*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-Cowboys Week 13 Dope Sheet:*
NFC'S TOP TEAMS MEET FOR SHOWDOWN IN DALLAS
GREEN BAY (10-1) at DALLAS (10-1)
-Green Bay travels to Dallas for the first time since 1999 for a primetime contest between the NFC's top two clubs.
-The Packers come into the matchup winners of 14 of their last 15 games and stand tied with the Cowboys for the NFC's best record at 10-1.
-Green Bay carries a seven-game road winning streak into Thursday's contest. A victory would tie the longest road winning streak in franchise history.
-With a win this past Thursday over Lions, the Packers are off to their best start since 1962, when the team also started the year 10-1. That season, Vince Lombardi led Green Bay to a 13-1-0 record en route to its eighth world title in franchise history. The best start in franchise history came in 1929, when a 10-0-1 record led Green Bay to its first NFL title under team founder Curly Lambeau.
-The Packers and Cowboys represent two of the proudest and most popular clubs in the NFL. They have combined for 17 NFL championships (Green Bay 12, Dallas 5) and eight Super Bowl titles.
-There is no disputing the most memorable game between the two clubs. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Ice Bowl, the 1967 NFL Championship, played between Lombardi's Packers and Tom Landry's Cowboys. It is widely considered the greatest NFL game of all-time.
-The two clubs hooked up for some memorable games in the 1990s, including three playoff contests won by Dallas.
-Green Bay has lost eight straight and 11 of the last 12 games against the Cowboys in Dallas. Its lone win during that time came on Christmas Eve in 1989, a 20-10 Packers victory.
-Quarterback Brett Favre, enjoying one of the finest seasons of his legenday career, makes his 249th consecutive start (269 including playoffs) Thursday night in Dallas. Texas Stadium represents one of nine current NFL stadiums at which Favre has played but never won. His five losses at the venue represent his most at any stadium at which he hasn't won. Opposing Favre is Wisconsin native Tony Romo.
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WITH THE CALL
-NFL Network enters its second season as a league television partner and will air the contest to a national audience. Play-by-play man Bryant Gumbel joins color commentator Cris Collinsworth in the broadcast booth. Click here for the Packers-Cowboys / NFL Network: Frequently Asked Questions
-Over-the-air stations in Green Bay (WFRV, Ch. 5) and Milwaukee (WISN, Ch. 12) will simulcast the NFLN feed.
-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 network 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 123 WTMJ feed) as part of the network's NFL Sunday Drive.
-Westwood One will air the game across the country. Dick Enberg (play-by-play) and Dennis Green (analyst) will call the action, while Tommy Tighe hosts the pregame and halftime shows.
-DirecTV subscribers can watch the game on channel 212.
Unable to watch the game?
Turn to **NFL.com/Live** on the web for exclusive in-game action, highlights, studio analysis, and more all bundled with the best programming NFL Network has to offer.
NFL.com/LIVE Features:
-Exclusive Look-ins: See live game action early and often
-Exclusive In-game Highlights: Watch big plays BEFORE the final whistle
-Live In-studio Analysis: Team discusses the game and week ahead
-Q&A: Your questions are answered by the studio team
-Blog: Insider observations not found anywhere else
-Call the Play: Test your football IQ in a real-time competition
-Network Fan Challenge: Quick and easy to play
-Updated Stats: Track game progress with real time stats
-NFL Network: Take a peek at some of the network's award-winning programming
**
A RARITY IN NFL HISTORY
-In a game that has been circled for weeks, two teams 10-1 or better meet for the eighth time in league history. Thursday night marks just the second such game since 1970.
-The last meeting between two 10-1 teams was also a primetime contest between San Francisco and the N.Y. Giants.
-Neither Dallas nor Green Bay has ever been involved in such a game. A look at the previous games involving opposing teams 10-1 or better:
Dec. 4, 1926 -- Frankford (12-1-1) vs. Chi. Bears (11-0-2)
Dec. 12, 1926 -- Chi. Bears (11-1-2) vs. Pottsville (10-1-1)
Nov. 29, 1934 -- Detroit (10-1) vs. Chi. Bears (11-0)
Dec. 12, 1948 -- Chi. Bears (10-1) vs. Chi. Cardinals (10-1)
Dec. 17, 1967 -- Los Angeles (10-1-2) vs. Baltimore (11-0-2)
Dec. 7, 1969 -- Los Angeles (11-0) vs. Minnesota (10-1)
Dec. 3, 1990 -- San Francisco (10-1) vs. N.Y. Giants (10-1)
**
AMERICA'S TEAM(S)
-Since Harris Interactive began its poll asking fans to identify their favorite NFL team in 1998, the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys have routinely shown to have the two largest fan bases in the country.
