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:
-Brett Favre makes historic start No. 200 in his streak, longest ever by an NFL quarterback.
-The Packers, controllers of their own destiny as leaders of the NFC North, bid for a sixth straight win. Green Bay opened 1-4.
-Green Bay gets the Rams on grass for the first time since St. Louis exploded into the offensive record books under Mike Martz in 1999. The last time the Rams visited Green Bay was 1997, a 17-7 Packers win on the road to Super Bowl XXXII. On turf in their last two meetings (2003 regular season, and 2001 NFC Divisional playoff), St. Louis outscored Green Bay 79-41, capitalizing on 12 Packers turnovers. The Rams compiled a plus-nine turnover ratio in the two contests.
-The NFL's top coaches from the Class of 2000 meet. On Nov. 14, both Mike Sherman and Martz registered career win No. 50, tied for 18th fastest in NFL history with Mike Shanahan (78 games).
NATIONAL TELEVISION: ABC continues 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). The broadcast also is available to NFL Field Pass subscribers on packers.com.
NATIONAL RADIO: CBS Radio Sports/Westwood One, in English from Green Bay with Marv Albert (play-by-play), Boomer Esiason (color), Kenny Albert (sideline), Jim Gray (pregame/halftime host) and Howard Deneroff (producer), and in Spanish, from New York City studios, with announcers Clemson Smith Muñiz and David Crommett, and producer Armando Talavera. The Albert father-son combination will broadcast an NFL game for the first time.
CONSECUTIVE LAST-SECOND KICKS: The last time Green Bay won two straight contests on field goals as time expired, 9-year-old Ryan Longwell was in elementary school.
-Near the end of 1983, eventual Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud turned away consecutive opponents with last-second field goals.
-His 19-yarder beat the Bears, 31-28, at Lambeau Field Dec. 4. Lynn Dickey's improbable 67-yard pass to James Lofton, another Hall of Famer, set up that win.
-One week later, Dec. 12 at Tampa Bay, Stenerud booted a 23-yarder in overtime to sink the Bucs, 12-9. Dickey took the extra period's opening kickoff and drove 65 yards in 11 plays before the field goal.
-According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last NFL team to win consecutive games on last-second field goals was Philadelphia, Nov. 5-12, 2000.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Cleveland/Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams:
All-time, regular season: 39-44-2
All-time, postseason: 1-1
All-time, Lambeau Field: 7-4
Since move to St. Louis (1995): 2-3, including playoffs
Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 19, 2003, Edward Jones Dome, Rams won, 34-24
Last meeting, Green Bay: Nov. 9, 1997, Green Bay, Packers won, 17-7
Postseason meetings: Dec. 23, 1965, Milwaukee County Stadium, Packers won, 28-7 ('67 NFL Western Conference Championship, (qualified Green Bay for the Ice Bowl) Jan. 20, 2002, Dome at America's Center, Rams won, 45-17 ('01 NFC Divisional playoff)
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike Sherman: 51-28-0, .646, fifth NFL season, fifth with Packers
Mike Martz: 50-29-0, .633, fifth NFL season, fifth with Rams
Head to Head: Martz 2-0 vs. Sherman
vs. Opponent: Sherman 0-2 vs. Rams, Martz 2-0 vs. Packers
MIKE SHERMAN...Is in his fifth year as Packers head coach, and fourth as executive vice president and general manager. Sherman also:
-Earned his 50th career win Nov. 14, tied with Martz for 18th fastest in NFL history and second in Green Bay annals to Vince Lombardi.
-Inspired his players with a passionate speech on the eve of an Oct. 17 win at Detroit. The Packers, 1-4 at the time, haven't lost since.
-After Tom Rossley underwent a heart angioplasty Oct. 12, stepped forward and has served as primary play caller since.
-A Red Sox fan since his youth, is hoping Green Bay can rebound from an early deficit the way Boston did in climbing out of a three-game hole to defeat the Yankees, and eventually win the World Series.
-Became the last active head coach (minimum one season) to experience a three-game losing streak, on Oct. 3.
-Is now 6-0 against teams that played in the Super Bowl the previous season, including Sept. 13 at Carolina.
-Since 1970, only George Siefert, Chuck Knox and Joe Gibbs have posted a better regular-season mark over their first four years.
MIKE MARTZ...Replaced Dick Vermeil, who retired following the Rams' win in Super Bowl XXXIV to conclude '99 season.
