BRAMLETT-MOORE DEAL HITS SNAG WITH PACK PLAYING NUMBERS GAME

AUG 1 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers played the numbers game, a perennial and continuing exercise at this time of year, with economy and telling effect Saturday. Or, at least, they apparently did. With the presumed trade of one player and the waiving of another, Coach Dan Devine stabilized the situation at two positions, strengthened a third and narrowed the race at a fourth. There could be a hitch, however, in the exchange which sent tackle Rich Moore to the New England Patriots for linebacker John (Bull) Bramlett, Devine admitted Saturday night. "At the present time, there is a possibility the deal will be cancelled," he said. "We're presently in disagreement with John about the terms of the contract...If it can be ironed out, everything is in good shape. Pat Peppler (Packer personnel director) has been handling it and I told him to tell John that we feel we're building a winning football team our way and if he doesn't want to do it our way, it would be better if he didn't come. I also told Pat to tell him that we'd like to have him on our team and, if we hadn't thought he could play here, we wouldn't have made the deal."...AWAITING DISCUSSIONS: In Memphis, Bramlett said, "As far as I know now, I'm not going to report." He added, however, that he is awaiting further discussion with the Packers. From Amherst, Mass., the Patriots' training camp, a spokesman expressed the hope the trade would stand. "I know the deal is contingent upon both players reporting to their respective clubs," said Wally Carew, assistant public relations director, "but we have heard nothing to indicate there is any reason to call it off. If there's some trouble with either Bramlett or Moore, we certainly hope to work it out with the Packers...We're pleased to get Moore and right now, we're expecting him in camp Sunday." In an earlier comment on the trade, Devine said it had been motivated by the conviction "we need to strengthen our linebacking corps. I'm concerned about our depth there...We looked at the film on Bramlett, and also reports, and he's a tough, hardnosed guy, I know that." A six-year veteran from Memphis State who began his professional athletic career as a third baseman in the St. Louis baseball Cardinals' chain, Bramlett was voted the Patriots' Most Valuable Player last season by his teammates...FEARFUL OF CHOICE: The presumed addition of the 30-year-old Tennesseean, whose apparent reluctance to report is based in part upon the fear he would not be a starter with the Packers, would give the green and gold five experienced linebackers, Bramlett, who plays the right side, would join Dave Robinson, Ray Nitschke, Fred Carr, Jim Carter and Cleo Walker. In another Saturday maneuver, Devine reduced the roster to 66 by placing former New Orleans Saints kicker Charlie Durkee on waivers, thereby zeroing in on a longtime Packer problem. Moore's assumed departure brings the competition at both offensive and defensive tackle into sharper focus. Although he was understudying Francis Peay at left tackle on offense at the time of the trade, the giant Pennsylvanian also might have figured in the scramble in the front four - his original Packer position - had he remained. His exit leaves rookie Pat Houlton, the St. Norbert College strongboy, in what amounts to a two-man struggle with huge Bill Hayhoe for the backup berth at OT being Peay and Dick Himes. It likewise enhances the Packer future of Wisconsin's Jim DeLisle, who has been consistently impressive in his bid to crash the defensive line...HELPS BOTH TEAMS: Commenting on the decision to trade Moore, a No. 1 draft choice in 1968, Devine said, "I just don't think Rich could play for us...I think the trade helps both teams." Elsewhere, the release of Durkee tightens the race for the placekicking assignment, which now finds veterans Dale Livingston and Karl Kremser, the erstwhile Miami Dolphin, in a three-way duel with rookie Tim Webster of Arkansas. In Memphis, Bramlett said the trade had come as "a big shock" to him because of his selection as the Patriots' MVP last year. "The other players were shocked, too," he told Woody Page, Memphis Commercial Appeal sportswriter. "I felt I was the best linebacker on the team." Bramlett had been practicing with the Patriots only since last Thursday, following his recovery from an emergency appendectomy he underwent a month ago. He said he worked out with the team through Tuesday, then was placed on waivers Wednesday. The 6-foot, 1-inch, 220-pound Bramlett also had elbow and knee surgery following the 1970 season but, Page says, "John insists he's sound now."...STARTED WITH BASEBALL: He entered pro football, after two years as a minor league baseball player, in 1965 when he signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos of the then American Football League. Bramlett, runnerup to Joe Namath for rookie of the year honors in '65, subsequently was traded to Miami in 1967 and from the Dolphins to the Patriots in 1969. Reportedly known as "Bull" because he once ran through an outfield fence in pursuit of a fly ball, he has made 10 interceptions for 128 yards in his six seasons and was chosen to play in the AFL all-star games following both the '66 and '67 seasons...PACKER PATTER: Despite Moore's departure, the Packer roster was increased by one Saturday - via the long awaited check-in of No. 1 draftee John Brockington and No. 3 pick Charlie Hall from the camp of the College All-Stars. Brockington, the Stars' busiest ball carrier in Friday night's match with the Baltimore Colts, quickly impressed railbirds with his speed and quickness. But the former Ohio State All-American was not entirely happy following his baptismal session. "I feel like an ass," he said, "because I don't know any of the plays...I hate to feel that way.' Both he and Hall pronounced themselves "beat"...The latter, employed as a strong safety against the Colts, "I didn't get back to the hotel after the game last night until 2 a.m. Then I got up at 7 o'clock for the 4 1/2-hour drive up here - then practiced this afternoon."...Hall, who is wearing the departed Bob Jeter's old No. 21 (Brockington has taken over No. 42), was impressed by the hospitality of Packer veterans. "They have been very nice,"
he said. "I was a little apprehensive about it because of all the stories I'd heard about veterans. I don't know if it's a fallacy or what, but they've been very friendly here."...The Packers will launch a new practice schedule next week, Devine reported. Workouts, beginning Monday, will be held at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, he said, with kickers due on the field at 2:30. In the past, one-a-day practices were held in the morning.

