AFC Playoffs Rd. 1 Missouri vs. Detroit preview

This looks like a tasty match-up with two very strong squads each capable of running the table in 1960. Missouri stumbled in their finale last week to the mighty St.Louis Saints but this is a strong football team led by the legendary coach Dale Van Deven. The teams did not meet in the regular season so there is no familiarity factor to this game. Milt Plum had the highest passer rating in the NFL in 1960 and the 3rd highest rated QB in the SRFL. Plum will lead a diverse and balanced offense for Missouri. Bosseler, Arnett & Mingo are all reliable if not flash runners. The big targets at receiver are Gail Cogdill and Jim "Red" Phillips. The strong Arrows defense can be a formidable obstacle. Gino Marchetti shuts down one side of the line allowing Tom Addison and Don Shinnick to roam with impunity. Abe Woodson is a shut-down cornerback and Gene Mingo leads the special teams with an incredible 95% success rate on his field goal attempts.

The Detroit independents are certainly going to run the ball. Why would you not, when you have two horses in the backfield in Abner Haynes and Nick Pietrosante? However if you stack the line against them well they can throw over your head. Frank Tripucka isn't afraid to launch the pigskin downfield. If Head Coach Steve Forester sees his opponents jamming the line of scrimmage he'll let Tripucka unload downfield into the waiting arms of Don Norton, Bobby Walston & Billy Howton. The Independents defense is built for mayhem. The Linebacking core is as strong as any in the league. Paul Maguire, Bill George and Walt Michaels stop the run and the pass with equal effectiveness. Try the secondary and there isn't a weak link to be found there. Mark Johnson, Andy Nelson, Tom Brookshire & Jimmy Patton could each lead a secondary on their own but as a combination they are rock solid.