Packers-Bears Week 11 Dope Sheet

*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 Packers-Bears Week 11 Dope Sheet:*

**CHICAGO (5-4) at GREEN BAY (4-5)

Sunday, Nov. 16 - Lambeau Field - 12 p.m. CST

BEARS COME TO LAMBEAU FOR ANNUAL RIVALRY **

• Packers – Bears. No truer rivalry exists in the National Football League, and no two teams have met on the gridiron more than Green Bay and Chicago. Sunday marks the 176th installment in the venerable series.

• The game takes on an added importance as the Packers and Bears find themselves once again in a fight for supremacy in the NFC North Division. Green Bay stands a game behind Chicago and Minnesota.

• The Packers lost a hard-fought game last weekend to the Vikings, 28-27, when a field goal attempt in the closing seconds sailed wide right.

• After losing the first two games of the month on the road, the Packers look to get back on track at Lambeau Field, where they have won 11 of their last 14 regular-season games.

• Standing in the way is their oldest rival, the Chicago Bears. The clubs first met in 1921, when the Chicago Staleys beat the Packers 20-0.

• Names like Halas, Lombardi, Nitschke and Butkus only begin to define the history of the all-time series. Currently, the Bears own a 89-79-6 advantage.

• From 1994-2003, Green Bay won 18 of 20 games against Chicago. Since Lovie Smith's arrival to Chicago in 2004, the Bears have won six of eight including the last four contests at Lambeau Field.

• Head Coach Mike McCarthy is 1-3 against the Bears and is still searching for his first home win over the Bears.

• Chicago lost at home to the undefeated Tennessee Titans, 21-14, last weekend. Despite surrendering just 20 rushing yards to one of the league's most potent running games, the Bears could not overcome a 21-7 fourth-quarter deficit behind backup QB Rex Grossman.

WITH THE CALL

• FOX Sports enters its 15th season as an NFL network television partner and will air the contest to a regional audience.

• Play-by-play man Joe Buck joins color analyst Troy Aikman in the booth with Pam Oliver serving as the sideline reporter.

• Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 56-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color) calling the action. The duo are in their 10th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which covers 47 markets in six states.

• For out-of-town listeners, the broadcast is available to NFL Field Pass subscribers on www.packers.com as well as on Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 125 WTMJ feed) as part of the network's NFL Sunday Drive.

• DIRECTV subscribers can watch the game in HD on channel 711.

GOT TICKETS?

• The Packers' Gold Package ticket holders (Milwaukee package) will see what has traditionally been the toughest ticket to get on the home slate.

• Sunday marks the 274th consecutive sellout (258 regular season, 16 playoffs) at Lambeau Field, the league's longest-tenured stadium.

ORTON OR GROSSMAN?

• The inevitable storyline all week will be the question of just who will start under center for Chicago. Backup QB Rex Grossman started last Sunday against the Titans after starter Kyle Orton was injured against Detroit.

• The Packers defense is plenty familiar with each quarterback. Orton started against the Packers last December, a 35-7 Bears win in arctic-like conditions. Orton also started against the Packers in 2005, a 19-7 Bears win. Both wins came in Chicago.

• Grossman is 3-1 in four career starts against the Packers, his last coming in the 2006 regular-season finale at Chicago. He only played the first half in that contest, completing 2-of-12 passes while turning the ball over four times – three interceptions and a fumbled snap. Two of the interceptions were returned for scores in a 26-7 Packers victory.

• Grossman's three wins against the Packers came in consecutive seasons at Lambeau Field (2004-06).

NICK SIX

• Now in his fourth year in the NFL, S Nick Collins is enjoying his best season to date. He put together another fine performance Sunday, returning an interception 59 yards for a touchdown.

• Collins is tied with teammate Charles Woodson for the NFL lead with five interceptions and ranks first among all players with three interception returns for scores. A fourth would tie the NFL record held by three players. Coming into 2008, Collins had four career picks in 45 games.

• He became only the second player in franchise history to post three touchdowns on interception returns in a season, matching Herb Adderley's mark set in 1965.

• Collins leads all NFL players with 230 interception return yards. The next closest player is his college teammate, Jacksonville's Rashean Mathis, with 147. With seven games remaining, his total already ranks third all-time on the franchise list behind Bobby Dillon (244, 1956) and Darren Sharper (233, 2002).

• Drafted in the second round in 2005 out of Bethune-Cookman, Collins seems to be putting it all together. He has credited Woodson with much of his success this season. Woodson spent time with Collins in the offseason, teaching the young safety the intricacies of reading a quarterback. The duo stands tied atop the NFL's interception list.

