Packers-Browns Preseason Week 1 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.

This is an abbreviated version of the Packers-Browns Preseason Week 1 Dope Sheet. To read the full version, download the PDF by clicking here.

Here are some highlights from the Packers-Browns Preseason Week 1 Dope Sheet:*

**CLEVELAND (0-0) at GREEN BAY (0-0)

Saturday, Aug. 15 | Lambeau Field | 7 p.m. CDT**

PRESEASON ACTION KICKS OFF

• The Green Bay Packers' 2009 season officially kicks off Saturday night as the Cleveland Browns come to Lambeau Field for a preseason contest.

• Green Bay lines up against another opponent for the first time since Dec. 28 of last year, when it defeated the Detroit Lions in the season finale.

• Though 21 of 22 primary starters from 2008 return, there is plenty new about the 2009 Packers.

• Saturday marks the debut of rookie and free-agent acquisitions, as well as a potentially high-octane offense that spent its first offseason together. Under the direction of Head Coach Mike McCarthy, the offensive play-caller, the unit ranked No. 8 in total offense a season ago. For the first time in the franchise's storied history, it had a 4,000-yard passer (Aaron Rodgers), two 1,000-yard receivers (Donald Driver and Greg Jennings) and a 1,200-yard rusher (Ryan Grant).

• Most eyes, however, will be on the debut of the Packers' new 3-4 defense under defensive coordinator Dom Capers. Hired Jan. 19, Capers begins his 24th season in the National Football League.

• As has been the case under McCarthy in previous preseasons, starters aren't expected to play more than a few series. Maintaining the health of the football team will be the ultimate determining factor, as will the need to see a number of younger players in live game action. Teams must make the first roster cut, to 75 players, on Sept. 1.

• Saturday marks the 21st preseason meeting in the all-time series between Cleveland and Green Bay. The Packers came away with a 38-31 victory in the last meeting in 2003.

MIDWEST SHRINE GAME

• One of the NFL's longest team traditions, the Upper Midwest Shrine Game kicks off its 60th installment Saturday night.

• Each season, the Packers donate a percentage of the gate to the Shriners' Hospitals for Children.

• The Shriners' facilities provide specialized medical services, helping children with birth defects and other injuries, at absolutely no cost.

• To date, the series has raised more than $3.1 million for the Midwest Shrine's burn centers and hospitals for disabled children.

• Green Bay is 30-26-3 all-time in the series. Cleveland played Green Bay in the game in 1983 – a 21-20 Browns victory.

• The series has called three separate stadiums home: Milwaukee's State Fair Park (1950-51), Milwaukee County Stadium (1952-82, 1984-94) and Lambeau Field (1983, 1995-present).

• In his first season leading the Packers, Vince Lombardi made an agreement with George Halas to play in the Shrine game annually. Green Bay and Chicago played each preseason in County Stadium from 1959-73.

• The Packers annually designate the Shrine game as the first 'Gold package' game for season-ticket holders primarily from the Milwaukee area. The team created the three-game package after moving all of its home games to Green Bay in 1995. Also in the 'Gold package' this season are the contests against Cincinnati (Sept. 20) and Dallas (Nov. 15).

WITH THE CALL

• The Green Bay Packers Broadcast Partners will air the game over a nine-station network throughout the states of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and Northeastern Minnesota, with CBS network production, personnel and the latest network-quality technology.

• The top-notch broadcast team includes CBS's Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) alongside fellow CBS broadcaster Rich Gannon (analyst).

• WTMJ's Jessie Garcia serves as the sideline reporter and WFRV's Larry McCarren joins the crew for pre-game segments. In addition to WFRV-TV (Green Bay) and WTMJ-TV (Milwaukee), the games are televised over WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau/Rhinelander, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire; WYOW/ABC, Eagle River, Wis.; WJMN/CBS, Marquette, Mich.; and KQDS-TV/FOX, Duluth, Minn.

• Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 48-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color) calling the action. The duo enters its 11th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which covers 43 markets in five states.

**

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:

**Green Bay Packers vs. Cleveland Browns

All-time regular season: **9-7-0

All-time, preseason:9-11-0

All-time, in Green Bay:2-1-0 (incl. 1965 NFL Championship)

Streaks:Green Bay has won four of the last six regular-season meetings.

Last meeting, regular season:Sept. 18, 2005, at Lambeau Field; Browns won, 26-24

Last meeting, preseason:Aug. 15, 2003, at Cleveland; Packers won, 38-31

COACHES CAPSULES

Mike McCarthy: 28-22-0, .560, (incl. 1-1 postseason); 4th NFL season

Eric Mangini: 23-26-0, .469 (incl. 0-1 postseason); 4th NFL season (1st with Browns)

Head to Head:Mangini 1-0

vs. Opponent:McCarthy 0-0 vs. Browns; Mangini 1-0 vs. Packers

MIKE McCARTHY…Is in fourth 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.

• One of only three head coaches to lead an offense ranked in the top 10 in the league each of the past three years.

ERIC MANGINI…Is in first year as the Browns' 12th head coach.

• Served as head coach of the N.Y. Jets the past three seasons, posting two winning records and earning one postseason berth (2006).

• In six seasons as an assistant coach with the New England Patriots (2000-05), was part of three Super Bowl championship teams.

• Began his NFL coaching career with the Browns in 1995.

• Served as head coach and defensive coordinator for a semi-pro team in Australia, the Kewe Colts, who won back-to-back titles under his leadership.

THE PACKERS-BROWNS SERIES

• The two teams have met a total of 17 times dating back to 1953.

• That includes one postseason meeting, the 1965 NFL Championship played in Green Bay and won by the Packers, 23-12.

• The 1965 title game marked Cleveland's first and only trip to Green Bay until 2001. From 1953-83, the Packers played host to the Browns in Milwaukee five times.

• The Packers own the longest winning streak in the series, five straight from 1961-67 (including 1965 title game).

• The Browns' win in 2005 was the franchise's first at Lambeau Field in three tries.

{sportsad300}NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

Browns DE Corey Williams played for the Packers for four seasons (2004-07) after being selected by Green Bay in the sixth round of the 2004 Draft. He was traded to the Browns for a second-round pick in 2008, which turned out to be QB Brian Brohm...Browns LB David Bowens played for the Packers in 2000 and RB Noah Herron played for Green Bay for two seasons (2005-06) before missing the 2007 season with a knee injury and then being released at the end of training camp last summer...Browns WR Paul Hubbard and T Joe Thomas played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin...Browns QB Brady Quinn and Packers LB A.J. Hawk are brothers-in-law, with Hawk's wife Laura being Quinn's sister...Browns QB Derek Anderson and Packers LB Nick Barnett were college teammates at Oregon State...Packers T Chad Clifton used to block for Browns RB Jamal Lewis in college at Tennessee...Browns LB Kaluka Maiava and Packers LB Clay Matthews played in the same LB corps at USC and were both drafted this year...Browns WR Mohamed Massaquoi and Packers RB Kregg Lumpkin and DE Jarius Wynn were college teammates at Georgia. Massaquoi and Wynn were both drafted this past April...Browns LB Bo Ruud and Packers RB Brandon Jackson were college teammates at Nebraska, as were Packers LB Brandon Chillar and Browns DL Kenyon Coleman at UCLA...Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin tutored Browns OL Eric Steinbach at Iowa.

INDIVIDUALLY VS. BROWNS

WR Donald Driver had six receptions for 105 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown, in the 2005 meeting...LB Nick Barnett led the defense with six tackles, and DE Cullen Jenkins blocked a PAT attempt.

LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON

• Sept. 18, 2005, at Lambeau Field; Browns won, 26-24.

