*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 Packers-Bears Week 16 Dope Sheet:*
PACKERS-BEARS: THE NFL'S GREATEST RIVALRY
GREEN BAY (12-2) at CHICAGO (5-9)
-Green Bay heads south to Chicago to face the Bears Sunday in the 175th installment of the most historic rivalry in professional football.
-The Packers come into the matchup winners of 16 of their last 18 games and have already clinched their 18th division title in team history.
-Winners of eight of its last nine road contests, Green Bay also has clinched a first-round bye for the first time since 1997.
-No two professional football teams have met on the gridiron more than the Packers and Bears. The two clubs sit No. 1 and 2 in world championships (Packers 12, Bears 9) and also No. 1 and 2 for most players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Bears 26, Packers 21).
-The two teams have enjoyed recent success as well, with the last seven division titles going to Green Bay (4) and Chicago (3).
-Soldier Field has proved less than hostile for the Packers, as quarterback Brett Favre owns a higher winning percentage in the Chicago stadium than at Lambeau Field. Favre's 12 wins at Soldier Field are twice as many as the next closest road venue (6 wins, HHH Metrodome). Overall, Green Bay has captured 12 of the last 14 contests played in the Windy City.
-The Packers hope to avoid a Bears sweep in the season series, which Chicago also accomplished in 2005. Green Bay dropped the first meeting of the season, a primetime contest at Lambeau Field in October, after committing five turnovers.
-A win would match Green Bay's franchise record for wins in one season.
WITH THE CALL
-FOX Sports enters its 14th season as an NFL network television partner and will air the contest to a regional audience. Play-by-play man Joe Buck joins color commentator Troy Aikman in the broadcast booth with Pam Oliver serving as the sideline reporter.
-Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 56-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color) calling the action. The network covers 47 markets in six states.
-For out-of-town listeners, the broadcast is available to NFL Field Pass subscribers on www.packers.com as well as on Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 147 WTMJ feed) as part of the network's NFL Sunday Drive.
-Sports USA Radio Network will air the game across the country. Larry Kahn (play-by-play) and Doug Plank (analyst) will call the action with Troy West joining the team as the sideline reporter.
-DirecTV subscribers can watch the game on channel 705.
THE LATEST PLAYOFF PICTURE
-The only playoff certainty for the Packers at this point is that they have been assured a bye on the opening weekend and will host a game at Lambeau Field during the Jan. 12-13 weekend.
-Only Dallas can clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC this weekend, and will need to defeat the Carolina Panthers Saturday night, combined with a Green Bay loss Sunday afterrnoon, to do so.
-In addition to playoff seeding, the Packers still have a bit of history to play for. By winning their final two contests, they can establish a new franchise record for victories (14) in the regular season.
IN THE DIVISION
-Under Head Coach Mike McCarthy, the Packers have been extremely successful in the NFL's 'black and blue' division and clinched the club's first division crown since 2004.
-McCarthy is 8-2 in NFC North games since taking over in Green Bay and has yet to lose on the road in the division (5-0). Both division losses, however, came to the Chicago Bears.
-The Packers have won eight of their last nine division games.
-Last season, the Packers finished tied for the NFL's best division record at 5-1, losing only to Chicago in the season opener. No other head coach in team annals had a better division mark in his rookie season than McCarthy.
SUCCESS ON THE LAKEFRONT
-Quarterback Brett Favre is 12-2 (.857) in his career at Soldier Field, last defeating the Bears, 26-7, in Chicago last December.
-That's actually a better winning percentage than his remarkable regular-season record at Lambeau Field (88-28, .759).
-His 25 touchdown passes at Soldier Field are more than he has thrown at any stadium other than Lambeau Field.
-With some success Sunday, Favre can place the Bears back atop his list for the opponent he has thrown the most TD passes against. A look at the all-time NFL leaders:
TD, Quarterback -- Opp (Years)
72, Dan Marino, Mia -- NYJ (1983-99)
54, Brett Favre, GB -- Min (1992-2007)
54, Dan Marino, Mia -- Ind/BalC (1983-99)
53, Brett Favre, GB -- ChiB (1992-2007)
52, Brett Favre, GB -- Det (1992-2007)
50, Dan Marino, Mia -- Buf (1983-99)
43, John Hadl, SD-LARm-GB-HouO -- Den (1962-77)
42, Dan Marino, Mia -- NE (1983-99)
38, Joe Montana, SF-KC -- Atl (1979-94)
NOBODY'S BETTER AFTER THE CATCH
-The league's No. 2-ranked passing offense has been bolstered by its receivers' ability to run after the catch, as was evidenced Sunday.
