Bears hold Cardinals in 1956 Strat-O-Matic Pro Football replay

1956 Chicago Bears versus the 1956 Chicago Cardinals

 This was a fun game to play, from the standpoint of trying to make the best of a bad situation for the Cardinals, and from the standpoint of playing with teams that definitely played a different kind of football than we're used to today.

 It's clear from looking at the players' statistics that the Cardinals are a run-heavy team. However, two guards and one tackle on the Cardinals' offensive line are 4-rated run blockers, while the Bears' defensive line is made up of mostly 5-rated defenders. This disparity played out pretty clear in this game for Cardinals fullback Joe Childress: He can get short gains by running off tackle, but the Cardinals managed only 18 Off Tackle yards in this game.
Because running would be a challenge for the Cardinals, they emphasized the passing game. When you look at Cardinals quarterback Lamar McHan's card, you see guessed right columns filled with must run results. But this actually benefits the Cardinals passing game in the following ways: McHan's core 6, 7, 8 must run results are +5, +4, +3, which aren't too shabby; if he must run, you get a 4.0 yards per carry average runner out of the deal. Also, when you use the advanced solitaire rules, the defense guesses wrong 50% of the time on 1st and 10 or 2nd and 10, which could result in some really nice gains on the long pass with flanker Gern Nagler, where a 7 result on his card is a long gain, guessed right or wrong.

 Clearly there are opportunities to pass with the Cardinals, especially on 1st or 2nd down. The main danger, however, is interceptions, and that's exactly what kept the Cardinals from triumphing in this game.
The Bears, meanwhile, have a much stronger offense than the Cardinals, both on the ground and in the air, and especially with flanker Harlon Hill who in 1956 caught 47 passes for 1,128 yards. This Bears team could play "run, run, run," without the pass, but why would the Bears ignore a weapon like Hill?

 The ball changed hands 30 times in this game. The game was a back-and-forth contest with big plays, high drama, and lots of scoring.




THE GAME

 FIRST HALF

 Cardinals placekicker Pat Summerall delivered the opening kickoff to the Bears, and the ball sailed past the end line for a touchback. The Bears started out the game cold, however, as the Cardinals actually moved them backward, so Bears' quarterback/punter Ed Brown sent the ball into Cardinals territory.
The Cardinals did not start out cold. On the first play, halfback Ollie Matson ran around the left end for 16 yards and then fullback Joe Childress bucked the line and pushed for 12 yards up the middle. But on the third play of the drive, Matson fumbled and lost the ball, and the Bears took over at their own 32-yard line.

 But again, the Bears were cold. After three attempts at a first down, Brown booted it out.

 The Cardinals continued hot. On their second drive, McHan hit split end Don Stonesifer with short passes for 17 and 5 yards. The Cardinals made mistakes, however, and suffered two holding penalties in a row, so on 2nd and 25 McHan attempted a long pass to Stonesifer, but Bears right cornerback McNeil Moore won the battle for that catch and he tallied an interception. On the very next play, the Bears' Brown spiraled a nice 19-yard short pass to flanker Harlon Hill, but after center Larry Strickland left the game with an injury, two plays later the Bears found themselves in a field goal situation. Placekicker/backup quarterback George Blanda attempted but missed the 32-yard attempt.

 The Cardinals responded, but with a confused mix of complete and incomplete passes and long and short runs, and they were forced to punt. Halfback/punter/kick returner Dave Mann dropped a coffin kick at the Bears' 12 yard line.

 Backed up deep in their own territory, the Bears decided they would go big, so Brown launched a long pass to Hill. Cardinals left cornerback Woodley Lewis ran with Hill stride-for-stride, however, and Lewis snapped the ball out of the air for an interception.
Now on the Bears' 36 yard line, the Cardinals hit Stonesifer for passes of 15 and 13 to achieve 1st and goal from the 8, but then the Cardinals' scouting report proved correct when Matson pounded twice for five yards but Childress lost 2 yards on two carries, and the Bears stopped the Cardinals at the 5 yard line to prevent the touchdown.

