Top 10 reasons why this may have been best year since Lombardi era

After all the injuries early in the season, I was wrong to think the season was likely lost. For me, this has been the most special Packers team and season in the 40 years I've been following them. My top 10 reasons:

1. The most obvious: losing 15 guys to IR, not including Jolly's suspension, 8 starters in all, and most early in the season, and persevered in spite of. Have never seen anything like it, by any NFL team, ever.

2. In spite of 6 losses, never losing by more than 4 points...and never trailing my more than 7 -- including the playoffs.

3. Being the first NFC 6th seed ever to get to the Super Bowl, and only the second in the NFL to win it (Pittsburgh 2005)

4. Winning all three playoff games on the road.

5. Beating the Bears in the most important game the two teams have ever played -- spanning 90 years!

6. Seeing Ted Thompson totally vindicated for his team building strategy

7. Seeing Mike McCarthy recognized as a quality head coach

8. Seeing Aaron Rodgers win his first championship at the same age -- 27 -- that Starr and Favre did before him

9. Seeing aging veterans like Driver, Woodson, and Clifton all get a Super Bowl ring before calling it a career

10. Allowing this team and franchise, but especially Thompson, McCarthy and Rodgers, to finally put the whole Favre issue behind them

Did I miss any?

2/8/1111:45 AM

Original Post

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barristerMember

Beating a great franchise like Pittsburgh, which came equipped with the #1 defense, and doing it in the house that Jerrah built, in a city that brought us so much pain in the 90s...both of those facts made for a very special Super Bowl.

2/8/1111:51 AM

packerboiI lick rainbows

Kampman and Harris not getting rings sucks IMO but that's business in the NFL. They will always be Packers in my mind.

11.) Aaron Rodgers just became equal with Bre** Fav**. They have won the same amount of championships and have the same number of rings. A huge F U to Fav** ball washers who were convinced AR would never catch up to him. I can only imagine what that was like at the Fav** household watching the SB. Wouldn't shock me to find out he was back on the sauce.

2/8/1111:52 AM

Ghost of LambeauMember

Did you miss anything?

Playing in the first SB without cheerleaders.

Beating QBs Ryan, Manning, Cutler twice (suppose to be good if you believe the mid season hype), Vick and Rothlesberger (spell?) while winning six consecutive games on the road.

BTW, good list.

2/8/1111:55 AM

michiganjoeMember

One of the reasons this is my favorite GB SB team is watching the young players, many of them coming out of nowhere, step up to the challenge and contribute. Zombo, Shields, Walden, Bulaga and others really played very well. Even players already here, such as Tramon and Raji really elevated their game.

Watching this team develop into a championship one during the season has been fantastic to watch and a journey I'll never forget.

2/8/1111:56 AM

ChilliJonI hate the Vikings!

Over the past 6 games (5 on the road), the Packers trailed only once for slightly more than 15 minutes. And that was by 3 points to Chicago. 360 total minutes of football and only 15 was played from behind.

2/8/1112:20 PM

IL_Pack_FanMember

They actually trailed the Faclons twice early in the game, but the final score made it pretty easy to forget that. Other than that, they didn't trail at any point in the playoffs.

2/8/1112:28 PM

ChilliJonI hate the Vikings!

Forgot about the early stage in Atlanta.

2/8/1112:33 PM

FandameMember

quote:
Originally posted by packerboi:
Kampman and Harris not getting rings sucks IMO but that's business in the NFL. They will always be Packers in my mind.

11.) Aaron Rodgers just became equal with Bre** Fav**. They have won the same amount of championships and have the same number of rings. A huge F U to Fav** ball washers who were convinced AR would never catch up to him. I can only imagine what that was like at the Fav** household watching the SB. Wouldn't shock me to find out he was back on the sauce.

Interesting words from MM in a presser, something to the tune of how he was able to be really aggressive in his playcalling and trust ARod to make the good decision and not do something rash or stupid, to throw it away if nothing was there. His comments were spot on, and I think, offered a bit of insight as to how frustrated he was with Bert Faver. I also think MM was a bit worried that he wouldn't get the chance to get this far in GB before he could trust ARod with those calls. It seems like MM and ARod have come to an agreement: ARod wanted MM to give him that kind of pressure; MM now trusts ARod with it.

2/8/1112:37 PM

ammoCheese Master

12. Newbies here on X4 won't have to ask what X4 means!!!

2/8/112:26 PM

PackerRussDo I amuse you?!

I'm a newbie in many people's eyes around here, but have been here for 5 years, and I don't even know what X4 means.

Great list!

I would add, and it has been said in a couple of other threads:

The Vikings IMPLODING, and the Bears "rooting" for the Packers to W against Philly and the Falcons, only to have their heart ripped out at home by us!!!!!!