-Big plays have served as a catalyst to the success of the Packers offense. The offensive unit ranks third overall in the NFL thanks in large part to its dominance through the air.
-Wins over San Diego, Denver, Kansas City and Oakland have all been highlighted by long TD passes by Favre. Not to be overlooked is who he is throwing to, and what they are able to do after the catch.
-Led by wide receivers Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones and tight end Donald Lee, Green Bay leads the league in yards after the catch. With results from St. Louis still to be tabulated, the Packers have amassed a league-best 2,016 yards after the catch through their first 13 games. The league average through that period was 1,308 yards.
-Behind the Packers at No. 2 is a team with a much more publicized group of receivers - the New England Patriots with 1,770 yards after the catch.
-The big-play ability of the Packers offense shouldn't come as a total surprise. Green Bay finished second in yards after the catch, behind New Orleans, in 2006.
MAKING HIS POINT
-Rookie kicker Mason Crosby, coming off a 15-point performance at St. Louis, leads all NFL players with 130 points.
-He needs just two points to surpass Ryan Longwell's franchise record for points in a season by a kicker (131 in 2000).
-Crosby needs 15 points to surpass the NFL record for points in a season by a rookie kicker, established by Kevin Butler (144 points) in 1985.
-He would become only the seventh rookie in NFL?history to lead the league in scoring and the first since Butler in '85. The last Packers player to lead the league in points was Chester Marcol (94, 1974).
DECEMBER IS TIME TO REMEMBER
-The importance of the NFL's final month cannot be understated. Whether it involves clinching division crowns, jockeying for playoff positioning or building momentum for next season, every game in December matters.
-With home-field advantage in the NFC up for grabs through the end of the regular season, the Packers will look to sweep the final month of the season. History, it seems, is on their side.
-The home stretch of the NFL calendar has proved extremely successful for the Packers over the years. Since 1997, they own the league's best mark in games played in the final month (including regular-season games played in January) at 37-12-0. New England's 34-13-0 mark ranks second.
-Head Coach Mike McCarthy certainly has continued the tradition of December success. With the win Sunday, he is now 6-1 in the month.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Chicago Bears:
All-time regular season: 79-88-6
All-time, at Soldier Field: 18-16-0
Streaks: The Packers have won 12 of the last 14 meetings in Chicago.
Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 7, 2007, at Lambeau Field; Bears won, 27-20
Last meeting, regular season, at Soldier Field: Dec. 31, 2006; Packers won, 26-7
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 20-10-0, .667; second NFL season
Lovie Smith: 36-30-0, .545; fourth NFL season
Head to Head: Smith leads, 2-1
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 1-2 vs. Bears; Smith 5-2 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY...In second 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.
-Led the Packers to an 8-8 finish and near playoff berth, losing a tiebreaker with the New York Giants, who also finished 8-8.
-Spent six seasons as an offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints (2000-04) and San Francisco 49ers (2005).
-Began his coaching career as a college assistant at Fort Hays State (1987-88) and at the University of Pittsburgh (1989-92) before breaking into the NFL as a quality control assistant with the Chiefs in 1993.
LOVIE SMITH...In fourth year as the Bears' 13th head coach.
-Has won more games over his first three seasons than any coach in franchise history and guided the team to its first Super Bowl appearance in 21 years in 2006.
-Named the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year in 2005 after he led a worst-to-first revival in the NFC North.
-The Bears' six-win improvement from the previous season was tied for the biggest in the NFL in 2005.
-Came to Chicago from St. Louis, where he served as defensive coordinator from 2001-03, helping the Rams return to the Super Bowl in 2001. Prior to that, coached LBs for Tampa Bay from 1996-2000.
THE BEARS-PACKERS SERIES
-The NFL's most prolific rivalry, no two teams have met on the gridiron more than the Packers and Bears. Sunday they face off for the 175th time.
-The Bears' two wins in 2005 marked the first time Chicago swept the season series since 1991, before Brett Favre became Green Bay's quarterback. With a win earlier this fall, the Bears have extended their lead in the NFL's richest rivalry to nine games, 88-79-6. The last time the gap had been as close as seven prior to '05 was the end of World War II and the Don Hutson era, 1945, when the Packers trailed 27-20-5.
