Packers-Seahawks Press Box Notes

PRESEASON ACTION KICKS OFF

• The Packers travel over 1,600 miles, the longest trip for the team this season, for their second exhibition contest tonight against the Seattle Seahawks.
• It will be the first road game of the season for Green Bay, and will give the team a valuable look at how the younger players on the roster perform in a hostile environment.
• Tonight's game marks just the second time in franchise history that the Packers have traveled to Seattle for a preseason contest. The only other preseason matchup between the teams in Seattle came on Aug. 12, 1983, a 38-21 Seahawks victory.
• The teams have squared off just three times before in the preseason, with the most recent contest coming on Aug. 18, 2007, at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Seahawks, 48-13, highlighted by 38 points from Green Bay in the first half. The 48 points were the most posted by the Packers in a preseason contest since 1936.
• Green Bay and Seattle will not face off this year during the regular season after seeing each other quite a bit since 2005. The teams met four times during the regular season (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009), and the lone year that they did not play during the season (2007), the Packers hosted the Seahawks in an NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lambeau Field.
• The Packers dropped their preseason opener, 27-24, to the Cleveland Browns last Saturday night at Lambeau Field. QB Aaron Rodgers was sharp in his first game action of the season, completing 12-of-13 passes for 159 yards and a TD (143.3 passer rating) as he led the offense on two touchdown drives. WR Greg Jennings had three receptions for 68 yards, including a 25-yard TD pass from Rodgers.
• Following a long flight home early Sunday morning, the Packers will have a quick turnaround before their next preseason game. Green Bay will take on Indianapolis on Thursday in a nationally televised contest at Lambeau Field. In the past under McCarthy, the Packers have played their starters into the third quarter in the third preseason contest, and the defending AFC champion Colts should provide a good measuring stick for Green Bay as it begins to look ahead to the regular season.
• Seattle won its opening preseason contest last Saturday night, 20-18, over the Tennessee Titans at Qwest Field in head coach Pete Carroll's Seahawks debut. QB Charlie Whitehurst, an offseason trade acquisition and the son of former Packers QB David Whitehurst (1977-83), threw for 214 yards and two TDs to lead the offense in his first game with Seattle.
• The Seahawks will travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings on Saturday, Aug. 28, in their third preseason game before finishing up in Oakland on Thursday, Sept. 2.
  NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
  Packers GM Ted Thompson spent five seasons (2000-04) as the Seahawks' VP of football operations...Seahawks GM John Schneider served two different stints in the Packers' personnel dept. (1993-96, 2002-09), concluding as director - football operations...Green Bay director of college scouting John Dorsey worked in the Seattle front office (1999)...Seattle senior personnel executive Scot McCloughan worked as a Packers scout (1995-99)...Seattle VP of football operations Will Lewis worked in Green Bay's scouting department for three seasons (1997-99)...Seattle senior VP Lance Lopes worked in the Packers' front office from 1993-2000...Green Bay asst. head coach/ILBs Winston Moss played his final three seasons in Seattle (1995-97) and began his coaching career with the Seahawks as defensive quality control in 1998...Seattle off. coord. Jeremy Bates is the son of former Packers def. coordinator Jim Bates (2005)...Seattle WR coach Kippy Brown previously coached the Green Bay RBs (2000) and Seattle asst. strength and cond. coach Mondray Gee held the same position in Green Bay the past two seasons...Seattle off. line coach Alex Gibbs was on the offensive staff at Kansas City during Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy's first two years there (1993-94)...Former Packers GM Ron Wolf drafted QB Matt Hasselbeck in the sixth round in 1998 and he spent his first three seasons in Green Bay, with McCarthy as his position coach in his second season (1999)...Seattle DT Colin Cole (2004-08), P Jon Ryan (2006-07) and WR Ruvell Martin (2006-08) all previously played for Green Bay, while Seahawks WR Kole Heckendorf is a Mosinee, Wis., native who spent 2009 training camp with the Packers...Seahawks QB Charlie Whitehurst was born in Green Bay, and his father, David, played QB for the Packers for seven seasons (1977-83)...Former college teammates include Seahawks RB Julius Jones, TE John Carlson and Packers RB Ryan Grant (Notre Dame), Seahawks DT Red Bryant and Packers LB Cyril Obiozor (Texas A&M), Seahawks WRs T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Mike Hass and Packers LB Nick Barnett (Oregon State), Seahawks DT Brandon Mebane, RB Justin Forsett and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (California), Seahawks DT Quinn Pitcock and Packers LB A.J. Hawk (Ohio State), Seahawks S Earl Thomas and Packers TE Jermichael Finley (Texas), Seahawks DE Lawrence Jackson, C Jeff Byers, S Kevin Ellison, TE Anthony McCoy, CB Josh Pinkard and Packers LB Clay Matthews (USC), Seahawks WR Deon Butler and Packers TE Andrew Quarless (Penn State), and Seahawks LB David Hawthorne, LS Clint Greshman and Packers T/G Marshall Newhouse (TCU).

SAVE THE DATE
Important dates to remember (all times CDT):

• Thursday, Aug. 26 – Preseason game vs. Indianapolis Colts, 7 p.m., Lambeau Field
• Tuesday, Aug. 31 – Final practice open to public, 10:15 a.m., Nitschke Field; NFL-mandated roster reduction, to 75 players, by 3 p.m.
• Thursday, Sept. 2 – Preseason game at Kansas City Chiefs, 7 p.m., Arrowhead Stadium
• Saturday, Sept. 4 – NFL-mandated roster reduction, to 53 players, by 5 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 5 – Clubs may establish eight-player practice squad, 11 a.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 12 – Regular-season opener at Philadelphia Eagles, 3:15 p.m., Lincoln Financial Field
  TONIGHT'S CAPTAINS
  As per team tradition, the Packers select game captains each week.   
  Tonight's captains will be WR Greg Jennings (offense), S Nick Collins (defense) and LS Brett Goode (special teams).

WHERE THEY'LL BE
Head Coach Mike McCarthy is on the sidelines, but here's a look at where the rest of the staff will be tonight:  

• Press Box: Dom Capers (defensive coordinator), Jerry Fontenot (asst. offensive line), Curtis Fuller (administrator), Scott McCurley (defensive quality control), Joe Philbin (offensive coordinator), John Rushing (offensive quality control), and Joe Whitt (secondary - cornerbacks).
• Sideline: Edgar Bennett (running backs), James Campen (offensive line), Tom Clements (quarterbacks), Mike Eayrs (research and development), Kevin Greene (outside linebackers), Ben McAdoo (tight ends), Chad Morton (special teams assistant), Winston Moss (inside linebackers/asst. head coach), Darren Perry (secondary - safeties), Jimmy Robinson (wide receivers), Shawn Slocum (special teams coordinator) and Mike Trgovac (defensive line).  
  WEARING THE STRIPES
  Tonight's officiating crew includes referee Carl Cheffers (51), umpire Undrey Wash (96), head linesman Kent Payne (79), line judge Adrian Hill (29), field judge Boris Cheek (41), side judge Allen Baynes (56) and back judge Todd Prokop (30).