 The first quarter came to a close on a Bears 0, Cardinals 0 tie, but neither team would disappoint in the second quarter, which is when the real fun began.

 After marching 34 yards downfield on the ground unabated, trouble started for the Bears when, on a pass attempt, Brown was sacked by defensive right tackle Len Teeuws 9-yard loss. On 2nd and 19, Brown was forced to run for 4 yards, and on the next play the Bears committed a holding penalty, which gave the Bears 3rd and 25. Brown then missed on a long pass attempt to split end Gene Schroeder, and Brown was forced to punt. Cardinals return man Frank Bernardi then scampered 45 yards to the Bears' 25 yard line, and on the next play McHan hit flanker Gern Nagler 25 yards for a touchdown.

 Bears 0, Cardinals 7
The Bears would not be outdone. On the ensuing kickoff, Bears return man Don Bingham bolted 97 yards for a touchdown to tie up the score.

 Bears 7, Cardinals 7

 McHan opened up the next drive for the Cardinals with a 32-yard pass to Nagler, but then on another attempt to Nagler left cornerback J. C. Caroline nabbed the ball for an interception.

 Brown decided to show off his own arm for the visiting Bears fans, and on the next drive he hit flanker Harlon Hill for consecutive passes of 45 yards and 26 yards. Halfback Perry Jeter then soared around the right end for a 7-yard touchdown run.

 Bears 14, Cardinals 7

 The air game continued.
On the next drive, McHan hit Nagler for 29 yards and Stonesifer for 18 and 26, and this time when the Cardinals faced 1st and goal, they mixed things up with a 6-yard pass to split end Night Train Lane. Fullback Joe Childress then pushed it off tackle for a 2-yard touchdown run.

 Bears 14, Cardinals 14

 The Cardinals suffered their first of three defensive injuries on the ensuing drive when left linebacker Carl Brettschneider went down on a linebuck to the right side by Bears fullback Rick Casares. The Cardinals kept the Bears caged within their own territory, however, and Brown punted.

 With the Cardinals' ball, McHan tried Nagler again, but left cornerback J.C. Caroline intercepted the pass, and on the very next play Brown launched a 60-yard pass to Hill and Jeter long-stepped it in on a 14-yard run around the left side of the line. Blanda missed the extra point.

 Bears 20, Cardinals 14
The Cardinals slowed down, and their next drive was three-and-out, but the Bears did not. With 2:00 remaining in the half, the Bears used timeouts and a hurry up offense to drive 77 yards downfield, on a drive that included 12-, 17-, and 13-yard passes to McColl and a 28-yard pass to Hill. The Bears finished the drive with Casares bucking the line twice, and he finally made it over the goal line on a 2-yard run for the touchdown.

 Bears 27, Cardinals 14

 The Cardinals finished the half with a failed long pass to Nagler.

 SECOND HALF

 The Cardinals opened the second half with the ball, but they were forced to punt on a three-and-out. The Bears responded with a methodical drive that included Jeter and halfback John Hoffman in the ground game and with Casares fielding passes in the flat. The drive did eventually stall, however, and when Brown attempted a coffin kick on a punt, the Cardinals blocked the kick and took over on the Bears' 45-yard line. McHan once again employed the pass and hit Nagler for 29 yards and Bernardi for 15 yards while offensive center Jack Simmons valiantly held off middle linebacker Bill George on the pass rush. The Cardinals finished the drive with a 7-yard end around by Matson and on a 4-yard run by Childress through a poor tackle by right linebacker Joe Fortunato for the touchdown.

