*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 Bye Week Dope Sheet:*
PACKERS 5-1 HEADING INTO BYE WEEK
-Green Bay heads into its bye week at 5-1, its best mark since 2002.
-Many of the Packers' key players have been playing through injuries thus far, meaning the extra time off will be important as the team heads into the final portion of the 2007 schedule.
-With a Monday night game at Denver next on the schedule, players won't hit the practice field again until Monday, Oct. 22.
-10 games - including six on the road - still remain. The Packers will return to play with back-to-back road games against AFC opponents for the first time since 2003. That season, Green Bay won road games in consecutive weeks at San Diego and Oakland.
-Green Bay achieved a 4-0 start for the ninth time in team history. Seven of those Packers teams went on to win an NFL championship (1929, '30, '31, '44, '62, '65, and 1966).
-Looking ahead, the Packers have two Thursday contests on national television in consecutive weeks. They play the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day on FOX, followed by a trip to Dallas for a Thursday night contest on NFL Network. Dallas and Green Bay are currently tied for the best record in the NFC at 5-1.
-Green Bay stands in first place in the NFC?North, but still has a long way to go in the race for the division crown - four division games remain.
TOUGH AFTER THE BYE
-In games immediately following the bye week, the Packers have won eight of their last 11, including a hard-earned victory at Miami last season. McCarthy called the win in scorching temperatures a turning point of the 2006 season.
-Recent history shows that the Packers have been an improved club after the bye. The much-needed time off has provided valuable rest and recovery, as well as a refocus on fundamentals. This week should prove no different.
-"The bye week emphasis, number one, was to get healthy," McCarthy said regarding the schedule he created for the bye week. "And number two, to make sure we're totally detailed on the things we need to improve on and the direction that we're going to go as we move forward. And we'll highlight those. When we come back, Monday and Tuesday's practices we'll have a little more individual time than normal so we can work those fundamental things."
-In 2003, Green Bay went 7-2 (.778) after the bye. Only three teams posted better marks, including the Super Bowl champion Patriots.
-Last season, seven of their eight wins were after the bye.
-This decade (since 2000), the Packers over the balance of their season after the bye are a combined 43-24 (.642).
{sportsad300}TURNOVERS THE NAME OF THE GAME
-Green Bay put up only 225 yards of total offense - its second-lowest output of the season - but managed to pull out the victory thanks to its ability to turn turnovers into points.
-Green Bay is tied for the league lead with Detroit with 48 points scored off turnovers. On the other side of the ball, Green Bay's defense has only allowed 16 points off turnovers, seventh best in the league.
-The Packers have won the turnover battle in four of their five wins this season. They came out even in their win at Minnesota and finished minus-four in their only loss, against Chicago.
-Green Bay did not have a giveaway in the victory over San Diego. The team was 3-0 last season in games without a giveaway.
-Over a longer stretch, the team has won 25 of 26 games playing turnover-free football, since a loss at Minnesota, Dec. 1, 1997. Green Bay's only loss in such games during that stretch was a 23-20 defeat at Minnesota, Oct. 23, 2005.
-Including playoffs, the Packers have won 28 of their last 29 games without a giveaway.
PICK-ING OFF A NEW RECORD
-A second-quarter interception - courtesy of Charles Woodson - marked the 12th straight game the Packers have intercepted at least one pass.
-The 12-game interception streak is the longest current streak in the NFL.
-Woodson also established a new Packers record with the pick. The longest streak in franchise history had previously been an 11-game streak during the 1984-85 seasons.
-Over the course of the streak, the Packers have intercepted 21 passes. Woodson has a team-high 7 interceptions during that period.
ROAD WARRIORS
-One of the most impressive accomplishments of Head Coach Mike McCarthy's first year as head coach was the way his club performed on the road. The Packers finished 5-3 away from home last season, recording the most road wins in franchise history for a coach in his first season.
-McCarthy and the Packers have picked up right where they left off, winning their first two road games of the season.
-A look at the top road teams in the NFL since 2006:
Team (Road Record) (Pct.)
New England (10-1) (.909)
Chicago (8-3) (.727)
Dallas (8-3) (----)
Green Bay (7-3) (.700)
Carolina (8-4) (.667)
Baltimore (7-4) (.636)
San Diego (7-4) (----)
New Orleans (7-4) (----)
Denver (6-4) (.600)
Indianapolis (6-4) (----)
N.Y. Giants (6-4) (----)
MCCARTHY NOW A HALL OF FAMER
-Though the bye week is meant for rest for players and coaches alike, Head Coach Mike McCarthy did take a detour to Baldwin City, Kansas.
-There on Oct. 20, McCarthy will be inducted into Baker University's Athletic Hall of Fame, where he was an all-conference tight end and senior captain in 1986. That season, the team made a run all the way to the NAIA title game.
-McCarthy becomes the 103rd member of Baker's Hall of Fame, which was founded in 1977. Baker, the oldest university in Kansas, is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2007-08.