LOMBARDI SAGA IS OFFICIAL
AUG 1 (Canton, OH-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The saga of Vince Lombardi was made official Saturday...years ahead of his time. The deeds, the words and all the records of Lombardi are now here - in pro football's Hall of Fame, where they will be enshrined forever with past and future greats of the sport. Lombardi was admitted during impressive ceremonies with six other greats of pro football before more than 2,000 persons as a climax to what Canton calls football's greatest weekend. Joining the late Green Bay Packer chieftain in posthumous admittance was Bill Hewitt, the one-time Chicago Bear who played without a helmet. Lombardi died of cancer Sept. 3, 1970, and Hewitt was killed in an automobile accident in 1947...FIVE PRESENT:  Present for their enshrinement, hailed as pro football's greatest back: Frank (Bruiser) Kinard, one-time lineman who was sidelined once in 11 years; defensive end Andy Rebustelli: quarterbacks Y. A. Tittle and Norm Van Brocklin, and Cleveland Browns great Jim Brown. This was a sad and glorious day for the Lombardi family and the pro football world. It was sad because Lombardi was stricken at the start of Chapter II of a fabulous coaching career. He owned the 1960s, leading the Packers to five championships and two straight Super Bowl titles. And he made the Washington Redskins a winner in his one full year there, A glorious day...perfect weather, as only Lombardi could order it for special occasions - like a Packer game - prevailed as Wellington T. Mara made the Lombardi presentation and Vincent Lombardi Jr., accepted on behalf of his mother, Marie, and sister, Susie...'COMPLEX MAN': Mara, owner of the New York Giants, who knew Lombardi since they were classmates at Fordham University, called Lombardi "not just a great football coach who was a great man, but a great man who was a great football coach." Mara added: "He was a complex man but God gave him a gift of laughter to temper his intensity, loyalty and compassion to soften the stringent demands that he made on himself and on others. He had a profound respect for the dignity of the individual. He could chastise a player bitterly in private and then bar the locker room door to those that he thought wanted to criticize this same player in public. Vince never knew defeat, he just refused to recognize it when he met it and he always said, I just ran out of time.' Last July he whispered to me, 'I am going to beat this thing,' and if he has a message for us now it would be 'I didn't lose, I just ran out of time!"...THANKS MOTHER: Young Vincent, who graduated from Premontre High School early in his father's career in Green Bay, said "It is with pride that I acknowledge this recognition of my father on behalf of my mother and sister." Vincent said, "My father was extremely proud of the role he played in making the National Football League as it is today. Few people knew how strongly he felt about the league, the people he worked with and the players he coached." The coach's son said he would like to thank all the people "who helped my father, but I sincerely hope that they know who they He added, "There is one person whose love and understanding helped the accomplishments of my father and that is my mother...I thank her, and I thank you." Marie Lombardi, who was grand marshall of the two-hour morning parade through Canton, was accompanied by her son and two (Vincent T. and Vincent H.) of his four children (two younger ones were home in Minneapolis with their mother); Paul and Susie Bickham and their two children, Marie and Paul; Vince's brother Joe and his wife Betty; and many other relatives. Accompanying Marie was Bud Levitas, the one-time Packer water boy, from San Francisco...OFFICIALS ON HAND: The Packers were represented by Tom Miller, assistant general manager, and two members of the executive committee, Tony Canadeo, himself a Hall of Fame prospect, and Dick Bourguignon, Packer vice president. Joining the officials at the ceremony were Rep. and Mrs. John W. Byrnes, who flew in from Washington with Rep. Gerald Ford of Michigan, Rep. Frank Ball of Ohio, and Rep. Jack Kemp, one-time pro football quarterback from Pennsylvania. Byrnes said, "We just had to get out here to help honor the memory of Coach Lombardi. And now that I see this Hall of Fame building, I am flabbergasted."

NOSTALGIC MEMORY MAKERS IN PACKER HALL OF FAME MUSEUM

AUG 1 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "Hell, I'm just here to renew my contempt," said one Peorian, "but I sure wish the Bears had something like this." The Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame at the Brown County Arena is visited each. year by thousands of football fans, some on vacation passing through, others who stop in while waiting for the Packers to begin practice. Toured by 45,000 people last year from all states and nine foreign countries, the Hall of Fame is a non-profit venture, sponsored jointly by the Brown County Arena and the Area Visitor Information and Convention Bureau Inc., and is open from June through September. Inside the walls and floors are covered with memory makers and makers of memories like the famed Packer sweep. There are newspaper clippings from when the Cleveland team was then the Rams and George Halas a young man. (Yes, George Halas once was a young man). 1967 is "the year that was" and is carefully documented. Slides, movies, and pictures are part of the display from the year that all Packer and Dallas Cowboy fans remember the temperature from Dec. 31, at the then City Stadium. There is an entire section devoted to the playing and announcing days of Packer great Tony Canadeo, when he still had dark hair. Vince Lombardi has a corner to himself, as he deserves. There are pictures of other coaches from the late Curly Lambeau to Dan Devine, "who is fine." Most exhibits were donated by Packer backers and, "the man," Vince Lombardi himself. A few things such as picture enlargements and lumber for the displays were purchased by the sponsors. The trophies in a room called the Goal Post were paid for with sweat and hard work. All the history and information on the walls and floor can't possibly be consumed in the hour most spend in the Hall of Fame. Ask who LaVerne Dilweg is and few will know. Most players are before my time. Those with names such as Norm Masters, Dan Currie, and Lew Carpenter ring a bell. Paul Hornung dominates player profiles; there is very little on fullback Jim Taylor. As tradition would have it, tradition dominates the rooms, which is what a team with a tradition for winning should have for its 50-year history. Captured on film are the exciting moments from the 11 World Championships won by the Pack. Even Chicago Bear people relive the moment when Starr crossed the goal line with 16 seconds left on the clock in 1967. There is a full-page newspaper ad from the Press-Gazette, dated Sept. 28, 1956, trying to sell tickets to the Packer-Bear game that Sunday. Now one almost has to run a full-page ad to buy tickets. New additions to the Hall of Fame this year are a collection of helmets from players on each of the national conference teams. According to Hall manager John Dederich, there will probably be eight past Packers inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, adding to the eight already enshrined. Every visitor had a different version of his favorite room or section. The answer received from one youth was "the rest room." Of course, the Hall of Fame isn't perfect. The cutline under one of the pictures hanging on the wall near the action films section has "scoring" spelled "scoreing." "Pride, courage, love and brotherhood spirit" is the inscription on a plaque donated "by fans" in one display case, and that about sums up the feeling one has when leaving the room. That is unless you are a certain man from Peoria.

