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 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