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 Preseason Week 2 Dope Sheet:
After what figures to be the most competitive week of training camp, the Packers square off against Buffalo for the second time in two weeks (the Bills practiced and scrimmaged at Green Bay Aug. 4-5). Following this game, Green Bay hopes to know its starters at several positions.
Green Bay plays its first preseason game at Buffalo in 25 years, since a 1980 clash at Rich Stadium. The last three meetings in the preseason series have been played on "neutral" fields (1989 and 1991 at Madison, Wis., and 1997 at Toronto, Canada).
The Packers have won their second preseason game each of the last four years, and in nine of the last 10 seasons.
Green Bay, however, hasn't won its first two preseason contests - something it can accomplish Saturday - since 1999, en route to a 4-0 record. The Packers that year went on to post an 8-8 regular-season mark, their worst during the Brett Favre era (1992-present). However, two years earlier, the Packers also went undefeated in preseason (5-0) and went to the Super Bowl.
WISCONSIN TELEVISION: The Packers television network, with play-by-play man Kevin Harlan, color commentator Bill Maas, sideline reporter Jessie Garcia, producer Ross Schneiderman and director Suzanne Smith. WFRV-TV's Larry McCarren, the team's radio analyst, joins the telecast for pregame, halftime and postgame segments. With the aid of a CBS crew that produces NFL games during the regular season, Green Bay's WFRV-TV and Milwaukee's WTMJ-TV will originate the telecast...Other members of the network: WKOW, Madison; WAOW, Wausau/Rhinelander; WXOW, La Crosse; WQOW, Eau Claire; WYOW, Eagle River; and WJMN, Marquette, Mich. ...NFL Network will re-air the game Monday at 3 p.m. CDT., using the Bills' broadcast and announcers for the first half and the Packers' broadcast and announcers for the second half.
LOCAL RADIO: Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 62-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and 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
The Packers' record vs. Bills:
All-time regular season: 3-6-0
All-time, preseason: 9-2-0
All-time, Lambeau Field: 2-1-0
Last meeting: Dec. 22, 2002, Green Bay; Packers won, 10-0
Last meeting, preseason: Aug. 16, 1997, Toronto, Canada; Packers won, 35-3
Last meeting, Buffalo: Sept. 10, 2000, Ralph Wilson Stadium; Bills won, 27-18
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike Sherman: 55-31-0, .640, sixth NFL season, sixth with Packers
Mike Mularkey: 9-7-0, .563, second NFL season, second with Bills
Head to Head: (no meetings)
vs. Opponent: Sherman 1-1 vs. Bills, Mularkey 0-0 vs. Packers
MIKE SHERMAN...Is in his sixth year as the Packers' 13th head coach.
-Has led the Packers to three straight division titles (2002-04) for only the fourth time in team history, joining Vince Lombardi's three-time winners of 1960-62 and 1965-67, along with the 1995-97 division champs of Mike Holmgren. This season will attempt to do what no Green Bay head coach ever has done: lead his team to a fourth consecutive division championship.
-First tenure with Packers came as tight ends/assistant offensive line coach over the 1997-98 seasons, following 16 years as an assistant in the college ranks; coached in Green Bay's Super Bowl XXXII loss to Denver.
-In 2004 became the second-fastest head coach in team history to reach 50 career victories, doing so in his 78th contest; only Lombardi, with 50 wins in 66 games, did so quicker.
-Is 6-0 against teams in the Super Bowl the previous season.
MIKE MULARKEY...Enters his second season with the Bills after being named as the 13th coach in franchise history in 2004.
-In his first season as head coach, the Bills rallied from an 0-4 start to finish with a 9-7 record. The 1992 San Diego Chargers (11-5) are the only team in NFL history to finish with a better record after an 0-4 start.
-Also became only the third coach in Bills history to win nine or more games in his first season.
-The team's defense ranked second in the NFL and in the top five in numerous categories while leading the league in takeaways with 39.
-The special teams unit ranked first in the NFL and tied a league record with five combined kickoff and punt return touchdowns.
-Came to Buffalo with 10 years experience as an NFL assistant coach and another nine as an NFL player. He spent three seasons (2001-03) as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
-Selected in the ninth round of the 1983 draft by the San Francisco 49ers, he went on to spend nine seasons as an NFL tight end with the Minnesota Vikings (1983-88) and Steelers (1989-91).