• The Packers took an early 7-0 lead on Donald Driver's 42-yard TD grab, but Cleveland scored 19 straight points, capped by Trent Dilfer's 80-yard TD pass to rookie Braylon Edwards late in the third quarter.

• Brett Favre threw for 342 yards and three TDs for Green Bay, but Dilfer countered with 336 yards and three scores, including two to Steve Heiden, the last a 62-yarder with 1:50 left to give the Browns a nine-point lead.

• Driver finished with six receptions for 105 yards on a day Reggie White's No. 92 was officially retired by the franchise in a halftime ceremony.

• Favre's 4-yard TD pass to Tony Fisher with 4 seconds left in the game broke John Elway's single-stadium NFL touchdown record of 180. Favre also surpassed 50,000 career passing yards in the contest.

LAST MEETING, PRESEASON

• Aug. 15, 2003, at Cleveland Browns Stadium; Packers won, 38-31.

• Two second-half touchdowns by Herbert "Whisper" Goodman on an 8-yard run and 13-yard reception helped the Packers rally from a 21-14 deficit for the win. Goodman finished with 19 rushes for 80 yards and four receptions for 56 yards.

• The Packers also got a touchdown from Donald Driver on a 22-yard reception. Running backs Ahman Green and Nick Luchey each scored on 1-yard runs.

**

LIGHTNING CANCELS FAMILY NIGHT SCRIMMAGE

• Players did get warmups in, but sustained lightning around the area forced the team to cancel its annual Family Night scrimmage on Aug. 8.

• 50,787 fans had packed Lambeau Field Saturday night to get their first look of 'live' action in the 2009 season. Instead, fans will have to wait until Saturday to get their first look at the rookie class, Dom Capers' defense, and the rest of the '09 storylines in game action.

• A number of players were slated to miss the scrimmage because of minor injuries, prompting Head Coach Mike McCarthy and his staff to honor the off day Sunday, giving the team two days of rest heading into the week.

• "We're going to take this opportunity to get the players back and just keep our install schedule going," McCarthy said Saturday night. "I'm very pleased with the number of reps that we were able to attain last week in practice. We feel as a coaching staff, just during the delay having an opportunity to meet with the coordinators and some of the coaches, we feel that we are ahead of schedule in some areas. Really the health of our football team is the priority right now."

PHYSICAL TONE SET IN FIRST WEEK

• Part of the reason the coaching staff was able to give the team rest Saturday and Sunday was just how physical the opening week of camp had been.

• "I think we may have fallen under the classification of 'live' in segments of our practice," McCarthy said after Saturday's cancellation. "I have been very pleased with the nature of our practices, the extra reps in the particular situations that we felt we needed the extra work. I like the attitude and the temperament of our football team right now."

• Players agree, as many are saying this has been the most physical camp in the McCarthy tenure. The first week was highlighted by nine practices – seven in full pads – and a number of skirmishes in practice.

• "This has been as physical a camp as I've been in since I got here," LB A.J. Hawk said. "It's been good so far. That's why having (Family Night) canceled isn't going to hurt us as maybe it would in years past because of how physical we've been and the number of plays we've taken so far in camp."

• The second night practice, on Aug. 4, featured three separate fights that stopped the action each time.

• "I thought the defense had a heck of a night tonight," McCarthy said following the Tuesday night practice. "I probably shouldn't even say this, but we were 6-10 last year, and we didn't have a damn fight all training camp. So, I guess we're off to a hell of a start."

WHERE THEY'LL BE SATURDAY NIGHT

• Coaches often use the preseason as a test to see where coaches are best utilized, especially with a new staff. Coach McCarthy is on the sidelines, but here's a look at where the rest of the staff will be Saturday:

• Press Box: Dom Capers (defensive coordinator), Jerry Fontenot (asst. offensive line), Scott McCurley (defensive quality control), Chad Morton (administrator), Joe Philbin (offensive coordinator), John Rushing (offensive quality control), and Joe Whitt (secondary - cornerbacks).

