WOW ! WHAT A SEASON! THE PACKERS SHOWED THAT, WITH A LITTLE HELP IN THE OFFSEASON, THEY SHOULD BE AMONG THE CONTENDERS NEXT SEASON.

AT LEAST THEY'LL BE FUN TO WATCH !!  MEANWHILE-THE VIKES ARE STILL LICKING THEIR WOUNDS FROM THE OT LOSS TO THE SAINTS, AND ARE ABOUT TO CLIMB ABOARD THE BRETT FAVRE MERRY-GO-ROUND..

HAVE FUN BRAID-WEARERS..........

IT TOOK A WHILE BUT NOW IT'S TIME

TO DISSECT OUR TWO FAVORITE TEAMS

EACH DID A LITTLE BETTER THAN EXPECTED

BOTH FELL A LITTLE SHORT OF OUR DREAMS

OVER IN GREEN BAY CHANGE WAS EVERYWHERE

AS NEW SCHEMES AND COACHES WERE IN PLACE

DEFENSIVE STARS WERE OUT OF POSITION

AND THEIR PLAY WAS NEARLY A DISGRACE

LIKEWISE ON THE OFFENSIVE SIDE

THE TEAM WAVERED BETWEEN HOT AND COLD

SOMETIMES LOOKING LIKE THEY'D CONQUER THE WORLD

AT OTHERS LOOKING SLOW AND OLD

AARON RODGERS TOOK THE BRUNT

OF HIS OFFENSIVE LINE'S SHORTCOMINGS

BUT HE'D STAND IN AND TAKE THOSE HITS

UNTIL HIS HEAD HAD TO BE A-HUMMING

IF IT WEREN'T FOR GREAT RECEIVERS

THE PACKERS' RECORD WOULD HAVE BEEN DISMAL

FOR WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO BLOCK

THE RUNNNG GAME AT TIMES LOOKED ABYSMAL

BY MIDSEASON THE PACK WAS FOUR AND FOUR

AND THE FUTURE WASN'T LOOKING ALL THAT BRIGHT

BUT THEN IT SEEMED A MIRACLE HAPPENED

AS THE TEAM GOT BETTER ALMOST OVERNIGHT

THEY KEPT RODGERS ON HIS FEET

AND THERE WERE HOLES FOR THE RUNNING BACKS

THE DEFENSE STARTED STOPPING THE RUN

AND PILING UP SOME SACKS

CHARLES WOODSON PLAYED LKE A MASTER CORNER

WHILE CLAY MATTHEWS WAS A GREAT SURPRISE

THEIR PLAY DEMONSTRATED THEIR LEADERSHIP

WHICH INSPIRED THE REST OF THE GUYS

THE SEASON'S SECOND HALF ROLLED BY

WITH A RECORD OF SIX AND TWO

GAINING THIS PACKERS TEAM SOME RESPECTABILITY

AND A BERTH IN THE POSTSEASON TOO

SO AFTER ALL THE DRAMA AND EXCITEMENT

THE PACK FACED THE CARDINALS IN THEIR DOME

THEY FOUGHT TOOTH AND NAIL RIGHT INTO OVERTIME

WHERE  A MISTAKE SENT THE GREEN BAY PACKERS HOME

BUT THIS OFFSEASON WON'T BE SPENT MOPING

AS THE PACK IS ON THE EDGE OF GREAT THINGS

BY ADDING A FEW OF THE PROPER PIECES

THIS TEAM COULD BE CONTENDING FOR A RING

YES MANY THINGS ARE HAPPENING

AND MOST ARE TO  GREEN BAY FANS' LIKING

AND NEXT SEASON YOU JUST WAIT AND SEE

THEY'LL BE BEATING UP ON THOSE DARNED VIKINGS

THE VIKINGS' LOCKERS HAVE ALSO BEEN EMPTIED

MOST OF THE PLAYERS HAVE HEADED FOR HOME

LEAVING BEHIND SHATTERED  EXPECTATIONS

THAT WERE CRUSHED IN THE SUPERDOME

FOR THE VIKINGS BELIEVED THIS WAS THEIR YEAR

AND SAID WE'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES

GOING SO FAR AS SIGNING BRETT FAVRE

WHO'S KNOWN FOR MAKING THE BIG MISTAKE

WITH A SUPPORTING CAST THAT LOOKED OUTSTANDING

ON BOTH OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE TEAMS

AND ADDING PERCY HARVIN TO PETERSON AND COMPANY

ENSURED THEY WERE AS FEARSOME AS THEY SEEMED

FAVRE'S TALENTS HELPED DEVELOP THE YOUNG GUYS

LIKE SHIANCOE, BERRIAN AND SIDNEY RICE

WHO ALREADY POSSESSED NOTABLE SPEED

NOW THEY LEARNED TO KEEP THEIR ROUTES PRECISE

BEHIND THIS COLLECTION OF PLAYERS

THE VIKINGS STARTED PRETTY WELL

ONLY LOSING ONE OF THE FIRST TWELVE GAMES

AND LOOKING LIKE THEY'D COULD DO NOTHING BUT EXCEL

THEN SOMEHOW THINGS BEGAN TO GO AWRY

AS THE DEFENSE DEVELOPED SOME LEAKS

AND INJURIES BEGAN TO TAKE THEIR TOLL

KNOCKING KEY PLAYERS OUT FOR WEEKS

STILL AND ALL THEY WON THE NUMBER TWO SEED

AND JUST BLEW OUT THE COWBOYS AT HOME

EARNING THEIR WAY TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

DOWN IN THE NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME

THIS WASN'T A GAME FOR THE FAINTHEARTED

AS THE TEAMS MANAGED TO STAY NECK AND NECK

UNTIL THE VIKINGS STARTED TO SELF-DESTRUCT

LEAVING FANS SCREAMING "WHAT THE..HECK?"

AND AT THE END OF A REMARKABLE GAME

ALBEIT ONE FILLED WITH MISTAKES AND FUMBLES

THE VIKES CAME UP A LITTLE SHORT AT THE END

WHEN THE QUARTERBACK'S LAST PLAY WAS BUMBLED

AS THE FINAL FEW SECONDS TICKED AWAY

PACKER FANS FELT A SENSE OF DEJA VU`

AS WITH THE VIKES' RUN TO MIAMI IN HIS HANDS

A HORRENDOUSLY BAD BALL HE THREW

AFTER THE PICKOFF OVERTIME ENSUED

AND THE SAINTS WON THE GAME JUST FINE

-WHEN EVERYTHING WAS SAID AND DONE

BRETT WASN'T READY FOR PRIME TIME

               CARL "GATOR" NELSON

PACKERS 'VERSES' VIKINGS: A POETIC PERSPECTIVE

       WWW.PACKERSVERSESVIKINGS.COM