Packers-Bengals Preseason Week 3 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. This is an abbreviated version of the Packers-Bengals Preseason Week 3 Dope Sheet. To read the full version, download the PDF by **clicking here**.

Here are some highlights from the Packers-Bengals Preseason Week 3Dope Sheet:

GREEN BAY (0-2) AT CINCINNATI (2-0)
Thursday, Aug. 23 l Paul Brown Stadium l 6 p.m. CDT

PACKERS HEAD TO CINCINNATI TO TAKE ON THE BENGALS

• The Packers travel to Cincinnati this Thursday night to face the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium, Green Bay's first visit to Cincinnati in the preseason since 2006.
• The 2006 meeting came in Mike McCarthy's first season as head coach. This season's road preseason slate (at San Diego, at Cincinnati) is the same as it was in McCarthy's debut campaign.
• The clubs' last preseason meeting came in 2008, when the teams squared off in the opener at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football. That contest marked QB Aaron Rodgers'first NFL start (preseason or regular season), a game the Bengals won, 20-17.
• This will be the 17th preseason meeting overall between the clubs, with the Bengals holding an 11-4-1 advantage in the all-time series. The teams first faced off in the preseason in 1970, the first of 10 straight seasons (1970-79) that the clubs played each other in the preseason. Three of the meetings over that span came in Milwaukee.
• Thursday will mark the Packers' third game ever at Paul Brown Stadium, which opened in 2000. The prior meetings were the '06 preseason contest and a regular-season visit in 2005.
• The franchises have met just 11 times in the regular season, with the last game coming in 2009 at Lambeau Field. Over the past 13 seasons (1999-2011), the teams met just twice (2005 and 2009). The Bengals hold a 6-5-0 edge in the all-time regular-season series.
• Thursday's matchup includes a meeting of head coaches that worked together more than 20 years ago. McCarthy and Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis both coached on the staff at the University of Pittsburgh in 1990-91. This will be the fourth meeting overall between the two head coaches (one regular-season meeting, third preseason game).
• This will be the final game before the league's first mandatory roster reduction, one that requires teams to get down to 75 players by 3 p.m. (CDT) on Monday, Aug. 27.
• Green Bay fell to Cleveland, 35-10, in its home preseason opener last Thursday night. The Packers will close out their preseason slate next Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lambeau Field. It marks the third straight year that the teams are meeting in the preseason finale.

WITH THE CALL

Flagshipped by Milwaukee's WTMJ-TV and in conjunction with WGBA-TV in Green Bay, the game will be televised over a 14-station network throughout the state of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, northeastern Minnesota, the Quad Cities and Des Moines in Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska.

• The top-notch broadcast team includes CBS's Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) alongside fellow CBS broadcaster Rich Gannon (analyst), with Trenni Kusnierek of WTMJ Radio serving as the sideline reporter.
• In addition to WTMJ-TV (Milwaukee) and WFRV-TV (Green Bay), the final three preseason games will be televised over WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau/Rhinelander, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire, Wis.; WLUC/NBC, Escanaba/Marquette, Mich.; KQDS-TV/FOX, Duluth/Superior, Minn.; KLJB-TV/FOX and KGCW/CW, Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); KCWI-TV/CW, Des Moines, Iowa; and KMTV-TV/CBS, Omaha, Neb.
• In its first season, in conjunction with the Packers TV Network, Telemundo Wisconsin (WYTU-TV in Milwaukee and on Charter Cable elsewhere in Wisconsin) will broadcast the game with Andy Olivares (play-by-play) andKevin Holden (analyst) calling the action.
• Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 53-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee(play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro BowlerLarry McCarren (color) calling the action. The duo enters its 14th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which covers 44 markets in six states.

PACKERS FALL TO BROWNS IN HOME PRESEASON OPENER

Green Bay lost to Cleveland, 35-10, in the 63rd installment of the Upper Midwest Shrine Game in front of 68,201 at Lambeau Field last Thursday night.

