*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:
-The Packers play their first-ever game - preseason, regular season or playoffs - at Seattle's Qwest Field, notoriously one of the league's loudest venues.
-While Seattle rested many of its starters in last season's finale at Lambeau Field, the Packers have still won three consecutive games over the Seahawks, and four of their last five meetings.
-The Packers are 3-1 against Mike Holmgren since the former Packers coach left for Seattle before the 1999 season.
-The Packers haven't made the 1,640-mile flight to Seattle since 1996. That year, when Holmgren guided the Packers to victory in Super Bowl XXXI, the Packers beat the Seahawks, 31-10, at the now demolished Kingdome.
-Green Bay on Jan. 1 ended Seattle's 11-game winning streak. Previously, the longest streak Green Bay had ever halted was a 10-game run by the Lions, at Detroit on Nov. 25, 1934, a 3-0 final. Lambeau Field's longest streak ever stopped was Denver's nine-game run in 1996.
-For the second time in three years (also 2004), the Packers have an extra day of preparation during Thanksgiving week, not facing Seattle until Monday.
-The matchup is only the second prime-time meeting with Seattle (also 1999 in Green Bay, also on MNF).
NATIONAL TELEVISION: Monday Night Football, the most successful series in sports television history, moves to ESPN under an eight-year agreement starting this season.
-The new broadcast crew, anchored by play-by-play man Mike Tirico, includes analysts Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser, sideline reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya, producer Jay Rothman and director Chip Dean in the truck.
-The contest also will air as a simulcast locally on WBAY (Ch. 2) in Green Bay and WISN (Ch. 12) in Milwaukee.
-ESPN Deportes, with Alvaro Martin, Raul Allegre and John Sutcliffe, will broadcast in Spanish.
-ESPN International will air the contest in three languages to over 180 countries.
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 125.
NATIONAL RADIO:?Westwood One Radio Sports will air the game across the country, with Marv Albert (play-by-play), Boomer Esiason (color) and John Dockery (sideline). Jim Gray hosts pregame and halftime shows.
NFL FÚTBOL AMERICANO ON UNIVISION RADIO: Univision will call the game in Spanish from its studios, with Rafael Hernandez Brito, Clemson Smith Muñiz, Alfredo Béjar and Luís Omar Tapia.
{sportsad300}THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks:
All-time regular season: 6-4
All-time, postseason: 1-0
All-time, in Seattle: 1-1 (both at Kingdome)
Streaks: The Packers have won the last three meetings and four of the last five
Last meeting, regular season: Jan. 1, 2006, Lambeau Field; Packers won 23-17
Last meeting, regular season, Seattle: Sept. 29, 1996, Kingdome; Packers won, 31-10
Postseason meeting: Jan. 4, 2004, Lambeau Field; Packers won, 33-27 in OT (2003 NFC Wild Card playoff)
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 4-6-0, .400, first NFL season
Mike Holmgren: 155-99-0, .610, 15th NFL season, eighth with Seattle
Head to Head: (first meeting)
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 0-0 vs. Seahawks; Holmgren 1-3 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 HOLMGREN...Is in his eighth year as the Seahawks' sixth head coach.
-Last season, led Seattle to a franchise-best 13-3 record and first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
-In his first season in Seattle (1999), guided the Seahawks to their first postseason appearance since 1988.
-Joined the Seahawks after seven-year tenure as head coach in Green Bay (1992-98), during which he led the Packers to three straight NFC Championship games, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl victory (XXXI).
-Previously had served first as quarterbacks coach and then as offensive coordinator in San Francisco (1986-91).
-All told, including his time as an assistant, his NFL teams have posted double-digit win totals 12 times, made 15 postseason appearances, appeared in five Super Bowls, and won three of them.
THE SEAHAWKS-PACKERS SERIES: These teams have met just 11 times, including their 2003 playoff, since Seattle entered the National Football League in 1976.
-This marks just the third time the teams have met in Seattle.
-Other than the fact that they simply haven't played very often, which has changed with Seattle's shift to the NFC in 2002, most differences stop there...Much of the Seahawks' front office, their coaching staff and even their starting quarterback either inaugurated their NFL careers or built their reputations with a stop at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.