-Has guided St. Louis to a pair of division titles and three playoff berths in his first four seasons as head coach, including Super Bowl XXXVI.
-In 2002, became only the second coach in NFL history to lead a team to five straight wins after an 0-5 start.
-Offensive mastermind behind one of most explosive offenses in NFL history. Under Martz, St. Louis became first in league annals to score 500 points in three seasons.
-Since he rejoined St. Louis as offensive coordinator in 1999, the Rams racked up more points, total yards and passing yards than any NFL team during any five-year span ever.
-Helped Rams produce three straight NFL MVPs (Kurt Warner, 1999, 2001; Marshall Faulk 2000).
-Before returning to Rams, spent two seasons as Redskins quarterbacks coach. Began NFL career with Rams (1992-96).
-A former tight end, has nearly 20 years college coaching experience.
THE PACKERS-RAMS SERIES: These club first met in 1937, when the NFL launched its long relationship with the city of Cleveland. Green Bay, the defending league champion, swept that season's series with a 35-10 win at Municipal Stadium and a 35-7 win at Green Bay City Stadium.
-St. Louis has the upper hand of late, winning two in a row and three of the last five, including a 2001 NFC Divisional playoff.
-These clubs met every year from 1937-71 except 1943, when the Rams didn't field a team.
-Beginning in 1946, when the Rams moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles, these foes consistently played their Wisconsin games early in the year (before cold weather set in) and their warm West Coast games late in the year.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS: St. Louis safety Antuan Edwards was drafted by Green Bay in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft; he played in Green Bay from 1999-2003, before signing with Miami this past offseason...Rams punter Sean Landeta spent one year, 1998, punting in Green Bay...St. Louis offensive lineman Adam Timmerman was a stalwart guard for Green Bay from 1995-98, helping the Packers to consecutive Super Bowls...Rams running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery was the star pupil for Johnny Roland, now the Packers' running backs coach, when the two were with the Eagles, under Dick Vermeil, from 1977-78...Defensive assistant Gill Byrd headed up the Packers' player development department from 1999-2001, until Edgar Bennett took over the role in 2001...Rams defensive coordinator Larry Marmie is one of several former assistants under Vince Tobin, now with the Packers, who went on to become an NFL coordinator; the list also includes Dave McGinnis, Dom Capers, Jim Johnson and Vic Fangio...St. Louis assistant head coach Joe Vitt coached the Packers' defensive backs in 1999...Rams assistant Matt Sheldon spent the 1997-2000 seasons at the University of Wisconsin...Packers coaches Larry Beightol (1983-84) and Frank Novak (1988) spent time at the University of Missouri.
LAST MEETING (AP): Oct. 19, 2003, Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Rams won, 34-24:
-The Rams won largely on defense, as they focused on stopping Ahman Green rather than Brett Favre, and forced four turnovers. Green entered the contest with three consecutive 100-yard rushing games. St. Louis held him to a season-low 35 yards on 20 carries. He broke free only once, on a 21-yard screen pass for a touchdown in the second quarter.
-Favre, who broke his thumb early in game, threw two touchdown passes for Green Bay (3-4), but his effort at a comeback fizzled after a 1-yard TD toss to William Henderson pulled Green Bay to 21-17 in the third quarter.
-The Rams won without running back Lamar Gordon, who left in the first half with a left ankle injury, leaning instead on undrafted third stringer Arlen Harris. They did the job on defense without linebacker Tommy Polley, who left with a dislocated left elbow.
-Isaac Bruce had nine catches for 129 yards. He topped 10,000 career yards in the fourth quarter. Marc Bulger and Dane Looker also hooked up on a 20-yard scoring play in the third quarter with Looker somehow tight-roping down the sideline the last 10 yards.
LAST MEETING, GREEN BAY: Nov. 9, 1997, Lambeau Field, Packers won, 17-7:
-In Mike Holmgren's 100th game as head coach, Green Bay improved to 8-2 with a fifth straight win, this one in ugly fashion.
-St. Louis dropped a sixth straight game, but not before the blitz-minded Rams held the Packers to only 3 first-half points. The teams combined for 15 points and 24 penalties.
-After halftime, Green Bay scored on its first two possessions.
-Antonio Freeman had seven catches for 160 yards, and Favre hit 18-of-27 for 306 yards, one TD and two INT, and ran for a score.