BARNETT LOST FOR SEASON

• Green Bay's defense was delivered a blow Monday morning as the diagnosis on LB Nick Barnett revealed the sixth-year pro would be lost for the season with a knee ligament tear.

• Through nine games, Barnett led the defense with 68 tackles. His 49 solo tackles also were a team high. He finishes the season with two passes defensed and a forced fumble as well.

• Through his first five NFL seasons, Barnett led the Packers in tackles four times. He had tallied over 130 tackles each year.

• Head Coach Mike McCarthy said the staff would decide the course of action on Tuesday in terms of a replacement. LB Brandon Chillar, who has seen extensive time this season, could move into the starting lineup on the outside, moving LB A.J. Hawk to the middle. Backup MLB Desmond Bishop also remains a possibility.

• Besides the obvious loss in leadership and ability from Barnett, the defense also will have to find a new player to wear the defensive mic helmet. Barnett seemed the obvious choice for the Packers this offseason with the new rule because he rarely came off the field.

RETURNS KEEP COMING

• Thanks to two more scores Sunday, the Packers lead the NFL with eight touchdowns on returns. Chicago ranks second with six return scores.

• CB Will Blackmon has returned two punts for scores. The last Green Bay player with multiple punt returns for touchdowns in a season was CB Desmond Howard, who returned three for scores in 1996.

• Six TDs have come on interceptions returns: three by S Nick Collins, two by CB Charles Woodson, and one from S Aaron Rouse.

• The six defensive touchdowns ties a Packers team record. Vince Lombardi's 1966 team also registered six defensive scores, all coming on interceptions as well.

• The Packers have allowed just one return TD this season – a 38-yard fumble return by Tampa Bay.

• With six returns for TDs thus far, Green Bay not only has an eye on its own record books, but with seven games left, league records as well.

Team, Season (INT TDs)

San Diego, 1961 (9)

Seattle, 1998 (8)

Seattle, 1984 (7)

St. Louis, 1999 (7)

TURNOVERS ARE KEY FOR PACKERS, BEARS

• Green Bay (first) and Chicago (tied for second) are atop the NFC in turnover ratio, one of football's most important statistics.

• Green Bay has 17 takeaways (NFL-best 16 interceptions, one fumble recovery) on the season against just 10 turnovers.

• Chicago's 20 takeaways (12 interceptions, eight fumbles) are tied for the NFL lead with Kansas City, but it does have 14 turnovers on offense.

• The Packers have been able to turn takeaways into points better than any other team, scoring 86 points off turnovers thus far. Chicago ranks No. 5 with 63 points off turnovers.

• On the other side of the ball, the team has surrendered 47 points off the 10 turnovers this year – 24 of which came at Tampa in Week 4. That point total off turnovers is the 13th highest in the NFL.

• A rarity occurred for the Packers Sunday in Minneapolis: they lost a game in which they did not commit a turnover. They have now won 32 of 34 games playing turnover-free football, since a loss at Dallas, Nov. 18, 1996. Green Bay's only losses in such games during that stretch both came at Minnesota, first in 2005 and then last Sunday.

• Including playoffs, the Packers have won 35 of their last 37 games without a giveaway.

THE LAMBEAU ADVANTAGE

• The crown jewel of the National Football League, Lambeau Field has long been known as one of the tougher venues to play in, particularly during the harsh Wisconsin winter.

• The Packers ended a two-game home losing streak against the Colts. Green Bay has won 11 of its last 14 regular-season games at the stadium.

• McCarthy has stated consistently that one of the team's goals is to reclaim the mystique of playing at Lambeau Field. Mission accomplished. The team finished 7-1 at home last season, a marked improvement over the prior three seasons (10-14 combined).

• Since Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren began the revitalization of the franchise in 1992, Green Bay owns the best home record in the NFL. A look at the top home W-L records since the '92 season:

Team, W-L record (Pct.)

Green Bay, 99-33-0 (.750)

Denver, 98-35-0 (.736)

Pittsburgh, 94-37-1 (.716)

Kansas City, 93-39-0 (.704)

Minnesota, 90-43-0 (.676)

JENNINGS, WOODSON NAMED MIDSEASON ALL-PROS

• Pro Football Weekly announced its midseason All-Pro team last week, and Packers WR Greg Jennings and CB Charles Woodson were both named to the squad.

• Jennings is establishing himself as one of the league's top receivers after his breakout campaign in '07. He ranks tied for second among all receivers with 801 yards to go along with four touchdowns.

