Blinding Realization: Green Bay Packers Missing Some Magic

Admit it. Despite your hatred for that "traitor" Brett Favre, you're starting to notice, game-by-game, what truly is lacking from this Green Bay Packers football team.

Let's get the obvious problems out of the way.

They can't protect the quarterback. Their running game stinks. And that transition to the 3-4 defense? So far, not so good.

Their play-calling and overall decision-making has been average, at best. And their special teams has been downright atrocious, almost in every facet it could possibly fathom.

These talented Packers, 13-3 and one win away from a Super Bowl two years ago, are 4-4 on the heels of an embarrassing loss to the previously 0-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and staring a losing record in the face with the formidable 6-2 Dallas Cowboys coming to town.

When I refer to "magic" missing from this team, I am indeed referring to Brett Favre. Favre isn't the only glaring hole in what seems to be an offense that reveals a new missing link each week, but if you track this thing back to 2005, when it all started to unravel in the first place, this is becoming an oddly familiar feeling.

The Green Bay Packers have the youngest roster in the NFL for what seems to be the 10th year in a row.

Combined with youth, Ted Thompson allowing Pro Bowl guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle to jump ship, and season-ending injuries to Javon Walker and Ahman Green, the rebuilding era officially began in 2004 under GM Ted Thompson.

It was almost like it was planned. That's because it was .

Thompson hired current coach Mike McCarthy the next season, and the Packers rose to 8-8, barely missing the playoffs. But we are all too familiar with what happened from here.

The point is, from 2004 to now, nothing has changed in Green Bay. No, not really.

The Offensive Line Still Stinks

Those Pro Bowl guards have still not been replaced. A plethora of average, scrub offensive lineman have tried, but Green Bay still can't protect the quarterback, allowing 34+ sacks in back-to-back seasons, already with more sacks given up this year than last year.

Aaron Rodgers, as athletic and crafty as he can be, has taken 34+ sacks for two straight seasons, something Brett Favre never managed to do in his entire career. Interesting enough, Rodgers has endured (with eight games remaining in this season), 71 sacks in 24 games as the Packers starting quarterback. Compare that to Favre's 487 sacks strewn out over an entire 19-year career .

True, the line is struggling with pass protection, but game tape shows Rodgers is reluctant to throw down field when under pressure, and refuses to take risks when being chased out of the pocket.

This cuts back on turnovers and keeps his completion percentage rather high, as well as conserves his passer rating, but it doesn't help the offense move the ball.

While Favre was always known for his turnovers, he was also widely know for keeping plays alive, and making them, regardless of his offensive line's status.

The Defense Still Stinks

Contrary to popular belief, the Packers defense in 2007 was not the beginning of a trend. It was an aberration. It was crap the two seasons before that, and it's been crap ever since.

The Packers finished sixth in points allowed in 2007, which was impressive, but failed to finished better than 16th in 2005, 2006, 2008, and so far in 2009 sit at 16th in the NFL.

This shows that Ted Thompson has made no major strides in both the offensive line that he decimated with his own lack of moves, as well as a defense that he has now had four-and-a-half seasons to improve.

The Moments Are Gone

Without Favre, the turnovers are down and the offense appears more efficient, but aside from two forgettable seasons (2005/2006), it's no better than what Favre had been doing from 2001-2004.

Favre led the Packers' offense to four straight top-six appearances in total offense before Thompson took over and began to dismantle his line and made the team younger than it needed to be.

The saddest part about Favre's departure after the 2007 season was that it didn't have to happen. Favre isn't the egomaniac that people make him out to be. He always wanted to play for Green Bay, and if he had the choice, he would have never played for anyone else.

The absolute truth, however, is Thompson wouldn't allow it. He was building for the future. He wanted to save money in his first season as GM, so he didn't re-sign Favre's top two guards. The run game and overall offense suffered from it, and the Packers finished 4-12 as Favre had to carry the team on his shoulders.

Even worse, was the insane lack of help Thompson gave Favre during the 2005 slide. After losing star receiver Javon Walker to a torn ACL in the first game of the season, Green Bay made no adjustments, and instead went with Donald Driver and Robert Ferguson as the starters.

Even rookie receiver Terrence Murphy sustained an injury (career-ending), and was not replaced.

Ahman Green tore his quad and hit injured reserve five weeks later, and the best Ted Thompson could do to assist Favre was grab Samkon Gado, a former backup at Liberty College off the streets.

The next season Thompson had a chance to appease Favre's anger of being left high and dry by drafting an elite offensive weapon.

Of course, if anyone had been paying any attention, Thompson had no intention of appeasing Favre, since he had already chosen his direction by drafting Aaron Rodgers in the first round the year prior.

Regardless, Thompson drafted linebacker A.J. Hawk with the fifth overall pick in the 2006 draft, instead of giving Favre an elite tight end in Vernon Davis (7th), a big-play receiver like Santanio Holmes (25th), or an elite running back like DeAngelo Williams (27th).

While all three of these players have gone on to be successful and are currenty among the best at their positions this season, Hawk is merely an average linebacker lost somewhere inside the Packers average defense.

Summary

The fact is, Thompson has been making moves to force Favre out since he arrived. His first order of business was to establish power and control, showing Favre that this was Ted's town, and that even Favre, the future Hall of Famer, was expendable.

Thompson drafted Rodgers, an offensive player, in his first draft as GM, and then spent his next two first round picks on defense.

Isn't it a little interesting that Thompson "couldn't pass up" Rodgers, but found no concern in acquiring elite offensive weapons for his franchise quarterback. Of course, if he had every intention of running Favre out of town as quickly as possible, then he wouldn't be concerned, now would he?

Once Favre was traded to the Jets, Thompson immediately went back to drafting offensive players, selecting Jordy Nelson with his first pick in the 2008 draft.

And it wasn't just how Thompson drafted, that he neglected to make any positive moves and allowed the 2005 Packers to drown in mediocrity.

It was more the fact that he blatantly had no regard for the now , always focusing on some future that he seemed much too confident he would always be a part of. Brett Favre, however, he determined, would not.

He was so determined in making this happen, that he twice failed to bring in Randy Moss. Once for a fourth round draft pick, and a second time when Moss was a free agent. Thompson made no strong efforts, even after Moss's NFL record 23-touchdown season in 2007. That appeared to be the straw that broke the camel's back, as Favre was fed up, and decided to call Thompson's bluff and retired after a fantastic 2007 showing.

The trouble was, the formerly bust-worthy Rodgers had now developed into a quality player, and Favre was even more expendable than Thompson had originally hoped.

However, fast forward two years, 14 losses to 10 wins, no playoff appearances, a sweep by Favre and his new team over the Packers, and now an embarrassing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After almost five years of Thompson calling the shots and taking a proud franchise that was led by one of the greatest quarterbacks in history and driving it into the ground, he's left with nothing.

Favre showed him and Rodgers up in both meetings this year, and Thompson has no answers as to why his young, talented, "perfectly-crafted" team can't win games.

Five years and just one playoff victory. And Ted, if by some random chance you're reading, who did that playoff victory come from?

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