The Green Bay Packers will play the New Orleans Saints Thursday at Lambeau Field in the final game of the preseason for both teams.
This will be the ninth meeting between the Packers and Saints in the preseason, with Green Bay leading the series, 6-2.
The last time the two met during the preseason was in 2004 at Lambeau Field, a 19-14 Packers victory.
Green Bay and New Orleans will meet in the final game of the preseason for the first time. The Packers had played the Kansas City Chiefs in the final preseason game each of the last five years.
Green Bay is closing out the preseason at home for the fourth time in the last five years.
Following the contest vs. New Orleans, the Packers will travel to Chicago to take on the Bears on Sunday, Sept. 13. It will be the first time since 1981 that the Packers have opened the regular season at Chicago.
WITH THE CALL
Flagshipped by Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV and in conjunction with WGBA-TV in Green Bay, the game will be televised over the 16-station Packers TV Network throughout the state of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, northeastern Minnesota, the Quad Cities, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Waterloo in Iowa, Omaha in Nebraska, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau in Alaska and Honolulu in Hawaii.
The top-notch broadcast team includes CBS’s Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) alongside fellow CBS broadcaster Rich Gannon (analyst), with Rod Burks of WTMJ-TV serving as the sideline reporter. An informative half-hour pregame show will air prior to the game, hosted by Lance Allan of WTMJ-TV, and featuring former Packers tackle Mark Tauscher.
In addition to WTMJ-TV (Milwaukee) and WGBA-TV (Green Bay), preseason games will be televised over WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau/Rhinelander, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire, Wis.; WLUC/NBC, Escanaba/Marquette, Mich.; KQDS-TV/FOX, Duluth/Superior, Minn.; KGCW-TV/CW, Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); KWWL-TV/NBC, Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa; KCWI-TV/CW, Des Moines, Iowa; KMTV-TV/CBS, Omaha, Neb.; KYUR/ABC, Anchorage, Alaska; KATN/ABC, Fairbanks, Alaska; KJUD/ABC, Juneau, Alaska; and KFVE-TV in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In its fourth season, in conjunction with the Packers TV Network, Telemundo Wisconsin (WYTU-TV in Milwaukee, WACY-TV/My32 in Green Bay/Appleton and on Charter Cable elsewhere in Wisconsin) will broadcast four preseason games with Kevin Holden (play-by-play) and Epigmenio (Epi) Guerrero (analyst) calling the action.
Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since November 1929, heads up the Packers Radio Network that is made up of 50 stations in five states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) call the action. McCarren first joined the team’s broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 21st season calling Packers’ games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 17th season of broadcasts together.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Saints:
Regular season, all-time: 16-8
Preseason, all-time: 6-2
Preseason, all-time, in Green Bay: 4-1
Streaks: The Packers have won the past five preseason meetings.
Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 26, 2014; Saints won, 44-23, Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Last meeting, preseason: Aug. 21, 2004; Packers won, 19-14, Lambeau Field
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 101-55-1, .643 (incl. 7-6 postseason); 10th NFL season
Sean Payton: 86-52, .623, (incl. 6-4 postseason); 9th NFL season
Head to Head: Payton, 3-1
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 2-3 vs. Saints; Payton 3-1 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY…Is in his 10th year as the Packers’ 14th head coach.
Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
Led the Packers to their sixth consecutive playoff appearance last season, joining New England as the only two NFL teams to do so over that span. Has also led the team to seven playoff appearances in the last eight years (2007, 2009-14).
Has guided the Packers to top-10 finishes in scoring each of the past eight seasons (2007-14), joining the Patriots as the only other team to accomplish the feat; Packers finished first overall in scoring in 2014.
His .656 winning percentage during the regular season (94-49-1) ranks No. 3 among active NFL coaches (min. 50 games).
Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head-coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.
SEAN PAYTON…Is in his ninth year as the Saints’ 14th head coach.
Has led New Orleans to five playoff appearances, three NFC South titles, two NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl title in his first eight seasons as head coach.
Leads an offense that has ranked among the top 10 in the NFL each season he has been there, including No. 1 rankings in the league four times.
Before joining New Orleans, he coached for the Dallas Cowboys from 2003-05, serving as the assistant head coach/quarterbacks the first two years and the assistant head coach/passing game coordinator in his last year.
Began his coaching career in the NFL as the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1997-98 and then coached for the New York Giants from 1999-2002, serving as the offensive coordinator his last three seasons.
Coached collegiately at San Diego State (1988-89, 1992-93), Indiana State (1990-91), Miami of Ohio (1994-95) and Illinois (1996).
THE PACKERS-SAINTS SERIES
This will be the ninth preseason game between the two clubs.
The two teams first met in the preseason in 1990 in Madison, Wis. The first time the Saints traveled to Lambeau Field was in 1998. This will be New Orleans’ sixth preseason trip to Wisconsin, but only the third time the two teams will play at Lambeau Field.
This will mark the first preseason meeting in 11 years (2004).
