored 36 points in their last four games - an average of nine per start. The production has decreased steadily - 13 against the Cowboys, 10 vs. the Bears, 7 vs. the Lions and 6 last Sunday against the Rams. Despite the obvious dropoff on offense, the Bays won two of those four games and today rest a solid second in the Western Division - one game behind the Colts and two in front of the Lions, Bears and Vikings. The Packers next meet the Vikings in Minnesota Sunday. Will the offense pick up? "If we can come out of this (the offensive drought), we'll be all right," Coach Vince Lombardi said today after viewing the films of the 6-3 win over the Rams Monday. "We go into each game feeling that we can start scoring again. The main thing is to keep our sense of balance," Vince added. The Packers picked up 177 yards on the Rams - more than twice the 68 they gained in the 12-7 loss to the Lions. "We're doing things right, but we don't seem to be able to score. Sunday we stopped ourselves, penalties and other things," Vince said. The Packers had the ball seven times in the first half. The first time they lost it on Tom Moore's fumble and on three other starts penalties interfered. The second time an offside ruined a first down at midfield and forced a punt. On the third try the Bays went in for Don Chandler's first field goal from the 22. On the next four tries (all in the second quarter), penalties stopped the push on the first, second and fourth attempts. Lombardi was pleased to note that "our running game picked up." The Packers rushed for 102 yards, including 68 by Taylor, and Vince noted that "we were blocking beautifully." The coach had planned to use Paul Hornung some at Taylor's fullback position, but Jim was running so well that he abandoned the idea. Hornung's speed as a halfback has diminished but the powerhouse runner still maintains enough speed for the so-called fullback position. Actually, Taylor and Hornung are "running backs" and their positions are interchangeable. In an attempt to develop more speed at "left half," Elijah Pitts was started against the Lions in Green Bay. Tom Moore got the opening call at that spot against the Rams and carried on the first three plays. He gained 1 and 3 yards before fumbling on a right end run. Pitts did the rest of the runbacking in the first half. Hornung started the second half and finished the game at left half. Paul finished off with 8 carries for 18 yards and Taylor, in the second half, had 29 yards in 11 attempts. The Bays did a little more passing in the second half - 8 attempts and 4 completions against 5-3 in the first. Defensively, Lombardi reiterated his "they were excellent" remarks of Monday and added that the Rams "made one flea flicker pass for 35 yards and did nothing other than that." The Packers heard a report from Scout Wally Cruice today on the Vikings. And adding to the "interest" was the sudden resignation of Coach Norm Van Brocklin in the wake of the Vikings' loss to the Colts. Asked about Van Brocklin, Vince said, "I don't think he has quit, but if he has he'll be back." The interesting question is what effect the resignation of Van Brocklin will have on the Vikings next Sunday. "I have no answer for that one," Vince laughed. The big job for Lombardi and the Packers is preparing their own forces for the Vikings. The business in Minnesota is of no concern here.
INCHES COULD HAVE 'CHANGED' PACKERS
NOV 16 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Talk about a game of inches. In the space of 14 plays (10 by the Packers) near the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth period Sunday, the Packers missed two important receptions and a "stopped" punt - by inches. Any one of them might have changed the complexion of the game. The Packers had a second down and eight on the Ram 46-yard line when Bart Starr threw a 15-yard pass to Boyd Dowler. The Packer flanker caught the ball but he was just barely (inches) out of bounds. Two plays later Don Chandler punted and the ball hopped around near the goal line. Bob Jeter came in like a flash but (of all things) official Joe Gonzales blocked his path. By the time Jeter knocked Gonzales out of his way he just barely from the goal line. But it rolled in and instead of the Rams taking over virtually on the goal line, they had it on the 20. Ten plays later, the Packers had a third and 19 situation on their own 