Lucky Number Thirteen

With Green Bay's victory in Super Bowl XLV, they collected their fourth Super Bowl and their thirteenth overall NFL championship. In, my opinion they are clearly the best overall organization in the NFL. No disrespect to the Steelers, but the Packers have been winning championships since before the Steelers even had a winning season.

Some may say that world championships don't count,like Super Bowls, but i think that is an absurd statement. You can't blame the Packers for being the best team before the championship game was called the Super Bowl. Yes, the Super Bowl is bigger than the world championship games were, but a win in either game put you on top of the football world.

Now I ask myself, where does this years Green Bay team rank among the past champions. I don't think that the 2010 Packers are even close to the Lombardi era Packers. The number of championships says it all. I do think that within the next decade you will be able to more evenly compare the two. The Packers are still a young team and have a very bright future.

When I compare this years team with the 1996 team, it is a much tougher decision. I honestly think that this years team is better, not by much, but still a better team. You might think I am saying this because of Brett Favre, I am not. The 2010 Packers had to overcome a whole lot more on the field than the 1996 team did. This years edition of the Packers had to deal with injuries throughout the year and including the Super Bowl. The team in 1996 had a very good year and were huge favorites in the Super Bowl. With 16 players on injured reserve, this years team came together and fought their hardest for every victory. They lost two veteran leaders, Donald Driver and Charles Woodson, in the Super Bowl. Once again, the team pulled together and came out with yet another win. I also think this years team is better simply because i got to witness it and I just had feeling about this team. No disrespect to Brett Favre and the rest of the '96 champions but I think that Aaron Rodgers and the 2010 champions are a better team.

Aaron Rodgers has fully stepped out of the shadow of a legend and is building his own legacy in Green Bay. Clay Matthews has finally won a Super Bowl for his family name. The 2010 Green Bay Packers will always be remembered as Super Bowl XLV Champions.

It was a great year and hopefully the Packers will have another outstanding year next year, if there even is a next year.

The End of the Road for 2010 Season

Aaron Rodgers is the new WWE Champion... Err, wait, Super Bowl MVP! I'm sure all of you watched the game so I won't go into too much detail here, but I would like to throw out a few things I noticed from this year's Super Bowl.

-First of all, Aaron Rodgers did not record a single rushing attempt via scrambling for the first time all season. While watching the game I remember pleading "Run Aaron run!" at least a few times, and each time he pulled back from crossing the line of scrimmage. Perhaps Mike McCarthy had instructed Rodgers to stay back and protect himself from taking hits from those Steelers linebackers, or maybe he just didn't see the opening he wanted. Despite not using his mobility as well as he did all season, Rodgers still managed to extend a few plays and make timely throws.

-Where in the world was Polamalu? According to the ESPN game recap, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year was lined up within five yards of the line of scrimmage for only three out of 55 offensive plays for the Packers. It seems that he has been lined up far from the line for most of the postseason, and one has to wonder why. Polamalu's instinctiveness and ability to make a play are at their best when he is near the line, and he was only sparingly used this way. He was also the nearest defender on both of Greg Jennings' touchdown catches. I won't be surprised if a report comes out this offseason stating that Polamalu was far from healthy during this postseason run.

- In a similar vein, where were all of the other defensive playmakers we expected to see? B.J. Raji ended the game with only a single quarterback hit, and no tackles. I also didn't see him on offense, which is disappointing. James Harrison had just a single tackle, which was a sack to go along with three QB hits. LaMarr Woodley had only three tackles, with a single sack. Clay Matthews did not record a sack, but he did force a crucial fumble late in the game. While the Steelers and Packers combined for four sacks, there wasn't a feel of either defense's pass rush taking control of the game. For the most part, the Packers' superior depth in the defensive backfield made the biggest difference in this game, with two interceptions that tilted the odds squarely in the Packers' favor.

After the Super Bowl hangover has worn off, we'll be getting back to more Browns-centric news and analysis, so check back soon and follow me on Twitter @legoman0721 .

The Packers Return to the Super Bowl

This is one of greatest Super Bowls to ever be played. Both teams have a rich history of winning championships. The Green Bay Packers have an NFL best 12 world championships (including 3 Super Bowls), while the Steelers have an NFL best 6 Super Bowl wins. There has never been a Super Bowl with this much history in it. No matter the outcome it will be an "instant classic."

