Evening star., 1944-12-11
Giants Air Defense, Fatal to Redskins Nav Packer Problem
Ancients and Rockies
Team Brilliantly 10
Trim Tribe, $40

An alert, bone-bendlng New Yorl
Giant eleven, supposedly destined
for the boneyard at the seasons
start, found itself wearing the Ma.
tional Pro Football Leagues East.
ern crown today and headed fol-
the championship playoff with the
Green Bay Packers next Sunday al
the Polo Grounds.
The Giants, a we'll balanced com.
bination of ancient warriors anc
callous rockies, pounced On two Red.
skin fumbles in the opening min
utes of yesterdays game and con.
verted them into touchdowns that
were more than enough to win. The
final count was 31-0.
Arnie Herber, a star when many
of his contemporaries were in knee
britches, completed only three o1
six passes, but all three went fol
touchdowns. The Giants also com.
pleted six for Washington, Charley
Avedisian returning one 48 yards
for the visitors fourth and fra,
six-pointer. Ken Strong, who was
rollin' along when or Man Ribbel
was a mere driblet, booted all the
extra points, and for good measure
Waro Cuff, no STRIPPING himself
kicked a 33-yard field goal.
A sellout crowd of more than 35,
900, anticipating rerun of last
weeks pulsating duel, was sorely
disappointed The Skins had an
edge in statistics, outgaining the
Giants on the ground and in the
air, but they must have left their
scoring punch in the dressing room
Twice in the second period they
stalled deep in Giant territory, on
the 10 and IL yard lines, and later
in the same quarter they arrived
at the 25-yard mark before their
wagon broke down.
New York Defense Clever.
New York employed a battling
flexible 5-man line to stop the Skins
1t not only succeeded in rushing the
passer and hurrying his throw, but
seemed to have eight or nine men
scattered around the field 20 inter-
cept or knock down the passes. The
veterans Frank Cope. Vic Carroll
Mel Helm and ONeale Adams stood
out like granite bastions in the line
and only once-on fourth down with
a foot to go for a first-did the Tribe
succeed in direct assault agcinst
them.
Washington suffered a stunning
blow in the first few minutes of the
game when Bob Seymour limped tf1
the field with leg injury. Later
big Joe Aguirre, field-goal kicking
and pass-snagging star of last week
episode, joined him with shoulder
injury, and still later AL Fiorentine
was kayoed. The loss of these key
men was too much to overcome ano
the fray became a rout.
Sammy Baugh, passing star O.
the first Giant game, was the goa
yesterday His fumbles directl,
paved the way for the Giants frs
two scores and the invaders tigh
aerial defense prevented him from
atoning for them.
Baugh muffed the ball the frs
time on the third play of the gam,
and Frank Cope recovered for tn,
Giants on the Redskins 80. Fiv,
plays later Heber fired the frs
payoff pitch to Cuff.
Carroll Receivers FumbIe.
The second bobble followed at al
even more rapid tempo. On tn,
first play following Strong's kickoff
into the end zone, Baugh dropped
the ball and Vic Carroll, one o
Sans former teammates, pouncet
on it on the Redskins 81. Cage,
Cuff. whose direction of the Clan
attack was brilliant, set up tn,
touchdown pass by running twt
inside plays. One, good for a frs
down on the 10, packed the Red.
skin line trif1e tighter, and Herbel
followed with a strike to Franz
Liebel in the end zone.
Harder blocking unquestionabl!
would have helped the Redskir
cause. Andy Farkas ran Strong!
opening kickoff from the to the 81.
yard line, following a large escort ot
teammates. But Andy couldn't gel
into the open as the Giants reck-
lessly swept into the red-jerseyed
convoy and bowled 'em down like
tenpins. The act was repeated or
the next kickoff, Farkas reaching the
80 this time.
Better tackling would have helped
the Skins, too. Starting New York's
72-yard march in the third period
for its only earned score, Howie
Livingston shook off no less thar
four Tribesmen rounding left enc
for a first down on his own 38. Bill
Paschal, the games leading ground
gamer, drilled through the line time
and again for short gains, stopping
only when three or four Redskins
piled on top of him.
Livingston packed the ball to the
Skins 45-yard line on this particu.
lar drive before Herber unloaded q
long pitch to Liebel, who slipped be-
hind Moore and took the ball on the
1O-yard line, going over without
being touched.
The Injuns were gone goslings after
that. although Frank Filchock anc
Frank Atkins tried to fan a. spark o1
hope with running attack. Bu
the Giants seemed to know wha
was up and weren't taken in by the
Skins taking.