'RELUCTANT LINEBACKER' CASE NOT DECIDED, STARR TAXIED

AUG 2 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "The Case of the Reluctant Linebacker," which punctuated a busy weekend, continued to claim the spotlight today as the Packers prepared to meet the enemy for the first time. John Bramlett, officially acquired from the New England Patriots Saturday for tackle Rich Moore, continued to insist he would not report to the Packers without certain financial guarantees. But there was just the hint, perhaps triggered by uncertainty, that he was weakening. And, from the Patriots, there was the suggestion both contracting parties feel time is on their side...PARED ROSTER: Meanwhile, Coach Dan Devine pared his Packer roster to 63 in preparation for Saturday night's pre-season inaugural with the Chicago Bears by waiving three players, including celebrated convalescent Bart Starr. Starr, Devine announced, has cleared waivers and been placed on the taxi squad or "move list." This means, of course, that Starr may be activated any time team physicians judge he is sufficiently recovered from the shoulder surgery he underwent at Rochester, Minn., last Wednesday...WEBSTER, KENEMORE CUT: The 15-year veteran currently is recuperating at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester. Originally scheduled to be discharged today, he will remain in the hospital for several more days, a Mayo Clinic spokesman said over the weekend. His condition was still listed as satisfactory, however, and a Packer spokesman said there
was no indication that the extension of Starr's stay was for other than routine treatment. Waived along with Starr this morning were rookie kicker Tim Webster of Arkansas, who also has been placed on the taxi squad, and punter Steve Kenemore of Missouri. In another move, Devine announced that John Rauch, former coach of the Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders, has been added to the Packers' scouting staff on a fulltime basis. Rauch, who recently resigned as coach of the Bills, will have "special assignments pertaining to American Football Conference teams," Devine said. The Packers will play five AFC teams during the pre-season - Pittsburgh, Miami, Oakland, Cincinnati and Buffalo - and meet three of them, Denver, Cincinnati and Miami, during the regular season...BRAMLETT WAITING: Rauch, who was Oakland's head coach in the 1968 Super Bowl, won by the Packers 33-14, checked into the Packers training camp Sunday night for briefing. In Memphis, Bramlett said he has been waiting by the telephone for further word on his status. "I have no idea what the situation is," he said. "I haven't heard a word since Saturday. I don't even know whose property I am - whether I'm a free agent or what...The Packers haven't even given me a figure in response to what I asked for. I'm not going to Green Bay unless they guarantee that should something happen, I would get part of my salary." Bramlett also admitted, however, that he had been told Devine does not make such guarantees. "I was hoping that I would be waived through the league so I could become a free agent and go out and make my own deal with a team that could use a linebacker," he said. Bramlett admitted, however, that uncertainty was beginning to gnaw at him. "I'm just sitting around waiting to see what happens," he said. "I wish either club would tell me what's going on...I'd like to know - I'd like to play football." In Amherst, Mass., where the Patriots are in training, spokesman Pete Hadhazy, expressed confidence that Bramlett would report in the near future...MOORE IN PATS' CAMP: "Pat (Pat Peppler, Packer personnel director) and I agreed it would be a good idea to just wait a few days," said Hadhazy, executive assistant to Upton Bell, Patriot general manager. "John is a little hurt and upset right now. Every player is when he's traded, particularly a veteran. He gets mad at the world and sulks for a while. But I'm sure he will report to the Packers before long, because I know he wants to play football. If he doesn't, there are three ways we could go on the thing. We could agree on another player, or a draft choice, or send Moore back. But that would be the last alternative. Rich checked into camp Sunday night and we would like to keep him. If Bramlett doesn't report, we'll have to come up with somebody else for the Packers... And I think, if he doesn't, that that is a distinct possibility." On the field, Devine looked to the Bears with the observation, "I think we've got to play now a little bit...I want to see our players hit guys with different uniforms." Devine, who originally had announced an afternoon practice schedule with the beginning of one-a-day workouts, also reported a change in plans. Practices will be held in the morning, he said, beginning at 10 o'clock.

