Kickoff For Packers-Giants NFC Championship Set For 5:42 PM CST
*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-Giants NFC Championship Dope Sheet:*
N.Y.GIANTS (12-6) at GREEN BAY (14-3)
Sunday, Jan. 20 -- Lambeau Field -- 5:42 p.m. CST
PACKERS HOST GIANTS IN NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
-The Green Bay Packers and New York Giants meet for the second time this season with a trip to Super Bowl XLII on the line.
-The Packers come into the 75th NFC title game on the heels of one of the most memorable playoff games in Lambeau Field history. Before 72,168 fans, the largest crowd ever to see a game at Lambeau Field, the Packers defeated the Seahawks 42-20 to earn their 14th berth in the NFC Championship Game in franchise history.
-The Giants, whom the Packers defeated in Week 2, 35-13, earned a spot in the NFC title game by defeating No. 1 seed Dallas, 21-17.
-Sunday marks the 269th consecutive sellout at Lambeau Field (253 regular season, 16 playoffs), the league's longest-tenured stadium.
-The Packers have won four consecutive postseason games against the Giants. Another victory will tie the NFL record of five, set by the Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Bal/Ind. Colts).
-Two of the most venerable franchises in professional football history, the teams have combined for 18 championships. Green Bay (12 titles) ranks No. 1 among all NFL franchises, while the Giants (6) rank third.
-With both teams finishing 8-8 in 2006, it took four tiebreakers and percentage points to give the Giants -- and not the Packers -- the NFC's second Wild Card berth last winter.
-Head Coach Mike McCarthy becomes the first Packers coach since Vince Lombardi to lead his team to a championship game in his second season. In 1960, Green Bay lost to Philadelphia in the NFL Championship.
-Green Bay has chosen Bart Starr to serve as honorary captain. Starr won five world titles and two Super Bowl MVPs in his storied career with the Packers (1956-71).
-Both clubs enter the game on a roll. Green Bay has won 18 of its last 21 games, including 10 of its last 11 at home. The Giants have won nine consecutive contests on the road.
THE PACKERS IN THE PLAYOFFS
-Green Bay made the postseason for the 11th time in 15 seasons.
-Winners of the NFC North, the Packers collected their 18th division title in club history. This marks the 24th postseason appearance in club history, and the first NFC Championship Game since '97.
-Its 25-14 (.641) W-L record in the playoffs is the second-best winning percentage in National Football League history.
-Also second-best in NFL postseason history is the Packers' 15-2 (.882) record at home. Only the New England Patriots (10-1, .909) own a better home record (min. 10 games).
-In NFC Championship Game history, home teams are 50-24 (.676).
-Brett Favre will start his 22nd playoff game Sunday, his 275th consecutive start overall. He owns a 12-9 (.571) career W-L record in the postseason, including a 2-1 mark in NFC title games.
-Running back Ryan Grant, a New York native and star of the Divisional Playoffs for the Packers, squares off against his former club. Grant was traded from the Giants to the Packers on Sept. 1.
WITH THE CALL
-FOX Sports is in its 14th season as an NFL network television partner and will air the contest to a national audience. Play-by-play man Joe Buck joins color commentator Troy Aikman in the broadcast booth with Pam Oliver and Chris Myers serving as the sideline reporters.
-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.
-Westwood One will air the game across the country. Bill Rosinski (play-by-play) and Jim Fassel (color) will call the action with Kevin Kiley as the sideline reporter. Tommy Tighe hosts the pregame and halftime shows.
-Univision Radio, with Rafael Hernandez Brito (play-by-play) and Eduardo Martell (color), will broadcast in Spanish to a national audience.
-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 as part of the network's NFL Sunday Drive.
FOR THE GEORGE S. HALAS TROPHY
-No franchise has won more NFC Championships (including NFL Championship Games, 1933-69), than the Packers, who have emerged victorious 10 times in 13 appearances.
-Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the Packers have appeared in the game three times, all in the Favre era.
-The team's first appearance came in 1995, when it traveled to Dallas to take on the Cowboys. Green Bay held a fourth-quarter lead but fell behind after two fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns from Emmitt Smith. For the third straight season, Green Bay's season ended in Dallas.
-The Packers reached the NFC title game again the following year, hosting the first title game at Lambeau Field since the 'Ice Bowl'. The Packers overcame two early deficits to defeat the Panthers, 30-13, for their first Super Bowl appearance in 29 years. They would go on to win the club's third Super Bowl and 12th NFL championship.
-In '97, the Packers reached the NFC Championship for the third consecutive year, this time traveling to San Francisco. Green Bay built a comfortable 13-3 lead on a rain-soaked afternoon and never looked back. Dorsey Levens' fourth-quarter TD run gave the Packers a commanding lead in an eventual 23-10 victory as they bounced the 49ers from the playoffs for the third straight year.
-Favre has performed admirably on the NFC's biggest stage. In three career games, he has completed 56-of-95 passes for 821 yards and six touchdowns against just three interceptions.
-The postseason history between the two teams favors the Packers. Their 4-1 record in the postseason against the Giants is tied for the third best postseason record against one team (minimum four games). The Steelers are 5-0 against the Colts, and the Raiders are 4-0 against the Oilers. The Packers also are 4-1 against the 49ers in the postseason.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. New York Giants:
All-time regular season: 25-21-2
All-time, in Green Bay: 7-5-0
Streaks: The Packers have won four of the last five meetings.
