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 12 Dope Sheet:
THIS WEEK'S NOTABLE STORYLINES:
-The snake-bitten Packers need a win to keep alive the NFL's longest current streak of non-losing seasons. A ninth loss would clinch Green Bay's first sub-.500 record since 1991.
-Two of the most prominent members of the Mike Holmgren coaching tree, good friends Andy Reid and Mike Sherman, square off for the fifth time. Sherman earned his first NFL victory by beating Reid in 2000, but the Eagles' coach has secured the last three games. Sherman and Reid are the NFL's only coaches with active streaks of five consecutive winning seasons.
-Green Bay bids for its first win in Philadelphia since Nov. 11, 1962. Including the 2003 playoffs, the Packers have lost seven straight in the City of Brotherly Love.
-The Packers look to rebound from a pair of tough losses in their intial two trips to Lincoln Financial Field.
-The teams are meeting in Philadelphia for a third straight season because both teams won their divisions last year. Had Green Bay or Philadelphia finished in a different standing (first, second, etc.), the Packers would be traveling to meet a different NFC East foe in 2005.
-Mike Sherman has knocked off the defending NFC champion on the road each of the last two years (wins at Tampa Bay in 2003 and at Carolina in 2004). In fact, Sherman is 6-0 against teams that played in the Super Bowl the previous season.
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.
-Including preseason and postseason, this marks the 22nd time in the Packers' last 36 games that a network has assigned its 'A' crew, airing the contest to the largest possible national audience.
-The contest also is available to DIRECTV(r) subscribers on Channel 712.
NATIONAL RADIO: The SportsUSA Radio Network, with Eli Gold (play-by-play), Tim Pernetti (color) and Ari Wolfe (sideline).
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 broadcast also is available to NFL Sirius Radio subscribers on Channel 125.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles:
All-time regular season: 22-11-0
All-time postseason: 0-2
All-time, Philadelphia: 7-7-0; 7-9-0 incl. playoffs; 0-1 at Lincoln Financial Field (0-2 incl. playoffs)
Last meeting, regular season: Dec. 5, 2004, Lincoln Financial Field; Eagles won, 47-17
Postseason meetings: Jan. 11, 2004, Lincoln Financial Field, Eagles won, 20-17 (OT) ('03 NFC Divisional playoff) Dec. 26, 1960, Franklin Field, Eagles won, 17-13 ('60 NFL Championship)
Streaks: Eagles have won three straight, incl. playoffs; Eagles have won seven straight in Philadelphia, incl. playoffs
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike Sherman: 57-39-0, .594, sixth NFL season (all with Packers)
Andy Reid: 75-43-0, .636, seventh NFL season (all with Eagles)
Head to Head: Reid 3-1 vs. Sherman, including playoffs
vs. Opponent: Sherman 1-3 vs. PHI; Reid 3-1 vs. GB, incl. playoffs
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 to win a trio of NFC North titles.
-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. In 2005, is attempting to steer his club to the playoffs after an 0-4 start; since 1990, only the 1992 Chargers have accomplished that feat.
-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.
ANDY REID...The winningest coach in team history, Reid has led the Eagles to four consecutive NFC East division titles, four consecutive trips to the NFC Championship Game, and their first Super Bowl appearance since 1980.
-In his 13-year pro coaching career, Reid's teams have made the playoffs 11 times. He has coached in the Super Bowl three times and the NFC Championship Game seven times.
-Became the 20th head coach in franchise history on Jan. 11, 1999, and was promoted to head coach/executive vice president of football operations in 2001. He was named NFL coach of the year in 2000 and 2002.
-Joined the Eagles after a seven-year stint as an assistant coach with Green Bay (1992-98) under Mike Holmgren. With Green Bay, Reid helped the Packers earn a Super Bowl XXXI victory over New England.
-Coached at Brigham Young (1982), San Francisco State (1983-85), Northern Arizona (1986), Texas-El Paso (1987-88), and Missouri (1989-1991). Reid first met Holmgren, who was a member of BYU's coaching staff, when Reid was an offensive tackle and guard on three Cougar Holiday Bowl teams.
