Oct. 27, 1963 - Blanton Collier, the losing coach, said today that the Giants were an inspired team — and he was in the best position to know as his Browns were crushed by the New Yorkers, 33-6, in Cleveland. (Pictured below, Giant halfback Hugh McElhenny carries the ball.) The largest crowd ever to watch the Giants in action, 84,213, saw that team approach the unattainable goal of playing a perfect football game. The rout ended a Cleveland winning streak of six; it left the Giants one game behind the Browns in the Eastern Conference standing of the NFL along with the Cardinals; and it dulled — for one day at least — the premise that Jimmy Brown is superhuman. Brown, the superb Cleveland star, gained only 40 yards rushing in the nine times he carried the ball. It was by far his poorest production of the season, but he never had a chance. Neither did any of the other Browns in a game that belonged to New York from the opening kickoff. No Giant star shined brighter than Y.A. Tittle, the team’s astonishing quarterback. Today, Tittle stuck religiously to coach Allie Sherman’s plan of mixing a running game with a short passing game. Y.A. completed 21 of 31 passes for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns. Never once did he go for the bomb, the long touchdown pass he dearly loves to throw. Tittle took the New York offense up and down the Municipal Stadium gridiron virtually at will. The Giants put points on the scoreboard the first seven times they had the ball. Kicker Don Chandler tied a personal record by booting four field goals. Five is the league record. “This was only one game,” said coach Collier afterward. “Sometimes the emotional well runs dry. Our players wanted to play hard and tried, but the Giants were an inspired bunch today.” Giant coach Allie Sherman said his boys came to Cleveland to win. “The boys worked hard at it. It took a lot of discipline. We met on Tuesday and agreed to play a relaxed game. We planned to ‘chunk’ it out for short yardage and stay with them toe to toe on both sides.” Collier had no excuses for his players. “They outplayed us in every department. Our lines were out-charged. We can’t blame the defeat on any one thing,” he said. Asked why he didn’t use Brown more late in the game, Collier explained: “It was a question of getting behind and feeling we had to pass to catch up. They just ran through our blockers today, however.”
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