Knafelc was open on a deep route over the middle for thirty-one yards. Starr hit Boyd Dowler on the right sideline for nineteen, then hit McGee on the left sideline for eleven. Taylor gained twelve on a draw.
This is incredible, Starr thought. Lombardi's offense thrived on planning, preparedness, and logical thinking, Starr's best qualities. It was simple and smart and just made sense. And the players around Starr had an array of talents and gifts, speed and toughness and guile. Starr felt like he was driving a sports car on the highway, zipping and zooming. Commanding the huddle with force, he barked out his play calls and encouraged his teammates. They wondered if someone had kidnapped their "methane gas" quarterback, the kindly, studious reserve who didn't leave a mark.
That Starr had disappeared. This one had utter faith in himself and his offense, and no doubt he could move the ball and put points on the board.
Hush up! I'm calling this. You're going to be open. Be ready!
On a first down at the Los Angeles 26, Starr called a special play that both he and Lombardi thought would work. He handed to Hornung heading right on a sweep, with Kramer and Thurston pulling in front. The Ram linebackers and defensive backs closed in to make a stop, but before they got to him, the Golden Boy slowed, drew the ball back, and arched a pass over the surprised defenders. Dowler, all alone at the 5, caught the pass in stride on his way to the end zone.
Lombardi turned to the bench with a broad smile. He also had thought this was the perfect time for that play; it was as if Starr had read his mind!
You sold that perfectly, Paul. They had no idea it was coming until you threw.
Yes, sir. Damn right.
Heh. Yeah, damn right.
Minutes later, the offense had the ball again, at its 33. Starr saw no reason to stop passing, having completed six straight attempts. He dropped back as McGee burst past a safety, and he led McGee with a soft floater that Max ran under for a thirty-one-yard gain. Then Hornung ran off right tackle behind Forrest Gregg, who leveled the Rams' Deacon Jones, leaving a wide hole. Hornung sprinted through it, swiveled his hips to elude a linebacker, and headed for the end zone. A pair of Rams corralled him at the 5 after a twenty-six-yard gain. On first down, Norm Masters opened a hole on the left side and Taylor charged through it, ran over a linebacker, and fell into the end zone. It had taken the offense 105 seconds to drive sixty-seven yards and take a 21–7 lead.
As the fans grumbled, Wade aimed a pass for Matson in the right flat on the next series. Dan Currie saw the play developing, cut in front of Matson, and grabbed the interception. He sprinted to the Los Angeles 30 before being knocked out of bounds as the grumbling turned into full-fledged booing.
As he trotted onto the Coliseum field, Starr felt invincible. He could call a run or pass; either would work. His linemen were opening big holes, his backs were making big gains, and his receivers were open.
He kneeled in the huddle and called for the halfback option again, eyes twinkling at the devilish idea. The Rams would never expect it.
Hornung took the handoff and headed right as the back of the defense closed, trying to avoid another long run. But before the linebackers and safeties realized they had been fooled again, Hornung stopped and threw for Dowler, alone again at the 5. Dowler caught the ball and trotted to the end zone.
Lombardi exulted. He hadn't been this excited all season. Did you see that?!! Huh?! They never saw it coming! What a brilliant call, Lombardi thought—absolutely a knockout punch. Lombardi was starting to view Starr differently. The quiet southerner could be tough and bold after all. Lombardi had underestimated him.
Hornung booted the extra point, upping the lead to 28–7. The Coliseum fans were in shock. The Rams were down twenty-one to a team they had beaten by thirty-nine earlier in the season.
Lombardi said little at halftime. This was the third game in a row in which the Packers had built a three-touchdown lead. Lombardi urged them to be decisive, finish what they had started. The Rams certainly were there for the taking, he said.
In the other locker room, the beleaguered Gillman challenged the Rams to play better. This was embarrassing, he said. The Rams responded. Tommy Wilson broke through the Packers' coverage on the second-half kickoff and almost went all the way, reaching the Green Bay 11 before Jesse Whittenton ran him down. Gillman sent in a young backup quarterback, Frank Ryan, in Wade's place, and the Rams scored in two plays to make the score 28–14.