PACK'S HUNGER GROWS FOR SATURDAY'S BEAR

AUG 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Dan Devine is getting ready...And so, it appears, are his Packers. Organization and precision have been the hallmarks of 1971's practices, even on those inevitable dog days, ever since training camp opened in
mid-July. But there was a special verve and snap to Monday's exertions as the Packers, long since weary of beating upon each other, finally began to zero in on their first opponent...AIR ON PURPOSE: And there was an air of greater purpose and immediacy, doubtless occasioned by the knowledge their beloved enemies, the Chicago Bears, will be lying in wait Saturday night at Milwaukee County Stadium, site of the Packers' pre-season baptismal and Devine's pro coaching debut. Much of the prevailing electricity, however, was traceable to the increasingly dominant role Devine is assuming in on-the-field operations. Although he firmly believes much of the individual coaching should be left to his assistants, and they accordingly have wider latitude and more responsibility than at any time in the past, the Pack's new generalissimo was beginning to make his presence felt more strongly in almost every area. As the tempo accelerated, Devine's comments also grew more pointed than they had been in the relatively carefree opening weeks. And, whenever error was detected, his voice rose a decibel or two in their delivery. A significant sign of the times came during a post-practice press conference. Spotting Cleo Walker cantering by, Devine reached out to clutch the center linebacker by the arm and impart a kernel of knowledge to the classically hewn sophomore. "If you don't follow through quite as quickly with your hands after you get your head down, I think you'll be able to keep the ball lower on those snaps, Cleo," DD cautioned. "I think that's why you are getting the ball high." Devine's comment followed a practice-ending drill on punt coverage, which featured Dale Livingston on the kicking end and Pat Matthews, Willie Wood, Virgil Robinson and Elijah Pitts as receivers. Having contributed to Walker's football education, Devine returned to an earlier subject and admitted that he senses a coming together of his first Packer squad, which now numbers 62 athletes...IMPROVEMENT EVIDENT: Improvement over the recent past also has been evident, he conceded. But, ever the perfectionist, Devine felt strained to add, "It's a big squad and things still are kind of scatterbrained. "We're still a long way from being a polished football team," said the meticulous ex-Missourian, appending with a somewhat mirthless laugh, "but nobody thought we would be at this point."...PACKER PATTER: Devine termed the morning's session on the punting game "poor," but added, "I think we got it ironed out later at a meeting...I don't think the players realized how important that phase of the game is. Last year, for example, we did not run one punt back for a touchdown and we finished 12th among the 13 teams in our conference in punt return yardage against us."...On another subject, the addition of former Oakland and Buffalo coach Johnny Rauch as a fulltime scout. Devine said, "I feel Johnny will be a big help to us in both scouting and personnel. I want to know as much about personnel as I can. I don't want to be trading indiscriminately. Next year, if we trade, I want to know everything I can about the people we're trading for. I'm sure he'll help Wally Cruice (Packer game scout) with the scouting, too, because of his knowledge of the American Conference." The Packers will play five consecutive AFC teams in the pre-season following Saturday night's grapefruit opener against the Bears and three, including the Denver Broncos, in the regular season. Devine added, "I want to emphasize in John's case that it's just for the season, because I'm sure he'll want to get back into coaching." Rauch, who resigned as Buffalo's coach in July, attended Saturday's session to begin familiarizing himself with the Packer operation.

STARR HOME, OPTIMISTIC

AUG 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Bart Starr, just returned to Titletown, exuded confidence. "I think it's going to be fine," Mr. Quarterback predicted Monday night, without the hint of reservation. "I really do." "It," needless to say, is his much publicized right shoulder, upon which tendon repair was effected by Dr. E. D. Henderson during surgery at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minn., last Wednesday. Starr had been forced to leave the Packers' training camp in mid-July after two days of practice, because of continuing pain in the shoulder. The 15-year veteran, whose homecoming had been advanced, explained, "The doctor decided to let me out today...I wasn't supposed to get out of the hospital until Tuesday or Wednesday. I'd been running a little fever, so he'd been a little concerned. But my temperature stayed where he wanted it to be, so he let me go." Starr, who said he expected to make a progress report to Coach Dan Devine at Packer headquarters today, now begins a rehabilitative program which hopefully will return him to action by mid-season. "I've just got a couple of simple exercises that I will have to do each day," he said. "That will be the start of the slow road back." The date of his return is necessarily indefinite at this point, Starr said, explaining, "I really don't know right now." Original estimates indicated he could be available within 12 weeks. He pronounced himself "very well pleased" with the results of the surgery, however, adding, "Dr. Henderson is very optimistic...The tendon was badly frayed and shredded, so he was pleased that we decided to have the operation. I can tell you one thing," Starr chuckled. "I'm glad to be home...I had excellent care, just super, but a hospital is no place to rest. You can't get any sleep...They wake you up to find out if you're asleep."

BRAMLETT WILL REPORT TONIGHT

AUG 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - John (Bull) Bramlett, recently acquired by the Packers in a trade with the New England Patriots, announced that he will report to the Packer training camp tonight. Bramlett had said he would not report to the camp unless he received a guarantee of payment of partial salary should he be released. In making his announcement the 30-year-old, six -year veteran linebacker indicated that he gained concessions from the Packers but Packer Head Coach and General Manager Dan Devine denied this. "Bramlett is reporting tonight and I can confirm that he did not receive any salary guarantee but we are pleased that he is coming and the incident is closed. I am looking forward to John's having a long fruitful career with the Packers,' Devine said. Bramlett, first cut by the Patriots and then pulled back and traded to Green Bay for tackle Rich Moore, said, "Coach Devine and I put our heads together and agreed to terms. I'm pleased with what transpired. My refusing to report right away paid off for me. I feel like they know where I stand. Let's just say it didn't hurt me." Bramlett would not say whether he received a salary guarantee.

