*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-Lions Week 17 Dope Sheet:*
**DETROIT (0-15) at GREEN BAY (5-10)
Sunday, Dec. 28 | Lambeau Field | 12 p.m. CST**
POSSIBLE HISTORY IN SEASON FINALE
-Green Bay wraps up the 2008 campaign at Lambeau Field against the Detroit Lions with the possibility of NFL history on the line.
-Detroit, winless on the season, could join the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14) as the only teams in NFL history to lose every game on the schedule since the 1960 merger.
-The NFL expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978, meaning the Lions could be the first team to finish a season 0-16.
-History and the numbers are not on the Lions' side, either. The club has dropped 17 straight games in the state of Wisconsin, including a playoff contest in 1994. The streak spans seven Lions head coaches.
-Currently, the Packers own a six-game winning streak in the series, the longest since Detroit's 11-game winning streak (1949-54) over 50 years ago.
-What's more, the Packers are 13-1 in regular-season finales since 1994, the NFL's best record in finales over that time. Just one of those wins came over the Lions - last season's 34-13 victory.
-Sunday is meeting No. 159 in the longtime Detroit-Green Bay series. No other NFL teams have played every year since 1932, when the Packers first met the Lions, then known as the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans.
-The Packers enter the contest coming off a fourth consecutive defeat by four points or less, this time to division rival Chicago 20-17 in overtime on Monday night.
-The Green Bay franchise has only faced a team 0-10 or worse one time: the 8-2 Packers lost to the 0-10 Colts, 41-38, in Indianapolis in 1997.
WITH THE CALL
-FOX Sports enters its 15th season as an NFL network television partner and will air the contest to a regional audience.
-Play-by-play man Chris Rose joins color analyst John Lynch in the broadcast booth.
-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 duo are in their 10th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which 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 108 WTMJ feed) as part of the network's NFL Sunday Drive.
-DIRECTV subscribers can watch the game in HD on channel 712.
MORE ON THE STREAK
-Green Bay's 16-game home winning streak over Detroit began at County Stadium in Milwaukee on Dec. 6, 1992.
-The Packers took control early in the snowy contest, scoring on its first three possessions and storming out to a 28-0 lead in the 38-10 win.
-Sixteen more games have been played in the state of Wisconsin since then, and each has resulted in a Green Bay victory.
-Last year's contest was similar to the '92 game, as the Packers again scored on their first three possessions in the eventual 34-13 victory.
-Taking away the 1994 playoff win over Detroit at Lambeau Field, the Packers' 16-game regular season home winning streak over the Lions ranks second among active NFL streaks.
18, Washington over Detroit
16, *Green Bay over Detroit
14, *Dallas over Arizona
13, *Pittsburgh over San Diego
- Green Bay defeated Detroit at Lambeau Field in 1994 playoffs; Arizona defeated Dallas at Texas Stadium in 1998 playoffs; San Diego defeated Pittsburgh at Three Rivers Stadium in 1994 playoffs.
**
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
All-time regular season: 85-64-7
All-time, postseason: 2-0
All-time, at Lambeau Field: 25-10-3
Streaks: Green Bay has won six straight, 14 of the last 16 meetings, and 17 straight in Wisconsin, including the 1994 playoffs.
Last meeting, regular season: Sept. 14, 2008, at Ford Field; Packers won, 48-25
Last meeting, regular season, at Lambeau Field: Dec. 30, 2007; Packers won, 34-13
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 27-22-0, .551, (incl. 1-1 postseason); 3rd NFL season
Rod Marinelli: 10-37-0, .213, 3rd NFL season
Head to Head: McCarthy 5-0
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 5-0 vs. Lions; Marinelli 0-5 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY...Is in third 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.
-Tied franchise record for most victories by a coach in his first two seasons (21).
ROD MARINELLI...Is in 3rd year as the Lions' 24th head coach.
-Named Lions head coach on Jan. 19, 2006, after 10 seasons (1996-2005) with Tampa Bay as defensive line coach; additionally was the Bucs' assistant head coach his last four seasons.
-In that 10-year tenure in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers recorded 416 sacks, with 328 1/2 coming courtesy of the defensive line, the most among all NFL defensive lines during that span.
-The Bucs' defensive front four garnered Top 5 rankings in sacks during six of the 10 seasons under Marinelli. That line also played a major role in setting an NFL record for consecutive games with a sack (69) from 1999-2003, a streak ended by the Packers on Nov. 16, 2003.
THE PACKERS-LIONS SERIES
-No other NFL teams have played every year since 1932, when the Packers first met the Lions, then known as the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans.
-Including a pair of playoff clashes in the early 1990s, this week marks Game No. 159 in the venerable Detroit-Green Bay series.
-The Packers are looking for their seventh straight win in the series, which would mark the longest winning streak by either team since the Lions won 11 straight from 1949-54. The current six-game string matches a Green Bay run from 2000-03.
-The Packers have scored more points (3,264 in reg. season) against the Lions than any other franchise.
