Green Bay Press-Gazette from Green Bay, Wisconsin • Page 17

I Green Cay ess-Gazette Monday, Oct. 7, 1968 B-1 Wanf To Prime Packers Tell Them They're Old mad exceot for Nitschke and a ATLANTA Want to prime the OUT of BOUNDS? By Len Wagner Press-Gazette Sports Editor he ran for almost all of the 30), he threw a touchdown pass on his only aerial try of the day and he punted three times for a 39.7 average with not a yard of return. There were a lot of heroes in this game. The interceptors, the offensive line which blocked exceedingly well at times, the entire defense, the backs, the receivers everybody, including the coaches and particularly Phil Bengtson. The Atlanta papers warned the Dixie populace all week that the Packers were coming down mad.

They had lost two straight almost unheard of. They would be looking for Rebel scalps. But to Bengtson's credit and whatever psychology he employed the Packers' weren't He had a lot of time to get in his extolling too because his defensive mates helped him to a a magnificent show of stubbornness. Only once in eight series did Atlanta get past its own 27 in the first half though that once was" for a touchdown via two Bob Long masterpieces. In the second half, they got past the 50 only once in six series and that was on their last try of the game.

As a matter of fact, if it hadn't been for the combined kicking efforts of Billy Loth-ridge and Jerry Kramer, the score might have been 38-7 at the half. It was like old times with the defense turning in a spectacular and the offense taking advantage of It This is known as the Big Play and this is what had been the Packers' missing ingredient up to the halfway point of the fracas here Sunday. But the Big Play, which has been the key to Packers' success in the sixties, was back in the script Sunday. The pass interception the fumble nailing the Quarterback at a vital time the third down success. Once the Packers began to manufacture the BP again they produced them in assembly line style.

And it restored ball control 76 plays to 48. Ah, but it wasn't only the Big Play. The Little Play had something to do with this game too. As a matter of fact, the LP appeared to be the magic formula that ended 148 minutes of frustration. With two minutes left in the first half, the Packers few of the other older (pardon me) players.

They arrived at the beautiful Marriott Motor Inn with a largely carefree attitude. They were loose. They laughed at the schedule board in the hotel saying the Packers would be "tapped" at 10 o'clock Sunday morning. And they maintained this attitude right up to game time, which, after two defeats, was probably a lot healthier for them than getting too serious, too determined. They played magnificently.

But it's an undeniable fact that who-ever-heard-of pys like Jim Simon, Errol Linden, Harmon Wages, Carlton Dab-ney, Ralph Heck, Lee Calland and Phil Spiller are not the Los Angeles Rams. Packers for a big challenge a big game? Ten them they're getting too old. Iff like driving a fire truck in front of a herd of bulls. Tht age talk was flowing like Niagara Falls this past week far tht world champions bad tumbled to two straight defeats and 1 14 record. Some of it ven snowed Up In the Atlanta newspapers which, for the Falcons" benefit, could have been mors Judiciously edited.

Bay Mtschke, bald, blind and toothless but not old took It to heart and roared up and Sown the sidelines here Sunday, extolling his fellow defenders to provs that they weren't too old, wound up with 21 of 31 but his record on this day was even better when you consider he connected on only four of his first 10 meaning he completed 17 of his last 21. It should have been 18 but Donny Anderson Oh, and how about Anderson? What a day. Sure Bart threw three TDs but Andy collected 101 yards in 15 carries, caught one pass for 30 yards (and that was a third down screen on which got the ball on their own 22. And Bart Starr went to the Little Play the short sideline pass the flare pass the shortie over the middle. He completed six straight tosses in this manner and Chuck Mercein made it all worth while with the 21 yard field goal that gave the Bays a 10-7 lead.

