*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.*
THIS WEEK'S NOTABLE STORYLINES:
-Two evenly matched clubs who've taken similar up-and-down roads in 2006 square off in what's expected to be a damp Monster Park.
-For the sixth consecutive road game in the series, the Packers make a late-season trip to San Francisco. Each of the five previous meetings in the City by the Bay have come Nov. 29 or later. Three of those contests were in the playoffs.
-Including playoffs, Green Bay has defeated the 49ers in five consecutive meetings, and in 10 of its last 11 contests. The only loss in the stretch, Mike Holmgren's last game as Packers coach in the 1998 playoffs, contained an example of a game-changing fumble for which league owners altered the rules this spring.
-Mike McCarthy returns to San Francisco to face the 49ers, the team for which he was offensive coordinator in 2005, the first offensive coordinator of Mike Nolan's tenure. Including Holmgren, hired by Ron Wolf in 1992, two of the Packers' last four Head Coaches came to Green Bay immediately after serving as a 49ers offensive coordinator.
-McCarthy also meets former pupil Alex Smith, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2005 NFL Draft.
-The Packers make their longest possible road trip based on current NFL geography, an 1,830-mile flight to San Francisco.
-Green Bay's challenge doesn't get any easier, as the Packers face the league's No. 3 rusher, Frank Gore (1,217 yards). Green Bay has allowed a 100-yard rusher in each of its last two games. Prior to Nov. 27, the last individual to top 100 yards against Green Bay was Chicago's Thomas Jones (105), Dec. 25, 2005, at Lambeau Field.
TELEVISION: FOX Sports, in its 13th season as an NFL network television partner, will air the contest to a regional audience. In Wisconsin's two largest markets, FOX affiliates WLUK (Ch. 11) in Green Bay and WITI (Ch. 6) in Milwaukee will carry the game. The crew consists of former Milwaukee Brewers play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian, color analysts JC Pearson and Tim Ryan, sideline reporter Laura Okmin, producer PT Navarro and director Rich Dewey.
-The contest also is available to DIRECTV(r) NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers on Channel 714.
PACKERS RADIO: Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 57-station Packers Radio Network, with versatile Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color). Spanning six states, the 57-station network covers 47 markets throughout the upper Midwest.
-The broadcast also is available to NFL Field Pass subscribers on packers.com and NFL.com.
-Those with SIRIUS Satellite Radio can listen to live play-by-play as part of the network's NFL Sunday Drive. The Green Bay broadcast is available on Channel 110.
NOTE OF THE WEEK: In dominating the series over the last 11 years, Brett Favre and the Packers have gone 10-1 against the 49ers since 1995, including a 4-1 postseason mark.
-Times have changed, though, as only 11 players on the current roster and three members of the current coaching staff were with the Packers the last time these clubs met, Dec. 15, 2002, at San Francisco.
-Since 1995, including playoffs, no other team owns a better record against a single opponent (Elias Sports Bureau).
-Ironically, of the below five series, the top three?are in action this week; Pittsburgh is at Cleveland Thursday (NFL Network) and Indianapolis is at Jacksonville Sunday (CBS). Since 1995, including playoffs:
Green Bay vs. San Francisco (10-1) .909
Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland (15-3) .833
Indianapolis vs. Jacksonville (9-2) .818
Jacksonville vs. Cleveland (8-2) .800
Denver vs. Oakland (19-5) .792
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers:
All-time regular season: 27-25-1
All-time, postseason: 4-1
All-time, in San Francisco: 10-16-1
Streaks: Packers have won five straight and 10 of the last 11
Last meeting: Nov. 23, 2003, Lambeau Field; Packers won, 20-10
Last meeting, San Francisco: Dec. 15, 2002; Packers won, 20-14
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 4-8, .333, first NFL season
Mike Nolan: 9-19, .321; second NFL season, second guiding 49ers
Head to Head: (first meeting)
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 0-0 vs. 49ers; Nolan 0-0 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY...Is in his first 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 - all under head coaches with defensive backgrounds.
-One of those previous 13 years was with the Packers, as quarterbacks coach in 1999.
-Spent the past six seasons as an offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints (2000-04) and San Francisco 49ers (2005).
-Had not been a head coach at any level, having begun his coaching career as a college assistant at Fort Hays State (1987-88) and the University of Pittsburgh (1989-92) before breaking into the NFL as a quality control assistant with the Chiefs in 1993.
MIKE NOLAN...Is in his second year as the 49ers' 15th head coach.
-Is in his 19th year in the NFL and 25th year in coaching, having served as defensive coordinator for four teams (Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, New York Giants).
