Two years after he co-founded the Packers with Curly Lambeau, George Calhoun began writing a piece called The Dope Sheet, which served as the official press release and game program from 1921-24.
Honoring Calhoun, the first publicity director, the Packers are running this weekly feature as their release, which is being made available to fans exclusively on Packers.com.
A complete edition of the Dope Sheet will be available each week during the season in PDF format, located in the Packers.com Game Centers.
Here are some highlights from the Week 3 Dope Sheet:
THIS WEEK'S NOTABLE STORYLINES:
-Former NFC Central rivals square off in Tampa Bay's first trip to Lambeau Field since the NFL realigned before the '02 campaign.
-Green Bay hopes to avoid its first 0-3 start since 1988.
-The Packers bid for a 13th consecutive home win over the Bucs, including playoffs. Green Bay's last loss in Wisconsin was a 23-21 setback at Lambeau Field, Sept. 10, 1989.
-The league's leading rusher, rookie Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, squares off against the NFL's seventh-ranked rushing defense.
-The contest involves two of the NFL's leading sack artists since the '01 season, Simeon Rice and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.
-Former Packers assistant coach Jon Gruden returns to Lambeau Field for the first time with Tampa Bay. Green Bay rallied for an opening day, 28-24 win over Gruden's Raiders in 1999.
NATIONAL TELEVISION: FOX Sports, with five-time Emmy winner Joe Buck (play-by-play) and future Hall of Famer Troy Aikman (color), will air the contest to most of the country. Pam Oliver, in her 11th season covering the NFL on FOX, reports from the sidelines, and producer Richie Zyontz and director Artie Kempner oversee the broadcast. It's the 18th time since the beginning of the '04 preseason that Green Bay has been on a network broadcast available to the largest possible national audience.
PACKERS RADIO: Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 62-station Packers Radio Network, with versatile Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color). Spanning five states, the network covers 50 markets in the upper Midwest. The broadcast also is available to NFL Field Pass subscribers on packers.com.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
All-time regular season: 29-18-1
All-time, postseason: 1-0 (1997 NFC Divisional)
All-time, Lambeau Field: 15-5-0
Streaks: Packers have won two of last three and 12 straight regular-season home games
Last meeting, regular season: Nov. 16, 2003, Raymond James Stadium; Packers won, 20-13
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike Sherman: 55-33-0, .625, sixth NFL season, sixth with Packers
Jon Gruden: 69-52-0, .570, eighth NFL season, fourth with Bucs
Head to Head: Tied, 1-1
vs. Opponent: Sherman 3-3 vs. Bucs; Gruden 1-2 vs. Packers
MIKE SHERMAN...Is in his sixth year as the Packers' 13th head coach.
-Is no stranger to adversity, having overcome several hurdles each of the past three seasons. This season is no different, after losing leading receiver Javon Walker in Week 1.
-Since the 1993 collective bargaining agreement, teams have made 84 coaching changes and only Sherman's tenure has produced winning records in each of its first five seasons.
-Over their first five regular seasons as an NFL coach, since 1970 only Chuck Knox, George Seifert, Joe Gibbs and Mike Ditka produced better records than Sherman (53-27, .663).
-In 2004, his team became only the ninth in NFL history to reach the playoffs after a 1-4 start.
-Has led the Packers to three straight division titles and four consecutive playoff appearances.
-Is 6-0 against teams in the Super Bowl the previous season.
JON GRUDEN...Named the seventh head coach in Buccaneers history Feb. 18, 2002.
-Currently the NFL's youngest head coach (now 42), led Tampa Bay to its first Super Bowl title in his first season there in 2002. In the process, he set two NFL records, becoming the youngest head coach in to win a Super Bowl and the first veteran head coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl in his first season with a new team.
-Prior to joining the Buccaneers, Gruden guided the Oakland Raiders to division titles in each of his final two seasons. He steered the Raiders to a 40-28 mark in four seasons (1998-2001), with postseason appearances in 2000 and 2001. Under Gruden, the Raiders advanced to the AFC title game in 2000 and in 2001 lost a divisional playoff game to eventual Super Bowl champion New England.
-A former collegiate quarterback, Gruden spent 1995-97 as offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles and three years (1992-94) as wide receivers coach for the Green Bay Packers. He worked as offensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers in 1990, after several years coaching at the college level.
THE BUCS-PACKERS SERIES: Sunday marks the 50th overall meeting between these former NFC Central rivals. They launched the series in 1977, when the expansion Bucs moved to the Packers' division after an inaugural 1976 campaign in the AFC West.