BOWMAN WILL BE 'SNAPPING' AGAINST BEARS

AUG 4 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "When Ken Bowman is healthy," Lionel Aldridge said with conviction, "he is the best center in the National Football League." A high compliment, considering such kudoes often have formally been awarded to the Vikings' Mick Tingelhoff and Jim Otto of the Oakland Raiders in the recent past. Perhaps even more pertinent, however, is the physical status of the seven-year veteran, who has been excused from contact by Coach Dan Devine until this week out of deference to what has been a somewhat fragile left shoulder. Devine laid any incipient fears to rest Tuesday by announcing that Bowman will be in the heart of things when the Packers showcase their 1971 talents for the first time against the Bears in Milwaukee County Stadium Saturday night...PRIMED FOR OPENER: "Kenny will start," the Packer coach said, explaining. "We've given him little shots of contact yesterday and today...We're just trying to get him ready for Sept. 19 (date of the Packers NFL opener against the New York Giants in Lambeau Field). I don't feel like having the guy in there before he's ready." Center, of course, has become one of the Pack's more sensitive areas because of Bowman's situation, the loss of 1970 backup Malcolm Walker and the lack of experience behind the incumbent. Cal Withrow, the former San Diego Charger, is a second year pro and Phil Vandersea, the versatile citizen who also covets the No. 2 berth, is new to the position this season...SEASON TOO LONG: Although he is one of pro football's more enthusiastic competitors, Bowman endorses the training timetable which has been laid out for him. "I think it's a good idea to let my shoulder rehabilitate and get strong because, if anything's my history," he ironically observed, "it's that the season is too long. I usually can get in 10 games, but that's been about it. Two years ago, I broke my hand and last year I dislocated my shoulder against the Eagles in Milwaukee and missed four games." It is the same shoulder, incidentally, on which he underwent surgery following the 1966 season. "I'd like to put it all together and play a full season for a change...I'm one of those egotistical persons who think I'm the best," the former University of Wisconsin athlete added with a crooked smile, "and I feel if I played the whole season there would be no question about it...MUST CONCENTRATE: "But I've been playing hurt so long, I don't know what it's like to play a full, 14-game schedule.' Just beginning to find himself in combat at this point, he explained, "I told the coaches out there yesterday that I found myself flinching a little bit...You can't help being that way if you haven't had any contact. But I noticed an improvement today. It's just like anything else - it takes concentration. You've got to concentrate so much on what you're going to hit, you forget about what's wrong with you." Be that as it may, the newly certified barrister (he received his law degree from the UW in June) insists, "I'm ready to play." He also expresses confidence in his immediate physical future. "The trainers say that as long as I don't get caught with my arm too high (he extended and raised his left arm to illustrate), I shouldn't have any trouble. I'll also be wearing a chain in the armpit to anchor it, which should help."...SHOULDER FEELS GOOD: "I'm kind of looking forward to Saturday night, to see if I've still got it," he confessed. "It will be my first chance to hit. The shoulder feels good now. They've got all the calcium and the adhesions out of it. And I have a good range of motion...It feels real good." Bowman also enthuses about the Packers artistic prospects. "I've been impressed with Coach Devine for the last two weeks. He's a heckuva coach," he said. "The organization and the discipline we've got around here are great. But the thing I notice is team attitude. Everybody's ready for calisthenics when we get out on the field this year. There's great attitude on this team - better than I've seen it for quite a while...BUTKUS ON SIDELINES: "It's a thing you just can't coach," Bowman said. "You can't put your finger on it, but 1t's there...He's got us all believing that we can do it. The attitude around here is, 'I don't care what the problems are, we'll overcome 'em.'" Returning to the assignment at hand, the sandy-haired snapper noted with a sardonic smile, "My old buddy, Dick Butkus, won't be there." Butkus, who underwent knee surgery during the off-season and is still in the recuperation process, will be viewing the proceedings from the Bear bench - along with fellow convalescent Gale Sayers...PACKER PATTER: Devine said Tuesday he is hoping to get some assistance from convalescing quarterback Bart Starr as soon as No. 15 becomes available. "I'm thinking mainly of his helping with the quarterbacks, but I think just his presence out there will lift the squad." On the recently controversial subject of linebacker John (Bull) Bramlett, acquired in last weekend's trade with the Patriots, Devine said, "My understanding is that Bramlett will be in practice tomorrow...We're pleased to think he's here and, as far as I'm concerned, the incident is closed. I can understand John's feelings and I think he understands ours. He's coming with enthusiasm and confidence that he'll play, which is what we want."...Commenting on the employment of Donny Anderson as a holder for placekickers Dale Livingston, Karl Kremser and Tim Webster during Tuesday morning's practice, Devine said, "I'm not sure right now who our holder will be. Bart is the best and Zeke Bratkowski and Donny are both good. But I want to bring Scott Hunter along, too. I think he's potentially a good holder."

DEVINE JOVIAL, SERIOUS DURING PACKER LUNCHEON

AUG 4 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Dan Devine, ever quick with a quip, was in excellent form. Example: "I didn't see the Coaches' All-America game, but I understand Scott Hunter did a little coaching down there at Lubbock," he told the annual Chamber of Commerce "Meet the Packers' luncheon Tuesday. "We're going to restrict his career to playing here. It has not been obvious yet, but we're working on it." And: "Al Matthews isn't very big, but a football's not very heavy...Al's going to be carrying my paycheck up and down the field this fall. That's a pretty heavy responsibility, seeing that I have a wife, seven kids and nine dogs."...'GROUP OF FINE MEN': With these and other deft asides, the Packers new head coach and general manager kept more than 200 of the faithful highly amused during individual introductions of his 61-man squad in the cafeteria of the St. Norbert College Memorial Union. But an impressive hush developed when Devine, suddenly turning serious, gave his first team an affectionate vote of confidence and a heartfelt testimonial. "There is a nucleus of veterans on this team who don't know how to lose," he said. "It hurts them down deep...This team has demonstrated to me that they are winners. They are a group of fine men. What happened in the past is in the past. A curtain is pulled down over that. This is a unified ball club, with a sprinkling of young people and some older people...GIVEN 100 PERCENT: "I have nothing but the highest regard for this team, after having worked with it thus far," Devine said with manifest sincerity. "They've given me 100 per cent - they've worked hard and they want to be a winning football team. And, God willing, we will have." Devine, who left the University of Missouri last January as one of the nation's three most successful college football coaches, also interjected a personal note. "This period with the Packers has been the most enjoyable experience of my life, by far...Mrs. Devine and I are extremely grateful for the reception we have received in Green Bay and Wisconsin."...SUGGESTIONS BEFORE GAME: Noting that he had had an opportunity to enter pro football six years earlier, he added, "This was the only job that probably would have moved me out of the job I had." Changing moods without warning, Devine facetiously announced, "If anyone has any suggestions that might help - I get a lot of them - I'd like to have them...But mail 'em to me before the game. That way I can make use of your experience." Serious again in conclusion, he said, "Thanks for coming, and hang with this ball club. I honestly think we're going to surprise a lot of people."

KREMSER TOP KICK?