-Both clubs have owned the title of the NFL's 'most popular team' four times, including in 2003 when both clubs shared the honor.
-Neither club has ever finished outside of the top four in the poll.
-In a recent Sports Illustrated poll on SI.com rating the game day atmosphere for each NFL team, the experience of seeing the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field ranked first. Fans were asked to grade every aspect of the game day experience, including ticket prices, team performance, tailgating, stadium atmosphere and the surrounding neighborhoods.
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FAVRE ON PACE TO ECLIPSE OWN MVP NUMBERS
-Quarterback Brett Favre, who turned 38 in October, is turning in a season that is beginning to defy description. The league's only three-time MVP (1995-97), Favre is on pace to set new career highs in a number of statistical categories, including completions, attempts, passing yards, passer rating and completion percentage.
-A national TV audience saw Favre pass for a season-high 381 yards against the Lions on Thanksgiving en route to his eighth game of the season with a passer rating over 100.0. All eight have come in victory.
-Favre compiled a passer rating over 100.0 for the fifth consecutive week, tying his own career high and marking the first time he's accomplished the feat in a single season. He had three games with a passer rating over 100.0 in Weeks 2-4 earlier this season.
-This marks the sixth time in his career that Favre has recorded at least three straight games with a passer rating over 100.0. He did it twice in 1995 (Nov. 12 - Dec. 3, 4 games; Dec. 16 - Jan. 6, 4 games) and twice again in 1996 (Sept. 1 - Sept. 15, 3 games; Dec. 22 - Sept. 1, 1997, 5 games). Favre was voted the league's MVP in both seasons.
-The last time he accomplished five consecutive games with a passer rating over 100.0 was during the team's Super Bowl XXXI run. The streak began with the final regular-season game against Minnesota (Dec. 22, 1996) and culminated in the first regular-season game the following season (vs. Chicago, Sept. 1). It included three playoff victories, most notably a 35-21 victory over New England in the Super Bowl.
-Elias Sports Bureau never intended for the passer rating to reflect efficiency on a game-by-game basis, but rather to measure the effectiveness of a quarterback over an entire season, or an entire career.
-Nonetheless, in games when Favre compiles at least a 100.0 rating, the Packers are 81-7 (.921).
-The Packers are a perfect 43-0 (1.000) at Lambeau Field when Favre hits the century mark. The team is 38-7 (.844) on the road when Favre eclipses the mark.
**
GOOSE EGG
-The Green Bay Packers are the only NFL team that has not allowed a single touchdown on any type of return - fumble, interception, punt or kickoff - this season.
**
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys:
All-time regular season: 10-10-0
All-time, postseason: 2-4
All-time, in Dallas: 4-11-0 (incl. 1-4 postseason)
Streaks: The Cowboys have won eight consecutive meetings in Dallas.
Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 24, 2004, at Lambeau Field; Packers won, 41-20
Last meeting, regular season, at Dallas: Nov. 14, 1999, at Texas Stadium; Cowboys won 27-13
**
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 18-9-0, .667; second NFL season
Wade Phillips: 55-39-0, .585; sixth NFL season, first Dallas
Head to Head: Never met
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 0-0 vs. Cowboys; Phillips 1-1 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY...Is in second 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.
-Has won more games (16) in his first 25 contests than any other coach in franchise history.
-Spent six seasons as an offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints (2000-04) and San Francisco 49ers (2005).
-Began his coaching career as a college assistant at Fort Hays State (1987-88) and at the University of Pittsburgh (1989-92) before breaking into the NFL as a quality control assistant with the Chiefs in 1993.
WADE PHILLIPS...Is in first year as the Cowboys' seventh head coach.
-Named Cowboys head coach on Feb. 8, 2007, after three seasons (2004-06) with San Diego as defensive coordinator.
-Served as head coach for the Denver Broncos (1993-94) and Buffalo Bills (1998-2000), including three trips to the postseason.
-Has 30 years of NFL coaching experience, including stops in Atlanta (2002-03), Philadelphia (1986-88) and New Orleans (1981-85). Phillips began coaching in the NFL under his father, Bum Phillips, in Houston from 1976-80.
-Began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Houston, before moving on to Oklahoma State University and the University of Kansas.
