Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-04

W1NO1ON 0ALEM, N. u,
Sept. 4.-"Give us a couple of
guards, even one good one. a
quarterback and halfback and
this team would be fighting for
the league championship. And it
would be in the title picture for
the next few years, because this
is a young team and one that's
going to get better"
The speaker was Bill Dudley.
Virginia's first All-America an
all-pro halfback with the Pitts
burgh Steelers, a standout with
the Redskins and now back with
the Steelers as an aide after a
couple of years as assistant coach
at the University of Virginia.
Bill secuted the Redskins in their
ITO loss to the Chicago Bears,
but before the game he was
talking about the Steelers' pros
poets for 1856.
Our backfield is mighty thin. F."
the Virginia gentleman con-
tinued. What we have is good,
but we don't have enough of it
Pshaw, when you get past our
first string I think l could do
as good a job as any of the rest.
II we're lucky and don't have
any injuries we'll be all right
but you can't count on being
lucky in this league"
Dudley likes the Steelers' pass
defense, bolstered this year by
the addition of Dick Alban from
the Redskins. With Hank Ford
Jack Butler, Art Davis and Gary
Click rounding out the Sec
ondary the SteelerS figure to
have one of the best defenses
in the league-and that's not
only Dudley's opinion. Most of
the scouts who've seen Walt
Keisling's charges agree that
they will be tough to pass
against, and no pushover on the
ground.
~ %&
Both Head Coach Paddy Dris-
coll of the Chicago Bears and
Luke Johnsos. his right hand
man, had good reports on Click,
the Steelers' surprising bonus
pick. Most football men were
aStonished when Art Rooney's
board of strategy didn't take a
name" back, such as Ohio
States Hopalong Cassidy, who
would add punch to the box
Office as well as the offense, or
a solid-looking quarterback like
Michigan States Earl Morrall,
who was grabbed by the San
Francisco Forty-NinerS. Click,
by comparison, was an unknown.
But the Bears coaches say
Pittsburgh got a good. all-around
pro in Click. The Steelers also
got a real good boy for their
f1rst-round pick in Davis, who
is as fast as the wind, although
the word is spreading that Paul
Brown of Cleveland got the best
first choice in Preston Carpenter
of Arkansas. Even Brown agrees
with that.
The Bears, skipping around a
bit. are trying to build up for a
fast getaway this year. They
dropped their first three league
games last season in one Of the
most astounding form reverSals
of recent years, and that mega
tive beginning ultimately cost
them the Western Division
crown.
Last year, when George Halas
was asked about the teams title
chances, he had a stock reply
about trying to sneak in second
while the others were battling
flor the No. / spot. George didn't
know how prophetic the state
iment was. and he's not repeat
ing it this year. For one thing,
he has turned the head coaching
job over to Driscoll.
i Driscoll, who seems to be bear
ling up well under his new au-
Ithority, is predicting no cham
Ipionship. He remembers too well
the fumbles that helped the Bal
Itimore Colts beat the Bears in
the first game, 23-17, and helped
the Miners nose them out
i'm the third, 20-19. In between.
while the Chicagoans were still
'Idazed from the Baltimore set
back. Green Bay shellacked 'em,
I24-3.
And, after the Bears got
Strengthened away and won their
next six in a row, the Cardinals
blasted them. 1914. in the sea-