47. Zeke Bratkowski hit Max McGee with a long throw on the Ram 30 (enough for a first down) but, again, it was a miss by inches. Max had one foot in and one foot out. It's no wonder Coach Vince Lombardi measured out one inch with his thumb and forefinger after the game and exclaimed "we're just that far from making things go." He was referring to the offense. And the biggest inch of all, of course, was where the officials put the ball down after Jim Taylor went in for a "touchdown" in the final seconds. The officials ruled otherwise, however, and the Bays won it with Chandler's field goal. Incidentally, Jeter was roaring made after getting "blocked" by the official. You would have thought Gonzales would have said something to Bob like "me and my big feet" or 'where did you come from" but Jeter said he didn't say a word. Jeter still managed to touch the ball but couldn't control it. He said Junior Coffey "hit my hand just about that time, too." The boys in the press box had a little entertainment during the game. One of the Rams' scouts was on the telephone to the Ram bench in the corner of the box and his screaming into the phone came through (to the press) loud and clear. Early in the second quarter, Terry Baker fumbled and they kicked the ball some eight yards where Dave Robinson recovered. Two plays later (after Chandler missed a field goal from the 46), Baker hit center for four yards and a first down on the Ram 32. The scout was furious - "Get that Baker out of there before he fumbles. He's carrying the ball too high." The "french" was deleted from his blast. Baker carried on the very next play - for three yards and then (on the next play) Baker took a pitchout to the right, wheeled and lefthanded a pass to Bill Munson who promptly threw to Tommy McDonald for a 35-yard gain to the Packer 30. The scout's word must have reached the sideline by that time and Baker did come out. Thank you. Les Josephson made four yards and Ben Wilson, who replaced Baker, added three. The Packer defense threw Munson for a seven-yard loss, and Bruce Gossett missed a field goal from the 37. Wonder what would have happened if Baker had stayed in. The noisy scout was sure he was going to fumble again. Maybe so, the way the Packers were hitting out there.
VAN BROCKLIN REJOINS VIKINGS
NOV 16 (Minneapolis-St. Paul) - Coach Norm Van Brocklin of the Minnesota Vikings, who resigned suddenly Monday, reconsidered today and rejoined the club. General Manager Jim Finks announced at the news conference, "Norm realizes he acted hastily, and he is ready to come back." In an emotional news conference Monday after losing to the Baltimore Colts 41-21 Sunday, Van Brocklin said he was resigning and would not reconsider. He had said he had taken the Vikings as far as he could and blamed himself for the loss to Baltimore. Van Brocklin said at the time he was through with football. The Vikings had built a 5-3 record prior to the Baltimore game and Van Brocklin had hoped his team could win the NFL race. Finks told newsmen this noon he and Van Brocklin had met until the "wee hours" this morning. "He's ready to come back to work," Finks said. "Being the perfectionist that he is, he expected the ball club to win. It was a bitter pill to swallow. I think he realizes he made a mistake. He realizes that he belongs in football." Van Brocklin was not at the news conference. Finks said he met with his players at 10 a.m. and was meeting with his coaching staff this noon to make plans for next Sunday's game here against the Green Bay Packer. Finks said the Vikings didn't lose a step because of the resignation and reconsideration because the club doesn't work out on Mondays anyways. He said the assistant coaches met Monday and made plans for the Green Bay game to keep the ball rolling. "There is no change in Van Brocklin's contract," Finks said. Van Brocklin is in the midst of a three-year contract with the Vikings. "There was nothing ever discussed pertaining to the contract," Finks said. Finks said Van Brocklin telephoned him about 9 p.m. Monday and told him he wanted to see him. Finks said he went to Van Brocklin's house and "Norm indicated he wanted to return to the club." "Norm said he realized he acted hastily and told me, 'I want to come back to work at 8:30 a.m.,'" Finks said. Asked why he thought Van Brocklin made his shocking resignation Monday, Finks said, "He's very emotional."
