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 1 Dope Sheet:
THIS WEEK: Green Bay kicks off its 84th NFL season in a matchup that, if not for a few bad bounces in the Packers' loss at Philadelphia, could've been the 2003 NFC Championship...Both teams are essentially the same, give or take a handful of assistant coaches and players.
NATIONAL TELEVISION: ABC kicks off its 35th season of Monday Night Football, the nation's longest-running primetime series. Al Michaels and John Madden are in their third season together. Innovative producer Fred Gaudelli joins director Drew Esocoff in the truck, while highly regarded Michele Tafoya is in her first year on the sidelines.
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).
NATIONAL RADIO: CBS Radio Sports/Westwood One, with Marv Albert (play-by-play), Boomer Esiason (color), Bonnie Bernstein (sideline) and Jim Gray (pregame/halftime host). The network will also air the game in Spanish, with announcers Armando Quintero and Benny Ricardo. Howard Deneroff is the coordinating producer.
LAST MEETING: Sept. 29, 2002, Lambeau Field, Packers won, 17-14.
*Donald Driver (5-97) posted his first career two-TD game, although the first pass came on a trick play from TE Bubba Franks. Officials initially flagged the Packers for two forward passes, but the Packers challenged and reversed the call.
*Injuries had sidelined five Green Bay starters and three key reserves; during the game, injuries kept two other starters from finishing.
*Carolina's Shayne Graham, signed two days earlier, missed a 24-yard field goal with 13 seconds left that would've tied the game.
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike Sherman: 45-24-0, .652, fifth NFL season, fifth with Packers
John Fox: 21-15-0, .583, third NFL season, third with Panthers
SHERMAN...enters his fifth year as Packers head coach, and fourth as executive vice president and general manager. Sherman also:
*Is tied for the league's second-best record among active coaches. His regular-season record Dec. 1 and later is 17-2.
*Since the merger, only three have posted a better regular-season record over their first four years as an NFL coach.
*Guided the Packers to only their second set of consecutive division titles since the Lombardi era.
*Is pulling for the Boston Red Sox, who are once again challenging the Yankees and lead the AL Wild Card race.
FOX...steered the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII just two years after taking over a team that registered one win in 2001. Only Bill Parcells and Vince Lombardi previously had inherited a one-win team and led it to the playoffs in their second season. Fox also:
*In 2002, improved the Panthers' record by six wins, the second-best turnaround by a rookie head coach since the 16-game schedule in '78. Carolina's defense improved from last in 2001 to second in '02.
*Giants defensive coordinator from 1997-2001, helping team to Super Bowl XXXV and a 41-0 win over Minnesota in NFC Championship.
*Also defensive coordinator for Raiders (1994-95) and defensive backs coach for Chargers (1992-93) and Steelers (1989-91).
THE OPENER: Green Bay plays in one of four marquee games that highlight the NFL's opening weekend, announced March 29 by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
*This marks the first time Green Bay will open on the road in eight years, and only its second road opener over the last 19 seasons. The last two times the Packers opened away from Wisconsin were Sept. 1, 1996, a 34-3 win at Tampa Bay, and Sept. 8, 1985, a 26-20 loss at New England. Green Bay won Super Bowl XXXI after opening on the road in 1996.
*It is the third time the Packers will open on Monday Night Football. The Packers began defense of that Super Bowl XXXI title Sept. 1, 1997, a 38-24 win over Chicago at Lambeau Field. And, on Sept. 17, 1973, Green Bay knocked off Joe Namath's New York Jets at Milwaukee County Stadium, 23-7.
