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 2 Dope Sheet:
For only the fifth time in their 87-year history (1919-2005), the franchise will retire a number, officially taking Reggie White's 92 out of circulation in a halftime ceremony.
-Cleveland, which entered the NFL in 1950, makes only its second regular-season appearance at Lambeau Field, and third overall, including the 1965 NFL championship game.
-The Packers and Browns play the Lambeau opener, renewing a storied rivalry that includes Jim Brown's last NFL game (the 1965 NFL title contest). Green Bay's home opener also featured Cleveland in 1953, when Paul Brown's club pitched a 27-0 shutout in Milwaukee, also the first meeting in the all-time series.
-In contrast to Cleveland's last regular-season trip to Green Bay in 2001, when snow greeted the Browns, warm weather is a likely setting.
-Favre needs 65 yards passing to become the third player in NFL history with 50,000, joining Dan Marino (61,361) and John Elway (51,475). And, with three TD passes, Favre would break Elway's single-stadium NFL record.
TELEVISION: CBS Sports, with the network's flagship voice Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and former Pro Bowl quarterback Phil Simms (color) in the booth, Lance Barrow (producer) and Mike Arnold (director) in the truck, and Bonnie Bernstein on the sidelines, will air the contest to a national audience as the anchor of CBS's doubleheader weekend. The network, which is one signifcant reason why teams like the Packers are still operating today, is in Year No. 46 covering the National Football League.
PACKERS RADIO: Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 62-station Packers Radio Network, with versatile Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color). Spanning five states, the network covers 50 markets in the upper Midwest. The broadcast also is available to NFL Field Pass subscribers on packers.com.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Cleveland Browns:
All-time regular season: 9-6-0
All-time, postseason: 1-0 (1965 NFL championship)
All-time, Lambeau Field: 2-0-0
Streaks: Packers have won two in a row and four of the last five
Last meeting, regular season: Dec. 23, 2001, Lambeau Field; Packers won, 30-7
Postseason meeting, 1965 NFL championship: Jan. 2, 1966, Lambeau Field; Packers won, 23-12
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike Sherman: 55-32-0, .632, sixth NFL season, sixth with Packers
Romeo Crennel: 0-1-0, .000, first NFL season, first with Browns
Head to Head: First meeting
vs. Opponent: Sherman 1-0 vs. Browns; Crennel 0-0 vs. Packers
MIKE SHERMAN...Is in his sixth year as the Packers' 13th head coach.
-Since the 1993 collective bargaining agreement, teams have made 84 coaching changes and only Sherman's tenure has produced winning records in each of its first five seasons.
-Over their first five regular seasons as an NFL coach, since 1970 only Chuck Knox, George Seifert, Joe Gibbs and Mike Ditka produced better records than Sherman (53-27, .663).
-In 2004, his team became only the ninth in NFL history to reach the playoffs after a 1-4 start.
-Has led the Packers to three straight division titles and four consecutive playoff appearances.
-Is 6-0 against teams in the Super Bowl the previous season.
ROMEO CRENNEL...Named Browns head coach Feb. 8, 2005.
-Returns to Cleveland after serving as the Browns defensive coordinator in 2000. Most recently crafted the defense of the New England Patriots that won the Super Bowl in three of the last four seasons.
-Has 35 years of coaching experience, including 24 in the NFL and a prior stint in New England, and has appeared in six Super Bowls, with five Super Bowl rings.
-In the Patriots' Super Bowl XXXIX victory last season, Crennel's defense forced four turnovers and registered four sacks.
-In 2004, his defensive unit was tied for third in the NFL with 45 sacks and tied for second with 260 points allowed (16.3 ppg.) despite using 10 different starting lineups.
-Also coached for the New York Jets (1997-99) and Giants (1981-92), and collegiately at Western Kentucky (1970-74), Texas Tech (1975-77), Mississippi (1978-79), and Georgia Tech (1980). Crennel was a four-year starter (1966-69) at Western Kentucky (DL/OT).