-Including a '97 playoff victory, the Packers hold a 30-18-1 advantage. But the series has leveled in recent years, with Tampa Bay taking five of the last nine meetings. Since the Bucs shifted to the NFC South before the '02 season, the clubs have split two contests, both at Raymond James Stadium.
-Brett Favre is 15-6 in 21 regular-season starts against Tampa Bay, including a 10-0 mark at home. He needs 70 yards passing to reach 5,000 career against the franchise. The quarterback made his Packers debut Sept. 13, 1992, at Tampa Stadium. In relief of Don Majkowski, Favre completed his first Green Bay pass, to himself.
-The Packers have won 12 straight regular-season contests at home over Tampa Bay. Currently, the only other longer streak of wins by one home team over a single opponent is Green Bay's 13 straight over Detroit.
Notable connections...Gruden is one of four former Packers assistants now serving as an NFL head coach (also Andy Reid, Tom Coughlin and Steve Mariucci)...Bart Starr in 1983 gave Monte Kiffin, now Bucs defensive coordinator, his first NFL coaching job: Packers linebackers coach...Packers defensive coordinator Jim Bates and Bucs receivers coach Richard Mann were together on Bill Belichick's Cleveland staff from 1991-93...Green Bay offensive line coach Larry Beightol held a similar capacity in Tampa Bay from 1987-88...Tampa Bay drafted CB Al Harris in 1997; he spent his first NFL season on the Bucs' practice squad before the Eagles claimed him on waivers in '98...Defensive linemen Jon Bradley (Tampa Bay) and Corey Williams (Green Bay) were teammates at Arkansas State...The Bucs have had two players who graduated from Green Bay area high schools in recent years...Current guard Dan Buenning is a product of Bayport High School and the University of Wisconsin; former Ashwaubenon High School RB Aaron Stecker, now with New Orleans, began his career in Tampa Bay...Josh Bidwell was the Packers' punter from 2000-03...Packers defensive ends coach Bob Sanders coached at the University of Florida in the late 1990s, seeing T Kenyatta Walker daily at practice.
LAST MEETING (AP): Nov. 16, 2003, Raymond James Stadium; Packers won, 20-13.
-Facing fourth-and-1 from the Buccaneers 16 in a tie game, the Packers sent Najeh Davenport barreling up the middle for 5 yards instead of kicking a go-ahead field goal. Three plays later, Ahman Green scored from the 1 to finish a 17-play, 98-yard march that gave the Packers the victory.
-Green finished with his season's seventh 100-yard rushing game, tying a franchise record, gaining 109 on 21 carries despite sitting out part of the winning drive with leg cramps. Davenport filled in admirably in his absence, gaining 39 of his 70 yards.
-Brett Favre completed 13 of 28 passes for just 92 yards, but threw a TD pass for the 18th straight game, a 5-yard shovel pass to Tony Fisher for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The three-time NFL MVP was intercepted once, but was not sacked - ending Tampa Bay's league-record streak of 69 consecutive games with at least one sack.
-The victory was Favre's 120th as a starter, moving him ahead of Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas into sole possession of fourth on the career list. It was his first, though, in Tampa since 1997, the year before the Bucs moved into Raymond James Stadium, where Favre was 0-5.
-The Packers beat the reigning Super Bowl champion for the third straight season.
LAST MEETING AT SITE: Nov. 4, 2001; Packers won, 21-20.
-Allen Rossum returned a punt 55 yards for a TD with 3:17 left in the fourth quarter, giving Green Bay a 21-20 win. The victory marked the Packers' 12th consecutive at home over the Bucs. Rossum on the return went untouched by all but one defender, Shelton Quarles, flagged for grabbing Rossum's facemask. The defense set up the return, holding the Bucs to three-and-out after a 50-yard Josh Bidwell punt and a 10-yard holding penalty pinned Tampa Bay at its own 12.
-On the day, the Packers notched seven sacks, tying a 2001 high, and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (10) became the first Green Bay player since Reggie White to reach double figures in a season.
-Green Bay trailed 17-7 just over five minutes into the second half, when Brad Johnson hit Mike Alstott for an 11-yard score. But five minutes later, Ahman Green's 63-yard touchdown burst cut the lead to 17-14. Green, who rushed for a career-best 169 yards on 24 attempts, recorded his third 2001 run of at least 61 yards.
-Tampa Bay capitalized on all three turnovers, cashing them in for 17 points. But the Bucs would've had more if not for Mike Wahle's touchdown saving "clothesline" tackle on Donnie Abraham's first-half interception, which set up a Martin Gramatica field goal.
-Brett Favre improved to 10-0 vs. the Bucs at home.