• Green Bay's No. 1 defense didn't waste any time making an impact, with DB Charles Woodson stripping RB Montario Hardesty at the end of a 4-yard run on the Browns' first play from scrimmage. Rookie CB Casey Hayward recovered the ball at the Cleveland 23 to set the offense up with prime field position.
• Three plays later, QB Aaron Rodgers found WR Jordy Nelson in the corner of the end zone on a 20-yard scoring strike to give Green Bay an early 7-0 lead.
• Rodgers and the rest of the offensive starters played the entire first quarter, but the other two series ended with a WR Randall Cobb fumble after a catch and a failed fourth-down conversion at the Green Bay 45. Rodgers completed 6-of-11 passes for 59 yards and the TD (100.2 rating).
• No. 2 QB Graham Harrell took over for the rest of the game until the final series, and completed 12-of-24 passes for 100 yards with two INTs. One of the interceptions came on a Hail Mary pass as time expired in the first half.
• Rookie WR Jarrett Boykin led the team with five catches for 63 yards (12.6 avg.) on the evening. Rookie CB Otis Merrill posted a 60-yard kickoff return with just a little more than a minute to go in the first half.
• P Tim Masthay had another strong outing, averaging 52.5 yards on four punts with a net average of 45.3 yards.
• The Packers had 18 players that did not dress on Thursday night. Sitting out against Cleveland were RB Du'ane Bennett(knee), RB Cedric Benson (recently signed), LB Desmond Bishop (hamstring), WR Diondre Borel(groin), G Ray Dominguez (ankle), TE Jermichael Finley (quad), FB Jon Hoese (hamstring), CB Davon House (shoulder), WR Greg Jennings (concussion), DE Johnny Jones (knee), FB John Kuhn (ankle), TE Andrew Quarless (knee), RB Brandon Saine (hamstring), T Derek Sherrod (leg), CB Sam Shields (elbow), WR Shaky Smithson (ankle), James Starks (toe) and LB Frank Zombo (hamstring).

HEAD COACH MIKE McCARTHY POST-GAME EXCERPTS

• (on Graham Harrell's performance)
       "I felt the things that Graham did very well, I was very pleased with his scramble ability and quarterback runs for first down. That's something that I would not say was part of his game last year or so. I think he's really improved in that part of the pocket awareness. I thought he was put in some tough spots. On the negative side, he missed some throws. We'll take a close look at it and I can promise you that no one will correct or detail the play of the quarterback better than our coaches."
• (on the No. 1 offense's turnovers in the first two games)    
  "Well, you could throw the whole team in there. We're turning the damn ball over too much. I don't care if it's preseason, scrimmage, practice, it's something that needs to stop. There's no excuse for that. For as much as we train taking care of the football and emphasizing it, it's important that the things that you do every single day in your practice structure show up on gameday. So, the offense and special teams, we have to take care of the football."
• (if there is concern over the first two preseason games)
  "We don't brush anything off. I thought what was concerning was the final score. And that's about as far as it goes. Because the reality of it was that it's a preseason game. You play to win, but you have other objectives, you have other goals. The one main goal is to make sure you hit your target as far as how many reps and particular plays you're able to get in this game. And I felt good about that because we needed a lot of information about our younger players and I felt we were able to do that tonight. So we'll go through a normal Monday, in-season schedule tomorrow. The players will have strength and conditioning responsibility, we'll look at all the tape together, special teams, quarterbacks, and offense and defense. I'll give a final review of the game to finish up in team meetings. The quality might not be quite what we want, but we'll let the film tell us that. But I was pleased with the way the team was repped today."

WHERE THEY'LL BE THURSDAY NIGHT

Coaches often use the preseason as a test to see where players are best utilized. Head Coach Mike McCarthyis on the sidelines, but here's a look at where the rest of the staff will be Thursday: 

• Coaches' Box: Dom Capers (defensive coordinator), Jerry Fontenot (tight ends), Joel Hilgenberg (assistant offensive line), Ben McAdoo (quarterbacks), Scott McCurley (defensive quality control), John Rushing (offensive assistant/special teams) and Joe Whitt (secondary - cornerbacks).
• Sideline: Edgar Bennett (wide receivers), James Campen (offensive line), Tom Clements (offensive coordinator), Mike Eayrs (research and development), Kevin Greene (outside linebackers), Chad Morton (special teams assistant), Winston Moss (inside linebackers/asst. head coach), Darren Perry (secondary - safeties), Shawn Slocum (special teams coordinator), Mike Trgovac (defensive line) and Alex Van Pelt (running backs).