PACK PLAYING CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENSE
NOV 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The time has come to salute the Packers' staunch defense. While all the wordage these days has been on what the offense hasn't been doing, little has been said about what the defense has been doing. Let's change that today. And merely wish the offense "good luck" for Sunday in Minnesota. The defense has allowed 120 points - an average of 13.3 per game. This is championship defensing and it's even more impressive when you consider the high trend is toward higher scoring. The defense had pitched three no-touchdown games - against the Steelers, who scored three field goals; the Cowboys, one field goal; and the Rams, one field goal. Here's how the defensers worked in the first nine games: Steelers, 9 points; Colts, 17; Bears, 14; 49ers, 10; Lions, 21 (including one TD on an interception runback); Cowboys, 3; Bears, 31; Lions, 12; and Rams, 3. The "blanking" of the Rams in Milwaukee Sunday was a startling example of how the defense has been keeping the Packers in the thick of the Western race. With a damaging tie almost a certainty, the defense forced a fumble, recovered it, and set up the winning field goal by Don Chandler. The feat was recognized nationally with the selection of Lionel Aldridge, who recovered the fumble, as the defensive player of the week in the Associated Press poll. Aldridge dropped Ram QB Bill Munson twice, deflected a pass and shares in several tackles besides grabbing the fumble which was set up by a hard tackle by Ron Kostelnik. Coach Vince Lombardi
called the defense's job Sunday "superb" and went right down the line of players in praising their work. The unit is coached by Phil Bengtson and Dave Hanner, who handled the line and linebackers, and Norb Hecker, the backfield. Only two changes have been made in the unit since the season started - both for injuries. Hank Jordan was out for two plays against the Bears in Chicago and Rick Marshall replaced him while repairs were made. Ray Nitschke missed the Lion game and part of the Ram game and Tommy Crutcher went to outside linebacker while Lee Roy Caffey moved from that spot to Nitschke's middle position. Willie Davis, the Bays' all-pro at defense end, is having a terrific year and he noted that, "Aldridge has great potential and all he lacks is confidence. And after Sunday I doubt if he lacks that anymore." Kostelnik and Jordan form the middle of the line with Davis and Aldridge on the outside. The linebackers are Coffey, Nitschke and Dave Robinson, while the four "outfielders" are Willie Wood and Tom brown at the safeties and Doug Hart and Herb Adderley at the corners, with Hank Gremminger in reserve. Wood and Adderley, with four each, have eight of the Bays' 18 interceptions. The unit also has recovered 25 fumbles. Besides the fewest point allowed, the Packer tacklers have permitted the fewest yards, 2,269 - an average of 252, in the league. Opponents apparently feel they can rush on the Packers, and they have used the rush just about three times more than the pass. In the first nine games, Packer foes rushed 304 times for 2,269 yards - an average of 4.2 per trip. They have hurled only 102 passes at the Packers for a league-low of 990 yards. Enemy passers have completed only 45.3 percent of their throws against Green Bay. Other than in the Bear game in Chicago, when the Bears whammed 62 yards in 10 rushes for a touchdown, the enemy rushers made most of their yardage in their own territory. The Rams, for instance, got pretty frisky with their rushing game in Milwaukee, advancing 116 yards on the ground. However, only 20 yards was made in Packer territory - on back-to-back runs of 15 by Les Josephson and 5 by Terry Baker to the Packer 19 in the third quarter. The defense then hurled Munson back twice - for 16 yards. The defense now faces a new double-type problem - a strong rushing game in Tommy Mason and Bill Brown and a different type quarterback in Fran Tarkenton. The defense never rests.