With the crowd urging it on, the Ram defense stopped a pair of runs by Taylor and harried Starr into throwing an incompletion. McGee punted, and Jon Arnett, a big-play back who had starred at Southern Cal, caught the kick at his 29. Ron Kramer almost tackled him immediately, but Arnett jumped away, cut left into a hole in the coverage, and zipped into the open field. The fans stood and shouted, having seen this before. Arnett was gone.
The touchdown cut Green Bay's lead to 28–20. Henry Jordan leapt and deflected the extra point, but that didn't quiet the audible buzz emanating from the vast stands after the two long kick returns.
The Ram defense kept things going, forcing a punt, and the Ram offense returned to the field with the fans thinking about another big play. But the Packers produced the big play instead. Bill Forester, the steady captain, red-dogging on first down, deflected Ryan's pass, and the ball sailed to Currie. The big linebacker took off in the other direction with his second interception of the game. He was tackled at the Los Angeles 24.
The turnover quelled the Rams' momentum. On first down Starr handed to Hornung sweeping right, with Kramer and Thurston pulling in front. Hornung slowed down and the secondary stayed back, anticipating another pass to Dowler, but Hornung tucked the ball in and took off, finding room to run. A linebacker knocked him out of bounds at the 10. The Rams stopped the drive there, though, and Hornung missed a twenty-four-yard field goal attempt, sailing it wide left.
Ryan promptly drove the Ram offense back into Green Bay territory, but Nitschke leveled him on a scramble and the ball fell free, Forester falling on it for the charitable Rams' fifth turnover of the day. Kneeling in the huddle, Starr wanted to slow the game's pace. No more trick plays or long passes. Let's just run the offense. Taylor ran up the middle for six. Hornung swept left for seven. Don McIlhenny, replacing the tiring Hornung, gained seven off right tackle. Starr passed to Dowler for twelve. The drive rolled past midfield and into Los Angeles territory as the fourth quarter began. At the 19, Starr rolled right and looked into the end zone, but no receiver was open so he tucked the ball in and ran, picking up twelve when Masters bowled over a linebacker. On the next play Gregg opened a hole and McIlhenny charged through it and ran over a safety at the goal line. The conversion gave the Packers a 35–20 lead with thirteen minutes to play.
The score drained the Rams of the enthusiasm they had briefly mustered. They couldn't move on their next possession, and after a punt, the Packers methodically drove the ball again. Dowler gained twenty on an end-around, another trick play the Packers had practiced but not used until now. Taylor rammed up the middle for eight, six, and seven. When the drive stalled, Hornung kicked a seventeen-yard field goal for a 38–20 lead. That was a safe margin against an inexperienced quarterback.
When the final gun sounded, the Packers had their third win in a row, sixth of the season, and first at the Coliseum since Curly Lambeau's tenure. Nitschke snapped towels at people's groins in the locker room. Taylor and Jerry Kramer sat naked in front of their lockers, hurling insults at each other and all passersby. Hornung and McGee discussed the all-important matter of where they would celebrate that evening. The Packers were so exuberant, newsman Art Daley compared them to a high school team.
And no one was bubblier than Lombardi. Reporters found him in the locker room with his tie loose, his starched white dress shirt drenched with sweat, and a huge smile pasted on his face.
"This is beyond my fondest expectations," he said. "I never dreamed we would do anything like this, win six. But I'm telling you, these kids are hardnosed."
/> He praised Nitschke for hitting hard as Bettis's replacement, and also complimented Hornung, who had rushed for seventy-four yards, thrown two touchdown passes, caught two passes, kicked a field goal and five extra points, and cleared Taylor's path on the first touchdown with a vicious block.
"Paul is playing great football now," Lombardi said.
But Lombardi reserved his highest praise for Starr, who had directed touchdown drives of forty-two, eighty, sixty-two, thirty, and seventy-five yards. "Bart just called a wonderful game," Lombardi said.
Starr stood at his locker with a smile as broad as Lombardi's.
"I'm feeling better and better out there every week, no question about it," he said. "It probably sounds bad for me to say, but I had gotten to wondering if I could ever play like this. Now I know I can."