WHAT IS AHEAD

After enjoying two days off from Ray Nitschke Field following the game on Thursday night vs. Cleveland, the Packers will hit the practice field three times this week, with two of the three sessions (Sunday-Monday) scheduled for 11:15 a.m. and one scheduled for 11 a.m. (Tuesday).

• The practices on Sunday and Monday are scheduled to be in full pads, though the health of the team heading into Thursday night's contest against the Bengals could determine if those numbers stay the same.
• Including the Family Night practice, the team will have 18 practices under its belt when it takes the field vs. Cincinnati.
• Following the Cincinnati contest, the team will take two days off (Aug. 24-25) from the practice field before returning on Sunday, Aug. 26. The Packers will practice Sunday, Monday and Tuesday leading into the preseason finale at Lambeau Field on Thursday night vs. Kansas City. The Aug. 28 practice will be the final session open to the public.

SAVE THE DATE

Important dates to remember (all times CDT):

• Thursday, Aug. 23 – Preseason game at Cincinnati Bengals 6 p.m., Paul Brown Stadium
• Monday, Aug. 27 – Roster reduction to a maximum of 75 players by 3 p.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 28 – Final practice open to public, 11 a.m., Nitschke Field        
• Thursday, Aug. 30 – Preseason game vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 6 p.m., Lambeau Field (Bishop's Charities Game)
• Friday, Aug. 31 – Roster reduction to a maximum of 53 players by 8 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 1 – After 11 a.m., clubs may establish a practice squad of eight players
• Sunday, Sept. 9 – Regular-season opener vs. San Francisco 49ers, 3:25 p.m.

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:

Packers vs. Cincinnati Bengals:

*        All-time regular season:*

*         *5-6-0

*        All-time, in Cincinnati:*

*         *1-3-0

*        All-time, preseason:*

*         *4-11-1

*        Streaks:*The Bengals have won the last two regular-season meetings. Prior to that, Green Bay had won three straight.

*        Last meeting, regular season:*

*            *Sept. 20, 2009, at Lambeau Field; Bengals won, 31-24

         Last meeting, regular season, in Cincinnati:

            Oct. 30, 2005, at Paul Brown Stadium; Bengals won, 21-14

*        Last meeting, preseason:*

*            *Aug. 11, 2008, at Lambeau Field; Bengals won, 20-17

COACHES CAPSULES

Mike McCarthy: 68-36-0, .654, (incl. 5-3 postseason); 7th NFL season

Marvin Lewis:69-77-1, .473, (incl. 0-3 postseason); 10th NFL season

Head to Head:Lewis 1-0

vs. Opponent:McCarthy 0-1 vs. Bengals; Lewis 2-0 vs. Packers

* *

MIKE McCARTHY…Is in seventh year as the Packers' 14th head coach.

• Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
• Has led the Packers to playoff appearances in four of his six seasons as the helm, and the team's four postseason berths over the past five seasons are the most by an NFC team.
• His .654 winning percentage (including playoffs) ranks No. 3 among active NFL coaches (min. 50 games) entering the 2012 season.
• One of only two coaches, along with New Orleans' Sean Payton, to have his offense ranked in the top 10 in total yardage each season from 2006-11.
• Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head-coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.
• Became the first Packers coach since Lombardi to lead the team to a championship game in his second season (2007).

MARVIN LEWIS…Is in 10th year as the Bengals' ninth head coach.

• Has posted the longest tenure and the most wins (69) of any head coach in franchise history.
• His Bengals are among only 10 NFL teams to make the playoffs in two or more of the past three seasons.
• Led the Bengals to AFC North titles in 2005 and 2009, as he was the consensus NFL Coach of the Year in 2009 when Cincinnati swept all six division contests.
• Prior to coming to Cincinnati, served as the Washington Redskins' defensive coordinator and assistant head coach in 2002. Also spent six seasons (1996-2001) as defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, a tenure that included a Super Bowl victory in the 2000 season.

THE PACKERS-BENGALS SERIES

The two teams have met 11 times in the regular season, with the Bengals holding a 6-5-0 edge.

