Tender Griese OK for KC; Wilson Eyes Cab Squad

By Bill Braucher

Tuesday, October 2, 1967

 

Bob Griese will be back on Ground Zero next Sunday in Kansas City when the Dolphins have another go at the Chiefs, who should be in no mood to trifle after losing at Oakland.

The kickoff is at 4:30 (Miami time) in deference to the World Series game starting at 2 p.m. from St. Louis that day.

Griese’s right shoulder, injured in the first quarter of Sunday’s 29-7 loss in New York, is tender but flexible enough for passing. The chances are “100 percent,” according to Coach George Wilson, that the rookie quarterback will direct the offense.

Also in the works are personnel shifts aimed at strengthening the offensive line and the pass coverage.

Most likely to be activated are tackle Charlie Fowler and safety Bob Petrella, a pair of late arrivals who have been impressive in drills.

Linebacker John "Bull” Bramlett whose pent up feelings of aggression have been restricted largely to special-team operations, is likely to get his first start as a Dol­phin Sunday. Bramlett was a regular and something of a terror at Denver the last two seasons.

Fowler is a 6-2, 260 pound tackle drafted 12th by the Cleveland Browns and acquired on waivers by the Dolphins last month. In addition, Fowler is from the University of Houston, where something big seems to be transpiring lately.

Petrella, a 6-0, 185-pound Tennessee product drafted eighth a year ago, returned to the Dolphins last month after a six-month hitch in the Air Force.

Wilson plans to study the injury situation before paring his squad to make room for Fowler and Petrella.

Except for Frank Emanuel’s sorely bruised side, however, Wilson was inclined to dismiss the aches inherited from eight tough games, including five preseason battles that sapped the squad’s strength.

"When you lose the injuries pile up," said Wilson. That’s the way it's always been and always will be. There's noth­ing like a victory to get rid of pain."            

Wilson was more concerned over three mistakes against the Jets he pinpointed Monday:

The first pass of the game, a post pattern from Griese to flanker Jack Clancy. “Clancy was wide open and had got behind his man (cornerback Johnny Sample) but the pass was short. Instead of a touchdown we got an interception.”

Joe Auer’s ghastly muff of a punt late in the second quarter. Abner Haynes eventually recovered the bounding ball back at the Miami 5. The Dolphins lost field posi­tion, had to punt and on the next series the Jets went ahead, 16-7, when Emerson Boozer escaped 49 yards with a Joe Namath pass in the last minute of the half.

Safety Pete Jaquess missing Boozer around the 25-yard line on the same play.

These misfortunes turned the trend of the game, after Rick Norton in relief of Griese had taken the Dol­phins to a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter. When Namath came out for the second half with a nine- point lead, he commenced firing at will while breezing to a personal record of 415 yards on 23 completions of 39 passes.

Norton meanwhile was rushed to distraction as the Jets' defense picked up the tempo after taking the lead. Rick completed 11 of 26 passes for 143 yards and his best performance since last year's victory at Houston when linebacker Johnny Baker shattered his jaw.

But Norton was trapped seven times by Jet rushers and Wilson thought some of his problems were self-made in Rick’s failure to recognize New York's defensive align­ments and cope with them accordingly.      

So Norton remains on standby with Archie Roberts while Griese copes with Buck Buchanan, Jerry Mays, Bobby Bell and the rest of Kansas City's awesome company next Sunday.