Starr said he sucked throat lozenges throughout the game because of the chest cold he caught when he went hunting the week before.
"I was pretty miserable, actually," he said.
But then he shook his head and continued: "This is the greatest thrill of my life, winning like this out here in the Coliseum."
As the Packers showered, Tom Miller filled them in on the key games being played elsewhere in the league. The Giants had wrapped up the Eastern Division title and a return trip to the championship game by thrashing Cleveland, 48–7. And the Colts had taken control of the Western Division by pounding fading San Francisco, 34–14. Now all the Colts had to do to win the division title was beat the Rams on Saturday here in Los Angeles. "I'm not hopeful," 49ers coach Red Hickey said.
If the Rams upset the Colts, the 49ers would be playing for a share of the division title against the Packers on Sunday. The fast finishing Bears, now tied for second with the 49ers after winning six straight games, also would have a shot.
The Packers flew up the coast on Monday and checked into Rickey's Motel in Palo Alto, where they had stayed the year before. Lombardi liked this arrangement: the motel was comfortable and he could practice at nearby Stanford. There would be one change: instead of staying in Palo Alto all week, the team would move to San Francisco for the weekend, spending Saturday and Sunday nights at the Palace Hotel.
Practice resumed on Tuesday, and Lombardi didn't like what he saw, sensing a growing air of self-satisfaction. "This season is not over," he shouted. "You should be pleased with your improvement. But we still have a long way to go. A very long way! We are not in the championship game, and I will not be sati sfied until we get there and win it. That is the goal. Let's not forget it."
Wednesday's practice was crisper.
Art Daley and Chuck Johnson were on the trip, churning out stories for their newspapers. Both focused on Starr's emergence. "His stature has zoomed," Daley wrote. The offense had been averaging fifteen points and 270 yards a game before Starr's first start against the Colts in the eighth game of the season. Since Starr took over, those averages had increased to twenty-seven points and 342 yards a game.
McHan, who had been supplanted as the number one, gave an interview to Johnson. He was understandably discouraged. He had led the team to a 3–0 start and played fairly well until injuries forced him to the sidelines, but now, even though he was healthy and itching to play, he couldn't get on the field.
"I'm happy for Bart, naturally," McHan said, "but I want back in there. I'm no good to anybody on the bench. I want to play, prove myself in this league. After all those years with the Cardinals, I wanted to show what I could do, and I was just getting to where I thought I was showing it when I got hurt. Now I can't prove anything."
Lombardi had protected McHan's fragile psyche for weeks, making sure he complimented McHan when he praised Starr; he figured he would need McHan again if Starr was injured or became ineffective. But after watching the offense run smoothly under Starr, Lombardi was less worried about what McHan thought.
"Starr is doing a wonderful job," he said. "He's a really smart boy and he is really good at recognizing defenses and taking advantage of what is there."
Another story during the week was Jim Taylor's availability for the final game. He had played the last three quarters of the Rams game with a sore hip after a defender's helmet got underneath his pads in the first quarter, and he scored two touchdowns but then could barely walk on Monday. Taylor said he would be able to play against the 49ers, but Lombardi told Lew Carpenter to be ready to go.
The Packers were six-point underdogs, a surprise considering they had won three straight games while the 49ers had lost three of four. On Saturday they moved up to the Palace, practiced briefly, and watched a telecast of the critical Colts-Rams game. The Rams just wanted their miserable season to end, but rising to the occasion, took an early lead, trailed by one point at halftime, and led, 26–24, going into the final quarter. But the Colts pulled away on a Unitas touchdown pass, an interception return, and a ninety-nine-yard field goal return, their 45–26 victory advancing them to a rematch with the Giants in the championship game. Sid Gillman re-signed after the game.
The result, though not surprising, was a blow to the 49ers, whose playoff prospects had seemed so bright a few weeks earlier. They were officially out now, and a couple of players admitted they might struggle to find motivation on Sunday.
The Packers had known for weeks that they wouldn't make the postseason, but they wouldn't lack for motivation Sunday. They were having too much fun whipping teams that had toyed with them for years, including the 49ers.