Those six straight pass completions WERE Bart Starr, if you know what I mean. He MM!" 1 A Pack Confidence Restored: Phil i i Has Tide Turned? Pad ips hlmm than two months with a broken arm, started at right defensive By LEE REMMEL Press-Ceiette Sports Writer ATLANTA Phil Bengtson is end in place of the Injured not the emotional type. Lionel Aldridge and played virtually the entire game. But there was an expression of "Bob did a good Job," Bengt- unmistakeable contentment on The defense throttled the Fal By LEE REMMEL Prtss-Gazttla Sports Writer son said, "particularly when you consider he hasn't worked much at that position. cons, however, and the Packers shortly had the ball back at ner oi the end zone ana the Packers' losing streak, longest since mid-season of 1965, was all but officially a matter of history.

Not As Agreeable ATLANTA Was this the day the title tide turned? his clean-cut features as he held forth in his Atlanta Stadium "office commodius here late Sunday afternoon in the wake of the "Lionel started the second half their own 22. They swept from there to the Atlanta 14 in seven A year ago at this approximate point, the Packers were but played only one series. By that time we had scored again, so we decided not to play him. He was all right, but he was no The outlook had not been as agreeable, however, in the first Packers' 38-7 thumping of the Atlanta Falcons, a performance which emphatically ended a sputtering perceptibly in pursuit half, which ended with the Pack plays, but only 10 seconds remained in the half, dictating another field goal try. Mercein Connects rare two-game losing streak.

of an unprecedented third straight National Football League championship, despite a ticeably limping." "This game restored our con No Kicking Change ers nuturing an exceedingly precarious 10-7 lead. After that 7-0 bulge had been fidence in ourselves," the Pack substantial 3-1-1 record. This time, Coach Phil Beng The Packers' field leader also erected late in the first quarter, ers' tall articulate headmaster declared. "They know they're capable of making the big play traceable in large part to the tson called upon backup booter Chuck Mercein and he drilled it home from the 21 to give the Pack a modest 10-7 cushion at took pleasure In the 60-yard kickoff runback by Travis Williams, his first long burst of the season. Coming off a 10-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, they recoiled to smother the New York Giants in Yankee Stadium, 48-21, and first of two Herb Adderley inter on both offense and defense." ceptions, circumstances began He had obvious reference to "That was kind of an Interest charged from there to the title, the intermission.

The third quarter, the Pack to bear an ominous resemblance to those recent and unhappy four interceptions and a fumble recovery engineered by the ing one, he said, "it was a squib and we were up for the onside Sunday, the world champions cantered into misty Atlanta Stadium burdened by a two-game losing streak and a modicum of ers' most productive of the season, was a delightful contrast to afternoons with the Vikings and Lions. Bays' renascent defense and three touchdown passes by Bart On another subject, Bengtson those early frustrations. The champions struck twice in For example, Jerry Kramer missed field goal attempts of 20 Starr, among other pleasant said his decision to use Chuck Mercein on field goal attempts self-doubt. Problems Evaporate and 41 yards in the first 13 min items. Secret To Game less than three minutes on Anderson's 11-yard maneuver and Starr's 1-yard Ditch to "'-a ft" I VH-'VVW I l' -t.

1 ,) I I i V- V. 1 7. utes. Then, shortly after the I But their problems evaporated "You've got to have the big Pack's first TD, Willie Wood in play," he added by way of em tercepted a Johnson pass and re after Jerry Kramer missed three first half tries does not mean there will be a change in this assipment "We've had this in mind aU the way along, that Mercein turned it 19 yards to Atlanta's phasis. "It's the whole secret to but the Packers were pena this game.

under Georgia's bleak, overcast skies as, alert and aggressive opportunists' once again, they parlayed four interceptions and a fumble recovery into a bulging 3 8-7 victory over Atlanta's grudging Falcons after a somewhat tenuous start. lized for holding on first down "Playing it strictly offense would be used as a secondary and the opportunity was nulli against defense trying to fied. move it up and down the field for 80 yards It's tough to win. And, a few minutes later, Jim kicker, particularly in the late stages of a game, where Jerry plays a lot and is liable to be tired. "And Jerry wasn't feeling too( well this morning he was both-, You have to have the big play.