 Bears 27, Cardinals 21

 With the Cardinals playing catch-up, the Bears got to work. Jeter and Casares took turns attacking the line with runs of 13, 8, 11, 13, and 7, and then Brown finished the drive with a 17-yard look-in pass to Casares followed by a second, 11-yard look-in pass to the fullback for a touchdown.
Bears 34, Cardinals 21

 McHan took to the air and hit Bernardi and Lane, but he was intercepted for the second time by RCB Moore on a pass to Stonesifer.

 The Bears took over at midfield and moved the ball into Cardinals territory, and in the process LCB Lewis left the game with an injury. The Cardinals decided to move right cornerback Lindon Crow to take over Lewis' spot at LCB and installed substitute defensive back John Roach at the RCB position. On the very next play, Brown took advantage of the Cardinals' switcheroo and targeted Schroeder on a short pass, but Roach proved his worth by snatching the ball away from Schroeder for an interception.
Again with the ball, the Cardinals decided to switch tactics on offense. Instead of focusing on Nagler and Stonesifer, McHan began to target tight end Max Boydston in the flat and with positive results. Boydston caught passes for 12, 17, 8, and 7 yards, all against Bears left linebacker Wayne Hansen. When the Cardinals moved the ball to the Bears' 6-yard line, on 3rd and goal, McHan looked for Stonesifer in the end zone, but McHan was forced out of the pocket and he strode six yards on the ground for the touchdown.

 Bears 34, Cardinals 28

 Now in the fourth quarter, the Bears focused on the ground game, to chew up the clock, but when the Bears reached 3rd and 10, Brown was forced out of the pocket to run, and somewhere in the scrum split end Gene Schroeder fell injured, and the Bears were forced to punt.

 A tie or a winning score was in striking distance, so the Cardinals tried alternating the ground game with throws to Boydston, but the drive quickly stalled, and on 4th and 2 at their own 46-yard line, and with 7:00 remaining in the game, the Cardinals chose to punt. Mann booted the ball long and high and Jeter called a fair catch at his own 11 yard line.
In the waning minutes of the game, the Bears set out to prove their mettle and to send the signal that the Cardinals made a poor choice by punting. First, they hit the ground game with Jeter off tackle for 7 and Casares bucking the line for 20. Brown dropped a pass into McColl's hands for 19, then Casares followed with 7 and 6 on the ground. And after a no-gain by Jeter, Casares brought the Bears down to the Cardinals 36-yard line on a look-in pass and a linebuck run. Brown then hit Hill on a 31-yard pass for a touchdown with 2:15 on the clock.

 Bears 41, Cardinals 28

 The Cardinals pursued a last-ditch effort. After a poor kickoff by Blanda and a great return by Matson, the Cardinals began their final drive with 1:45 on the clock. McHan took to the air, but he was sacked for a loss of 8 yards by defensive left tackle Fred Williams. McHan then missed on shots to Nagler, Stonesifer, and Nagler again, and when the Bears took over with 0:45 seconds on the clock, not even three Cardinals timeouts could prevent the Bears from marching 21 yards downfield to chew up the remaining grains of sand in the hourglass.

 Bears 41, Cardinals 28 (final)

 BOX SCORE

 1956 BEARS      00 27 07 07 | 41
1956 CARDINALS  00 14 07 07 | 28
SCORING

 Q2 12:00 CARDINALS QB Lamar McHan 25-yd pass to FL Gern Nagler, PK Pat Summerall XP
Q2 11:45 BEARS KR Don Bingham 97-yd return, PK George Blanda XP
Q2 09:15 BEARS HB Perry Jeter 7-yd run, PK George Blanda XP
Q2 06:15 CARDINALS FB Joe Childress 2-yd run, PK Pat Summerall XP
Q2 03:30 BEARS HB Perry Jeter 14-yd run, PK George Blanda XP (missed)
Q2 00:30 BEARS FB Rick Casares 2-yd run, PK George Blanda XP
Q3 07:30 CARDINALS FB Joe Childress 4-yd run, PK Pat Summerall XP
Q3 04:30 BEARS QB Ed Brown 11-yd pass to FB Rick Casares, PK George Blanda XP
Q4 11:15 CARDINALS QB Lamar McHan 6-yd run, PK Pat Summerall XP
Q4 02:15 BEARS QB Ed Brown 31-yd pass to FL Harlon Hill, PK George Blanda XP
PLAY AND YARDAGE DISTRIBUTION