AUG 4 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Karl Kremser, slim, towheaded and blue-eyed, more closely resembles the leading man in an Ingmar Bergman film than the stereotype of a professional football player. But the appearance is deceptive. The prospective Packer, presently dueling incumbent Dale Livingston for the placekicking assignment, is an accomplished athlete, accustomed to scaling heights with his body as well as a football. Kremser, who was born in Germany, starred in track as well as on the gridiron at the University of Tennessee, soaring 7 feet, 1 inch to finish second in the NCAA high jump as a senior. A year earlier, the soccer-style specialist was successful on 10 of 15 field goal attempts in his first season of competition. Such experience presumably would appear to qualify the 26-year-old former Miami Dolphin for an assault on what Coach Dan Devine regards as one of the Packers primary concerns in the now imminent 1971 season. And Kremser is beginning to scent the possibility. He is quick to explain, however, that he is attempting the restrained approach. "I'm trying not to get too involved in assessing the situation. I think that's the mistake I made last summer when I was with the Dolphins. I think I tried to assess too much how I was doing. Now I feel I just have to go out every practice and do the best I can...I don't think much about how I might be faring overall."...KICKER BY CHANCE: Kremser, who looks much younger than his 26 years, became a kicking specialist by sheerest chance. "We had a soccer team in junior high school (at Levittown, Pa.)," he explains, adding, "I kicked with the toe then, rather than the side of the foot as in the soccer. One summer I went to visit my grandparents in Germany. I played soccer all summer and I learned to kick soccer-style...Later, when I was at the University of Tennessee, I was just clowning around with kicking on the soccer field. One of the players mentioned it to the football coach and he asked me to come out." After that 10-for-15 start in his junior year, he dropped off to 6-for-18 as a senior. Karl, who says, "I think I was pressing too much," nevertheless was made a fifth round draft choice by the Dolphins. Two years ago, Kremser won the regular kicking assignment with the Dolphins in his first pro season and connected on 13 of 22 attempts, including an impressive 8 of 8 from inside the 30. "I think that year I was just starting to get my feet wet," he says, a trifle apologetically. "I was a little nervous. I was with Miami again all last summer but they put me on the move list after the first league game." He later was made a free agent following the '70 season. Unlike many other athletes, in a similar circumstance, Kremser has no fault to find with Don Shula's decision. "I can't complain," he said. "The guy who replaced me (Garo Yepremian) probably kicked better than I did last year. I think what did it for him was that he kicked a couple long ones in a torrential downpour. The Dolphins treated me really well," he earnestly added. "It was a new coach coming in and he wanted to get the best kicker he could find. And I think he probably did last year. I thought I was kicking real well, but I guess Yepremian was doing a little better."...APOLOGETIC OVER SUCCESS: To date, his only significant kick of record came in last Thursday night's intra-squad game. Kremser, who is likely to undergo further testing in Saturday night's pre-season opener against the Bears at Milwaukee, hit from 43 yards out. It was the lone success of the night but he was apologetic. "It was a rotten kick," he said. "It was low and I didn't hit it well...The only redeeming value was that it went in." Kremser, a super-courteous athlete whose exquisite manners may be traceable in large part to a two-year stint at West Point, admits he has not been entirely satisfied with his efforts in general during the early weeks of training camp. But he sees better days ahead. "I feel I'm starting to find the groove now," he says, explaining, "I've always been a slow starter, I can't explain why...But the last few days, I think I'm getting back into my habit - getting that easy swing." Railbirds, who watched him connect from 60 and 57 yards in succession with some wind assistance, would be inclined to agree.

DIGIT GAME NOW DEVINE CONCERN

AUG 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "I can see why pro coaches have been telling me for years that it gets down to a numbers game," Dan Devine dryly confided. "Just getting one guy hurt, after you're down to 40, can make a difference." The Packer leader's observation, delivered in the wake of Wednesday's practice, was prompted by minor injuries to two of his starters, cornerback Ken Ellis and offensive tackle Dick Himes. With Saturday night's pre-season inaugural against the Bears in Milwaukee looming ever closer, the physical status of his athletes obviously becomes of more immediate concern. And, for a man who has been accustomed to having 85 or 90 available as a college coach, 60 is hardly luxury. "Himes limped off with a sprained ankle and Ellis with a pulled groin muscle," Devine said, then added reassuringly, "I don't think either one is serious...But it does short us at defensive back...WAIT AND SEE: "It's hard to tell about Himes," he also admitted. "He's putting ice on it right now, but you can't be sure how it will react. We'll just have to wait and see." The former Ohio State performer was inclined to shrug off the injury. "It's nothing much," he said with a shrug of the shoulders. "I just got my foot caught in the grass and somebody fell over my leg." Ellis, who was temporarily supplanted by recently arrived rookie Charlie Hall at the left corner following his mishap, also expressed confidence he will be ready for the Bears. If Himes should not be available - and his problem would appear to be slightly more disabling than that of Ellis at this point - Bill Hayhoe presumably would move into his starting assignment...LITTLE MORE IN: Asked if he were still concerned about depth in the offensive line, particularly in the wake of Himes' injury, Devine said, "Yes, I am...Dave Bradley has to log more practice time. He's got to come through for us - he's got to be able to go full speed for us." Bradley, the Packers No. 2 draft choice in 1969, has been troubled by injuries during his two pro seasons after earning an "iron man" reputation during his college days at Penn State. Assessing the day's session, which saw the Packers work against both the Bears' offense and defense, Devine noted, "Each day we get a little something more in...CLOSED PRACTICE: "I'm trying to avoid having to put in a whole lot of stuff Friday morning," he said. Smiling, Devine added, "I suppose it will be just like any other opening game. You get to Friday morning and find out there are a lot of things you haven't covered. There is still stuff we haven't touched, like the onside kick recovery and the onside kickoff. We'll work on those tomorrow. Then, Friday, we'll probably go into the stadium for a review. That will be a closed practice and give us a chance to check out all of the assignments." Terming the morning's workout "a good, sharp drill," Devine noted, "The passing was good and the defense was alert."...PACKER PATTER: Both Dale Livingston and Karl Kremser launched the long ball consistently during a kickoff return exercise which capped the practice...Devine, taking note of an aiding wind at the outset, shortly directed the kicking and receiving units to reverse their fields, thus giving the returners
a better chance to run the ball out of the end zone and incidentally requiring Livingston and Kremser to kick into the wind. Taking favorable note of the two latecomers, recent College All-Stars John Brockington and Hall, Devine observed, "Charlie Hall looks like he'll play, and Brockington will play."...John Hilton, who is facing the challenge of sterling sophomore Rich McGeorge, will draw the starting tight end assignment against the Bears, the Packer major-domo said. "Hilton has had a good fall practice," he asserted. "He hasn't made many mistakes."...Linebacker John (Bull) Bramlett, much in the news of late, checked into the Packer dressing room and promptly ended a four-day mystery. Ever since he was acquired from the Patriots last Saturday in the Rich Moore trade, his weight has been a matter of considerable speculation, with estimates ranging from 195 pounds to 205, 210, etc. A step on the scales disclosed Bramlett is currently 220...The Packers will leave for Milwaukee and Saturday night's baptismal by bus at 1:30 Friday afternoon from their St. Norbert College base. They will headquarter at the Pfister hotel and return to Green Bay Sunday morning. The game will be televised "live" over Green Bay's Channel 2, starting at 8 o'clock.

