*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:
-Green Bay makes its debut on the NFL Network. The rematch with the Vikings is only Green Bay's fourth Thursday night (non-Thanksgiving) prime-time appearance; one of the other three was at Minnesota (1994).
-In scheduling its late-season NFL Network package, the league took the opportunity to showcase Lambeau Field's December weather. This week marks the latest in the calendar year the league has scheduled a prime-time regular-season game in Green Bay. The latest previously was Dec. 11, 2005, vs. Detroit, a 14-degree kickoff on a Sunday night.
-Green Bay is playing a prime-time game in December at Lambeau Field for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
-The Packers play a late-season, prime-time home game vs. Minnesota for the fourth time in the past seven years (also 2000, 2002, 2005).
-Many of the Packers play on a Thursday night for the first time in their pro careers. Ahman Green hasn't played on a Thursday night since 1995, his freshman year at Nebraska.
-That said, it isn't the latest regular-season meeting with the Vikings, that having come Dec. 30, 2001.
NATIONAL TELEVISION: The NFL Network, in its first season of broadcasting regular-season contests, will air the game to a national audience on cable televison and DirecTV (Ch. 212, Ch. 95 in HD).
-Over-the-air stations in Green Bay (WFRV, Ch. 5) and Milwaukee (WITI, Ch. 6) will simulcast the NFLN feed, but fans should check their local listings. Because Wisconsin's major cable companies do not carry the NFL Network, several fans will not be able to watch this game in their homes. (*Click here for more info*.)
-Veteran producer Mark Loomis and 11-time Emmy-Award winning director John Gonzalez lead NFL Network's foray into live event coverage of regular-season games. Loomis brings to NFL Network a wide-ranging production resume from his 16 years with ABC Sports, including last year's BCS National Championship Rose Bowl contest, seen by 35.6 million viewers.
-Play-by-play man Bryant Gumbel continues to host HBO's 15-time Emmy-Award winning Real Sports. Prior to his work with the cable show, Gumbel anchored NBC's Today show for 15 years.
-Color analyst Cris Collinsworth has earned an unprecedented five Sports Emmy Awards as the Outstanding Sports Studio Analyst/Personality. Now in his 16th season on HBO's Inside the NFL, he also joined NBC this year as a studio analyst and co-host of Football Night in America.
NATIONAL RADIO: Westwood One Radio Sports will air the game across the country, with Dick Enberg (play-by-play), Sam Wyche (color) and Bonnie Bernstein (sideline). Tommy Tighe hosts pregame and halftime shows and Howard Deneroff will produce the broadcast.
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 123.
NOTE OF THE WEEK: Fifty-three years after the Green Bay Packers made their debut on television, the franchise plays its first game on a new network.
-Supported by unselfish leaders such as Tim Mara and George Halas - who placed the good of the NFL above the good of their teams - Commissioner Bert Bell laid the groundwork for a deal with CBS and the Packers played for the first time on the network in 1956.
-With help from Congress, Bell pushed to allow small-market teams such as the Packers to share equally in television revenue. After Bell's death, his successor Pete Rozelle picked up that legacy and had revenue sharing in place by 1961. Five years later, Rozelle signed the first NFL television package, with CBS and NBC, which gave the Packers more than $1 million. The deal allowed Vince Lombardi to sign RB Donny Anderson to the first long-term contract in Packers history.
-Fast forward five decades to Thursday, when the Packers will play on an eighth television network, the NFL Network. The Packers' first league games on each network (research by Mary Jane Herber, Lee Remmel, the NFL, the Pro Football?Hall of Fame and CBS):
Network; First game; Opponent; Result
Dumont; 10/24/1953; at Pittsburgh; L, 14-31
CBS; 09/30/1956; vs. Detroit; L, 16-20
NBC; 12/26/1960; at Philadelphia; L, 13-17
ABC; 10/12/1970; at San Diego; W, 22-20
ESPN; 12/02/1990; at Minnesota; L, 7-23
TNT; 10/17/1991; vs. Chicago; L, 0-10
FOX; 09/04/1994; vs. Minnesota; W, 16-10
NFL; 12/21/2006; vs. Minnesota
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings:
All-time, regular season: 45-44-1
All-time, postseason: 0-1
All-time, at Lambeau Field: 14-16-1
Streaks: The Packers broke a three-game losing streak in the series with their victory on Nov. 12
Last meeting, regular season: Nov. 12, 2006, Metrodome; Packers won, 23-17
Last meeting, regular season, Lambeau Field: Nov. 21, 2005; Vikings, won 20-17
Postseason meeting: Jan. 9, 2005, Lambeau Field; Vikings won, 31-17 (2004 NFC Wild Card playoff)
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 6-8-0, 429, first NFL season
Brad Childress: 6-8-0, .429, first NFL season
Head to Head: McCarthy 1-0
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 1-0 vs. Vikings; Childress 0-1 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.
BRAD CHILDRESS...Is in his first year as the Vikings' seventh head coach.
-In his 29th season of coaching, including his ninth in the NFL. Spent the last seven with Philadelphia, where he was offensive coordinator from 2002-05.
-During his time as Eagles offensive coordinator, the team's 43 victories were the most in the NFC over that span. His offense also featured seven players who earned a total of 14 berths in the Pro Bowl.