-The movement west, beginning with Mike Holmgren in 1999, has reversed itself in some respects, as Packers GM Ted Thompson and personnel men John Dorsey and John Schneider have returned to Green Bay after stops in Seattle.
-The teams met just eight times from 1976-2002, but including this game, they will have played four games over a four-year stretch from 2003-06.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS...On April 15, 2000, Ahman Green was traded by Seattle with a fifth-round selection (WR/KR Joey Jamison) in the 2000 draft to Green Bay for CB?Fred Vinson and a sixth-round choice (DT Tim Watson) in the '00 draft...Packers GM Ted Thompson spent five seasons (2000-04) as the Seahawks' vice president of football operations...Mike Reinfeldt, the Seahawks' vice president of football administration, served eight seasons (1991-98) as an instrumental member of Bob Harlan's Packers administration, helping among other things to bring Ron Wolf to Green Bay...Seahawks offensive coordinator Gil Haskell (1992-97) and special projects/defense coach Ray Rhodes (1992-93, 1999), coached previously in Green Bay; Rhodes (1999) was the 12th head coach in Packers history, succeeding Holmgren, who coached the Packers from 1992-98...Seahawks assistants Nolan Cromwell (1992-98), Jim Lind (1992-98), John Marshall (1980-82) and Gary Reynolds (1996-98) also coached in Green Bay...Ron Wolf selected Matt Hasselbeck in the sixth round of the 1998 draft; the quarterback spent his first three seasons in Green Bay, including his rookie campaign on the Packers' practice squad...Packers S Marquand Manuel played two seasons (2004-05) in Seattle and was a defensive starter in Super Bowl XL...Seattle vice president Lance Lopes worked in the Packers' front office from 1993-2000...Seahawks head athletic trainer Sam Ramsden worked six seasons in the Packers training room...Packers scouting director John Dorsey (1999) and personnel analyst to general manager John Schneider (2000) spent time in the Seahawks' front office.
INDIVIDUALLY VS. SEATTLE...Prior to this season, Noah Herron's career highs of 23 carries for 61 yards came last year against Seattle (Jan. 1, 2006)...In his only regular-season game against his former team, Ahman Green rushed 27 times for 118 yards and two TDs (Oct. 5, 2003)...Brett Favre is 3-1 in his career against Seattle. His 122.9 passer rating on Oct. 5, 2003, was his highest that season until the Monday night game at Oakland after the passing of his father (154.9)...Al Harris returned a Matt Hasselbeck INT 52 yards for a TD in the only NFL postseason game ended by a sudden-death defensive score, Jan. 4, 2004.
LAST MEETING: Jan. 1, 2006, Lambeau Field; Packers won, 23-17.
-With the No. 1 seed for the NFC playoffs wrapped up, Seattle played its starters long enough for Shaun Alexander to set the NFL record for touchdowns in a season (28) and to surpass the Giants' Tiki Barber for the NFL rushing crown...Alexander rushed for 73 yards in the first half but lost his only fumble of the season just before leaving the game.
-Brett Favre threw for 259 yards and a TD, a 9-yard strike to Antonio Chatman to put the Packers up 20-14 late in the third quarter.
-Noah Herron rushed for 61 yards, including an 11-yard TD run, while Donald Driver had six catches for 118 yards to set single-season career highs with 86 catches for 1,221 yards.
-Seattle had its 11-game winning streak snapped but did not lose again until Super Bowl XL.
LAST MEETING, SEATTLE: Sept. 29, 1996, Kingdome; Packers won, 31-10.
-Favre threw four TD passes - two to Antonio Freeman and one each to Dorsey Levens and Keith Jackson - as the Mike Holmgren and the Packers bounced back from the first loss during their eventual Super Bowl championship season to improve to 4-1.
-Favre finished 20 of 34 for 209 yards, with Freeman making seven grabs for 108 yards.
-The Packers' defense picked off Rick Mirer four times and capitalized on five overall takeaways.