• Sideline: Edgar Bennett (running backs), James Campen (offensive line), Tom Clements (quarterbacks), Mike Eayrs (research and development), Curtis Fuller (special teams asst.), Kevin Greene (outside linebackers), Ben McAdoo (tight ends), Winston Moss (inside linebackers/asst. head coach), Darren Perry (secondary - safeties), Jimmy Robinson (wide receivers), Shawn Slocum (special teams coordinator) and Mike Trgovac (defensive line).

STAFF CHANGES HEADLINE OFFSEASON

• On the heels of a disappointing 6-10 season, a new defensive staff and scheme headlined the changes this offseason at 1265 Lombardi Ave.

• Dom Capers was brought in as defensive coordinator, and the Packers began the transition to a 3-4 scheme in offseason workouts.

• Joining Capers on the defensive staff are Mike Trgovac (defensive line), who spent the last six years in Carolina as defensive coordinator; outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene, third on the NFL's all-time sacks list and a former player under Capers; and safeties coach Darren Perry, who most recently coached in Oakland and also played under Capers in Pittsburgh. Assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach Winston Moss remains on the staff, as does Joe Whitt Jr., who spent 2008 as defensive quality control before his promotion to cornerbacks coach this offseason.

• Shawn Slocum was promoted to special teams coordinator after serving as the unit's assistant each of the last three seasons. Curtis Fuller, a former Packers safety and training camp coaching intern, will serve as his assistant. New strength and conditioning coordinator Dave Redding is entering his 23rd season at the NFL level, while Scott McCurley (defense) and John Rushing (offense) will serve as the quality control coaches.

ST. NORBERT AND THE PACKERS

• Continuing a tradition started under Packers coach Scooter McLean in 1958, the Green Bay Packers will call St. Norbert College home for a 52nd consecutive training camp this summer. The relationship between the private college in De Pere, Wis., and the Green Bay Packers marks the longest continual use of any training camp facility by an NFL team.

• Players will take up residence in Victor McCormick Hall, a 60-room coed dormitory used to house 225 students during the academic year.

• St. Norbert, founded in 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, celebrated its 110th anniversary last October.

• The Packers use their own practice and team-meeting facilities at Lambeau Field during training camp, with the college serving as housing headquarters.

• Players return to St. Norbert via cars and vans every evening for team dinner.

• The 6.62-mile commute is estimated at 11 minutes each way.

• The team will travel roughly 264.8 miles between the college and practice facility during training camp…that's almost 4,660 lengths of a football field. It will take an estimated 7 hours, 20 minutes for the team to commute to and from the college…roughly the time of two-and-a-half NFL games.

SCHEDULE NUGGETS

• Green Bay's bye week – which occurs in Week 5 – is the earliest bye for the team since 1999, when it had its bye in Week 4.

• Though their bye week comes early, the Packers will get some extra rest coming off the Week 12 Thanksgiving contest. They won't play until the following Monday night, Dec. 7, at home.

• The Packers have five games against playoff teams from a year ago (Week 4 at Minnesota, Week 8 vs. Minnesota, Week 13 vs. Baltimore, Week 15 at Pittsburgh and Week 17 at Arizona).

• The first four games of the season will be broadcast on four different networks. After the bye week, Green Bay has seven straight games on FOX and could have 11 of the last 12 on the network, pending the NFL's flex scheduling. Also dependent upon the flex scheduling is the amount of 12 noon starts, which at this point is set for 10 games. An 11th, at Detroit, is set for 11:30 a.m.

• Green Bay plays three of the four teams who played in last season's conference championships. All three games (vs. Baltimore, at Pittsburgh, at Arizona) occur in the season's final five weeks. Making the season's final stretch tougher too is the fact that three of the final four games will be on the road.

• For the first time since 2003, the Packers will not play a division opponent in the season's final three weeks.