THE PACKERS-BILLS SERIES: Buffalo owns a significant advantage in the all-time regular-season series, winning six of the nine meetings.
-The Packers have taken nine of 11 preseason meetings, though.
-Buffalo appeared on Green Bay's preseason schedule six times in seven years from 1970-76.
-The clubs' first regular-season meeting was 1974, when the Bills won in Buffalo, 27-7, en route to an AFC Wild Card berth.
-Green Bay has taken two of the last three regular-season tilts, including the last meeting, a 10-0 victory on a 27-degree afternoon at Lambeau Field.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS: Packers offensive coordinator Tom Rossley gave Jerry Gray his first coaching position, Southern Methodist defensive backs coach, in 1995; Rossley served as SMU head coach from 1991-96 and Gray is now the Bills' defensive coordinator...Bills defensive backs Rob Lee (Port Washington) and Jim Leonhard (Tony) hail from Wisconsin...Buffalo D-line coach Tim Krumrie is a Menomonie, Wis., native, grew up in Mondovi, Wis., and played collegiately for the Wisconsin Badgers...Other former Badgers on the Bills' roster are Leonhard, wide receiver Lee Evans and safety Troy Vincent.
LAST MEETING (AP): Dec. 22, 2002, in Green Bay; Packers won, 10-0.
-Vonnie Holliday's record-setting day helped the Packers finish perfect at home. Holliday broke Bryce Paup's mark by sacking Drew Bledsoe five times, forcing him to fumble on three of them, in Green Bay's 10-0 victory over the Bills. Holliday's first forced fumble led to Green Bay's only TD and his last one ended Buffalo's hopes with 1:13 left and the Bills at the Green Bay 17.
-The Packers (12-3) became the only NFL team to win all their home games in 2002. Green Bay also lost its best defender, safety Darren Sharper, who sprained his right knee on his league-leading seventh interception, in the first half.
-The Bills (7-8) saw their playoff hopes crushed when Donald Driver caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre with 7:23 remaining. The score came one play after cornerback Nate Clements thought he had a long touchdown on a fumble return, but the officials ruled that Ahman Green had dropped the pass, on a windy, cold day.
-Holliday, plagued by a torn chest muscle and a sprained knee that season, had just one sack coming into the game. He took off a restrictive shoulder harness the previous week against doctors' orders and had a solid game against San Francisco. He broke Bryce Paup's club record of four-and-a-half sacks (Sept. 15, 1991 vs. TB). Ezra Johnson (Sept. 3, 1978, at Det.) and Dave Pureifory (Dec. 14, 1975, at LARm) also had five sacks, but the stat didn't become official until 1982. Holliday also dropped an interception at the Bills 20 with Green Bay clinging to a 3-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.
LAST MEETING, BUFFALO: Sept. 10, 2000, Ralph Wilson Stadium; Bills won, 27-18.
-Three Packers turnovers cost the team in Mike Sherman's second game as an NFL head coach.
-Bills quarterback Rob Johnson completed 18 of 26 passes for 259 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while under consistent pressure from the Packers defense, which recorded five sacks.
-Johnson's strike to Jay Riemersma with 11:45 to play in the game gave Buffalo an insurmountable 27-10 lead.
-Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who completed his first 14 passes, finished with a 25-for-35, 269-yard, two-touchdown performance.
-After taking possession at Buffalo's 46-yard line late in the second quarter, Johnson completed consecutive passes to Eric Moulds and Peerless Price to put Buffalo on the Green Bay 18. With 48 seconds in the half, Bills receiver Jeremy McDaniel caught a 6-yard touchdown for the game's first points.
-Allen Rossum's ensuing 41-yard kickoff return gave Green Bay position at the Buffalo 49. But three plays later, Favre was hit from behind by the Bills' Marcellus Wiley and fumbled into the hands of defensive end Phil Hansen, who then ran the ball to the Green bay 27 with 11 seconds in the half. Steve Christie's field goal gave the Bills a 10-0 halftime lead.
-After intermission, Riemersma's first of two TDs put the Bills ahead 17-0.