-The last time Green Bay led the series? On the heels of its three straight NFL championships, 1932, when the Packers led 11-10-5. Two months after Babe Ruth allegedly called his shot at Wrigley Field in the '32 World Series, the Bears stole from Green Bay a fourth straight title (which at the time was determined by league standings). Chicago barely finished atop the league standings, which unlike today did not count ties. Had the league counted ties in standings, the Packers would have won. The next year, 1933, the NFL began determining its champion with postseason games.
-The Packers meet Lovie Smith for the eighth time as Bears head coach. Smith on Jan. 15, 2004, elevated one of sports' top rivalries to another level, saying his No. 1 goal, ahead of winning the division and Super Bowl, was to beat Green Bay. He won on Sept. 19, 2004. The Packers went 18-2 against Chicago from 1994-2003. On only four occasions in NFL history has a team enjoyed a better 20-game stretch against a single opponent.
-Green Bay against Smith during his career as an NFL coach is 10-10 (all Favre starts).
{sportsad300}NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
-Green Bay running backs coach Edgar Bennett finished his playing career in Chicago (1998-99)...Packers assistant offensive line coach Jerry Fontenot was a third-round draft choice of the Bears in 1989 and was a mainstay at center in his eight seasons (1989-96) in Chicago...Bears running backs coach Tim Spencer played with the late Reggie White, the Packers' all-time sacks leader, with Memphis of the USFL in 1985...Bears defensive quality control coach Gill Byrd served as the Packers executive director/player programs and community affairs from 1999-2001...Lovie Smith was a University of Wisconsin assistant in 1987, while Bears defensive coordinator Bob Babich spent two seasons on the Badgers' staff (1988-89)...Long-snapper Rob Davis held the same role for the Bears in 1996...Bears LB Hunter Hillenmeyer was taken by Green Bay in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...Packers CB Charles Woodson and Bears QB Brian Griese were teammates on Michigan's 1997 national championship team; Woodson also took home the Heisman Trophy that season...Bears DE Mark Anderson and Packers S Charlie Peprah were teammates at Alabama.
INDIVIDUALLY VS. CHICAGO BEARS
-Quarterback Brett Favre is 22-9 against the Bears, tied with Detroit for the most wins against any single opponent. His 53 TD passes against the Bears ranks second (54 against Minnesota)...Donald Driver's career-long catch was an 85-yard TD reception at Chicago (Champaign) on Oct. 7, 2002, on Monday Night Football...Another single-game career high set against the Bears was Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila's four sacks (Jan. 2, 2005)...Nick Collins intercepted a career-high two passes against the Bears last December, including a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown...The first two-interception game of Charles Woodson's career, and his only two-INT effort prior to the Seattle game in 2006, came at Chicago on Oct. 5, 2003, while playing for Oakland.
LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON
Oct. 7, 2007, at Lambeau Field; Bears won 27-20.
-Despite out-gaining Chicago 439-285 in total yards and jumping out to a 17-7 lead, Green Bay allowed 17 unanswered points and let the game slip away in the fourth quarter, mostly due to five giveaways by the club (three fumbles, two interceptions).
-It was a tale of two halves as the Packers racked up 341 yards in the first half but only 98 in the second. Green Bay started strong, driving 83 yards on the game's opening possession for a touchdown, but had two consecutive drives stall on James Jones fumbles.
-Favre connected on a 41-yard scoring play to Greg Jennings, and Mason Crosby connected on a 37-yard field goal just before the half.
-After the teams exchanged field goals, the Bears reeled off 17 consecutive points to steal a victory, including a 34-yard touchdown pass from Brian Griese to Desmond Clark with just over two minutes left.
LAST MEETING, AT SOLDIER FIELD
Dec. 31, 2006, at Soldier Field; Packers won 26-7.
-The Packers controlled the game from the outset, using six turnovers and two defensive scores to roll to a 26-7 victory.
-Their playoff hopes dashed the previous night, Green Bay closed the season with a four-game winning streak.
-The Packers marched 75 yards on 11 plays to open the game, and Favre found Driver on a slant route for a 9-yard touchdown pass.
-Green Bay's defense tallied four turnovers in the first half, including three interceptions of Rex Grossman, en route to a 23-0 lead at the break.