CAFFEY TABBED AS MIDDLE MAN

AUG 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It won't be the same, somehow. Number 51, normally to be found laying about him with something akin to frenzy, will not be pawing the turf of Milwaukee County Stadium Saturday night. Neither, for that matter, will be No. 40, more formally known as Gale Sayers, a gifted citizen who is as closely identified with the Chicago Bears' offense as 51, the highly anti-social Dick Butkus, is with the Bruin defense. Despite their absence, however (both are making a gradual return to combat following off-season surgery), Packer center Ken Bowman will find a familiar face looming before him when he crouches over the ball for the first time...CAFFEY IN MIDDLE: It belongs to LeeRoy Caffey, who wore the green and gold for five seasons - until January of 1970 when he was dealt to the Bears in a three-player exchange for the draft rights to Mike McCoy. Coach Jim Dooley, presently priming his Midway Monsters at their Rensselaer, Ind., training camp, has indicated that Caffey, ordinarily to be seen at the right perimeter of the Bruin secondary, will be stationed at middle linebacker in Saturday night's match, the pre-season kickoff for both teams. Although the towering Texan could not be considered a stranger to the assignment, having made brief appearances at the middle during injury situations while with the Packers, his presence there could mean a less traumatic evening for the Pack's offensive then it might otherwise be...ALL-TIME GREAT: There is, let us be candid, only one Dick Butkus. This is hardly a reflection upon the talents of Caffey, however, who has won all-pro honors in the past as an outside linebacker. But even the most jaundiced - and there are more than a few Packer buffs who were incensed over the marauding Bear's gratuitous bludgeoning of Malcolm Walker in last year's collision at Chicago - rank him high among the game's all-time greats. Caffey also could be a trifle rusty. Troubled by a pulled leg muscle, he didn't play in the Bears' last major exercise, a scrimmage against the St. Louis Cardinals last Saturday. Ross Brupbacher, a skilled but somewhat smaller athlete, handled the middle in that one. Brupbacher, according to Dooley's present plan, will fill in at Caffey's right side spot Saturday night...SCRIMMAGE TIE: The Cardinal scrimmage, incidentally, ended in a 7-7 tie for the Bruins. They scored on a 7-yard pass from Jack Concannon, who is scheduled to start at quarterback Saturday night, to George Farmer. A sophomore from UCLA, Farmer led Bear receivers with four catches for 57 yards, the mercurial Cecil Turner weighing in with three for 63. Dick Gordon, the league's leading pass catcher a year ago with 71 receptions, was not available, of course, because he again is having contractual conflict with Bear management. Dooley, deprived of Sayers' services for an indefinite period, is expected to unveil his three prize rookie running backs for Packer scrutiny. One of them, surprising Dennis Ferris of Pittsburgh, was a minor sensation against the Cardinals. A lowly second choice in the seventh round, he gained 70 yards in only five attempts, including one excursion of 28 yards and another of 26. The more celebrated Joe Moore, the Bears' No. 1 choice in last January's draft, added 22 yards in four tries. Also due for exposure Saturday night is Moore's former Missouri running mate, 240-pound Jim Harrison.

PACK CUTS HOOK
AUG 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Green Bay Packers reduced their roster to 61 this morning with the waiving of linebacker Dan Hook a 11th round draft choice in 1970 from Humboldt State. There are now 19 rookies and 42 veterans in camp. Today is the day that NFL teams must be down to 60 on the roster but those who played in the All-Star game don't count. The Packers John Brockington and Charles Hall fall into this category. Veteran flanker Jack Clancy was withheld from this morning's practice. 