 BEARS

 End Run Left 6 for 47 yards
Off Tackle Left 6 for 27 yards
Linebuck Left 6 for 64 yards
Linebuck Right 9 for 44 yards
Off Tackle Right 7 for 16 yards
End Run Right 6 for 40 yards
Flat Pass Left 1-2 for -2 yards
Look-in Pass 4-4 for 49 yards
Flat Pass Right 3-3 for 13 yards
Short Pass 5-12 for 80 yards, 1 INT
Long Pass 5-11 for 190 yards, 1 INT

 CARDINALS

 End Run Left 6 for 39 yards, 1 F
Off Tackle Left 8 for 14 yards
Linebuck Left 2 for 0 yards
Linebuck Right 1 for 12 yards
Off Tackle Right 2 for 4 yards
End Run Right 6 for 13 yards
Flat Pass Left 2-4 for 8 yards
Look-in Pass 2-3 for 9 yards
Flat Pass Right 4-4 for 54 yards
Short Pass 8-15 for 133 yards, 1 INT
Long Pass 4-14 for 115 yards, 3 INT
PASSING

 BEARS - QB Ed Brown 18-32 for 330 yards, 2 INT, 2 TD, 86.72 QBR
CARDINALS - QB Lamar McHan 20-40 for 309 yards, 4 INT, 1 TD, 44.69 QBR
RECEIVING

 BEARS - FL Harlon Hill 6-11 for 209 yards, TE Bill McColl 4-8 for 71 yards, SE Gene Schroeder 0-4 for 0 yards, FB Rick Casares 8-9 for 60 yards

 CARDINALS - FL Gern Nagler 4-13 for 115 yards, SE Don Stonesifer 6-13 for 104 yards, TE Max Boydston 5-6 for 41 yards, SE Night Train Lane 3-5 for 10 yards, FL Frank Bernardi 2-3 for 29 yards
RUSHING

 BEARS - HB Perry Jeter 19 for 106 yards, FB Rick Casares 17 for 105 yards, HB John Hoffman 4 for 18 yards, QB Ed Brown 2 for 6 yards

 CARDINALS - FB Joe Childress 13 for 30 yards, HB Ollie Matson 12 for 52 yards and 2 F, QB Lamar McHan 3 for 10 yards
PUNTING

 BEARS - P Ed Brown 41, 44, (-14), 37, BLOCKED, 19C

 CARDINALS - P Dave Mann 30C, 44, 43, 43
RETURNS

 BEARS - KR Don Bingham 97TD, 24, 28, PR Perry Jeter 1, FC, FC

 CARDINALS - KR Dave Mann 13, 14, 16, KR Ollie Matson 24, 30, 30, PR Frank Bernardi 45, PR Ollie Matson 3, 9, 9
FUMBLES

 BEARS - None

 CARDINALS - HB Ollie Matson 2, 1 lost
INTERCEPTIONS

 BEARS - RCB McNeil Moore 12, 15, LCB J.C. Caroline 0, 14

 CARDINALS - LCB Woodley Lewis 10, RCB John Roach 13
SACKS

 BEARS - DRT Bill Bishop 1 for -6, DLT Fred Williams 1 for -8

 CARDINALS - DRT Len Teeuws 1 for -9
INJURIES

 BEARS - OC Larry Strickland, SE Gene Schroeder

 CARDINALS - RLB Leo Sanford, LLB Carl Brettschneider, LCB Woodley Lewis
PENALTIES

 BEARS - 8 for 52 yards

 CARDINALS - 6 for 60 yards