2/8/112:48 PM

DuffmanMember

quote:
10. Allowing this team and franchise, but especially Thompson, McCarthy and Rodgers, to finally put the whole Favre issue behind them

This is a big one for me. Maybe its because I live in MN and I have to listen to Vikings/Favre stuff a lot. I don't know why, but I almost feel like the national media needs to say I'm sorry for all the crap that was written about how TT made a terrible decision.

I'm really happy for Rodgers. He had to put up with a lot of crap because of Favre, and he always took the high road, and he finally got rewarded.

2/8/113:06 PM

JJSDSitzpinkler Schadenfreude

Sadly, I don't think it's over yet. The squealers are certainly fewer in number than even a week ago, but unfortunately I don't think we'll hear the end of Brent Dong until AR wins another title. That's because the sack scrubbers will still have their precious stats to throw out there, even though Brent has an extra 17 years on AR in terms of games played.

AR has already done a couple of things that Brent didn't do:

1. Won a Super Bowl MVP
2. Won a big game in Dallas
3. Won three road playoff games in succession

That said, you still won't hear the final death gurgle from the Brent zealots until AR has title number two, since he'll likely never catch Brent in regards to stats. I enjoyed the hell out of Captain Hubris having his self-entitled world come crashing down around him in every way this year, as no one deserved it more, especially when juxtaposed with the rise of AR. That's karma coming into balance. Let's just not assume that we've heard the last of Brent. We haven't.

2/8/113:13 PM

GusBobMember

# whatever: Charles Woodson matures as a Packer, becomes one of 2 football stars to win a heisman, a national championship and the SuperBowl

2/8/113:13 PM

fightphoe93Member

quote:
Originally posted by JJSD:
That said, you still won't hear the final death gurgle from the Brent zealots until AR has title number two

Wow, it really is hard to believe there would be any Brent zealots left after what's transpired these past 12 months. I'm not even sure if Deanna is a Brent Zealot anymore....

2/8/115:41 PM

JJSDSitzpinkler Schadenfreude

Go check out the folks defending BSPN's decision to spend several minutes immediately after the SB talking about the greatness of Brent. I can't remember what threat that was in, but even here a few holdouts remain.

*edit* Here it is:

http://timesfour.com/eve/forum...321/m/2704063787/p/1

2/8/115:47 PM

ChilliJonI hate the Vikings!

Driving hme tonight listening to Homer, it was amazing to hear the Favre backers come out in big numbers. Winning the Super Bowl shook them all loose. Most common Favre rally call was that the Packers would have won at least two more Super Bowls had BrINT not been chased out of town. What a sad way to go through life.

2/8/116:12 PM

FarmDogMember

quote:
Originally posted by ammo:
12. Newbies here on X4 won't have to ask what X4 means!!!

And whats that Premium X4 business?

2/8/116:51 PM

chickenboyTic Toc

quote:
Originally posted by JJSD:
2. Won a big game in Dallas

That one is kind of a stretch isn't it? Anyway, where is everybody hearing these Favre "ball washers" spout off? I haven't really noticed anything other national media filling time with the whole following a legend stuff and it has been 100% positive about 12 from my perspective.

Seems like the top reasons for some seem to be more about vindication. How about guys like Starks, Walden coming out of nowhere to make significant contributions? How about finally finding a punter who actually played a pretty big role in the battles with the Bears?

EDIT: Add in the Shields "street" free agent pickup...Tramon making the huge leap as well.

2/15/1110:35 AM

PackerHawkMember

quote:
Originally posted by JJSD:
AR has already done a couple of things that Brent didn't do:

1. Won a Super Bowl MVP
2. Won a big game in Dallas
3. Won three road playoff games in succession

Hell, #3 could just be won three road playoff games in less than 19 years.

2/15/1111:34 PM

YATittleMember

AR has more Starr in him than Favre. You can see that in his obsessive caution at avoiding the mistake. Wonder if watching Brett up close and personal solidified that tendency to not be a turnover machine.

I think that's a winning football formula. Like on The Drive with 7 minutes left in the Super Bowl where he took the sack, or on that other drive near the goalline where he was waiting for Crabtree to clear and took another sack rather than do something foolish.

I'll tell ya what. Late in the game, when the Pack has the ball, I never think our QB is gonna do something foolish and risky...

2/15/1111:38 PM

Timmy!TIMMAAAAYYY!!

The satisfaction of winning in DallAss is purely personal enjoyment to me.
1. The Cowboys are one of my most hated teams.
2. We've got thumped regularly down there over the years, including a few in a row that took us out of the playoffs in the mid-90's.
3. Here's lil' ol' Green Bay, with our unique history, showing the world that the Jerruh Jones formula of football doesn't guarantee success.

It's a tough call for me to say this SB win was better than XXXI. That one made up for 30 years of frustration and floundering. This one was so over-the-top crazy, and ushered in a new era of Packer football.

2/16/111:26 AM

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