Fleming then added a third touchdown in the final minute of the period on Starr's pass to James. The latter, with a full step on defender Phil Spiller, gathered in the ball at the 3-yard-ine and stepped into the end zone uncon- tested. Anderson closed out the day's scoring at 9:55. of the last quarter with a revival of the old "Hornung Sweeping to his left, the Texas southpaw found James in the left corner of the end zone. The Falcons, admittedly, ane Grabowski fumbled at the Falcon 14 and Atlanta recovered at the 19, short circuiting another "Fortunately, we got 'em not the undefeated Los Angeles today, although," he admitted, Rams, who loom before the "not too many in the first half, ered with a cold and I'm sure it drive.

Bombs To Long "The biggest difference be affected his kicking. The reason I decided to replace him wasn't tween this game and the last To compound this misadven ended Boyd Dowler hits turf in end zone witH scoring pass from Bart Starr, in first quarter. Packer at right is Carroll Dale (84). (AP Photo) The Beginning This was the play which launched the Packers' 38-7 triumph over the Falcons in Atlanta Sunday afternoon. It shows official giving "touchdown" signal as an up two (successive losses to Min so much that I was thinking in Packers in Milwaukee County Stadium next Sunday afternoon, tut the highly efficient manner In which the Invaders dispatched a team which had lost to the undefeated Baltimore Colts by a mere touchdown two weeks earlier suggests they may have re nesota and Detroit) is that this hire, the Falcons flew from there to paydirt in six plays, the key items being successive 41 and 42-yard bombs to ex-Packer terms of his having missed those kicks but the fact that he wasn't feeling well time we got the breaks the interceptions and the fumbles.

"This team is used to getting Bob Long, the last of which car Dale Bruises Ribs the breaks as a result of aggres ried the Georgians to Green discovered their success for "I got a kick out of it one Long Enjoys New Hero Status Bay's 2-yard-line. time when Mercein was going in sive play and the fact that we haven't been getting them has tended to make us overly upportuniry Knocked again to kick," Phil added. "Jerry had mula. This last remains to be seen, of course, but, for the present, injured his thumb and I said, server, h's remarks were inter At the final gun, a number of cautious. seconds later when Williams, breaking away for the first time since the championship season esting.

How does It "He said, 'It's sore, but that's his former teammates had hurried across the field to shake "The last couple games they began, wheeled 60 yards down the Packers have regained .500 respectability (2-2) and, tied with the Detroit Lions for second place, are just one game to the rear of Minnesota's Vikings in By LEN WAGNER Press-Gazett Sports Editor ATLANTA Bob Long is a hero in Atlanta like he never was in Green Bay. "It was never like this in not going to affect my looked like they weren't hungry. the eastern sidelines with the But I think we shhok them into Long's hand but that was far from the only conversation he Falcons' kickoff to the Atlanta Little Too Cautious "I think maybe we were a little too cautious today in the first half I think this has been our problem all year. We've tried to be too cautious and it's been taking away our The only other Packer cas reality and in the last two min 20 before being felled by Lee had with them. game.

And I hate to lose. They taught me that up there." While the attention in the wake of Green Bay's 38-7 win left him with some mixed emotions, it was not a new feeling for him. Before the game, while pulling on his Falcon uniform, Long admitted "I'm really nervous." And the statement was barely audible, testifying to Its truth. Calland. Green Bay," he said with the fa utes of the first half, I think they returned to the kind of Green ualty, Bengtson revealed, was flanker Carroll Dale, who suffered bruised ribs.

Dale played the NFL's Central Division. Amass 479 Yards This latest performance, a "We were talking out there all But Anderson lost a yard at day long. About a lot of tilings, right end, Starr's safety valve Bay team I knew. And then, of course, they really put it to us in the second half." miliar boyish grin breaking across face as he turned from his locker in the spacious Atlanta dressing room to face a after incurring the injury but later was replaced by Claudis pass to Grabowski fell incom not all football," he said. One discussion in particular "The interception," he append feast for the figure filberts, was the Bays' highest scoring effort plele and Bart was dropped for ed with understandable fervor, came to mmu.

in the second a six-yard loss by Jerry Shay, of the season and their most productive afternoon since last Nov. James, author of two touchdown catches during the afternoon, as a precautionary crowd of nine reporters and one is a great play. We haven't half, Randy Johnson had aimed bringing on Kramer for a third had our share of them. Today photographer. 12 eight games ago when After the game, he amplified field goal attempt.

