Runaway In Central

The rise and growth of the American Football League, not to mention the expansion of the NFL itself, have almost doubled the number of football jobs open to talented college graduates. The trouble is, there are not that many talented graduates. As a consequence, no team in either league is truly deep at every position—no team, that is, except Green Bay. The Packers again have everything, and the odds are that when Super Bowl time comes next January 14 they will be the NFL representative in Miami's Orange Bowl. If they are, they will be the first team in NFL history to win three straight championships.

"I don't think I've ever worked harder," says Coach Vince Lombardi. "I can't remember when the Packers have had a larger player turnover."

Despite the turnover, the Packers should be as strong as ever and even more explosive than the grind-it-out, ball-control teams of the recent past. Jim Taylor and Elijah Pitts, excellent as always, were the principal runners in 1966, but neither posed a long threat from the line of scrimmage. This season Green Bay has runners who do. Although Taylor is now with the Saints, Pitts remains, along with Jim Grabowski and Donny Anderson, who have served their apprenticeships and appear to be ready to step in where Taylor and Paul Hornung used to step out. A rookie named Travis Williams and husky Ben Wilson, an arrival from the Los Angeles Rams, assure the Packers of their customary wealth in running backs and enhance the possibility that the attack will be a long-striking one.

Green Bay, of course, starts with an inestimable advantage—a quarterback who has been the most effective in football for several years, plus a perfect backup man. Bart Starr has demonstrated all the qualities that make for superstardom at quarterback: a fine arm, a quick delivery, poise and complete command of the tactical resources of his team. Behind him is Zeke Bratkowski, who has much experience, a good arm and the full confidence of the team when he is called upon to lead it. The Packers are one of the few teams that can accept an injury to the No. 1 quarterback.

Not that they have been faced with this possibility very often. Operating behind the best offensive line in pro football, Starr has been virtually indestructible. His value, it becomes clearer with each new season, cannot be overestimated. More than any other quarterback, he aims his passes with assurance, never releasing the ball until he is sure where it is going. Says Jack Christiansen, coach of the 49ers. " Starr's the best right now, and before he's done—which will be soon, I hope—he may be the best of all time."

Even Sid Gillman, the coach of the San Diego Chargers in the AFL, pays tribute to the quiet quarterback of the Packers. " Bart Starr is in a class by himself," Gillman says. "He has been ahead of John Unitas for a long time. Nobody can touch him. He's as good as there ever has been. The thing about him is that when he finds something, he wears it out. Show him a weakness and he'll hammer it to death. The Packers are sensible people. They pick out the things they can do and waste no time on frills."

With more speed in the backfield, Stan will have plenty of things he can do behind his almost perfect protection. Most of them involve exploiting an ideal set of receivers. Boyd Dowler, the tall ex-hurdler, is very fast and has the advantage of being able to reach over most defensive backs to catch the ball. Max McGee, seemingly ageless and infinitely wise after 11 years in the NFL, demonstrated the value of experience last year in the Super Bowl when he outfoxed the callow Kansas City corner backs for seven catches and two touchdowns in the Green Bay victory.

McGee is a spot player, but Carroll Dale is not, and he shares much of McGee's wisdom and has more speed. Tight End Marv Fleming, whom Lombardi considered the most improved player on the Packer roster last year, rates among the best in the league at his position. He was slowed by injury during the preseason games, but another youngster, Allen Brown, stands ready to fill in acceptably should Fleming fail to regain his full effectiveness.

Brown has himself been injured the last two years. Bob Long, a very fast outside receiver, also has been hurt. His loss will take away some of the speed that Green Bay needs, but, as usual, the Packers have adequate rookie help—this year in Dave Dunaway of Duke and Jeff White, who spent last year absorbing the Lombardi optional route system as a member of the taxi squad. Both can move.

The offensive line is approaching senior-citizen status. If the rest of the NFL teams take solace in that, they should not. The only man likely to break into that supremely competent group this season is Guard Gale Gillingham. Fuzzy Thurston is the one he would replace, but remember that Thurston's retirement has been predicted for three seasons now, and nobody yet has been able to usurp his position. One of the younger, quicker guards who was supposed to take his place is now playing for the Atlanta Falcons, and last season Thurston performed notably.