Evening star., 1953-12-27
Browns Given
5a1-Point Edge
On Lions Today
Field in Bod Shape
For Championship;
Snow FIurries Seen
BY Lewis F. Atchison
Star Stoff Correspondent

BY Lewis +. AtchlSon
Star Stoff Correspondent
DETROIT, Dec. 81. - The
Cleveland Browns remained 51a-
point favorites tonight to beat
the Detroit Lions in tomorrow's
nationally televised game for the
National Football League cham
pionship.
The weather forecast is cloudy
and cool, with temperatures be-
tween 35 and 40 degrees and a
prospect Of snow flurries. The
game forecast is for one of the
most bruising battles in recent
years on a field that is not in
good shape.
officials expect a sellout at
tendance of $4,000 at Briggs
Stadium, including 5000 tickets
for standees which will be placed
on sale tomorrow morning
The game, starting at pm,
will be televised from coast-to-
coast, with Detroit and a IS
mile area blacked out.
(The telecast will be car
ried by Washington's WTTG,
Channel S. The radio broad
cast will be on WWDC)
Have Psychological Edge.
There was some loose talk today
about the odds dropping to three
points, but a check showed the
sporting gentry still giving 5la
pointS-and rather cheerfully,
too. The Browns are supposed
to have not only the better team.
but a psychological edge in the
wrap-up game of the 1858 pro
season.
No team ever lost three
straight championship playoffs,
and the Browns have two
charged against them. This will
be Cleveland's fourth straight
NFL championship game, match
ing the Chicago Bears string
from 1910 through 1943. The
Bears won three of their four,
becoming the first club to win
two straight league titles. The
Philadelphia Eagles of 1948 and
'49 are the only other squad to
nail consecutive titles to the
pole.
The Browns can't match the
Bears playoff record of the
early 1940s, but they don't want
that other first" that is staring
'em in the face.
The Browns virtually cake
walked to the division title with
IL straight victories before losing
the finale to the Philadelphia
Eagles. The Lions. on the other
hand. had a rough road to the
playoff, not making it until the
last day of the regular season
when they edged the New York
Giants for their 10th victory
against two defeats.
Never Lost Title Game
But the host team mas some
thing going for it tomorrow The
Lions, making their third play
off appearance. never have lost
a title game. They defeated the
Giants, 26 to Z, in 1885, and
they won last years game from
Cleveland, 17-7. Moreover, Coach
Buddy Parker never has lost to
Paul Brown, his rival MASTER
mind. A 24-24 tie in an exhibi-
ton game this season is the best
Brown can show for five meet
ings with Parker.
But the odds-makers believe
Lou Groza's talented toe, rather
than Otto Graham's good right
arm, gives Cleveland the edge
in the battle of the blue chips.
They argue that the teams are
evenly matched, except for Gro
za's place-kicking.
Both teams worked out today
over the Scared turf in Briggs
Stadium.
Field i'm Poor Shape.
The field is soft and mushy in
spots and hard in others. There's
very little grass left and there's
nothing but mud along one of
the sidelines. The groundskeep-
ers said this will be covered over
with dirt by game time.
Sideline strategists expect the
eak-kicking Lions to give the
ball to their opponents between
the 80 and 35 yard lines on kick
offs. From there, they figure,
Graham will pass his teammates
across the midfield stripe where
if the attacks bogs down -
GroZa can take over.
In effect, the boys are willing
to wager that Groza kicks at
least two field goals and that
everything else will be even.
Groza established a new league
record this season when he
kicked % field goals in 26 at
tempts Doak Walker, who will
kick for the Lions if they get in
range, made good on IL of his
19 attempts.
Each Praises The Other.
Both coaches have been loud
in their praise Of the other team.
Neither Parker nor Brown was
willing to say anything that
might be used against them in
a dressing room pep talk. But
Parker got an assist from the
front office in his preparations
for the game when the Lions
management handed each player
a $500 bonus Christmas Day. It
(See PRO FOOTBALL. B-2.)