-The Packers have won 17 consecutive contests over Detroit in Wisconsin, including the '94 playoffs. The streak includes seven Lions head coaches: Wayne Fontes (1992-96), Bobby Ross (1997-99), Gary Moeller (2000), Marty Mornhinweg (2001-02), Steve Mariucci (2003-04), Dick Jauron (2005) and Rod Marinelli (2006-Present).
{sportsad300}NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Defensive ends Aaron Kampman of Green Bay and Jared DeVries of Detroit are from the same high school, Aplington-Parkersburg in Iowa, which was destroyed by a tornado in late May...Packers G Josh Sitton blocked for Lions RB Kevin Smith at Central Florida. Both were drafted this year...Packers DE Cullen Jenkins (Belleville), WR Greg Jennings (Kalamazoo) and WR Ruvell Martin (Muskegon) are all Michigan natives...Lions LB Paris Lenon (2002-05) previously played for the Packers...Detroit LB Alex Lewis played at the University of Wisconsin...Green Bay DT Colin Cole spent one week on Detroit's 53-man roster in 2003, and all of the 2004 preseason with the Lions...Packers secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer spent two seasons (2002-03) on staff with the Lions as defensive coordinator...Packers offensive quality control coach Ty Knott served a minority coaching internship in Detroit in 2001...Detroit receivers coach Kippy Brown was the Packers' running backs coach in 2000.
INDIVIDUALLY VS. LIONS
Greg Jennings has three touchdown receptions and two 100-yard efforts in five career games against the Lions. His 167 yards against Detroit earlier this season is a career high...Donald Driver matched his career high with 11 receptions against the Lions on Nov. 10, 2002...Aaron Kampman has 7.5 career sacks against Detroit...Jordy Nelson caught his first NFL touchdown pass in the first meeting this season...From that game, Aaron Rodgers' 328 yards passing, 3 TDs, and 117.0 QB rating are all career bests...One of Charles Woodson's three two-interception games in his career also came in this season's earlier meeting.
LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON
Sept. 14, 2008, at Ford Field; Packers won, 48-25.
-Aaron Rodgers threw TD passes on three straight first-half possessions to give the Packers a 21-0 lead. But the Lions rallied, getting two TD catches from Calvin Johnson and a safety on a botched punt snap to take a 25-24 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
-The Packers countered with a field goal to re-take the lead, and then the defense intercepted Lions QB Jon Kitna three straight times. Charles Woodson had two of the interceptions, running the second back for a touchdown, and then Nick Collins also ran a pick back for a TD.
-Rodgers finished 24-of-38 for 328 yards, 3 TDs and a 117.0 rating, all season and career highs. Greg Jennings caught six passes for a career-best 167 yards, including gains of 62 and 60 yards.
-Green Bay's defense recorded a season-high five sacks, including two by A.J. Hawk.
LAST MEETING, IN GREEN BAY
Dec. 30, 2007, at Lambeau Field; Packers won, 34-13.
-Resting several starters in preparation for the playoffs, the Packers jumped out to a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter by scoring on its first three possessions.
-Ryan Grant's 27-yard TD run and scoring passes to Koren Robinson, Bubba Franks and Ruvell Martin accounted for the bulk of the scoring.
-Coming off the bench to spell Grant, Brandon Jackson rushed 20 times for 113 yards, his first career 100-yard game. His 46-yard run on the first snap of the second half set up one of Mason Crosby's two field goals.
-The win was the Packers' 17th straight on Wisconsin soil over the Lions.
**
TAKEAWAY POINTS KEY FOR PACKERS
-Green Bay (plus-six) stands tied for sixth in turnover ratio in the NFL, while Detroit (minus-eight) is well behind the Packers in a tie for 28th. Who wins the turnover battle, one of football's most important statistics, on Sunday just may emerge victorious.
-Green Bay has 26 takeaways (20 interceptions, six fumble recoveries) on the season against 20 turnovers (13 interceptions, seven fumbles). Detroit has 19 takeaways (four interceptions, 15 fumble recoveries) against 27 giveaways (17 interceptions, 10 fumbles).
-The Packers lead all NFL teams with 117 points off takeaways. Baltimore (116) is just behind the Packers at No. 2. Detroit ranks tied at No. 26 with 50 points off turnovers.
-In the Week 2 meeting, it was Green Bay's ability to turn takeaways into points that sealed the victory for them. While holding onto a slim 27-25 lead in the fourth quarter, the Packers intercepted Jon Kitna on three successive drives, all of which resulted in eventual touchdowns, to seal the victory.
-That seems to have been a problem for the Lions all season. They have allowed 89 points off turnovers, sixth highest in the NFL. On the other sideline, the Packers have surrendered 68 points off the 20 turnovers this year - 24 of which came at Tampa in Week 4. That point total off turnovers is tied for 12th lowest in the NFL.