Last meeting, regular season: Sept. 16, 2007, at Giants Stadium; Packers won, 35-13
Last meeting, regular season, at Lambeau Field: Oct. 3, 2004; Giants won, 14-7
All-time postseason: 4-1 (All NFL Championships)
Dec. 11, 1938, Giants 23-17, Polo Grounds, New York
Dec. 10, 1939, Packers 27-0, State Fair Park, Milwaukee
Dec. 17, 1944, Packers 14-7, Polo Grounds, New York
Dec. 31, 1961, Packers 37-0, City Stadium, Green Bay*
Dec. 30, 1962, Packers 16-7, Yankee Stadium, New York
*-renamed Lambeau Field, 1965
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 22-11-0, .667, (1-0 postseason); second NFL season
Tom Coughlin: 109-95-0, .534 (6-6 postseason); 12th NFL season
Head to Head: McCarthy 1-0
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 1-0 vs. Giants; Coughlin 1-3 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.
-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.
TOM COUGHLIN...Is in fourth year as the Giants' 16th head coach.
-In his 12 years as an NFL head coach, has won three division titles and led his team to the playoffs seven times.
-Coached nine seasons in Jacksonville as the club's first head coach.
-Spent two seasons as wide receivers coach in Green Bay (1986-87).
-In addition to serving as an assistant with the Packers, has also spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles (1984-85) and the Giants (1988-90) as wide receivers coach.
-Has been a head coach ever since, first serving at Boston College (1991-93) before his stints with the Jaguars and Giants.
THE PACKERS-GIANTS SERIES
-Calvin Coolidge was in the White House when the teams launched their series in 1928.
-Two of the most venerable franchises in professional football history, the teams have combined for 18 championships. Green Bay (12 titles) ranks No. 1 among all NFL franchises, while the Giants (6) rank third.
-With both teams finishing 8-8 in 2006, it took four tiebreakers and percentage points to give the Giants -- and not the Packers -- the NFC's second Wild Card berth last winter.
-Brooklyn-born Vince Lombardi, formerly an offensive assistant with the Giants before accepting the head coach and general manager position in Green Bay in 1959, led the Packers over the Giants twice in the NFL championship.
-Fierce rivals in the early decades of the NFL, this season the two teams played for just the sixth time in the past 20 seasons.
{sportsad300}NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
In Green Bay, Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin was wide receivers coach for two seasons (1986-87) under Forrest Gregg...Giants secondary coach/cornerbacks Peter Giunta spent five seasons on the Kansas City staff (2001-05) with Packers defensive ends coach Carl Hairston...Current Green Bay wide receivers coach Jimmy Robinson spent six seasons (1998-2003) in the same position with the Giants; a number of Giants receivers, including Amani Toomer, set franchise standards that still stand...Robinson also spent four seasons (1976-79) as a wide receiver for the Giants...Offensive quality control coach Ty Knott served under Coughlin in Jacksonville in 2002 as offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach...Packers running back Ryan Grant was acquired from the Giants in a trade on Sept. 1...Packers cornerback Frank Walker spent four seasons with the Giants (2003-06) before signing as an unrestriced free agent with Green Bay...Safety Charlie Peprah was the Giants' fifth-round pick in 2006 and claimed on waivers by Green Bay before the start of the '06 season...Giants guard Grey Ruegamer played three seasons in Green Bay (2003-05)...Giants defensive end Justin Tuck played collegiately at Notre Dame with Packers wide receiver Carlyle Holiday and running back Ryan Grant...Packers cornerback Will Blackmon and Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka were all-conference performers as teammates at Boston College; the duo also spent time there with Giants guard Chris Snee.
INDIVIDUALLY VS. NEW YORK GIANTS
Quarterback Brett Favre is 4-2 in six career starts against the Giants...In the five contests, Favre has completed 118-of-188 attempts for 1,398 yards and 10 touchdowns; the most memorable came in 2004, when Favre completed a touchdown pass just three plays after suffering a concussion...Formerly a division foe with the Eagles, cornerback Al Harris has made 22 career tackles against the Giants...Defensive tackle Corey Williams notched his first career interception against the Giants earlier this season.
LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON
Sept. 16, 2007, at Giants Stadium; Packers won, 35-13.
-Brett Favre became the winningest quarterback in NFL history, surpassing Hall of Famer John Elway, as the Packers put on a dominant display in the fourth quarter.
-Green Bay erased a 10-7 halftime deficit with a 2-yard scoring pass to Bubba Franks, but the Giants responded with a field goal to make it a one-point game in the fourth quarter.
-That's when Favre and the offense went to work, first with a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive that resulted in a three-yard TD toss to Donald Lee.
-Green Bay forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and recovered the ball in Giants territory. The offense needed just five plays to cover the distance, as Favre found Donald Driver in the back of the end zone.
-A late 38-yard touchdown run by DeShawn?Wynn capped the scoring, as Favre notched his 149th career win.
LAST MEETING, POSTSEASON
Dec. 30, 1962, at Yankee Stadium; Packers won 16-7.
-Seeking redemption for the shutout humiliation in the '61 title game, New York was again unable to defeat Green Bay as the Packers led the entire way in a game played in raw, cyclonic conditions.
-Linebacker Ray Nitschke, the game's MVP, deflected a pass, triggering an early interception, and recovered two fumbles.
-The first recovery set up a 7-yard scoring plunge from Jim Taylor, while the second scoop by Nitschke set up a Jerry Kramer field goal.
-Brooklyn-born Vince Lombardi scored his second consecutive NFL title against his hometown team. Lombardi had also coached on the Giants staff as an offensive assistant from 1954-58.
