*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.*
THIS WEEK'S NOTABLE STORYLINES:
-The Packers make their regular-season debut on ESPN's version of Monday Night Football.
-In an improbable quirk, the Packers travel to Philaelphia, a non-divisional opponent, for the fourth straight season. The Eagles hosted Green Bay in the 2003 playoffs and in a previously scheduled 2004 contest. However, the last two instances - 2005 and now 2006 - have resulted because the Packers and Eagles finished in the same slots in their divisions (first in 2005 and fourth in 2006), and the league had slated the NFC North and NFC East same-place finishers to play in 2005 and '06.
-The Packers play the Eagles for the third time in prime time (all on Monday Night Football, also 1996 and 2003) but the first time in Philly.
-Mike McCarthy will attempt to become the third rookie head coach to win a Monday Night Football game this year, following Minnesota's Brad Childress (Sept. 11 at Washington) and New Orleans' Sean Payton (Sept. 25 vs. Atlanta).
-Brett Favre, whose streak turns 14 years old tomorrow, makes his 225th consecutive regular-season start. He's 17-13 in 30 career starts on Monday night.
NATIONAL TELEVISION: Monday Night Football, the most successful series in sports television history, moves to ESPN under an eight-year agreement starting this season.
-The new broadcast crew, anchored by play-by-play man Mike Tirico, includes analysts Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser, sideline reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya, producer Jay Rothman and director Chip Dean in the truck, along with Alex Stern from Elias Sports Bureau.
-The contest also will air as a simulcast locally on WBAY (Ch. 2) in Green Bay and WISN (Ch. 12) in Milwaukee.
-ESPN Deportes, with Alvaro Martin, Raul Allegre and John Sutcliffe, will broadcast in Spanish.
-ESPN International will air the contest in three languages to over 180 countries.
-The new agreement calls for 17 regular-season Monday night games per season on ESPN - featuring a new 7:30 p.m. CT telecast time (7:40 p.m. kickoff) - plus four preseason contests.
PACKERS RADIO: Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 57-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 47 markets in six states throughout the upper Midwest.
-The broadcast also is available to NFL Field Pass subscribers on packers.com. Those with SIRIUS Satellite Radio can listen to live play-by-play as part of the network's NFL Sunday Drive.
NATIONAL RADIO:?Westwood One Radio Sports will air the game across the country, with Marv Albert (play-by-play), Boomer Esiason (color) and John Dockery (sideline). Jim Gray hosts pregame and halftime shows.
NOTE OF THE WEEK: Greg Jennings is only the third NFL player since 1990 to make a TD reception of at least 75 yards within the first three games of his career (Elias Sports Bureau).
-Cleveland's Derrick Alexander had an 81-yard TD catch vs. Arizona, Sept. 18, 1994, in his second career game.
-Another Browns player, Braylon Edwards, had an 80-yard TD catch at Green Bay, Sept. 18, 2005, in his second career contest.
-The Jennings reception not only was Brett Favre's 400th touchdown pass, but also Favre's 10th of 75 or more yards. That tied the all-time NFL record for TD passes of 75-plus yards, shared by George Blanda, Ed Brown, Len Dawson, Sonny Jurgensen and Norm Snead.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles -
All-time regular season: 22-12-0
Postseason: 0-2
In Philadelphia: 7-8-0; 7-10-0 incl. playoffs
At Lincoln Financial Field: 0-2 (0-3 incl. playoffs)
Streaks: The Eagles have won four straight (incl. playoffs) and eight consecutive games in Philadelphia (incl. playoffs).
Last meeting, regular season: Nov. 27, 2005, Lincoln Financial Field; Eagles won, 19-14
Postseason meetings (2):
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)
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 1-2-0, .333, first NFL season
Andy Reid: 79-48-0, .622, eighth NFL season (all with Eagles)
Head to Head: (never met)
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 0-0 vs. Eagles; Reid 4-1 vs. Packers (incl. playoffs)
MIKE McCARTHY...Is in his first year as the Packers' 14th head coach.
-Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant - all under head coaches with defensive backgrounds.
-One of those previous 13 years was with the Packers, as quarterbacks coach in 1999.
-Spent the past six seasons as an offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints (2000-04) and San Francisco 49ers (2005).
-Had not been a head coach at any level, having begun his coaching career as a college assistant at Fort Hays State (1987-88) and the University of Pittsburgh (1989-92) before breaking into the NFL as a quality control assistant with the Chiefs in 1993.
ANDY REID...Is in his eighth year as the Eagles' 20th head coach.
-The winningest coach in team history, Reid led the Eagles to four consecutive NFC East division titles and four consecutive trips to the NFC Championship game from 2001-04, culminating in the team's first Super Bowl appearance since 1980.
-Including his tenure in Green Bay, Reid's teams have made the playoffs 11 times. He has coached in the Super Bowl three times and the NFC Championship seven times.
-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 Packeres 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 (1989-91). 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.
-The Packers' last victory in the series was a 6-3 decision on 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 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 4-7 career against Philadelphia. He's 0-5 on the road.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS: In Green Bay, Andy Reid was a tight ends/offensive line assistant coach from 1992-96 and 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...Philadelphia assistant head coach Marty Mornhinweg spent two seasons (1995-96) on Green Bay's coaching staff...Eagles quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur is the nephew of the late Packers defensive coordinator, Fritz Shurmur...Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders tutored Jevon Kearse at the University of Florida...Packers offensive line coach Joe Philbin spent four years coaching at Allegheny College (Pa.)...Eagles LB Dhani Jones and Packers CB Charles Woodson were defensive starters together at Michigan in 1997, when Jones was a sophomore and Woodson a senior...Eagles RB Rheno Mahe and G Scott Young and Packers LB Brady Poppinga all played on the 2002 BYU team.
INDIVIDUALLY VS. PHILADELPHIA: RB Ahman Green's second-highest single-game rushing total came against the Eagles, on Nov. 10, 2003, when he rushed for 192 yards on 29 carries in a 17-14 loss. The first 100-yard game of his career came against the Eagles, on Sept. 6, 1998, while playing for Seattle. He had six carries for 100 yards...CB Ahmad Carroll tied his career-high with seven solo tackles at Philadelphia on Dec. 5, 2004, and set a career-high with five passes defensed at Philadelphia on Nov. 27, 2005...WR Robert Ferguson had a career-high 115 kickoff return yards at Philadelphia on Dec. 5, 2004...While playing for St. Louis, DT Ryan Pickett had a career-best 12 tackles at Philadelphia on Dec. 1, 2002...QB Brett Favre's 54.3 completion percentage and 65.2 passer rating against the Eagles are his lowest marks in those categories against any NFC opponent...Including his two sacks in the 2003 Division playoff game, defensive end Aaron Kampman has three sacks against Philadelphia.
LAST MEETING, OVERALL/AT PHILADELPHIA: Nov. 27, 2005, Lincoln Financial Field; Eagles won 19-14.
-Green Bay rallied from a 10-0 deficit to take a 14-10 halftime lead on a 33-yard TD run by Samkon Gado and a 13-yard TD pass from Favre to David Martin.
-The Packers committed five turnovers, including two fumbles on kickoff returns that led to 10 Eagles points.
-David Akers kicked four field goals for the Eagles, putting them ahead 16-14 with a 37-yard boot with 4:31 left. He added the final points with a 33-yarder after Andrae Thurman fumbled the ensuing kickoff.
-Brian Westbrook finished with 20 carries for 120 yards and a TD for the Eagles, while Gado had 26 carries for 111 yards and a TD for the Packers.
-Bubba Franks was carried out on a stretcher and went to a hospital for X-rays on his neck after taking a big hit from safety Brian Dawkins. He was kept overnight for precautionary reasons.