we had more of them, playing a long pass at Long but Willie Wood leaped in front of the This one, from the 34, also they erupted to bury the Cleve-land Browns in Milwaukee, 55-7. our aggressive game. You've Assessing the enemy, the But it was something of a bittersweet moment for him. He acknowledged the fact that he that. Wanted To Win Packer strategist opined.

got to have 'em. If we had got Lew Carpenter Quits as Falcon Coaching Aide ATLANTA (PG) The At veered to the right of the uprights like its two Along the way, they amassed ten one against Minnesota or had caught lengthy passes of 39 470 yards under the calculating! Detroit, who knows generalship of Bart Starr, who "I was sick. Terribly sick all last night and this morning. This was quite an experience. I knew all those guys so well.

I wanted and 42 yards to set up the Falcons first and only touchdown in Taking note of another vie tory contribution, Bengtson ob completed 21 of 31 passes to eight different receivers for their history against the Pack Top Twenty lanta Falcons, who gained a new "They're got a good defensive club they're not a bad ball club. The witness of it was the way they were in there against both the Colts (29-20) and 49ers (28-13) the last two weeks. "They gave us a good battle-all we bargained for." slightly underthrown missile and had an interception for the asking. But just as he grabbed the ball, Long hooked his arm and it appeared there was a chance of offensive interference being called. Prevent Intel ceptlon "That was my job, to prevent the interception.

But Willie started to cry a little and I just served, "Having Bob Brown in to have a good ball game ers. Just as quickly, however, he declared "We didn't win the 275 yards and three touchdowns. ly Tht Aiwcllttl Prill head coach last week, lost an assistant Sunday. II wanted to win." there helped a little bit, Brown, reactivated only Satur One of his scoring pitches, the first, was a 9-yard bullet to split Lew Carpenter, who had serv day after sitting out for more How tht Top 20 In Tin Associated Cress college football poll did Saturday: 1. Purdue, 3-0, beat Northwestern a t.

Southern California, 34, beat Miami, 21-3. 3. Penn State, 3-0, beat West Virginia 31-20. ed with Van Brocklin at Min end Boyd Dowler that provided nesota, submitted his resigna the Packers with a 7-0 lead in tion after the game because he Now Gibson Sets Homer Mark in Series Page B-6 4. Florida, 34, beat Mississippi State the first quarter.

Mr. Quarterback later con told him to quit crying since "did not see eye to eye" with 1-14. S. Notre Dame, 3-1, beat Iowa Jl-H. 4.

Ohio State, 2-0, beat Oregon 21-. Van Brocklin. 7. Nebraska, 3-0, did not play, open Carpenter, onetime Packer Hunting Season's Here Save at Denis founded the Falcons by firing a fourth down, one-yard TD pass to tight end Marv Fleming and a player, left the Viking staff after ate. i.

Kansas, 3-0, beat New Mexico 7. UCLA, 2-1, lost to Syracuse 20-7. 10. Louisiana State, 34, beat Baylor they had intercepted enough already," Long recalled. Despite playing with the ring and little fingers of his left hand in a cast, Long carried considerable Falcon confidence with him on the second of his long the 1967 season.

He said Sunday 23-yard scoring strike to soph omore flanker Claudis James. "I was in a precarious position 11. Alabama, 1-1, lost td Mississippi 10- Adderley Discovers Poetic justice Page B-2 12. Houston. 2-0-1.

beat Cincinnati 71.11 because of past history. I don't feel I can go through the day to day trials and tribulations know Friday night. 13. Miami, a. 2-1.

lost to Southern Cat DECOYS Ifornia, 21-3. distance receptions. He was the only receiver sent out on the 14. Arizona State lost hi Wvomlno ing I can't get untracked." play, he confided. It was a maxi- Van Brocklin had no comment 15.