• Now in his 11th NFL season, Woodson is clearly at the top of his game. He is tied for the NFL lead with five interceptions, two of which he has returned for scores, and has shut down Pro Bowl receivers Terrell Owens and Reggie Wayne, among others, this season. Woodson was one of four unanimous choices on defense.

DRIVER KEEPS MAKING HISTORY

• Pro Bowl wideout Donald Driver has been the Packers' leading receiver each of the past two weeks and has broken some long-standing franchise records in the process.

• Now in his 10th season in Green Bay, Driver is about as consistent a receiver as there is the NFL. He has caught a pass in 104 consecutive games, breaking the franchise mark established by Sterling Sharpe (103, 1988-1994).

• In his last home game, Driver also became the all-time receiving leader in Lambeau Field history. He surpassed the stadium's all-time mark, held by Antonio Freeman (3,477 yards). Driver, who has 3,494 receiving yards at the stadium, became the stadium's all-time leader in receptions last season and currently has 255.

• Driver can seperate himself from all Packers wideouts in team annals with a sixth overall season of 1,000 yards receiving. He stands tied with James Lofton and Sharpe with five 1,000-yard seasons.

WOODSON CONTINUES TO AMAZE

• CB Charles Woodson suffered a broken toe against Minnesota on Kickoff Weekend and didn't return to practice as a full participant until last week leading up to the Minnesota game.

• Since suffering the injury, Woodson's level of play seems to have risen. In Week 2, his first game action without hitting the practice field, he responded with two fourth-quarter interceptions, one returned for a score, to seal the victory for Green Bay over Detroit.

• Against Dallas in Week 3, Woodson matched up against Pro Bowler Terrell Owens, limiting him to just 17 receiving yards on two catches. It was Owens' lowest output since joining the Cowboys in 2006.

• At Tampa, he picked off a Brian Griese pass in the fourth quarter and returned it for his sixth career touchdown on an interception return.

• In Seattle, he registered another interception and his first sack since Oct. 2006.

• Against the Colts, Woodson matched up in the slot against Pro Bowler Reggie Wayne, limiting the receiver to 24 yards on two catches.

• He notched his fifth interception of the season against Minnesota, giving him 17 interceptions in 39 games since arriving in Green Bay in 2006. He had 17 career interceptions in 106 career games as a member of the Oakland Raiders. He now has 34 for his career.

• It's hard to imagine any NFL cornerback playing better than Woodson right now. The 11-year pro appears poised to make his fifth Pro Bowl appearance and first since 2001.

• Among active players, Woodson's six career interception returns for scores ranks near the top of the NFL. Four have come as a member of the Packers:

Player, Team (TDs on INT return)

Darren Sharper, Minnesota (8)

Ronde Barber, Tampa Bay (6)

Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay (6)

Aaron Glenn, New Orleans (6)

Charles Woodson, Green Bay (6)

Phillip Buchanon, Tampa Bay (5)

Dré Bly, Denver (5)

Nate Clements, San Francisco (5)

Chris McAlister, Baltimore (5)

RETURN YARDAGE

• The Packers have 533 return yards on their 16 interceptions this season.

• That total already ranks third in team history since the 1960 AFL-NFL merger.

• The Packers had 561 return yards on 27 interceptions in 1965. The following season, they had 547 return yards on 28 interceptions. The Packers won the NFL Championship both seasons.

NEXT MAN UP

• Injuries are a part of the NFL, and Head Coach Mike McCarthy has steadfastly refused to use them as an excuse in any way.

• Being the youngest team in the NFL, the Packers naturally have been forced to play a number of young players in recent weeks. McCarthy noted their improvement.

• Jeremy Thompson has been pressed into duty with the injuries to Cullen Jenkins, Michael Montgomery and Jason Hunter. His improvement from the Atlanta game - his first on the active gameday roster - to now has been apparent.

• "(Jeremy Thompson) played well. I thought he played with a lot more urgency, played with a lot more speed. I think that's something that you always look for in your younger players. Also Jordy Nelson; you see Jordy playing faster. I think Thompson definitely made a step in that direction. That's a common progression that younger players go through because the speed of the game in the NFL is so much faster than anything they have ever experienced. We thought he played with much better tempo and much better urgency."

• Nelson seems to be on the same path as a rookie receiver that Greg Jennings was on in 2006 and James Jones last season. Nelson has moved the chains a number of times and has 18 receptions for 211 yards thus far. He is on pace to challenge the same rookie receiver records that Jennings and Jones did the previous two years.

