(10 of 10)
"We're Tired." No one, least of all Lombardi, wants to predict how long the Green Bay Packers will stay on top of their brutally tough sport. "We're tired," he says. "Jim Taylor's down to 204 Ibs., and he should weigh 220. Everybody's feeling the strain." If the weary Packers win their way into the N.F.L. playoff, they will face a New York Giants team, coached by canny Allie Sherman, that is far stronger and far fresher than the squad they trounced last time around. Giant Quarterback Y. A. ("Yat") Tittle is this year's master of the long pass, the touchdown "bomb," has thrown more scores (27) than any other pro. Giant Halfback Frank Gifford is riding the crest of a spectacular comeback after a year's retirement, and Tittle's favorite receiver, Del Shofner, is the league's best end, so surehanded and deceptive that even with an ulcer (which put him in the hospital for a rest last week) he makes sieves out of most pass defenses.
Even so, the experts' early line established the Packers as a 7-point favorite in a championship game. If it is humanly possible, Lombardi intends to make the odds stand up. "To be successful," he says fervently, "you must believe in what you do"—and Lombardi believes in his Packers. In the dressing room he tells his players: "The only thing that can beat you is yourself. Think about this: the Green Bay Packers are you! Remember it! The Green Bay Packers are you!" His voice grows silken, almost hypnotic. "Look, I've said it all before, but I'll say it again. If we are going to win the championship, we are going to win it ourselves. We can't count on anybody falling down for us. We've come a long way, and this is the end of the road. This is our year and our championship. Let's win it the way a champion should."