Tennessee, 31, beat Rice 524. De Lux James subsequently climaxed the Pack's production on a 9-yard option toss from halfback Donny Anderson, who thus recorded the first touchdown pass of his three-year Packer career in regular season play. Hits Century Mark The Golden Palomino made it It. Georgia, 24-1. beat South Carolina 35 mum protection, play action pass the resignation 21-20.

Carry Lite Doz. 17. Texai AIM, 1-2. lost to Florida and Long ran a fly pattern to Meanwhile, former Falcon snare the ball inside the five and 'Coach Norb Hecker, who is still State 20-14. S'ir.

II. California, 34, beat San Jose State Who Lost? Van Brocklin All Smiles Page B-2 for 19. Michigan State. 34. beat Wisconsin living in Atlanta letf town the Packer weekend.

3-o. De Luxe Doz. 54 20. Arkansas, 34, beat Texas Christian 17-. an even more memorable day for himself by rolling up 101 yards, his first "century" per then slid on the wet grass.

But even though he experienced fair personal success against his old teammates, Long insisted that the Packers "still have a great ball club." From a now non-partisan ob- Fight Results Central States Madison 37, Sheboygan 6 West Allls 23, Manitowoc it Rockford 20, Delavan 19 Lake County 31, Racine 14 Packer Stix. B-4 GENOA, Italy-Bruno Arcarl, 142, Ita ly, stooped Dave Wyatt, 142, Washington: D.C., 6. American Made, All Rubber WADERS Super 543 HEAVY 1 Cramer Mystified; Wayward Kicks All Too Far Right formance as a pro, in 15 attempts for a plush 6.7 average. Eleven of those yards came early in the third quarter when the multi-talented Texas Tech alumnus, maneuvering deftly to daylight, bolted over the right side and Into the end zone to climax an 85-yard push and mount a 16-7 lead. Two Dlavs following the next kickoff, defensive tackle Henry Hodgman De Luxe Full Length PARKAS .....19" Red Head De Luxe Hunting Coats $995u Red Head De Luxe Hunting Pants Jordan emerged from a mountainous scramble with a fumble by Falcon quarterback Randy Shrugging his shoulders as he attempted to analyze the problem, Kramer confided, "I was kicking the ball to the right and the same distance to the right each time.

"I was hitting the ball well, but they were all exactly the same distance to the right." Shaking his head, the massive Guardian Angel added reflectively, "I don't know the reason .1 really don't know. I wasn't hitting the ball that bad and I wasn't nervous. ATLANTA (PG)- If the average Packer fanatics was mystified over Jerry Kramer's placekicking problems here Sunday afternoon, he (or she) had nothing on the object of their puzzlement. Kramer, who made the first four field goals he attempted this young National Football League season, now has missed four straight two of them 20 yards out and three of them in Sunday's 38-7 conquest of the Atlanta Falcons. just kicked the ball." Gregg had reference to Mer-cein's clutch performance including a 19-yard pass reception and 8-yard run which ate up 27 of the last 30 yards en route to the Packers' winning touchdown in the NFL championship game at Lam-beau Field.

"I wish I could have made that last one, I tried in the fourth quarter," Chuck said. "It was so close it just missed by four inches." LEE REMMEL and responded with a 21-yard field goal which forged a 10-7 halftime lead for the Packers. The former Yale star, who kicked the Pack's last four extra points and also missed a 45-yard attempt in the second half, admitted "I was a little bit nervous when Coach Bengtson called on me. "But then, in the huddle," he reported, "Forrest Gregg said, 'Just remember the last few seconds of the Dallas game last "So," Mercein smiled, "I Maybe I'm stepping to the right, I don't know." In another corner of the dressing room, Chuck Mercein was saying, "I can hardly remember the last time I kicked in 'a regular season game. It must have been in my rookie year with the Giants .1 know I did some kicking in exhibition games for them after that." Mercein, of course, was summoned to stand in for Kramer late in the second quarter Johnson at the Atlanta z-yara-line.

Three successive stabs by Travis Williams produced a net SPORT SHOP 922-26 Main Street of one yard but on fourth down, i Starr foiled the massed Falcon PARK REAR OF STORE defense by arching a short Strike to Fleming in the left cor.