Is there a team in the NFL that can go through an entire season - or off-season - without some controversy? The answer is probably no. Consider the case of The Green Bay Packers … For nearly twenty years, a lifetime by NFL standards all-time great quarterback Brett Favre took every snap under center … passed his way to fame, fortune and a sure trip to the NFL Hall of Fame … and made Green Bay football fun and exciting to watch.

Nothing lasts forever, of course, and in Green Bay management started to look past Favre to see what the team’s future looked like. With a young quarterback waiting in the wings to step up and soon as Brett stepped down, team executives wanted Favre to retire. And, after each of the last two seasons ended, Brett Favre did, indeed, announce his retirement. The problem was he didn’t stay retired. He kept changing his mind and coming back for another season … even though Green Bay management wanted him gone.

Finally, at the end of the 2007-2008 Season, the icon forced the hand of management and, when he once again unretired, Green Bay told Favre he was no longer wanted. They were willing to trade him if he wanted to continue playing - outside the NFC North Division. After some soul-searching, Favre agreed to let the Packers trade him if they could find a taker. And, of course they did …

So, in 2008-2009, Brett Favre, Green Bay icon …sure Hall of Famer-to-be … the “gunslinger” - was traded to The New York Jets. And, while Favre did well as a Jet, at least for the first eleven games, his replacement at quarterback in Green Bay also did well - for the first half of the season. The NFL is a league where things change week to week. As the 2008-2009 Season reached December and the weather got colder, both teams, in New York and in Green Bay, faltered - badly.

Interestingly, both Green Bay and New York had solid defenses they relied on when their offenses went bad. But, somehow, for some reason, defense wasn’t enough in the latter stages of the last season. So what can you expect from The Green Bay Packers in 2009-2010? If you’re simply a fan who enjoys exciting football, Green Bay should leave you satisfied throughout the upcoming season. They have a young and very strong defense … a developing offense … and a young QB with a full year as a starter under his belt. He should be better this year … maybe a lot better.
If you like to bet, you can probably expect to “give points” with Green Bay. They are likely to be favored in many of the games they play. And, the guess is they’ll still be a good bet.