**
THE COWBOYS-PACKERS SERIES
These clubs squared off in the most famous game in league history, the 1967 NFL Championship, dubbed the 'Ice Bowl.' Kickoff temperature was recorded as 13 below zero with a minus-46 wind chill, the coldest game in league annals. Bart Starr's game-winning touchdown, a 1-yard dive with 13 seconds left, sealed Green Bay's third straight championship en route to its second consecutive Super Bowl title.
-Green Bay won 10 of the first 15 in the series, in which Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi - former assistants on the same New York Giants staff in the 1950s - turned into one of the NFL's preeminent rivalries.
-The Packers have never lost to the Cowboys in Green Bay (5-0 all-time), but the series is almost as one-sided in games played in Dallas. Green Bay has lost 11 of the last 12 games against the Cowboys in Dallas, including three postseason games. Their lone win during that time came on Christmas eve in 1989, a 20-10 Packers victory.
-Only three Packers players remain from the team that lost at Dallas eight years ago, the last time these clubs met in Dallas - LS Rob Davis, WR Donald Driver and QB Brett Favre. It was Driver's first game as a pro.
**
{sportsad300}NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Wade Phillips first coached in the NFL as linebackers coach in Houston, where he coached Packers GM Ted Thompson, who played 10 seasons at linebacker (1975-84) for the Oilers...Thompson is a native of Atlanta, Texas, about 175 miles east of Dallas, and attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas...Among Packers players, native Texans include K Mason Crosby (Georgetown), WR Donald Driver (Houston), TE Bubba Franks (Big Spring), DT Johnny Jolly (Houston), DE Michael Montgomery (Center) and S Charlie Peprah (Plano)...Cowboys QB Tony Romo is a Burlington, Wis., native, while OT Doug Free is from Manitowoc, Wis. ...Cowboys wide receivers coach Ray Sherman spent five seasons in Green Bay (2000-04) at the same position...Linebackers A.J. Hawk (Green Bay) and Bobby Carpenter (Dallas) played together at Ohio State...Packers RB Ryan Grant succeeded Cowboys RB Julius Jones as the starting running back at Notre Dame; also teammates with Grant and Jones was Cowboys TE Anthony Fasano...Packers C Scott Wells and Cowboys TE Jason Witten were college teammates at Tennessee.
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INDIVIDUALLY VS. DALLAS COWBOYS
Quarterback Brett Favre is 2-8 in 10 career starts against the Cowboys, 2-5 in regular-season games...Texas Stadium represents one of nine current NFL stadiums at which Brett Favre has played but never won. His five losses at the venue represent his most at any stadium at which he hasn't won...His career totals in 10 games against the Cowboys include 18 touchdowns, nine interceptions and 2,490 passing yards...Donald Driver made his professional debut in Dallas in 1999 but did not make a catch; he did catch a touchdown pass in his only other game against the Cowboys...Tight end Bubba Franks also caught a touchdown pass in the '04 meeting...Defensive end Cullen Jenkins recorded his first career sack, one that was split with defensive end Aaron Kampman, in 2004.
**
LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON
-Oct. 24, 2004, at Lambeau Field; Packers won 41-20.
-Green Bay scored on its first seven possessions to defeat the Cowboys and snap a three-game losing streak at Lambeau Field.
-Despite jamming his wrist early in the game, Favre beat the Cowboys for just the second time in 10 tries.
-Favre threw two TD passes, Ahman Green ran for his first two scores since opening day and the halfback option pass produced points for the second straight week.
-Green Bay produced 480 yards of offense and didn't punt until midway through the fourth quarter. Green ended a month-long funk by rushing for 163 yards, including a 90-yard score that was the longest Dallas had ever surrendered.
-Tony Fisher's first NFL toss found Bubba Franks alone in the end zone to make it 27-6 in the third quarter. For the second straight week, the Packers did not turn the ball over.
**
LAST MEETING, AT DALLASM
-Nov. 14, 1999, at Texas Stadium; Cowboys won 27-13.
-Former Packer George Teague returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown, cementing the Dallas win in the final minute. Teague's theft ended a valiant Green Bay comeback, as the Packers' slowly chipped away at a 20-3 deficit, and stood on the Cowboys' doorstep.
-Dallas, minus three starters, handed the Packers (4-5) their third straight loss.
-Favre hit Antonio Freeman for a 28-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, cutting Dallas' lead to 20-10. Ryan Longwell's 31-yard field goal then brought Green Bay within a touchdown, 20-13, before Teague's interception.
-Favre, playing in considerable pain with a bruised thumb and hand, had two touchdown passes evaporate when Corey Bradford dropped an early 47-yard bomb, and Donald Driver couldn't corral an overthrown pass in the end zone that would've tied the game in the last minute.