Green Bay has won five consecutive meetings and owns a 6-2 overall edge vs. the Saints in the preseason.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy served as the Saints OC from 2000-04...Other members of the Packers staff who coached in New Orleans include DC Dom Capers (1986-91), assoc. HC/offense Tom Clements (1997-99), assoc. HC/LBs Winston Moss (2000-05) and special teams coordinator Ron Zook (2000-01)…Packers OL coach James Campen played two seasons in New Orleans (1987-88) after playing collegiately at Tulane…Packers TEs coach Jerry Fontenot was born in Lafayette, La., and played C for the Saints for seven seasons (1997-03)...Packers secondary - safeties coach Darren Perry played for the Saints in 2000, the final year of his nine-year playing career...Packers RBs coach Sam Gash played for the Saints in 2004...Packers RB Eddie Lacy was born in Gretna, La., and attended Helen Cox High School in Harvey, La., but after his family was displaced due to Hurricane Katrina he finished at Dutchtown High School in Geismar, La. ...LB Jermauria Rasco is from Shreveport, La., and T Jeremy Vujnovich is from Belle Chasse, La. and went to Louisiana College...Packers VP of football administration/player finance Russ Ball spent six seasons (2002-07) with the Saints, the final two as VP of football administration and the first four as sr. football administrator...Packers dir. of college scouting Brian Gutekunst assisted the OL of the Saints during training camp in the summer of 1995...Saints RB Mark Ingram’s father, Mark Sr., played WR for the Packers in 1995...Saints WR Nick Toon is from Middleton, Wis., and played at the University of Wisconsin with Packers QB Scott Tolzien and WR Jared Abbrederis...Saints asst. HC/LBs Joe Vitt coached DBs for the Packers in 1999...Vitt worked on the Chiefs staff with Packers asst. OL coach Mike Solari from 2000-03...Solari coached alongside Saints WRs coach John Morton at San Francisco from 2011-14...Morton coached at Southern California from 2007-10 while Packers LBs Clay Matthews and Nick Perry were on the squad...Saints offensive asst. Greg Lewis coached at the University of Pittsburgh while Packers G Matt Rotheram was playing in 2014...Lewis played with Packers DT Letroy Guion for the Vikings from 2009-10...Saints RBs coach Joel Thomas coached with Packers secondary - CBs coach Joe Whitt Jr. at Louisville in 2003...Packers RB Alonzo Harris, DT Christian Ringo and WR James Butler were teammates at Louisiana-Lafayette...Willis and Whitt Jr. were student assistants for the football team at Auburn in 2001...Willis played for the Green Bay Packers from 1993-94 and for the Eagles from 1995-98 while Packers DL coach Mike Trgovac held the same position...Saints OLBs coach Brian Young played for New Orleans while McCarthy and Moss were on the coaching staff in 2004...Packers defensive front assistant Jerry Montgomery spent the 2002 training camp with the Saints...Trgovac and Saints OC Pete Carmichael coached together in Washington in 2001...Trgovac was on the same staff in Philadelphia as Saints HC Sean Payton and Vitt in 1997-98...From 2003-05, Payton coached in Dallas while Packers area scout John Wojciechowski served in a similar role for the Cowboys...Vitt coached for the Los Angeles Rams while Packers west regional scout Sam Seale played for the Rams in 1993...Vitt coached for the Chiefs along with Clements in 2000...Perry coached with Saints DC Rob Ryan in Oakland in 2007-08...Zook was on the same staff at Ohio State with Ryan in 1988...Packers CBSam Shields played at the University of Miami (Fla.) while Saints secondary coach Wesley McGriff served in the same position...In 2011, McGriff coached DBs at Vanderbilt while Packers CB Casey Hayward and S Sean Richardson were seniors...Capers coached in New England in 2008 while Saints TE Benjamin Watson played for the Patriots...Packers TE Richard Rodgers played college ball with Saints DE Cameron Jordan (California)…Lacy was teammates at Alabama with Saints RB Mark Ingram and S Vinnie Sunseri...Sunseri was also there with Packers S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and LB Adrian Hubbard ...Other former college teammates include Shields and Saints S Kenny Phillips (Miami), Packers LB Mike Neal and Saints LB Anthony Spencer (Purdue) and Packers K Mason Crosby and Saints LS Justin Drescher (Colorado)...Drescher was also there with Packers T David Bakhtiari.
LAST MEETING, PRESEASON
Aug. 21, 2004, Lambeau Field; Packers won, 19-14.
QB Brett Favre saw the majority of the action as he completed 11 of 17 pass attempts for 149 yards (92.5 passer rating).
His counterpart, QB J.T. O’Sullivan, threw for 132 yards on 7 of 20 passing, including a 70-yard TD pass to WR Devery Henderson (35.8 passer rating).
S Darren Sharper’s 90-yard interception return for a TD turned out to be the difference-maker on a night that saw no TDs from the Packers offense.
K Ryan Longwell provided a steady leg as he connected on four field goals from 40, 48, 42, and 32 yards out.