-Broke into the NFL in 1985 as quarterbacks coach for the Indianapolis Colts.
-Also coached at four colleges, including the University of Wisconsin (1991-98). The staff at Northern Arizona (1986-89) included future NFL head coaches Bill Callahan, Marty Mornhinweg and Andy Reid.
THE VIKINGS-PACKERS SERIES: Few, if any, rivalries in sports have exhibited more parity. These clubs have split 91 overall meetings (45-45-1), including the Vikings' victory in the lone postseason meeting (2004 NFC Wild Card).
-The series began when the Vikings entered the league in 1961, and Vince Lombardi's Packers won the first six meetings and nine of the first 10.
-The Vikings swept the Packers last season for the first time since 1998.
-In 2003, the home clubs in the series were 0-2. The last time that happened was 1991.
-Over the last 12 seasons (1994-2005), these teams have accounted for nine NFC Central/North division championships.
{sportsad300}NOTABLE CONNECTIONS...Vikings K Ryan Longwell is Green Bay's all-time leading scorer, having racked up 1,054 points in nine seasons with the Packers (1997-2005)...Fifth in Packers history with 36 interceptions, Vikings S Darren Sharper spent his first eight NFL seasons (1997-2004) in Green Bay...The Vikings coaching staff has several ties to the University of Wisconsin, where Childress (1991-98) and offensive line coach Jim Hueber (1992-2005) worked together, and where offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell played quarterback (1992-95) and assistant special teams coach Brian Murphy (2000-05) held various recruiting and administrative roles...Bevell also was a Packers offensive assistant coach from 2000-05, including QB coach (2003-05)...Vikings backup QB Brooks Bollinger, DT Ross Kolodziej and DE Erasmus James (injured reserve) also played at Wisconsin...Packers rookie LB Abdul Hodge played alongside Vikings rookie LB Chad Greenway (injured reserve) at Iowa...Packers DT Colin Cole originally signed with Minnesota as a rookie free agent in 2003 and spent separate one-week stints on the Vikings' 53-man roster that season... Green Bay TE Donald Lee and Minnesota CB Fred Smoot were teammates at Mississippi State...Green Bay director of research and development Mike Eayrs (similar capacity, 1985-99) previously worked for the Vikings...T Bryant McKinnie (Vikings) and TE Bubba Franks (Packers) were college teammates at Miami (Fla.).
INDIVIDUALLY VS. MINNESOTA...Donald Driver established a new career high for receiving yards with 191 in this season's first meeting, topping the 162 he had on Dec. 24, 2004, also at the Metrodome. Driver also had a career-high 11 receptions (tie) in that 2004 contest, as well as a career-long 45-yard run on Nov. 2, 2003. His six TD catches against the Vikings are his most against any opponent...Aaron Kampman originally established his career high of three sacks against the Vikings last season (Nov. 21, 2005, has since tied it this year)...Brett Favre tied his career-high with five TD passes vs. Minnesota (Sept. 21, 1997), and his 79.5 completion percentage (31 of 39) on Nov. 22, 1998, is the second-highest of his career...Favre is 14-14 all-time against the Vikings, his most losses against any single opponent...Ahman Green has three 100-yard games against the Vikings, and his nine total touchdowns and 321 receiving yards are his most against any opponent.
LAST MEETING: Nov. 12, 2006, Metrodome; Packers won, 23-17...Favre completed 24 of 42 passes for a season-high 347 yards and two TDs for an even 100.0 rating in leading the Packers to their fourth victory of the season...After a Brady Poppinga sack and Corey Williams fumble recovery set up a 5-yard TD pass to Noah Herron for a 10-0 Green Bay lead, the Vikings responded with a 40-yard TD pass from Brad Johnson to Billy McMullen and a 15-yard pass to Chester Taylor, who fumbled into the end zone with McMullen recovering, to take a 14-10 advantage...With just 48 seconds left in the first half, Favre hit Driver over the middle for an 82-yard TD that gave the Packers the lead for good and sent Driver on his way to a career-high 191 receiving yards...The Packers sacked Johnson four times and held the Vikings to just 109 yards and three points in the second half. Nickelback Patrick Dendy had his first career interception, picking off Johnson in the fourth quarter with the Packers leading by six points. Green Bay added a field goal on the ensuing drive to seal the win.
LAST MEETING, LAMBEAU: Nov. 21, 2005, Vikings won, 20-17...Paul Edinger's 27-yard field goal as time expired gave the Vikings the win on a Monday night and their second straight last-second victory over the Packers...Minnesota got 122 yards rushing from Mewelde Moore and completed its first series sweep of Green Bay since 1998...Brett Favre threw TD passes of 15 and 53 yards to Donald Driver, while Dovonte Edwards' 51-yard interception return for a touchdown kept Minnesota within 14-7 at the half...The Vikings tied the game late in the third quarter on a 1-yard TD run by Ciatrick Fason after the Packers committed two penalties inside the 10-yard line...Edinger and Ryan Longwell exchanged fourth-quarter field goals, the latter tying the game at 17 with 3:03 left...Brad Johnson, who was sacked five times (three by Aaron Kampman) and fumbled twice, directed the Vikings' 58-yard game-winning drive.
