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MAN OF M ACHISMO continued

are!" If you consider that the uJtimate inadvertently called a hand-off, and left on the clock and we lose 30-27. That's
in machismo, you must also consider it Boom Boom had already disappeared as bad as I've felt after any loss of my
the ultimate in stupido. I had Los An- through the line. I also threw a couple life. A horrible way to lose! I mean, if
geles Rams on top of me the rest of the of interceptions and a lot of incomple- you're letting it all .hang out and taking
night. One time Roger Brown, all 300 tions, but I wound up the afternoon com- a chance on winning and then you make
pounds of him, embraced me enthusi- pleting eight passes for 157 yards and a mistake and lose, that's fine. But if
astically nose to nose. It hurt like hell. running three times for 34 yards and you're playing ball control, perfectly con-
When he was a safe distance away, I hol- proving to myself that these NFL guys tent to eke out a tie, and then you blow
lered, "Hey,Brown, didn't you ever hear were only humans. Now I knew that it, why, that's as Mickey Mouse as you
of Lavoris?" But I don't think he heard there was going to be a lot of fun and can get. I felt so bad I was almost sick.
me-I hope. The game confirmed ev- crunch waiting for me in this National So did the other guys. But I had this life-
erything I had suspected. First, that I Football League. long rule about never missing a post-
wasn't ready. Once we were on their four- After that I began playing more, and game party, and I didn't intend to miss
yard line and I called a draw play, and whet1 we met Green Bay at Milwaukee this one. I dressed and went home first
when I turned to go back and hand the I was listed as a starting quarterback. and poured myself a tequila, the truth
ball to Billy Brown he was gone. I had At the time -our record was 0-4, and drink, and for a chaser I had another.
Green Bay was on the way to one of its For a few minutes I entertained the
big Super Bowl years, slaughtering ev- thought of skipping the big blowout that
erybody en route. If ever there was a mis- was being held for the team at a fan's
match, this would be it. A week earlier house, but then Dale Hackbart and KarJ
the Packers had held the Detroit Lions Kassulke called and reminded me to
to a net of 59 yards passing, and the show up, and off I went in my 1939 La-
week before that they had thrown At- Salle to see what was happening. You
lanta passers eight times. So what hap- can imagine the mirth and merriment
pened? Bud Grant came up with a game at that party. When I saw the players
plan that was different from anything standing around with hangdog faces, I
I'd ever experienced. He instructed me said, "Hey, you guys, where's the body
to play a double careful game of ball con- laid out?" Nobody even cracked a smile.
trol, entirely alien to my own style of The great quarterback and student of
play. I wound up throwing a total of 11 humanity had failed again.
passes and completing only two, but our I took my bottle of tequila and I went
usual stout defense held and we beat downstairs to a gloomy corner of the
the mighty Packers 10- 7. "That's a new basement to wallow in my despair. Some-
low for me, completing two out of 11 ," body was already there, wallowing in
I told the press after the game, "but beat- his despair. It was Lonnie Warwick, the
ing Green Bay is a new high. I'll take mighty hillbilly from West Virginia and
this anytime." Tennessee, the ex-fighter who had been
Not long afterward, at Metropolitan working on a railroad section gang when
Stadium in Minnesota, the Packers came the Vikings had signed him. Of all the
back for revenge. I started at quarterback players on the club, Lonnie had become
and the club jelled pretty well and with one of my favorites, and I think I had
two minutes to play it's 27-27 and we're become one of his-ever since I had
about to pull off another upset by hold- put that shoulder into him on the prac-
ing the mighty Packers to a tie. It's tice field. We sat there together for an
first and 10 on our seven and Bud Grant hour or so, sipping tequila and com-
has sent in a word of caution-he tells miserating. We told each other what a
us not to play for a tie, but also not to great football team the Vikings had, and
go crazy and start throwing the ball all how we're going to win the Super Bowl
over the place, either. In other words, next year, and how we were the closest
he tells us to play our regular ball-con- bunch of athletes ever assembled togeth-
trol type of offense, and if we don't er in sports, and how we would die for
score, settle for the tie with absolutely one another. Then I said: " It's too bad
no complaints. I had to blow that game for us today."
Well, you know about "the best-laid " You didn't blow the game," Lonnie
plans of mice and men." I take the ball said. ''The defense Jost the game."
from center and bump into our pulling "No, no, Lonnie," I said. " Don't try
guard and the ball gets away. Billy Brown to make me feel better. I blew it."
accidentally puts his foot into it · and He climbed to his feet, looked down
kicks it B yards down the field and at me and said, "Listen, you crazy Mex-
AT CALIFORNIA Co-captain Kapp posed the~ into Green Bay's hands. Don Chandler ican, I told you we lost the game, not
atrically and led the Golden Bears in rushing. kicks a field goal with a few seconds you. Stop feeling sorry for yourself."

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