• Another rookie who has responded when pressed into playing time has been second-round pick Pat Lee. With the ankle injury to CB Jarrett Bush, Lee may be pressed back into duty as a gunner on the special teams coverage units and in certain dime situations.

KEEP THE CALENDAR OPEN FOR EARLY FEBRUARY

• Pro Bowl voting has begun and a number of Packers should receive plenty of votes thanks to their early season performance.

• WR Greg Jennings is a bona fide NFL star as he ranks among the league leaders in a number of receiving categories. The third-year pro looks like he'll make the first trip of his career to Hawaii this February.

• DE Aaron Kampman and CB Charles Woodson, two veteran leaders of the defense, look poised to make return trips to the Pro Bowl. Kampman is among the NFL leaders in sacks with 6.5 and has been voted to the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons. Woodson is a four-time Pro Bowl selection but hasn't been to the game since 2001. Woodson already has five interceptions, including two returned for scores, all the while playing with a broken toe.

• Both sides of the ball still have a number of candidates at this point, including Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Grant, Donald Driver, Chad Clifton, Mark Tauscher, A.J. Hawk and Nick Collins.

• Balloting will conclude at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, Dec. 9. The teams will be announced at 4 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, Dec. 16, on a special NFL Total Access 2009 NFL Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network. The 2009 NFL Pro Bowl will be played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday, Feb. 8, and televised by NBC.

RETURN OF 'BIG 5' COULD MEAN MORE Y-A-C

• Head Coach Mike McCarthy utilizes a number of four- and five-wide sets to take advantage of his receivers' abilities after the catch.

• Called the 'Big Five' or 'Fab Five' formation by McCarthy, it proved a nightmare for opposing defenses last year with its matchup problems.

• It was the matchups – such as a wideout isolated on a linebacker – that Green Bay utilized to its advantage.

• Battling through injuries early this season, the entire wideout group has only been active twice this season.

• Led by wide receivers Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Ruvell Martin and tight end Donald Lee, Green Bay led the league in yards after the catch in 2007.

• The Packers amassed a league-best 2,294 yards after the catch, 51.4% of their total passing yards. The NFL average in 2007 was 1,596 yards.

• The only other teams to surpass 2,000 yards after the catch were New Orleans (2,112) and New England (2,052).

• The big-play ability of the group didn't come as a total surprise. Green Bay finished second in yards after the catch, behind New Orleans, in 2006.

• Added in the draft was All-America wideout Jordy Nelson from Kansas State, who was praised by scouts for his run-after-the-catch abilities.

• Nelson got his first chance to contribute on offense against Detroit, hauling in his first career catch for a 29-yard score, his first "big play" in Green Bay.

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:

**Packers vs. Chicago Bears:

All-time regular season:** 79-89-6

All-time, postseason: 0-1

All-time, at Lambeau Field: 27-22-0

Streaks: The Bears have won five of the last six meetings.

Last meeting, regular season:Dec. 23, 2007, at Soldier Field; Bears won, 35-7

Last meeting, regular season, at Lambeau Field: Oct. 7, 2007; Bears won, 27-20

**COACHES CAPSULES

Mike McCarthy:** 26-17-0, .605, (incl. 1-1 postseason); 3rd NFL season

Lovie Smith:43-34-0, .558 (incl. 2-2 postseason); 5th NFL season

Head to Head: Smith 3-1

vs. Opponent: McCarthy 1-3 vs. Bears; Smith 6-2 vs. Packers

MIKE McCARTHY…Is in third 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.

• Honored as the 2007 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year and NFL Alumni Coach of the Year.

• Became the first Packers coach since Vince Lombardi to lead the team to a championship game in his second season.

• Tied franchise record for most victories by a coach in his first two seasons (21).

LOVIE SMITH…Is in fifth year as the Bears' 13th head coach.

• With 36 regular-season wins in his first four seasons, tied Mike Ditka for second-most wins in a coach's first four seasons with the franchise, one behind George Halas.

• Guided the team to its first Super Bowl appearance in 21 years in 2006.

• Named the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year in 2005 after he led a worst-to-first revival in the NFC North. The Bears' six-win improvement from the previous season was tied for the biggest in the NFL that year.

• Came to Chicago from St. Louis, where he served as defensive coordinator from 2001-03, helping the Rams return to the Super Bowl in 2001. Prior to that, coached LBs for Tampa Bay from 1996-2000.

