Deja vu?

I just wanted to make a few quick comparisons between this Packers team and the 1996 team that won it all.  I do not in any way believe that the Packers are a lock for the Super Bowl or the best team in the NFL hands down.  I was just thinking about a few things and thought I'd bring a little perspective to the situation.  Later this week I will probably wax poetic about the epic game that is to come between the Chicago Bears & the Green Bay Packers.

People say hindsight is 20/20.  That is a true statement in a lot of ways, however in some ways people look back at the past with rose colored glasses.  You know, how people always think things were better "back in the day." Back when there were only 3 TV channels, back when hockey players didn't wear helmets... "those were the days" as the All in the Family theme song goes...  Generally when I remember the Packers Super Bowl run of 1996 I think of a team that cruised through the season with Favre's  brilliance, the defense's dominance, and Desmond Howard's epic season.  But when you look back at it there were a lot of obstacles to overcome.  Robert Brooks, Antonio Freeman, Don Beebe, & Mark Chumura were all hurt during the season.  Players like Derrick Mayes & Jeff Thomason had to contribute.  Andre Rison was picked up off the scrap heap.  10 year starting left tackle Ken Ruettgers was injured a few games into the season and rookie John Michels had to step up.  Guys that no other teams really wanted any more like Eugene Robinson, Santana Dotson, Sean Jones & the aforementioned Desmond Howard were integral in the team's run to a championship.

Winning a Super Bowl is not easy.  It is not necessarily being the most talented - everyone in the NFL is talented.  It isn't even necessarily being the toughest or most experienced.  It is coming together at the right time to make a run as a cohesive unit that believes in itself and refuses to go down without a fight.

This is where my comparison of this Packer team to the 1996 team comes into play.  Green Bay has lost a star TE (Finley), OT (Tauscher) and numerous LBs (Barnett, Chillar, Jones, Zombo).  Special teams has not been as dynamic as in '96, and we are not the #1 seed, we're the #6.  But you have a young QB coming into his own, a talented WR corps, and a MVP type pass rusher in Clay Matthews.  This team has come together under coach Mike McCarthy after 5 years together (just like Mike Holmgren).  They believe.  They do not care when and where they must play.  And when Sunday comes it is time to put all the work into practice.  Line up, man on man, and make the plays necessary to win the game.