ZEKE CONFIDENT ABOUT RETURN TO ACTIVE DUTY

AUG 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It has been three years, at least half a generation by pro football standards, since Zeke Bratkowski made an official appearance in NFL combat. The date was Dec. 14, 1968 and the occasion was the Packers' rematch with the Bears in Chicago's Wrigley Field as Phil Bengtson neared the end of his first season as head coach...EXPLICIT MEMORIES: It also was a day on which Bart Starr, troubled with rib injuries, watched a game from the sidelines in civilian clothes for the first time in his then 13-year career. Ironically enough, Bratkowski shortly joined Mr. Quarterback bench, with the on the Packer same infirmity. Zeke, needless to say, is hoping for a more extensive appearance when he ends that lengthy sabbatical against those same Bears in the Pack's pre-season opener at Milwaukee County Stadium Saturday night. Super Sub, as he was known in his previous Packer hitch, again will be bearing full responsibility - this time because Starr is recovering from recent shoulder surgery. Bratkowski, who spent the last two seasons as a member of the Packer coaching staff after his playing services were "lost" to the Minnesota Vikings via the waiver route, has highly explicit memories of that '68 swan song. "I threw a touchdown pass to Boyd Bowler on the second play of the game," he recalled following Thursday's practice. "Then, I came in on the second series and tried to throw an overhand lateral to Grabo (he raised his arm to demonstrate), and I got hit in the ribs."...SENSES NO DIFFERENCE: That brought the afternoon to an abrupt end for The Brat, who had to be replaced by the largely untried Don Horn, now a Denver Bronco, flashed a surprisingly hot hand and helped engineer a hectic 28-27 victory. Three years can be a veritable eternity, especially in professional athletics and particularly in the case of a man who is now 39, rather than 36. But Bratkowski, re-acquired in an off-season trade with the Vikings, says he can sense no differences, either physical or psychological, as he awaits Saturday night's acid test. "I don't feel any different to- day than I did then," he says, giving the distinct impression that he doesn't expect to need assistance from understudy Frank Patrick and Scott Hunter for any physical reason. "I've never really approached it from that standpoint, of course. I haven't given any thought to how I feel about it. I'm just trying to concentrate from day to day on the game plan and the things we want to do...HAVE THE SAME FEELING:  "Frankly, I was wondering a little more about how I would react in our first pass scrimmage and our first full go scrimmage than I have about Saturday night. Sure, it's a game rather than a scrimmage, and it's a big rivalry game. But I have the same feeling before every game. This will really be no different. I'm just trying to watch my own progress and being as critical as I can of my basic techniques and my footwork...and how I'm reacting to the keys, that sort of thing." Alluding to his somewhat protracted layoff, Bratkowski added, "I think those two years of coaching have helped me, that they have made me a better quarterback...I'm very happy, of course, that I stayed on top of my conditioning during that time and stayed active in the passing game during practice. I think it kept my pass timing down. Throwing against our defense helped me, too."...BRAT OPTIMISTIC: Although the pro football pundits have not been overly kind to the Packers in their pre-season forecasting, Bratkowski is genuinely optimistic about his offensive unit in particular and the 1971 Pack in general. "I think the coaches have been pleased with the progress of the offense," he said. "I think we moved the ball well in the intra-squad game last week. In fact, I think we've got a fine nucleus, both offensively as well as defensively. I think we have to approach the season like we're contenders for the Super Bowl, or we wouldn't be here. We're just as much contenders as anyone else."...PACKER PATTER: "Hustle in now. Good workout this morning," Coach Dan Devine trumpeted over the megaphone from his coaching tower as he dismissed his squad Thursday, closing out the Pack's final public practice for Saturday night's inaugural. They moved inside Lambeau Field today for a private review. "This was good for everybody," Devine later asserted, referring to the thermometer's marked rise. "We've really had cool weather." Smiling, he added, "This is the first time I've ever had my watch stop on me. We went over the time schedule only because it stopped - we were supposed to be off the field at 11:15." Informed it was then 11:35, Devine noted with a grin, "My watch has stopped many times intentionally in the past, but this is the first time it's ever been unintentional."...Asked if he was satisfied with the progress of his team, he replied, "I can't answer that. There's a big difference in being satisfied out here and being satisfied with them when they play."...A drill on execution and coverage of the onside kick capped the workout, with Dale Livingston, Karl Kremser and Tim Webster alternating in the kicking assignment. Devine indicated both Livingston and Kremser will be accorded field goal and or extra point opportunities against the Bears. He had only a brief comment on the absence of flanker Jack Clancy from the South Oneida Street field. "Jack was excused from practice," Devine said.

DEVINE ON A LIMB AGAIN

AUG 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It was mid-January, only hours after Dan Devine had agreed to leave lifetime security at the University of Missouri to begin resuscitating the Packers. His wife, Jo, then appraising a decision which had come only after a day of soul-searching in a Kansas City hotel, offered a revealing explanation. "He still is the same man I married, willing to climb out on a limb for what it is worth," she said. Saturday night, Devine officially climbs out on that professional limb for the first time when he exposes his Packers to the ever tender mercies of the Chicago Bears in their pre-season unveiling at Milwaukee County Stadium...'FOOTBALL IS FOOTBALL': Although he has enjoyed a rare eminence among college football coaches for more than a decade and has insisted from the outset that "football is football," only time, obviously, can certify whether he will attain similar stature in the pro ranks. Inevitably, during these early months of his regime, there have been comparisons to Vince Lombardi. Railbirds have noticed, for example, that Devine is considerably less vocal on the practice field than his late predecessor. As Lombardi once said himself, however, "There is more than one way to be a winning coach. This is just my way." Devine's more restrained approach could be similarly productive. It would be unrealistic, in the light of expansion which has swelled the National Football League to 26 teams and thinned the supply of talent appreciably, to anticipate the kind of dynasty which Lombardi forged in the 1960s. But the trim, tireless Irishman, whose passion for detail is exceeded only by his capacity for work, has made an impressive beginning. He is moving his team carefully, yet decisively, along the road back. And, though there are some 1,600 stockholders with a non-profit piece of the corporate action and thousands of loyalists who feel a part of it, this is HIS team, artistically speaking, and his alone. Following Phil Bengtson's resignation, the Packer executive committee indicated it was seeking a "take charge" leader, both on the field and in the general manager's office. They have found him. That Devine has inspired the upsurge in attitude which is everywhere evident on the Packer scene, there also can be little doubt. A prime indication has come from Bart Starr, who has played under four previous head coaches during a 16-year career. Mr. Quarterback freely admits Devine's presence is a major motivation in his haste to recover from recent shoulder surgery...WON'T BEAT THEMSELVES: "He's really something special and has opened up a whole new dimension for our ball club," he said. "I was only at training camp a few days before I was hurt, but I felt like I'd been playing for Coach Devine for three years. You can say he's the big reason I wanted to have this operation and make a comeback." Although the first game has yet to be played, and this team has some obvious physical limitations, the impression grows that the 1971 Packers will not beat themselves with mental errors, nor will they be embarrassed...Partially because Devine, a man of smoldering pride beneath a serene surface, will not permit it. But also because of the players' evident desire to reciprocate for fair and considerate treatment from a coach who places a high premium on both loyalty and discipline. Dan Devine has the unmistakable look of a winner...And so, as a result, does his team.