PERSONALITY PARADE
NOV 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Tha mysterious semi-swoon known to the sporting gentry as a slump, a temporary decline which strikes with perceptible cause, is commonly associated with the practitioners of baseball. In view of recent developments along the Packer front, however, the question inevitably has arisen, can such a malady strike football players, individually and/or collectively? Deep-chested Dan Grimm, the Pack's thoughtful third-year guard, is inclined to the affirmative view. In fact, he theorizes, just such an inexplicable occurrence may be at least partially responsible for the problems the offense has encountered in recent weeks. Grimm, now convinced the attacking wall is on the way back following a more authoritative performance in last Sunday's tightfisted 6-3 decision over the grudging Los Angeles Rams at Milwaukee County Stadium, launched his analysis by noting, "I think some of it is just circumstances. They (the defense) just happen to be running a blitz when you're in a pass pattern, that sort of thing." "I'm not too concerned," he added. "It might have been just a slump like a batter gets in. Those things happen. But I think we're coming back - they moved the ball pretty well Sunday. We had some penalties that stopped the drive a couple of time, but generally we move the ball pretty well. And that's a great defensive line. That Merlin Olsen is tremendous, and Davey Jones is great. And Grier (Rosey) and Lundy (Lamar) are awfully tough, too. That's the only defensive line in football," he continued with a chuckle, "that can cover from hash mark to hash mark." Unable to find any other logical explanation for the recent recession, the 24-year-old University of Colorado alumnus pointed out, "There's no reason why we shouldn't be just as good as last season (when he held forth at left guard after the first game and the Packers led the league in total yardage). It's the same players." Elaborating upon the slump theory, Dan observed, "I think it's just one of those things - like a golfer who can hit the ball 300 yards one day and slices it the next. Like coach (Vince Lombardi) says, it's a game of inches. Sometimes an inch would break a back all the way for a touchdown, and sometimes...Of course," he was quick to add, "we've hit some great defenses the last four weeks. Dallas (a 13-3 Packer victim) has one of the finest in the league, the Bears' defense was just getting together when we played them, and Detroit, of course, has a great defense. And the Rams have a good defensive club. And, of course, you have to give your opponent some credit. When we stop another team's offense, I don't think you hear the other team finding fault with its defense." Could it be the enemy is employing unusual defenses? "I can't really answer that," Dan replied, after a brief pause. "They've been running a little 6-1 on us, but it looks like the same 4-3 defense, except they bring the linebackers up." Grimm had a ready answer for the coffee shop quarterbacks who contend that Bart Starr (hailed by many of the same experts as pro football's premier field general only four weeks ago) "is holding the ball too long."...'SIMPLE AS THAT': "I don't think he's holding the ball any longer than he has been," the massive young Iowan declared without hesitation. "Some patterns open up real quickly, and some don't. I think it's as simple as that." An off-season resident of Des Moines, Grimm is a former Iowa state high school heavyweight wrestling champion. He confined himself to football at Colorado, however, pointing out, "Wrestling would have taken too much time. It starts during the football season and runs right into spring football practice." Father of a 16-month-old son, Kevin, Dan admits it's a little early to assess his offspring's football potential, but he says fondly, "He's a good boy, though. We enjoy him a lot."
PEACE RESTORED IN VIKING CAMP
NOV 17 (Minneapolis-St. Paul) - Peace was restored early Tuesday in the Minnesota Vikings' family after a tempestuous 24 hours during which stormin' Norman Van Brocklin, the head coach, quit, reconsidered and humbly retired. The question today became what effect the tornadic episode will have on the Vikings, who return to the NFL wars Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, runner-up to Baltimore in the Western Conference. Has the insecurity of Monday, when Van Brocklin quit in a fit of depression over four defeats this season, hurt team morale and delayed preparations for the Packer game? Or will the Vikings' players, relieved and happy to have back the only coach the team has ever had in 4 1/2 seasons, rise to the heights and go after the Packers like a pack of northern wolves? Everybody connected with the Vikings - players, coaches and front office alike - insist the stormy 24 hours will either have no effect on Sunday's game or will, indeed, inspire the Vikings. Green Bay publicist Tom Miller, present Tuesday noon at the Viking Fan Club meeting at which news of Van Brocklin's return drew a loud cheer, said: "I've heard of theatrics to get a team up for a game, but this is ridiculous." Whatever the effect, Van Brocklin was a relieved man Tuesday after, he said, he "came to his senses." "There is no explanation," the volatile, 39-year-old Dutchman said of his original decision to quit. "I just became depressed, but I later realized I didn't want to quit. I've lived a life of not being a quitter. I just wasn't being rational. I couldn't think straight. I was feeling so sorry for myself that I made this great mistake. I apologize to everyone. I'm very sorry that I embarrassed myself, my family, and my friends. I'm gateful to be back."
