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 Week 2 Dope Sheet:
THIS WEEK: The Bears and Packers open the 2004 Lambeau Field schedule, and mark regular-season clash No. 167 in the NFL's richest rivalry...Green Bay bids to begin the season 2-0 for the first time in three years, and only the second time over the last five seasons.
TELEVISION: FOX Sports, with play-by-play man Dick Stockton, color analyst Daryl Johnston, sideline reporter Tony Siragusa, producer Bob Stenner and director Sandy Grossman.
LOCAL RADIO: Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 62-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and Larry McCarren (color). The broadcast also is available to NFL Field Pass subscribers on packers.com.
LAST MEETING: Dec. 7, 2003, Lambeau Field, Packers won, 34-21.
*Mike McKenzie intercepted two Kordell Stewart passes and returned one 90 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown, the turning point in the game.
*Later in the final period, Grady Jackson sacked Stewart at the Bears' 1-yard line on fourth down. Ahman Green (30 carries, 80 yards) scored shortly after.
*Chicago's Jerry Azumah returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, the first allowed by Green Bay in five years.
*Brett Favre broke Forrest Gregg's team record by playing in a 188th consecutive game. Favre also tied Dan Marino's NFL record of 24 straight games with a TD pass vs. one opponent, and tied Cecil Isbell's Packers record of 22 straight games with a touchdown pass.
*Chicago jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead on the strength of Marty Booker's 61-yard TD reception from Stewart, and Lance Briggs' 45-yard touchdown on an interception of Favre.
*The Packers then scored 34 unanswered points.
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike Sherman: 46-24-0, .657, fifth NFL season, fifth with Packers
Lovie Smith: 0-1-0, .000, first NFL season, first with Bears
Head to Head: First meeting
vs. Opponent: Sherman 7-1 vs. Bears, Smith 0-0 vs. Packers
SHERMAN...is in his fifth year as Packers head coach, and fourth as executive vice president and general manager. Sherman also:
*Is tied for the league's second-best record among active coaches. His regular-season record Dec. 1 and later is 17-2.
*Since the merger, only three have posted a better regular-season record over their first four years as an NFL coach.
*Guided the Packers to only their second set of consecutive division titles since the Lombardi era.
SMITH...like Sherman is the 13th head coach in his franchise's history, officially joining the Bears Jan. 15. He has 21 years experience as a coach, combined at the college and pro levels.
*Smith joined the Bears from the St. Louis Rams, where he spent three seasons (2001-03) as defensive coordinator and molded one of the league's top units. He helped the club return to the Super Bowl in 2001. Last season, his unit was among league leaders in takeaways, defensive TDs and sacks.
*The Texas native has coached on playoff teams four of the last five years, and five of his eight NFL campaigns.
*Brett Favre and the Packers know Smith from his five seasons (1996-2000) as linebackers coach in Tampa Bay, where he helped turn around a defense that hadn't finished above 12th in the four seasons before his arrival. In Tampa, Smith coached under highly regarded defensive minds Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin.
*A former All-American safety, Smith coached collegiately at Tulsa, Arizona State, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio State and Wisconsin, where he tutored linebackers in 1987.
FAVRE TOPS TWO MORE POLLS: Results of two recent fan surveys listed Brett Favre at the top of some prestigious company.
*ESPN asked fans all of last season, 'Who is your favorite NFL player?' and published results last week that ranked Favre first ahead of Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice.
*What's more, TV Guide polled 1,027 adults in July, asking, 'Which player would you choose to watch every week?' and, again, Favre ranked first, this time ahead of Peyton Manning, Michael Vick, Randy Moss and Warren Sapp.
*This offseason, Men's Journal named Favre the 'Toughest Guy in America' and USA Today chose him as its toughest athlete.
TACKLES REACH CAREER LANDMARK: Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher, Green Bay's stalwart offensive tackles, should each make their 50th NFL start Sunday.
*No doubt, the milestone will be significant, since each player sustained a career-threatening injury in 2002. Tauscher tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Week 2 that year and went on injured reserve. Clifton joined him nine weeks later when Warren Sapp needlessly blindsided him after an interception, and nearly robbed Clifton of his ability to walk.
*Green Bay felt so strongly about Tauscher, the Packers extended his contract while he was on I.R., Nov. 27, 2002. Clifton, considered by some analysts the third-most valuable player on the roster behind Brett Favre and Ahman Green, was the Packers' most significant signing this offseason; he inked a six-year extension minutes before hitting the unrestricted free agent market.
*The Packers chose each player in the 2000 draft, Clifton in second round and Tauscher in the seventh. The duo on Oct. 15, 2000, became the first set of rookie tackles to start a Packers game in 48 years.
