CLEVELAND BROWNS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (State TV)

WHEN: 8:00 p.m. est August 16th
WHERE: Lambeau Field
TV: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Rich Gannon (analyst), with Trenni Kusnierek on the sidelines.
RADIO: Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) & Larry McCarren (analyst) for AM-620 and Packer Radio Network
INTERNET: Cheesehead TV Gameday Live Blog

Cheesehead TV's Five Things You Could Watch But Certainly Don't Have To

JS Online's Five Things To Watch

Green Bay Press Gazette's Five Things To Watch

ESPN Milwaukee's Five Things To Watch

From the Dope Sheet:

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT:

• Packers vs. Cleveland Browns:
• All-time regular season: 10-7-0
• All-time, in Green Bay: 2-1-0 (incl. 1965 NFL Championship)
• All-time, postseason: 1-0
• All-time, preseason: 10-13-0
• Streaks: Green Bay has won five of the last seven regular-season meetings.
• Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 25, 2009, at Cleveland Browns Stadium; Packers won, 31-3
• Last meeting, regular season, in Green Bay: Sept. 18, 2005, at Lambeau Field; Browns won, 26-24
• Last meeting, preseason: Aug. 13, 2011, at Cleveland Browns Stadium; Browns won, 27-17

PACKERS TO HOST BROWNS IN HOME PRESEASON OPENER

• The Packers return to Green Bay on Thursday night to host the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau Field in the team’s home preseason opener. This marks the fourth straight year (2009-12) that the teams have squared off in the preseason.
• Thursday marks the 24th preseason meeting in the all-time series between Cleveland and Green Bay. The Browns registered a 27-17 victory over the Packers  last year in Cleveland in the preseason opener and hold a 13-10-0 advantage in the all-time preseason series.
• Including this Thursday’s meeting, the two clubs have played each other in eight of the past 13 preseasons.
• This will mark the first time since 2005 (vs. San Diego) that the Packers have opened their home preseason slate on a Thursday night.
• The two franchises have produced some of the greatest teams and players the league has ever seen. The Packers rank second among all teams with players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with 21, while the Browns are sixth with 16. Green Bay has 13 NFL championships, while Cleveland has four.
• The series includes one postseason meeting, the 1965 NFL Championship played in Green Bay and won by the Packers, 23-12. Green Bay holds a 10-7-0 edge in the all-time regular-season series.
• Green Bay lost to the Chargers at San Diego, 21-13, in its preseason opener on Thursday night. The Packers will travel to Cincinnati a week from Thursday to take on the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium, Green Bay’s first trip to Cincinnati in the preseason since 2006.

MIDWEST SHRINE GAME

• One of the NFL’s longest team traditions, the Upper Midwest Shrine Game kicks off its 63rd installment Thursday night.
• Each season, the Packers donate a percentage of the gate to the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The Shriners’ facilities provide specialized medical services, helping children with birth defects and other injuries, at absolutely no cost.
• To date, the series has raised more than $3.4 million for the Midwest Shrine’s burn centers and hospitals for disabled children.
• Green Bay is 32-27-3 all-time in the series. This will mark the third time in the past four years (also 2009 and 2010) that the Packers have faced the Browns in the Shrine Game.
• The series has called three separate stadiums home: Milwaukee’s State Fair Park (1950-51), Milwaukee County Stadium (1952-82, 1984-94) and Lambeau Field (1983, 1995-present).
• In his first season leading the Packers, Vince Lombardi made an agreement with George Halas to play in the Shrine game annually. Green Bay and Chicago played each preseason in County Stadium from 1959-73.
• The Packers annually designate the Shrine game as the first ‘Gold package’ game for season-ticket holders primarily from the Milwaukee area. The team created the three-game package after moving all of its home games to Green Bay in 1995. Also in the ‘Gold package’ this season are the contests against Chicago (Sept. 13) and Arizona (Nov. 4).

LAST MEETING, PRESEASON

• Aug. 13, 2011, at Cleveland Browns Stadium; Browns won, 27-17.
• In two series of work, QB Aaron Rodgers connected on 6-of-8 passes for 74 yards, capping the second drive off with a 21-yard TD pass to WR Greg Jennings.
• In his first pro game, WR Randall Cobb led the Packers with three receptions for 60 yards (20.0 avg.).
• S M.D. Jennings and CB Josh Gordy both posted interceptions for Green Bay.
• QB Colt McCoy led Cleveland with 135 yards and a TD on 9-of-10 passing.

WHAT IS AHEAD

• After enjoying a day off on Friday following the game on Thursday night at San Diego, the Packers will hit the practice field four times this week, with three of the four sessions (Sunday-Tuesday) scheduled for 11:15 a.m. and one scheduled for 7 p.m. (Saturday). The Aug. 11 night practice was the final evening session of training camp.
• All four practices are scheduled to be in full pads, though the health of the team heading into Thursday night’s home preseason opener against the Browns could determine if those numbers stay the same.
• Including the Family Night practice, the team will have 15 practices under its belt when it takes the field vs. the Browns.
• Following the Cleveland contest, the team will take two days off (Aug. 17-18) from the practice field before returning on Sunday, Aug. 19. The Packers will practice Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before departing for Cincinnati on Wednesday, Aug. 22. Green Bay will take on the Bengals on Thursday, Aug. 23.