THE PACKERS-BEARS SERIES

• The NFL's most prolific rivalry, no two teams have met on the gridiron more than the Packers and Bears. Sunday they face off for the 176th time.

• The Bears' two wins in 2007 marked the second Chicago sweep in three years in the series. Prior to 2005, the Bears hadn't posted a sweep since 1991, before Brett Favre became Green Bay's quarterback. The Bears have extended their lead in the NFL's richest rivalry to 10 games, 89-79-6. The last time the gap had been as close as seven prior to 2005 was the end of World War II and the Don Hutson era, 1945, when the Packers trailed 27-20-5.

• The last time Green Bay led the series? On the heels of its three straight NFL championships, 1932, when the Packers led 11-10-5. Two months after Babe Ruth allegedly called his shot at Wrigley Field in the 1932 World Series, the Bears stole from Green Bay a fourth straight title (which at the time was determined by league standings). Chicago barely finished atop the league standings, which unlike today did not count ties. Had the league counted ties in standings, the Packers would have won. The next year, 1933, the NFL began determining its champion with postseason games.

• The Packers meet Lovie Smith for the ninth time as Bears head coach. Smith on Jan. 15, 2004, elevated one of sports' top rivalries to another level, saying his No. 1 goal, ahead of winning the division and Super Bowl, was to beat Green Bay. He won on Sept. 19, 2004. The Packers went 18-2 against Chicago from 1994-2003. On only four occasions in NFL history has a team enjoyed a better 20-game stretch against a single opponent.

{sportsad300}NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

Green Bay running backs coach Edgar Bennett finished his playing career in Chicago (1998-99)...Packers assistant offensive line coach Jerry Fontenot was a third-round draft choice of the Bears in 1989 and was a mainstay at center in his eight seasons (1989-96) in Chicago...Bears running backs coach Tim Spencer played with the late Reggie White, the Packers' all-time sacks leader, with Memphis of the USFL in 1985...Bears assistant defensive backs coach Gill Byrd served as the Packers executive director/player programs and community affairs from 1999-2001...Lovie Smith was a University of Wisconsin assistant in 1987, while Bears defensive coordinator Bob Babich spent two seasons on the Badgers' staff (1988-89)...Bears LB Hunter Hillenmeyer was taken by Green Bay in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...Bears DE Mark Anderson and Packers S Charlie Peprah were teammates at Alabama...Bears G Dan Buenning is a Green Bay-area native and played at Wisconsin...Bears WR Rashied Davis and Packers WR James Jones were teammates at San Jose State...Bears G Josh Beekman and Packers CB Will Blackmon were teammates at Boston College...Packers QB Matt Flynn and Bears S Craig Steltz led LSU to the BCS National Championship last fall.

INDIVIDUALLY VS. BEARS

Donald Driver's career-long catch was an 85-yard TD reception at Chicago (Champaign) on Oct. 7, 2002, on Monday Night Football...Nick Collins intercepted a career-high two passes against the Bears on Dec. 31, 2006, including a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown...The first two-interception game of Charles Woodson's career came at Chicago on Oct. 5, 2003, while playing for Oakland. Woodson has had two games with two INTs since coming to Green Bay...Ryan Grant's 66-yard TD run in Chicago last year was a career-long.

LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON

• Dec. 23, 2007, at Soldier Field; Bears won, 35-7.

• On a frigid Sunday afternoon, the Bears blocked two punts and Brian Urlacher returned an interception 85 yards for a TD in a rout that ended Green Bay's chances of landing the No. 1 seed for the NFC playoffs.

• A 66-yard TD run by Ryan Grant (14 carries, 100 yards) in the second quarter put the Packers ahead 7-6, but it was all Chicago from there.

• In the final two minutes of the half, the Bears drove 55 yards for a touchdown, an 8-yard run by Adrian Peterson (30 carries, 102 yards). In the second half, Charles Tillman's blocked punt, returned 7 yards by Corey Graham for a TD, preceded Urlacher's defensive score to conclude the blowout.

LAST MEETING, AT LAMBEAU FIELD

• Oct. 7, 2007; Bears won, 27-20.

• Despite out-gaining Chicago 439-285 in total yards and jumping out to a 17-7 lead, Green Bay allowed 17 unanswered points and let the game slip away in the fourth quarter, mostly due to five giveaways.

• Two promising drives stalled on fumbles by rookie WR James Jones, and an Urlacher interception in the third quarter changed the momentum of the game.

• The Bears won it on Brian Griese's 34-yard TD pass to TE Desmond Clark with 2:05 left, capping a 79-yard drive.