Monkey on the Back

There is nothing more defeating than to win all the time. TITLE TOWN, U.S.A. read street-corner signs in proud Green Bay, Wis., and a huge dressing-room poster proclaimed: HOME OF THE GREEN BAY PACKERS--THE NEW YORK YANKEES OF FOOTBALL. Like baseball's Yankees, the World Champion Packers seemed invincible; they were unbeaten in six preseason and ten regular-season games. They boasted the highest-scoring offense (309 points), the stingiest defense (74 points) in pro football, and sportswriters called them "the greatest team ever assembled."

"They Can Be Beat." All that success began to prey on them. Last week, the Packers needed a last-ditch, 23-yd. touchdown run by Halfback Tom Moore to beat Baltimore, 17-13. "The games are getting tougher every week," complained Head Coach Vince Lombardi. "The other teams are pointing for us. Every time they tackle us now, it seems like their life depends on it." Above all, the second-place (8 won, 2 lost) Detroit Lions were pointing for the Packers. Last time the two teams met, Green Bay won, 9-7, on a field goal with 33 seconds left. "We think we're better than the Packers, and we're gonna prove we're right," said Veteran Lion Captain and Middle Linebacker Joe Schmidt. "They can be beat--and we can beat 'em."

In such gung-ho spirit, the ferocious Lions on Thanksgiving Day went after Green Bay and, in full sight of a nationwide TV audience, showed that the Packers were vincible. Shooting holes in the nervous Packer defense, the Lions' Quarterback Milt Plum fired two quick touchdown passes to End Gail Cogdill for a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. And when the Packers got the ball, the Lions' crushing defense made it even more embarrassing. The first time Packer Quarterback Bart Starr faded back to pass, he was dumped for a 15-yd. loss. Again and again, the charging Lions made him eat the ball, eight times in the first half alone for a net loss of 79 yds. Gigantic (6 ft. 5 in., 300 lbs.) Defensive Tackle Roger Brown hit Starr so hard that Starr fumbled into the end zone, and Sam Williams recovered for a third Detroit touchdown. Moments later, Brown tackled Starr in his own end zone for a 2-point safety. Nor was Starr the only victim. Ordinarily, the Packers can count on big chunks of yardage from rough, tough Fullback Jim Taylor, top ground gainer in the N.F.L. In the first half, Taylor was held to minus 3 yds. in seven carries.

"We'll Be Better." By half time, the Lions had scored every possible way but one. Plum took care of that in the third quarter: he booted a perfect, 47-yd. field goal that put Detroit in front, 26-0. After that, the stunned Packers slowly began to come alive, and scored twice, on an interception and a recovered fumble. But it was much too late, and the final score read Detroit 26, Green Bay 14.

With his Packers still in first place by a game, Coach Lombardi actually seemed relieved that Green Bay's winning streak was over. Said he: "We'll be a better ball club now that the monkey is off our back."

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