THE BROWNS-PACKERS SERIES: These clubs were headed in different directions when they launched the series in 1953. Paul Brown's club was en route to a fourth straight NFL title game when it dispatched the Packers in the season opener at brand new County Stadium, 27-0. Otto Graham threw for 292 yards and scored two TDs on the ground. Packers coach Gene Ronzani would resign by the end of a 2-9-1 year.
-Of late, however, the Packers have held the advantage, winning four of the last five meetings (1983-2001). Green Bay is 9-6 in all-time regular-season games.
-This marks only the second time Cleveland has traveled to Green Bay for a regular-season contest, and third overall.
-The Browns were on display at Lambeau on Jan. 2, 1966, a day on which the Packers captured their 10th NFL championship - launching Green Bay (1965-67) on the only three successive league titles ever under the playoff system.
-Wisconsin has hosted the Browns in six regular-season games, but the first five were at Milwaukee County Stadium.
-Since the Browns re-entered the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1999, their only league meeting with Green Bay was Dec. 23, 2001, at snowy Lambeau Field, a 30-7 Packers win.
Notable connections...Romeo Crennel (defensive backs) and Packers defensive coordinator Jim Bates (linebackers/defensive ends) were together on Bill Belichick's Browns staff from 1991-93...Bates returned to Cleveland to coach Belichick's secondary in 1995...Offensive lineman Joe Andruzzi began his career in Green Bay...The Packers' Earl Little joined the Browns on waivers in 1999 and played the last five-plus seasons in Cleveland...Cleveland's Cosey Coleman and Green Bay's Chad Clifton were teammates on the Tennessee Volunteers offensive line in college...The Browns' Braylon Edwards and Green Bay's Roy Manning, both rookies, were college teammates at Michigan...Practice squad guard Atlas Herrion spent last year and 2005 training camp in Green Bay.
LAST MEETING: Dec. 23, 2001, Lambeau Field; Packers won, 30-7:
-Ahman Green rushed for 150 yards to lead the Packers past Cleveland in a snowy late-afternoon contest at Lambeau Field. The win clinched Green Bay's first playoff berth since 1998, and kept the club in contention for the NFC Central title.
-Green turned in his sixth 2001 100-yard effort, his third of at least 150 yards. He also established the Packers' single-season record in total offense (1,813), elcipsing Dorsey Levens' 1997 mark of 1,805. His longest run of the day was his last, a 43-yard rumble to set up Green Bay's final touchdown in the fourth quarter.
-As a team, the Packers rushed for 222 yards, their most since they compiled 233, Dec. 22, 1996 vs. Minnesota. On the day Green broke his record, Levens ironically turned in his season's most productive game. Levens rushed for a season-high 72 yards, including a 40-yard run in the fourth-quarter, and scored his first 2001 touchdown, a diving, 16-yard reception from Brett Favre, the Packers' final score.
-Favre completed his first eight passes, including a pair of first-quarter touchdown tosses to tight end Bubba Franks. The quarterback led Green Bay on a 66-yard TD drive to open the game, then cashed in a Bhawoh Jue interception on the team's second possession to put the Packers up, 13-0. Favre's strike to Levens extended his NFL record to six seasons with at least 30 TD passes.
-Jue's first career interception was one of five Packers takeaways, a season-high. Tyrone Williams accounted for the team's other two picks, including a 69-yard touchdown return late in the first half.
1965 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP: Jan. 2, 1966, Lambeau Field; Packers won, 23-12:
-After four inches of snow softened the Lambeau surface, the Packers used their running game to rally past Cleveland, and a crowd of 50,777 celebrated the team's third championship in five years.
-Jim Taylor (27-96) and Paul Hornung (18-105) amassed 201 yards rushing helping the Packers overcome an early 9-7 deficit.
-Packers defenders, meanwhile, allowed only 50 yards to Cleveland's Jim Brown, the league's leading rusher with 1,544 yards during the year, who played the last game of his legendary career.
-In the third quarter, Bart Starr finally settled the see-saw battle, escorting the Packers on a 90-yard, 11-play drive, ending when Hornung scored on a 13-yard sweep around the Browns' right perimeter.
-Kickers Don Chandler and Lou Groza booted five total field goals.