-A rarity occurred for the Packers seven weeks ago in Minneapolis: they lost a game in which they did not commit a turnover. They have now won 32 of 34 games playing turnover-free football, since a loss at Dallas, Nov. 18, 1996. Green Bay's only losses in such games during that stretch both came at Minnesota, first in 2005 and later this season.
-Including playoffs, the Packers have won 35 of their last 37 games without a giveaway.
LEE LANDS IN END ZONE AGAIN
-After a slow statistical start to the season, tight end Donald Lee has found the end zone five times, proving to be one of Aaron Rodgers' most reliable targets inside the red zone.
-Lee is beginning to accumulate similar numbers to his breakout season in 2007, when he set career highs in receptions (48), receiving yards (575) and touchdown receptions (6) and was a Pro Bowl alternate.
-He can challenge some of those numbers again this season, having already caught five touchdowns among his 39 receptions.
-His 20-yard scoring play against the Texans was his 15th career touchdown as a member of the Packers, tying him with No. 5 Ron Kramer on the team's all-time tight ends list.
-Paul Coffman (1978-85) leads all Packers tight ends with 39 TD catches, while Bubba Franks (2000-07) ranks second with 32.
DRIVER CLOSES IN ON MORE RECORDS
-The longer Donald Driver continues to play, the more franchise receiving records go down.
-Driver needs 99 receiving yards for another 1,000-yard season. His current four-season streak (2004-07) is a franchise record, while he is tied with James Lofton and Sterling Sharpe on the franchise list with five overall 1,000-yard campaigns.
-With 68 receptions, Driver has an outside shot at another 80-reception season. He and Sharpe are the only Packers players with four such seasons.
-Driver also has 7,878 career receiving yards, fourth all-time in franchise annals. With 114 more receiving yards, he will pass the venerable Don Hutson (7,991) and move into third place on the franchise list.
-The greatest receiver of his era, Hutson played 11 seasons (1935-45) for the Packers. A member of three title teams (1936, 1939, 1944), he was honored as an All-Pro five times.
WOODSON ENJOYING CAREER YEAR
-CB Charles Woodson suffered a broken toe against Minnesota on Kickoff Weekend and didn't return to practice as a full participant for another 10 weeks.
-Despite the injury, Woodson has enjoyed a career season. In Week 2, his first game action without hitting the practice field, he responded with two fourth-quarter interceptions, one returned for a score, to seal the victory for Green Bay over Detroit.
-Against Dallas in Week 3, Woodson matched up against Pro Bowler Terrell Owens, limiting him to just 17 receiving yards on two catches. It was Owens' lowest output since joining the Cowboys in 2006.
-At Tampa, he picked off a Brian Griese pass in the fourth quarter and returned it for his sixth career touchdown on an interception return.
-In Seattle, he registered another interception and his first sack since Oct. 2006.
-Against the Colts, Woodson matched up in the slot against Pro Bowler Reggie Wayne, limiting the receiver to 24 yards on two catches.
-He notched his fifth interception of the season against Minnesota and sixth Monday night in Chicago, giving him 18 interceptions in 46 games since arriving in Green Bay in 2006. He had 17 career interceptions in 106 career games as a member of the Oakland Raiders.
-A unanimous selection on the Pro Football Weekly midseason All-Pro team, he notched his second sack of the year against Chicago in Week 11.
-Due to injuries at safety, and the coaching staff wanting to get their best players on the field, Woodson lined up at safety for three consecutive games.
-He ranks first on the team in passes defensed (18), second in sacks (3) and third in tackles (77).
-It's hard to imagine any NFL cornerback playing better than Woodson right now. The 11-year pro will make his fifth Pro Bowl appearance and first since 2001.
NICK SIX
-Fourth-year pro S Nick Collins is enjoying his best season to date and was rewarded last week when he was named the NFC starter at free safety for February's Pro Bowl.
-He ranks second on the team with 95 tackles and could surpass his previous career high of 102, established in 2006.
-Collins is tied with teammate Charles Woodson for first place in the NFC with six interceptions and ranks first among all players with three interception returns for scores. A fourth would tie the NFL record held by three players. Coming into 2008, Collins had four career picks in 45 games.
-He became only the second player in franchise history to post three touchdowns on interception returns in a season, matching Herb Adderley's mark set in 1965.
-Collins leads all NFL players with 258 interception return yards. The next closest player is Baltimore's Ed Reed, with 220. At Chicago, Collins established a new franchise record with the return yardage, besting Bobby Dillon (244, 1956) and Darren Sharper (233, 2002).
-Drafted in the second round in 2005 out of Bethune-Cookman, Collins is reminding fans of the last player to wear No. 36 in Green Bay - LeRoy Butler. Like the last two Packers safeties to make the Pro Bowl (Butler, Sharper), Collins will make his inaugural trip to Honolulu in his fourth year. He has credited Woodson with much of his success this season. Woodson spent time with Collins in the offseason, teaching the young safety the intricacies of reading a quarterback. Needless to say, it seems the offseason film sessions have paid off, as both were selected as Pro Bowl starters.