EFFECT OF VAN'S MOVE ON VIKES? IT'S A GOOD QUESTION
NOV 18 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The hottest question today is: What will the Vikings' reaction be to the sudden departure and return of Coach Norm Van Brocklin? Answer have been varied and they add up the following enlighteners: "Wait'll Sunday." "We don't know." "That's the big question." Tom Miller, the Packers' publicity chief who has been in the Twin Cities this week to provide the press, radio and TV with the Packer story, said today "emotions seem to be mixed," adding: "People here seem to be divided on Van Brocklin's move and you don't know right now which way it will go. Of course, no one really knows how the players feel about it." Miller will be Van Brocklin's weekly television show tonight and he laughed, "I'll probably find out a lot." John Thompson, the Vikings' publicity chief, explained that "I really have no idea what the reaction will be." Van Brocklin, himself, couldn't be reached by phone. Oddly enough, the "result" of the Van Brocklin thing perhaps in being blown out of proportion. This is not a hot topic, for instance, in the Packer camp where Coach Vince Lombardi is putting the emphasis on offense with some real rugged drills - particularly on protection for the passer. The problems here are (1) scoring touchdowns and (2) defensing the Vikings' high scoring offense and Fran Tarkenton in particular. And speaking about "questions," another one in Vikingland is the availability of Tommy Mason, the Vikings' left halfback who missed the Colt game last Sunday due to injuries. Mason is rated doubtful at the moment, according to Thompson, and his place likely will be occupied by Phil King, the 220-pound former Giant who played his rookie year under Lombardi. King will share the rushing with another 220-pounder, Bill Brown, who ranks sixth in the league in rushing. Their weights would indicate that the Vikings can generate considerable ground power. King picked up 75 yards in 15 trips last Sunday, and now has 223 in 43 for a rousing 5.1 average. The Vikings scored 114 points in their last four games (the Packers counted 36) in this order: 42, 27, 24 and 21. The final posting was made in the 41-21 loss to the Colts Sunday. "Our strong point has been our offensive line," Thompson said, "and it had only one breakdown thus far - against the Colts. We've also had a big edge in ball control thus far. We had 16 plays to the Colts' 3 at the half."...THROWING TO BACKS: Paul Flatley is the Vikings' leading pass catcher with 34 receptions, but "we've been throwing to our backs quite a bit," Thompson said. pointing out that Brown has 32 receptions and Mason 27. Each has scored only one TD on passing, but Brown has six TDs rushing and Mason
seven. Red Phillips has been the Vikings' regular flanker since the third game of the season, and he has 15 catches for 185 yards and one TD. Tarkenton ranks fourth in the league in passing. He has thrown 14 TD passes and was intercepted seven times. The Vikings, by the way, are the third highest scoring team in the league with 274 points - an average of over 30 per start. San Francisco is tops with 285, and Baltimore is next with 284. The Packers have been held to 178 points in nine games - less than 20 a contest. And that's why Lombardi is prodding the offense this week.
'WE TALK 'EM OUT OF TOUCHDOWNS,' JORDAN SAYS OF PACKER DEFENSE
NOV 18 (Green Bay) - The fun-loving, fumble-forcing Green Bay Packer defenders are statistically tops in the NFL and happy Henry Jordan is one big reason why. When the 250-pound tackle isn't playing cowboys and Indians with the neighborhood children, he's helping anchor a defense that has allowed a league low of 120 points in nine games. "We talk 'em out of touchdowns," joked Jordan, a popular playmate for youngsters near his Green Bay home. "I play football and army with them, too, It's something I've always enjoyed doing, but it wears you out. They like to run for two hours without stopping. I get tired after about five minutes." "He's a real personality," said Packer tackle Ron Kostelnik. "He enjoys his work because he considers it fun. He says if you get too serious about it and starts thinking about only the things you do wrong, you won't do anything right."...GOT ALL MOVES: "And he's got all the moves that have ever been invented and then some." "The defense has got to be relaxed and laughing," said Jordan, a nine-year veteran. "It's the only way you can play." And laughter can crop up at the most unexpected times. In the heat of the action recently, Jordan spotted Kostelnik sprawled on the field. "Koz, what are you doing on the ground?" Jordan asked and laughter followed. "Sometimes I'll see Kox on the bottom of the pile, and we'll look at each other and start laughing," said Jordan, a man who doesn't forget that football is first of all a game. "When you start think it's work, its time to quit," said Jordan. Jordan hates to lose and has never played on a losing team. "And I hope I never do," he said. "You get living high on the hog, and it's hard to change."...SCORED TOUCHDOWNS: One of the glories of any lineman's life is scoring a touchdown, and Jordan scored one last season against Dallas, grabbing a fumble and running about 60 yards. "My wife watched the film highlights of the game, and said to me, 'What have they got it on slow motion for?' I said that isn't slow motion. That's me." The defense has been carrying Green Bay this season, stopping opponents cold on days the offense hasn't been able to move the ball at all. "Our offense has led this league in, I think, six of the last seven years. This year, they are letting us be the heroes for a change." Jordan is at his happiest making hard tackles. "I enjoy hitting a guy, and I ever get a thrill out of getting hit hard myself. I get hit real good and I respect the guy that did it, and try to hit him back ever harder next time."