• The Bengals have won the last two regular-season meetings (2005 and 2009). Prior to 2005, Green Bay owned a three-game winning streak in the series (24-23 in 1992 and 24-10 in 1995, both in Green Bay, and 13-6 in 1998 at Cincinnati).
• Perhaps the most memorable game in the series came in 1992 when Brett Favre, summoned to replace an injured Don Majkowski at quarterback in the first quarter, proceeded to direct the Packers to an electrifying, 24-23 come-from-behind victory, forged when he hit wide receiver Kitrick Taylor with a 35-yard scoring pass as only 13 seconds remained in the game. Chris Jacke's subsequent PAT settled the issue.       
• The series launched at Lambeau Field in 1971, when the legendary Paul Brown was head coach of the Bengals, a team he had founded three years earlier as a member of the then American Football League. The Packers posted a 20-17 victory in their first meeting, with a Lou Michaels field goal providing the victory margin.  

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis were both assistant coaches at the University of Pittsburgh in 1990 and 1991; Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum was also on that 1990 staff...Lewis and Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers coached on the Steelers' defensive staff together from 1992-94...Lewis was Packers outside linebackers Kevin Greene's position coach in Pittsburgh from 1993-95...Packers RB Cedric Benson played for the Bengals for the past four seasons (2008-11) and registered 1,000 or more rushing yards each of the last three seasons...Ohio natives on Green Bay's roster include TE Tom Crabtree (Carroll), LB A.J. Hawk (Centerville), DB Otis Merrill (Cleveland), RB Brandon Saine (Piqua), CB Charles Woodson (Fremont) and DE Jerel Worthy (Huber Heights)...Hawk, Saine and DT Ryan Pickett all played at Ohio State...Capers grew up in Buffalo, Ohio, where he attended Meadowbrook High School...Capers also attended Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, and coached defensive backs at Ohio State from 1982-83...Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and attended Fitch High School in Austintown, Ohio...Packers tight ends coach Jerry Fontenot played center for the Bengals in 2004...Fontenot was a teammate of Bengals defensive backs coach Mark Carrier with the Bears...Packers secondary-safeties coach Darren Perry's first NFL coaching job came in 2002 when he coached safeties for the Bengals on Dick LeBeau's staff...Bengals TE Donald Lee played in 92 games for Green Bay over six seasons (2005-10)...Bengals LS Clark Harris was selected by Green Bay in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft...Bengals G Kevin Zeitler is a Waukesha, Wisc. native and played at the University of Wisconsin...Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese was an offensive quality control assistant for the Packers in 1999, the same year McCarthy coached the team's quarterbacks...Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes coached on the University of Wisconsin staff from 1995-98...Bengals assistant strength and conditioning coach Jeff Friday is a Milwaukee native and attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee...Packers assistant director of public relations Sarah Quick is a Cincinnati native.

LAST MEETING, PRESEASON

Aug. 11, 2008, at Lambeau Field; Bengals won, 20-17.

• In his first pro start, fourth-year QB Aaron Rodgers connected on 9-of-15 passes for 117 yards and a TD with an INT.
• Rodgers' touchdown pass came near the end of the quarter when he found WR James Jones over the middle for a 30-yard TD. Jones' helmet flew off after absorbing a hit, but he went the rest of the way for the score.
• Green Bay had 14 different players catch passes on the evening, with WR Donald Driver leading the way with four grabs for 39 yards (9.8 avg.).
• Bengals QB Carson Palmer connected with TE Ben Utecht on a 14-yard TD pass and RB Chris Perry scored from 6 yards out to help give Cincinnati a 17-10 lead at the half, one it would not relinquish.

LOTS OF FAMILIAR FACES

General Manager Ted Thompsoncontinued his philosophy of building through the draft in the 2012 offseason, but also added some veteran players in free agency.