-With Baltimore (2002-04), the Ravens defense finished third overall and was ranked first in the league in sacks (47) and second in takeaways (41) in 2003.
-Worked under Dan Reeves as linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos (1987-92) and as defensive coordinator for the N.Y. Giants (1993-96), where his defense allowed the fewest points in the NFL in his first season.
-Played free safety for the Oregon Ducks (1978-80) and participated in the Broncos' 1981 training camp as a defensive back under Reeves.
-Is the son of former NFL head coach Dick Nolan (San Francisco, New Orleans).
THE 49ERS-PACKERS SERIES: Originally dating back to 1950, the Packers-49ers series featured two games per season from 1953 through 1966 with the teams trading dominant stretches.
-San Francisco won 13 times in a span of 15 games between 1950 and 1958, while the Packers won 10 of 11 games between 1959 and 1964.
-In more recent times, the series has been noted for its postseason clashes, including several defining moments in Packers history.
-Green Bay's 27-17 triumph in the 1995 NFC Divisional Playoff was considered the breakthrough victory that established the Packers as an elite team for the next several years. The Packers also won the next two postseason meetings, a 35-14 home victory in the 1996 NFC Divisional Playoff en route to the Super Bowl XXXI title, and a 23-10 win at San Francisco in the 1997 NFC Championship game.
-The two teams met in the playoffs for a fourth straight season in 1998, with the 49ers winning 30-27 on Steve Young's last-second touchdown pass to Terrell Owens, marking San Francisco's only win in these teams' last 11 contests.
-A fifth postseason clash took place in the 2001 NFC Wild Card game, a 25-15 Green Bay victory at Lambeau Field.
{sportsad300}NOTABLE CONNECTIONS...McCarthy was the 49ers offensive coordinator in 2005 and worked with QB and No. 1 overall draft pick Alex Smith...49ers offensive coordinator Norv Turner and Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders worked on the same staff with the Miami Dolphins from 2002-03...49ers S Mark Roman played for the Packers for two seasons (2004-05). He also was a pro teammate of Packers S Marquand Manuel for two seasons in Cincinnati (2002-03)...Manuel spent some college practice time covering 49ers WR Taylor Jacobs when the two were teammates at Florida...49ers CB B.J. Tucker and WR Brandon Williams played college ball at the University of Wisconsin...49ers CB Shawntae Spencer, P Andy Lee and Packers FB Brandon Miree were college teammates at Pittsburgh and were all drafted in 2004, Spencer in the third round and Lee in the sixth round by San Francisco, and Miree in the seventh round by Denver.
INDIVIDUALLY VS. SAN FRANCISCO...Defensive tackle Ryan Pickett had a career-high seven solo tackles against the 49ers on Oct. 6, 2002, while playing for the Rams...Running back Vernand Morency's first NFL start and touchdown came against San Francisco, Jan. 1, 2006, when he had 21 carries and 83 yards...In regular-season starts, Brett Favre is 6-0 in his career against the 49ers. He had a career-high 61 pass attempts and his third-highest mark for passing yards, 395, on Oct. 14, 1996.
LAST MEETING: Nov. 23, 2003, Lambeau Field; Packers won, 20-10.
-Ahman Green ran for 154 yards on 27 carries as the Packers piled up 243 yards on the ground on a misty day. The 49ers' fourth-ranked run defense had allowed just one 100-yard game on the season up to that point.
-Brett Favre attempted just 15 passes and had three interceptions, but he did throw for two TDs, a 66-yarder to Javon Walker and a 16-yarder to Robert Ferguson to give the Packers a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
-The Packers' defense held the 49ers under 200 yards of offense (192), and Ryan Longwell kicked his 174th field goal to break Chris Jacke's club record.
LAST MEETING, SAN FRANCISCO: Dec. 15, 2002, 3COM Park; Packers won, 20-14.
-In a steady downpour, Favre passed for 201 yards and the Green Bay defense stopped a final San Francisco drive at the 11-yard line with 22 seconds left to preserve victory.
-Trailing 6-3 at halftime, the Packers moved ahead on a 9-yard TD run by Ahman Green.
-Following a deflected interception by Vonnie Holliday and lateral to Na'il Diggs for a long return, Favre hit Donald Driver for a 5-yard TD pass and a 17-6 lead.
-The 49ers responded with a 45-yard TD pass from Jeff Garcia to Terrell Owens, who celebrated by waving pompoms in the back of the end zone, and a 2-point Garcia run made it 17-14 late in the third quarter.
-After Longwell's 28-yard field goal with 4:41 left, Garcia drove the 49ers 63 yards to the Green Bay 11 before throwing three straight incompletions to end the drive.