It will be a very hard game for both teams but I believe that the Packers will come away with their 13th world championship. To be successful against the "steel curtain" defense of the Steelers will not be an easy task. I am tired of hearing everyone in the media say that Green Bay needs to spread the field and use their 5 wide receiver set. I think if the media is smart enough to figure this out, then so is Dick LeBeau. Green Bay just needs to play smart and aggressive.

The first thing that Green Bay needs to do is to win the field position battle. This is important because both teams have very good defenses and the team with the shorter field will have a huge advantage. I think this will be a game that is decided by 1 or 2 field goals. Obviously, it is easier to go 40 yards and kick a field goal than it is to go 60 yards. Field position will be a huge factor in deciding the winner.

The Packers will also need to keep the pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. Even though he is very hard to take down, it is much harder to find the open receiver with a linebacker hanging on to your back. If the Green Bay pass rush can consistently get in Roethlisberger's face I think he will be more likely to try to force the ball out, which will give the Packer secondary a chance to make a play on the ball. Green Bay has been thriving off turnovers during their historic playoff run and if they can continue to do this, I think the Packers will have a chance to win.

Another key factor for the Packers in this game is for them to just stay calm and execute their game plan. I know that Mike McCarthy can put a perfect game plan together when he is given 2 weeks to do so. Dom Capers (the Packers' defensive coordinator) can do the same thing. With these two master minds having two weeks to plan for one game, there is trouble for the opposing team, no matter who it is. With that being said, it is up to the players to keep their cool and just play football the best they can for one game.

Is this the game that will put Aaron Rodgers in the same class as Bart Starr and Brett Favre? Will Clay Matthews finally win a ring for his family name? Will the Packers finally be able to put all the Brett Favre talk behind them for good? Will this be the start of a new dynasty for the Packers rich history? Or will the 2010 Green Bay Packers just be the forgotten team that lost the Super Bowl?

Only time will tell. For me, I hope this is only the first of many rings for Aaron Rodgers. I have been a Packer fan for 10 years and I have never been happier to be a Packer fan than I have this year. No matter the outcome of the Super Bowl, this is by far the best team I have seen in Green Bay and I am proud to call myself a Packer fan.

My prediction: Packers 31 Steelers 27

Packers at Bears

What better way to determine the NFC champion than to have the Packers play the Bears. These two teams have a combined 21 NFL World Championships (Packers-12, Bears-9). It is only right that one of these two historically dominant teams will once again be on football’s greatest stage.

This game will eventually come down to who wants it more. These teams play each other twice every year and are the oldest rivals in the NFL. They know what to expect from each other. This makes it very difficult to predict the winner but I, obviously, am picking the Packers. Below are some key factors as to why I think the Packers will come away with a victory:

1. I AM A PACKER FAN. If I picked the Bears I would be disowned by the Packer nation.

2. Clay Matthews: He has truly emerged as one of the league’s top defenders and is a leading candidate for the Defensive MVP. Separate from this, Matthews plays with pure passion every time he steps on the field. During his two playoffs starts this year he has 3 sacks, including one on the very elusive Mike Vick. If Matthews can once again show off his pass rushing skills and consistently pressure Jay Cutler, the Packers will be in good shape to pull off a win. Cutler is known to make some bad decisions when he is under pressure so getting to him early and often will be huge for Matthews and the rest of the Packer defense.

3. Green Bay’s Running Game: The Packers struggled running the ball during the regular season and were very one dimensional. Although, Aaron Rodgers and his very talented receivers can take control of a game, it is always nice to have a consistent running game. Surprisingly, the Packers have found a solid ground game for the playoffs. James Starks has the most rushing yards out of anyone this postseason with 189 yards. He broke out onto the scene in the wildcard round in Philadelphia, when he carried the ball 23 times for 123 yards. This was more than he had the whole regular season due to him being on the physically unable to perform list. If Starks can gain positive yards consistently against the Bears’ greedy defense, it will open up the play action passes and help Green Bay’s already dangerous passing game.

4. Special Teams: Green Bay’s special teams unit has always struggled. If they want to win this game they will have to contain Devin Hester and Danieal Manning. In week 3, when the Packers lost to the Bears, it was due to a lack of punt coverage. Devin Hester returned a punt all the way and that swung the momentum to the Bears and carried them to victory. Green Bay certainly can’t match the explosiveness of the Bears’ special teams, but they can try to eliminate the big plays by just staying in their coverage lanes and finishing their tackles.

I’m sure there are many other factors that will play into the outcome of this game but these are some that I found most important. If you disagree please comment and let me know what you think.