The Eagles Have Gone Dutch

Last year the Eagles lost twice to the New York Giants, and the 1957 edition of the Giants was not nearly as good as the 1958 club. When Van Brocklin left the field Sunday, in his heavy-footed, slow trot, he left with a 27-24 victory. Of course, not all the difference was Van Brocklin; the Eagle running game is helped with the development of Clarence Peaks, and the addition of Billy Wells, a Pittsburgh castoff, who had a great day.

But—and here is another reason for Van Brocklin's tremendous value to any team—the Giants had to worry first about the Eagle air attack, and with very good reason, since the Dutchman completed 16 of 34 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns.

Van is happy with the Eagles now. He has only one regret—the Rams are not scheduled to play the Eagles this year. And that may be the reason Gillman selected Philadelphia to trade the Dutchman to.

With Van Brocklin, the Eagles, after two games, appear to be the strongest threat to the Cleveland Browns for the Eastern Conference championship. The Browns, however, need fear no one, Van Brocklin included, in their division. After a shaky venture into the West and a 30-27 victory over Los Angeles, the Browns last week found the Pittsburgh Steelers so easy a victim (45-12) that Paul Brown rested his best quarterback, Milt Plum, and his best runner, Jim Brown, for the fourth quarter. It becomes clearer with each week that Brown has finished the rebuilding process needed when Otto Graham retired.

The Chicago Cardinals, using some single-wing to supplement Pop Ivy's new double-wing T, surprised Washington and, possibly, Ivy with a magnificent running and passing attack to win easily, 37-10. The game may have spelled the end of Lamar McHan as a first-string quarterback; M. C. Reynolds, taking over from McHan late in the second quarter, completed 16 of 25 passes for 228 yards.

Coach Weeb Ewbank's five-year plan for the Baltimore Colts is right on schedule: the Colts are a superbly balanced team with all the tools a pro club must have. They proved that by whipping the Bears 51-38 and taking position as the clear-cut favorite in the West. Age appears to have withered Detroit too much; the Lions struggled for a 13-13 tie with Green Bay. The most ominous note of warning for Baltimore came from the West: the Los Angeles Rams, not missing Van Brocklin a whit, used Bill Wade's passing and a ferocious defense to rout San Francisco 33-3.

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]