|
By
JERRY WYNN
Long Beach Independent
 Mark
up another big victory for
Papa Bear George Halas and
the classy old pros of the
Western Division (video). Paced by
peerless Johnny Unitas,
punishing Jim Taylor and
defensive giants Gino
Marchetti and Doug Atkins,
the West whipped the East,
31-17, in the 14th Pro Bowl
Game before 67,242 it the
Coliseum Sunday.
The triumph gave the West a
sweep of the National
Football League's three
post-season games. Chicago
beat New York, 14-10, for
the NFL title and Green Bay
routed Cleveland, 40-23, in
the Playoff Bowl
Sunday's game was so
one-sided that West coach
Halas never bothered to
stalk past the 40-yard line
on a lovely day ideal for
sideline strolling.
"The big difference was our
defensive men up front."
Halas said in the dressing
room. They gave us great
efforts."
And the key to the West
mastery was the relentless
pressure exerted on youthful
East quarterbacks Charley
Johnson and Norm Snead by
Marchetti, Atkins, Merlin
Olsen, Roger Brown, Henry
Jordan and Willie Davis. The
passers seldom had time to
throw long and were rushed
into three interceptions.
Halas held the score down by
replacing Unitas with Wade
after the West had stormed
ahead, 28-3, three minutes
into the third quarter. The
Bear quarterback wasn't in
the same league as the
Baltimore bullet.
Unitas, who passed for two
touchdowns, was voted
"player of the game" for the
third time in five years.
However, this writer's
ballot was marked for
Taylor, the Packer Cracker,
who never looked better as
he gained 93 yards in 14
carries and scored once on a
scintillating 37-yard run.
Marchetti won "lineman of
the game" honors and it was
a deserving climax to his
great 12-year career. As
captain of the West, Gino
presented the game ball to
Halas
For the East, Jim Brown was
his usual devastating force
with 101 yards in 15
carries. He accounted for
both of the East touchdowns
in the final quarter.
East coach Allie Sherman of
the Giants refused to alibi
over the loss of quarterback
Y. A. Tittle.
"I don't want to comment."
he said. "These two kids
(Johnson and Snead) did
their best. They (the West)
had their chances and made
them good. We didn't."
The West scored one
touchdown in each of the
first two quarters to lead
at halftime, 14-3.
The East tallied first on a
30-yard field goal by Sam
Baker after a flip pass by
Unitas was tipped up and
intercepted by Bill Glass
and returned 27 yards to the
West 28.
Mercurial Abe Woodson
returned the ensuing kickoff
40 yards and the West was on
its way.
Unitas passed to Gail
Cogdill for 19. From the
East 37, Taylor carried on a
fullback delay off left
tackle, received a clearing
block from Cogdill and blew
by defenders Larry Wilson
and Galen Fiss for the
touchdown. Tommy Davis
converted at 9:52.
The East then drove to the
West 20 only to have Johnson
spilled by Atkins for a loss
of 10 and Baker miss a field
goal from the 27.
 The
West took over on its 20 and
moved the distance in 14
plays for a 14-3 lead 5:20
into the second quarter.
Unitas passed to Tommy Mason
for 12 and Cogdill for 22
and Taylor smacked for 10 to
the East 33. On another
fullback delay, Taylor made
13. Then faced with a
fourth-and-one. Jungle Jim
bulled for a first down on
the 8.
Mason ran for 4 and Unitas
lofted a flare-out pass to
Colt teammate Raymond Berry
for the touchdown.
A perfect by Wade to John
Mackey for 47 yards gave the
West a first down on the
East 18 late in the quarter,
but the bid was nixed on an
interception by Clendon
Thomas.
The West broke the game wide
open at the start of the
third quarter by
capitalizing on a pair of
East errors.
On the third play of the
quarter, defensive back
Jesse Whittenton intercepted
a pass by Snead, craftily
sidestepped a tackier and
burst around the left corner
for a 26-yard touchdown
return.
Seconds later, Bobby
Mitchell fumbled on the
kickoff return when jarred
by Jarring Jack Pardee and
the ball was recovered by
Herb Adderley on the East
20.
Unitas sprang into action
with a pass to Mike Ditka up
the middle for a first down
on the 7. After two runs
picked up only two yards,
Unitas passed to Cogdill for
the touchdown. Johnny got
the ball away while being
hit by Marie Baughn and
Cogdill hooked away from
Erich Barnes for a fine
catch on the chalk line.
The East finally scored a
touchdown with 4:56 in the
fourth quarter.
A wayward lateral from Wade
to Joe Marconi was recovered
by Jim Lynch on the West 23,
an it took Brown only two
wicked runs to score. He
gained 15 yards on the first
and the final 8 on a
fancy-day, backward bolt
into the end zone (video).
A 58-yard interception
return by Barnes of a Wade
pass was nullified by a
penalty to allow the West to
post the final three points
on a 38-yard field goal by
Davis.
The East retaliated with its
touchdown on a 77-yard,
five-play spurt highlighted
by a 57-yard pass play from
Johnson to Mitchell, the
Redskin speedster made a
swivel hipped run to the
West 11. Brown cracked over
the goal from the 3.
|