• Green Bay welcomes the return of 19 of 22 players that started against the N.Y. Giants in the NFC Divisional playoff.
• Seven Packers earned Pro Bowl recognition in 2011, the largest contingent Green Bay had voted into the all-star game since 1967. Six of those players return in 2012, with C*Scott Wells *departing to St. Louis in free agency.
• The Packers filled the void left by Wells through unrestricted free agency when they signed veteran CJeff Saturday, a five-time Pro Bowler with the Indianapolis Colts.
• Green Bay also added to its defensive line with the signings of DEAnthony Hargrove(Seattle) and free agentsPhillip MerlingandDaniel Muir.
• The continuity extends to the coaching staff, where almost the entire group returns for 2012 with a few changes in duties.
• Tom Clements, who tutored the quarterbacks for the past six seasons, moves into the role of offensive coordinator in 2012 after Joe Philbin left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
• Ben McAdoo, who coached the team's tight ends from 2006-11, will now direct the quarterbacks, whileJerry Fontenot, who tutored the running backs in 2011, will take over as tight ends coach.Alex Van Pelt, a six-year NFL assistant, enters his first season with the club as running backs coach.
• Two other coaches will have different duties, withJoel Hilgenbergserving as assistant offensive line coach andJohn Rushing as offensive assistant/special teams.

MEET THE DRAFT PICKS

Training-camp storylines always hover around new players and just how they figure into the depth chart. This past April, the Packers added to an already deep and talented roster with an eight-man draft class.     

• LB Nick Perry, the first Southern California defensive player to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since the Packers picked Clay Matthews in 2009, earned first-team All-Pacific-12 recognition as a junior in 2011. His career-high 9½ sacks led the conference and he was one of six finalists for the Hendricks Award, which is given to the nation's top defensive end.
• The Packers moved up in the second round to select DE Jerel Worthy out of Michigan State, the first of three times that GM Ted Thompson traded up in the 2012 NFL Draft. Worthy was a consensus first-team All-American as a junior in 2011, the first Spartan defensive tackle to earn first-team honors since Ronald Curl in 1971. Worthy was also the school's first All-Big Ten first-team selection since 1989.
• Green Bay traded up into the second round to draft a second player, CB Casey Hayward from Vanderbilt. Hayward twice earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors for the Commodores and tied for No. 3 in the country with a career-high seven INTs as a senior in 2011. He posted 15 INTs at Vanderbilt, tying him for the most in school history with Leonard Coleman (1980-83).
• In the fourth round, the Packers drafted DT Mike Daniels from Iowa. He  earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches following his senior campaign in 2011 when he posted a career-high 67 tackles and nine sacks. Daniels posted a team-high 24½ tackles for loss and 13 sacks over his final two seasons.
• Green Bay selected S Jerron McMillian out of Maine with its second selection in the fourth round. He was a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Conference selection in 2011 and earned second-team All-American honors from Phil Steele. McMillian finished second on the team in both tackles (92) and tackles for loss (11½) as a senior.
• Thompson traded up for the third and final time on draft weekend to select LB Terrell Manning from North Carolina State in the fifth round, the last of six consecutive defenders chosen by the Packers to open the draft. Manning earned second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors as a junior in 2011, recording a career-high 83 tackles despite missing two games with a knee injury.
• With the first of two choices in the seventh round, Green Bay selected T Andrew Datko from Florida State. He was a four-year starter at LT for the Seminoles but saw his senior campaign cut short after just four games due to a shoulder injury. Datko was named to the preseason watch list in 2011 for the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award. He allowed just one sack and was penalized only three times in 11 starts as a junior in 2010.
• The Packers drafted QB B.J. Coleman out of Tennesee-Chattanooga in the seventh round with their eighth and final selection. He finished his career at UTC ranked either first or second in every major statistical passing category despite playing only three seasons there after transferring from Tennessee. Coleman started 29 games in his three seasons at Chattanooga and threw for 6,871 yards and 52 TDs.

BREAKING DOWN THE ROSTER

The Packers' current 90-man roster is composed of 47 offensive players, 40 defensive players and three specialists.

• Of the 90 players on Green Bay's roster, 38 of them (42.2 percent) were drafted by the Packers.
• With 31 non-drafted free agents on the roster having started their NFL career with Green Bay, 69 of the 90 players (76.7 percent) began their pro careers with the Packers.
• Nearly two-thirds of the players (59 of 90, 65.6 percent) on Green Bay's roster entered the league as a sixth-round or seventh-round pick or as an undrafted player. Close to half the players (44, 48.9 percent) on the roster were not drafted.
• Of the 90 players on the roster, 81 of them (90.0 percent) are 28 years old or younger.

*This is an abbreviated version of the Packers-Bengals Preseason Week 3 Dope Sheet. To read the full version, download the PDF by **clicking here**. *