TONIC? PACKERS UNDERDOGS FIRST TIME AGAINST VIKINGS
NOV 19 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers play as an underdog for the first time Sunday. And maybe it will be a tonic for the Bays' hard-pressed offense. Minnesota has been picked as a two-point favorite. This means, among other things, that the "experts" have given up on the Packers' chances of scoring enough to match the Vikings' point potential. The Packers, of course, couldn't care less about the so-called odds. Their major concern is scoring...The Packers are in good physical condition, Coach Vince Lombardi said today, and they're coming off what Lombardi called a good week of practice...The Vikings will open with rookie Lance Rentzel at flanker in place of veteran Red Phillips, the former Ram. Rentzel ran a kickoff back 101 yards against the Colts last Sunday. In another change, the Vikes will start George Rose at left cornerback in place of Earsell Mackbee. Phil King will open at left half in place of Tommy Mason, who has an injured leg. Mason may miss the entire game...As announced earlier in the week, Bart Starr will open at quarterback for the Packers. Zeke Bratkowski worked the last quarter-plus against the Rams last Sunday. Starr, in the Packs' split with Minnesota last year, hit on 24 of 39 passes for 402 yards and six touchdowns. Boyd Dowler caught two for TDs in the 23-21 loss here and Jim Taylor and Max McGee two each in the 42-13 victory at Minnesota...This makes it official, but it still won't count. The Packers was sure Taylor "scored" when he went over the goal line vs. the Rams last Sunday but the official put it out on the two-inch line, thus setting up one of the shortest field goals (7 yards) in NFL history. Now comes Dave Jones of the Ram defense line who said in the LA Times that Taylor really did score...Clarke Hinkle, former Packer fullback, has been named to the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. Hinkle starred at Bucknell in the 1930s. That makes two members of the triple-championship backfield in state halls. Verne Lewellen is a member of the Nebraska Hall of Fame...Wally Mahle, the Syracuse quarterback who hopes to make the Packers as a defensive back, has joined the Packer taxi squad. He reported this week after playing at Grand Rapids in the United League. Mahle went through the Pack's training camp...The Packer-Viking game in Metropolitan Stadium has been sold out months ago. The attendance will reach close to 48,000. It will be a Wisconsin weekend, so to speak, since Wisconsin will play Minnesota in the Big Ten windup in Gopher Stadium Saturday. This game will draw 52,000. Experts in Minneapolis feel that the Packer-Viking game would draw upwards of 70,000 - if the seats were available, of course.
DOWLER SEEKING FIRST TD AGAINST VIKES SUNDAY
NOV 20 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Four weeks ago, it was reported in "the peach" that Jim Taylor, of all people, hadn't scored a touchdown yet this season. The next day he reached around end for a seven-yard TD against the Cowboys in Milwaukee. Coming at the end of a Cowboy fumble, Taylor's TD nevertheless was very welcome and the major factor in the Pack's 13-3 victory. The Bays scored but one TD in each of the next two games against the Bears and Lions, and Taylor did the honors. Green Bay didn't count a seven-pointer vs. the Rams last Sunday, but Taylor was one inch from the goal line on one occasion. Now comes another Packer who is strangely missing from the scoring table, though he's been troubled with a bad shoulder. That would be Boyd Dowler, who is touchdown-less despite the fact that he leads the Bays in pass catching with 22 receptions for 262 yards. It really doesn't make any difference who scores the touchdowns, but Taylor and Dowler always were sure-fire bets to count - not to mention Paul Hornung who, like Taylor, has but three TDs. Speaking of scoring, the Packer and Viking kicking specialists have the same number of field goals. Fred Cox of the Vikings kicked 13 out of 20 attempts, while the Pack's Don Chandler has 13 for 17. Fred's longest is 46 yards while Chandler's distance top for this season is 49. The Packers will face the runningest quarterback in the league Sunday - Fran Tarkenton, the Vikings' magic rabbit, who has carried 35 times for 276 yards - an average of 7.9. We'd guess that at least 25 of those trips were unplanned - that is, they resulted from impromptu dashes after passing situations failed. The Vikings' individual offensive figures are frightening - at least compared to the Bay marks. Look at those rush averages - Tommy Mason 4.3, Bill Brown 4.5 and Phil King 5.2, and then compare 'em to Taylor's 3.2, Hornung's 3.5 and Moore's 2.8. The consolidation in this case, naturally, is the standings where the Packers are listed with 7-2 and the Vikings with 5-4. The Vikings' most spectacular figure was Lance Rentzel's 101-yard runback of a kickoff against the Colts. Rentzel has carried 10 back for 293 yards. A star at Oklahoma, who caught a TD pass from John Huarte in the All Star game, Rentzel was the Vikings' second draft choice last year.
