WOW !! hard to believe that this week is here already ! While it would have added something to have both teams be undefeated, this game is STILL for first place in the NFC North (the home of REAL football). Hopefully Al and Charles can bring back some fond memories for Brett--some of those games where it seemed everything would get picked off........Go Pack !

THERE WAS AN AWAKENING OF SORTS LAST SUNDAY
AS THE VIKINGS' QUARTERBACK FINALLY TOOK CONTROL
WHEN LATE IN THE GAME THEY TRAILED BY FOUR
AND BRETT FAVRE GOT THEM OUT OF THAT WHOLE

THE NINERS HAD FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
DESPITE LOSING THEIR BEST RUNNER RIGHT AWAY
THEY HARRASSED FAVRE AND THE RECEIVERS
AND KEPT THE VIKINGS' RUNNING GAME IN DISARRAY

WITH EIGHTY-NINE SECONDS LEFT BRETT TOOK THE FIELD
AND THROUGH THE 'FRISCO DEFENSE HIS PASSES CARVED
UNTIL A GREAT THROW AND BETTER CATCH
TAUGHT THE NINERS WHAT IT MEANS TO GET 'FAVRED'

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF HATING HIM
VIKES FANS ARE FINDING ITS FINALLY SINKING IN
THAT AS LONG AS HE IS STRANDING UPRIGHT
MINNESOTAS TEAM WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN

COMBINED WITH THE RUNNING OF PETERSON
AND THOSE RECEIVERS WHO CAN FIND AND CATCH THE BALL
WITH THE POTENTIAL POSSESSED BY THIS TEAM
THERES NO WAY THEY SHOULDNT WIN IT ALL

BUT ALLS NOT ROSY IN VIKINGLAND
ALTHOUGH THIS TEAM IS STILL UNDEFEATED
FOR EXAMPLE THE VIKINGS OFFENSIVE LINE
IS LETTING THAT OLD QUARTERBACK BE MISTREATED

THE DEFENSE IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE TEAMS STRENGTH
BUT ITS NOT QUITE AS IMPENETRABLE AS BEFORE
THEYVE TRAILED IN EVERY GAME THIS YEAR
BEFORE RALLYING TO TIP THE FINAL SCORE

WHILE THAT DEFENSE CAN BE QUITE IMPRESSIVE
IT FEELS SOMETIMES AS IF SOMETHINGS LACKING
UNTIL THEY CONTROL A GAME FROM BEGINNING TO END
THEYLL BE THE SUBJECT OF OPPONENTS WISECRACKING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MEANWHILE GREEN BAY WAS OVER IN ST LOUIS
TRYING TO WORK SOME KINKS OUT OF THEIR GAME
THE OFFENSIVE LINE HAD BEEN PRETTY SHAKY
WOULD THIS GAME BE THE SAME?

KEEPING RODGERS UPRIGHT HAS PROVED A CHALLENGE
FOR THAT PATCHWORK LINE OF BLOCKERS
OFTEN TIMES THEYVE BEEN CAUGHT
LOOKING MORE LIKE CAR CRASH GAWKERS

AFTER A TOUGH START THEY SETTLED DOWN ENOUGH
TO KEEP AARON RODGERS ON HIS FEET
AND GIVEN TIME AND WITH HIS RECEIVERS
THAT'S A SURE RECIPE FOR DEFEAT

DRIVER AND JENNINGS WERE THE KEYS
AS THEY PULLED IN LONG DOWNFIELD STRIKES
MOVING SO FAST THEY LOOKED LIKE BLURS
PROVIDING THE EXCITEMENT THAT FANS LIKE

THE RUNNING GAME WAS NOT OVERPOWERING
BUT IT WAS ENOUGH TO FILL IN THE GAPS
HOWEVER UNTIL THE OFFENSIVE LINE GETS BETTER
THERELL BE A CHANCE OF AN OFFENSIVE COLLAPSE

THE PACKERS DEFENSE DID THEIR PART
COMING UP WITH BIG PLAYS WHEN NEEDED
AND THOUGH NOT A CLASSIC WORK OF ART
THIS PACKERS GAMEPLAN NEATLY SUCCEEDED

HARASSING THE QUARTERBACKS AND GETTING A PICK
WHILE STRUGGLING A BIT WITH BIG BACK JACKSON
THE PACKERS DEFENSE HAD TO WORK HARD
BUT PROVIDED SIGNIFICANT ACTION

BOTH LINES NEED TO IMPROVE THIS WEEK
FOR THE PACKERS TEAM TO HAVE A CHANCE
THEYLL HAVE TO PENETRATE AND ENGAGE
TO GIVE GREEN BAY THE SPACE THEY NEED TO ADVANCE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ENOUGH WITH THE HISTORY OF THESE TWO TEAMS
WHO FACE EACH OTHER THIS UPCOMING MONDAY NIGHT
THESE ARE TEAMS THAT FEEL REAL ANIMOSITY
BOTH ARE WILLING TO SCRATCH AND CLAW AND BITE

LETS NAME THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
BRETT FAVRE'S UNDER CENTER FOR THE VIKES
AND THIS GAME WILL HAVE A FIRE AND INTENSITY
THAT EVERY FOOTBALL FAN WILL HAVE TO LIKE

BRETTS RESULTS HAVE BEEN MIXED IN THE DOME
DURING THE YEARS HE PLAYED THERE AS A PACKER
HES BEEN BRILLIANT AND A RECORD-SETTER
OTHER TIMES A TARGET FOR THE LINEBACKERS

THE VIKES ARE GOING TO DO ALL THEY CAN
TO GET HIS RECORD OFF TO A BRIGHT START
KNOWING THAT A WIN OVER GREEN BAY
WOULD WARM THE COCKLES OF HIS HEART

BUT THE PACKERS WILL HAVE STUDIED FILM
OF THE GAMES WHEN THE DOME WAS A HORROR
AND THEYLL USE TO LESSONS TO THE MAX
AND EVEN THROW IN JUST A LITTLE MORE

AARON RODGERS THE HEIR APPARENT
WILL BE FACING BRETT FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME
AND IF HE HAS TIME AND CAN STAY ON HIS FEET
HE IS GOING TO DO JUST FINE

HE HAS A SENSE OF CALM ABOUT HIM
AND HIS MOBILITY IS SURELY A PLUS
THIS IS THE GAME THAT WILL DEMONSTRATE
IF CAN REALLY RISE ABOVE ALL THE FUSS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SO WHILE THIS GAME IS IMPORTANT
AS ALL OF THE INTER-DIVISION GAMES ARE
THERE IS MORE TO THIS GAME THAN USUAL
AND THE INTENSITY LEVEL WILL BE GREATER BY FAR

THE VIKINGS SHOULD BE THE HEAVY FAVORITE
BUT THATS NOT THE WAY ITS WORKING OUT
SINCE BOOKIES ARE GIVING THEM JUST THREE AND A HALF
THEY FEEL THE OUTCOMES IN SOME DOUBT

THE METRODOME HAS BEEN THE SETTING
OF SOME OF FAVRES MOST TERRIBLE GAMES
FOR SOME REASON IT FEELS THIS WEEK
THAT MONDAY NIGHT WILL TURN OUT THE SAME
                 Carl "Gator" Nelson
      Packers 'verses' Vikings: A Poetic Perspective
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