THE PACKERS-EAGLES SERIES:
-These clubs first met in 1933, the Eagles' inaugural year in the NFL.
-Mike Sherman earned his first NFL victory against the Eagles, a 6-3 decision, Sept. 17, 2000, at Lambeau Field.
-Philadelphia was the only team to defeat Vince Lombardi in a postseason game. The Eagles edged the Packers, 17-13, at Franklin Field for the 1960 NFL championship. The legendary coach won a league-record nine straight playoff games after that loss.
-Before that 1960 game, the Packers had won 13 of the teams' first 14 meetings, including the first nine in a row (1933-46).
-Including the 2003 NFC Divisional playoff, Brett Favre is 4-6 career against Philadelphia. He's 0-4 on the road.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS: In Green Bay, Andy Reid held the role currently played by Joe Philbin (tight ends, offensive line assistant), from 1992-96; before leaving to become Eagles head coach, Reid was the Packers' quarterbacks coach from 1997-98...The Packers acquired Al Harris and the Eagles' fourth-round pick in 2003 for Green Bay's second-round selection in the same draft...Rookie safety Jeremy Thornburg, claimed on waivers by Green Bay from San Francisco last month, originally signed with the Eagles as a nondrafted free agent and was inactive for their first four 2005 games...Philadelphia assistant head coach Marty Mornhinweg spent two seasons (1995-96) on Green Bay's coaching staff...Offensive coordinator Brad Childress spent 1991-98 on the University of Wisconsin coaching staff, where he tutored Darrell Bevell, now Green Bay's quarterbacks coach...Eagles quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur is the nephew of the late Packers defensive coordinator, Fritz Shurmur...Philadelphia college scout Terry Mickens played four years with the Packers...Philadelphia RB Lamar Gordon is a Milwaukee native and product of Cudahy High School, where he earned all-state honors as a senior in 1997...Eagles receivers coach David Culley and Packers head coach Mike Sherman served together on R.C. Slocum's staff at Texas A&M in 1993...Defensive ends N.D. Kalu (Philadelphia) and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (Green Bay), and running back Samkon Gado (Green Bay) are three of approximately 15 current NFL players with ties to the nation of Nigeria; Kalu aspires to get the group together and stage a youth football camp in the country...Packers defensive ends coach Bob Sanders tutored Jevon Kearse at the University of Florida...Packers special teams coordinator John Bonamego was born in Waynesboro, Pa. ...Secondary/safeties coach Joe Baker began his coaching career at East Stroudsburg (Pa.) University...Wide receivers coach James Franklin played quarterback at East Stroudsburg and set seven school records as a senior, before launching his career as a coach at Kutztown (Pa.) and East Stroudsburg...Philbin spent four years coaching at Allegheny College.
LAST MEETING (AP): Dec. 5, 2004, Lincoln Financial Field, Eagles won, 47-17.
-Donovan McNabb threw a career-high five touchdown passes, all in the first half, and finished with a team-record 464 yards passing, leading Philadelphia to a 47-17. Brian Westbrook and Terrell Owens also enjoyed big receiving days, and McNabb set a team record by completing his first 14 passes.
-Meanwhile, Brett Favre threw two interceptions that led to Philadelphia's first two scores. His streak of games with a TD pass was snapped at 36, second in NFL history to Johnny Unitas' 47 straight.
-The four-time NFC East champion Eagles (11-1) matched the best start in team history. The Packers (7-5) snapped a six-game winning streak, but remained tied with Minnesota for first place in the NFC North.
-A rematch of a thrilling playoff game 11 months before, this one never lived up to its hype. The Eagles scored four TDs in the second quarter, led 35-3 at halftime and rested most of their starters with 8:18 left.
-For one quarter, this game was competitive. McNabb lost a fumble inside Green Bay's 25 on Philadelphia's opening possession, but Favre was intercepted by Brian Dawkins on the ensuing drive. Three plays later, McNabb and Owens connected on a 41-yard catch-and-run TD. Owens caught the ball at the 26, streaked down the left sideline, broke one tackle and leaped into the end zone.