PERSONALITY PARADE
NOV 20 (Green Bay Press-Gazette - Remember the kid who tore the Rose Bowl apart in 1963? You know, the guy who completed 33 out of 48 passes for 401 yards. The guy who added another five yards rushing despite
being decked trying to pass a couple times. The guy who brought Wisconsin from the brink of disaster to a respectable, even sensational in way, 42-37 defeat at the hands of Southern Cal. Remember that guy, a good lookin' kid from Preble High. The guy who stood the Big Ten on its ear and was named the conference's most valuable player. Don't you remember how all the pros bypassed him in the draft and then fell over each other trying to sign him after the Rose Bowl performance? Sure, you remember...Vander Kelen...Ron Vander Kelen. That was his name. Well, if the TV boys ever get a shot of the Minnesota Viking bench Sunday, you might find him crowded in among all those hulking bodies somewhere. Don't expect him to get into the game, though, he's only played in two of them so far this year and then only for a couple of minutes to run out the clock. "Just enough to get my feet wet," is how he described his action against the Colts and Giants. Other than that, "All I do is sit and watch the game and try to recognize what the other team in doing so I can do a better job in case Francis gets hurt." Francis being Fran Tarkenton, the Vikings' mad scrambler. "He's been having a good year. He makes the big plays and that's all anyone can ask of a quarterback," Vandy concedes. And this is fine for the Vikings, but isn't it a little frustrating for Vandy, who is now in his third year with the Minnesota team and has seen extended action in only two games (both with outstanding results, it must be added)? "You might say that. It's been a long time since I played and it's a lot more fun playing than sitting," he candidly answers, adding, "It would be a lot of fun to get a chance to put into practice all the things I've learned from Coach Van Brocklin. He's a great coach." Oh, yes. Van Brocklin, assuming he's still coaching the Vikes. Was that quitting business just a gimmick to get his players "up?" "I don't think so," the one-time Preble High star, says. "Coach Van Brocklin does a lot of things to get us up, but he's not the kind to go that far. We were surprised about his resignation as everybody else had to be, but I think it was just one of those things. He had some problems to straighten out, and now he has taken care of them. But it sure made for a lot of excitement up here." And how about the Vikes? "Our offense has been just great, and our defense has been doing pretty week, but we've had trouble getting them together all the time." How about the Packers? Oh, I think every team has a streak where either the offense or the defense isn't clicking and the other has to take
Bart Starr being sacked for a 7-yard loss
over and compensate for it. When you put them together, you're unbeatable?" One more question...would you like to be traded? "I'd rather not talk about that at this stage of the season, since we still have five games to play." Very diplomatic, Vandy.