On Sunday, fifty-six thousand fans nearly filled Kezar Stadium, located west of downtown San Francisco in Golden Gate Park. The date was December 13, the weather warm and windy. The Packer players listened intently to Lombardi in the locker room before kickoff. Some had started to doubt him during their losing streak, but they were with him now. He might be a bastard at times but look at what we're doing.
He spoke about ending the season with a winning record, an achievement no one had expected of them. We're going to be in championship games here. But you have to establish yourself as a winning team first, and we can do that today. Let's show everyone the Green Bay Packers are winners!
The players raced onto the field in a fighting mood.
The 49ers, to their surprise, threw a strong early punch. On the game's first possession, C. R. Roberts, a young fullback, bowled over Currie and Whittenton and ran forty-six yards for a touchdown. The Packers drove back when Starr hit McGee on a slant route, and McGee, veering back and forth, gained forty-four yards before being brought down. But the drive ended with Hornung missing a twenty-two-yard field goal, and the 49er offense quickly produced another touchdown, its ball carriers shedding tackles throughout the drive. The Packers were down, 14–0. Lombardi taunted the defense as it came off the field, his voice soaring above the cheers. You guys can tackle better than that! That's just terrible! TERRIBLE!!
Kneeling to call a play and start the next Packer possession, Starr smiled as he glanced up at his teammates. In previous years, the Packers would have panicked after quickly falling two touchdowns behind, especially on the road. But Starr radiated a calm assuredness. He had no doubt this deficit could be erased. He had faith in Lombardi. The Packers would crunch the 49ers into pieces before this day was over.
It's just the first quarter, guys. We have all the time in the world. Let's get going. One step at a time.
His confidence was infectious. The offensive players looked at each other, nodded, took deep breaths, and started to hammer away.
On first down, Carpenter, replacing Taylor, whose sore hip had sidelined him, gained eight yards behind Gregg. Then Starr faked a pitch to Hornung going left, dropped back, and hit Dowler over the middle for fifteen. Then he dropped back again, looked right, and threw left to McGee for fifteen.
See?! One step at a time. Let's go!
After Hornung picked up a first down on two carries, Starr hit McGee over the middle for twenty-three yards to the San Francisco 13. The next play had been set up the week before: Hornung ran right on what appeared to be a swee
p, pulled up, and looked downfield, causing the defense to freeze. But he tucked the ball in, burst through an opening, bowled over a linebacker at the 5, and fell into the end zone. His conversion cut the lead to 14–7.
No doubt about it. Here we come.
Late in the first half, the Packers started a possession at their 32. Starr hit Knafelc on a square-out for fifteen. Taylor, briefly inserted, caught two short passes for fourteen yards. Carpenter raced back in and took a pitchout around left end for eleven. With the ball on the San Francisco 22, there was time for one more play before a field goal attempt. Starr went for broke, again exhibiting the innate boldness Lombardi had once thought he lacked. Knafelc blocked a linebacker and ran downfield, angling across the secondary as a safety came up to cover him. Starr zipped a pass, leading him by a stride. Knafelc caught the ball at the 4, sidestepped the defender, and crossed the goal line.
The crowd went quiet as Starr punched the air in triumph. Hornung's conversion tied the score at 14–14 as the teams jogged to their locker rooms.
Lombardi normally used the halftime break to make technical adjustments, but he issued an emotional appeal now. Like Starr, he didn't doubt that the Packers could win. It irritated him that they had dug themselves an early hole. Dammit, we're better than they are. I know it, you know it, and you know what? They know it!! We weren't ready and they took their best shot and got up on us. Now we're hitting back. The game is therefor the taking. Let's take it!
With players shouting and pumping their fists, the mood on the Packer bench was electric as the kickoff spun high to start the second half. Bobby Freeman raced downfield and flattened the return man at the San Francisco 6, immediately backing the 49er offense into a corner. The Packer defense jogged onto the field, determined to take advantage. Forester slipped past a blocker and bore down on Y. A. Tittle, who tried to sidestep him but didn't move quickly. Forester grabbed Tittle by the shoulder pads and slung him down in the end zone for a safety.
That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory Page 27