NOTES AND NOTIONS
NOV 21 (Appleton Post-Crescent) - The law of averages says the Packers will have better luck in the coming draft than they did last year. You'll recall they lost high picks Larry Elkins and Alphonse Dotson to the AFL, and Allen Brown to the disabled roster. In addition, they couldn't negotiate with junior eligible Donny Anderson for a whole year. Next Saturday, the Bays will get two choices in the first round - their own and Detroit's, in payment for Ron Kramer. The earliest choice the Packers can possibly get is No. 5 in the first round. No matter how today's games come out (choices are determined on a bottom-to-top rotation on the basis of tonight's standing), Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Washington will be eligible to draft before Detroit. The Lions are one of seven teams that go into today's action with either 5-4 or 4-5 records, so the order in the middle part of the first drafting round is flexible, to say the least. The Packers will be either 12th, 13th or 14th on their own first-round pick. Whom will Green Bay try for? Undoubtedly, Vince Lombardi would answer: "The two best players still available when our first round picks come." The Packers' biggest need appears to be a big offensive lineman or two; a fast, hard-running back; a big offensive end; and perhaps even a quarterback. No one knows what plans Lombardi has for the development of a young QB behind Bart Starr and Zeke Bratkowski - because no one still knows what Dennis Claridge can do under fire. Prior to the '65 season, Lombardi said, "This is the year we must find out what Claridge can do" - or words to that effect. Thus far, Dennis has played one minute in nine games - which is one minute longer than he played in 1964.
VAN BROCKLIN REACTION LIKELY KEY TO PACKER-VIKING OUTCOME
NOV 21 (Bloomington, MN-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers and Vikings figure to react in Metroplitan Stadium this afternoon. The question is: Which way? Both team are coming away from odd situations, although the Packer plight hardly can be placed in the same category with the goings-on here earlier in the week. You might recall that Viking Coach Norm Van Brocklin resigned in a fit of disappointment at 10 o'clock Monday morning, and then changed his mind at 11:30 Tuesday morning. Now everybody is wondering how the Vikings will react to their leader's antics. It's for sure they were sky-high for the Colts game here last Sunday and, having lost, might have suffered emotionally for today's blast. However, the Van Brocklin twist could change that and make them into wild tigers. The Packers, you might recall again, skimmed past the Rams in Milwaukee last Sunday without scoring a touchdown and that's an odd situation for Green Bay. The score was 6 to 3...WHUP NOT SPARED: There is bound to be some reaction to this offense-less presentation. Coach Vince Lombardi didn't spare the whip in practice all week in an all-out effort to snap the scoring machine out of its lethargy. Whatever will be will come to light starting at 1:35. The scene will be wintry, what with temps in the low 30s and possible snow. A crowd of close to 48,000 will attend. Bart Starr will be on the firing line for the Packers, but Zeke Bratkowski will be readiness in case the offense stalls - as it has the last four Sundays against the Cowboys, Bears, Lions and Rams. Both the rushing and passing games have fallen off in the point drought and, if anything, the Packers will be starting from a sort of offensive scratch today. The rush game, with 116 yards, including 69 by Jim Taylor, started to pick up last Sunday. But the aerial attack has been under par since the second explosion in Detroit five weeks ago. The Bay offensive line, unable to provide consistent protection was given a solid test by Davis, Jordan & Co. in practice this week and the results will be known today. Paul Hornung and Taylor are expected to lead off as the running backs with possible Max McGee, Carroll Dale and Marv Fleming as the first receivers. McGee generally does well against the Vikings. In fact, Starr hurled four touchdown passes here last year - two each to Taylor and McGee. The Packer defense, superb in the last two games, with an allowance of 15 points, will get its severest test and that boils down to Fran Tarkenton, whose scrambling keeps any defense on edge...VIKES THIRD BEST: The Viking offense is the third best in the league, from a point standpoint, and Tarkenton makes it
explosive. Tommy Mason, the Vikes' star left halfback, may miss the game, but he has a good 220-pound replacement in Phil King. Bill Brown is the fullback. The Vikings likely will go for ball control - as they did against the Colts. It worked for the first half with Minnesota holding the ball 16 times to the Colts' three. The Packer defense will be out to not only rush Tarkenton but contain him. He completes more passes on broken plays than any other quarterback in the league, and the Packers have a terrible memory of one such occasion. He hurled a 40-yard pass after a zig zag chase to set up the winning field goal in the final seconds in Green Bay last year. The Packers avenged that a few weeks later in the Vikings' back yard. There will be no revenge at stake today. The Packers just want to score. And win!
