Green Bay Packers: Are They Now on the Cusp of Beginning a Dynasty?

It was third and ten.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense had been struggling as of late against Pittsburgh's unforgiving defense, and were in desperate need of a first-down.

From their own 25 yard-line with six minutes remaining in the most meaningful game of their lives, Rodgers lasers a pass to Greg Jennings for a 31 yard gain to the Pittsburgh 44 yard-line.

The Packers would go on to score what would essentially amount to the game-sealing touchdown pass of Super Bowl XLV, bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to its rightful home of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

What we've just emphasized was one of many reasons why the Green Bay Packers can now officially refer to themselves as world champions at their craft.

And as for their renowned quarterback?  Well, let's just say he's now the best of the best.

So as we recuperate from one of the all-time classic Super Bowls in history, let us take a look at why Green Bay could be on the cusp of starting their own dynasty in Title-town.

Health

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GREEN BAY, WI - SEPTEMBER 19: Jermichael Finley #88 of the Green Bay Packers grabs a pass in front of Donte Whitner #20 of the Buffalo Bills at Lambeau Field on September 19, 2010 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Bills 34-7. (Photo by Jon

Green Bay's 2010 season was shaped and nearly annulled by injury to a number of their superstar play-makers (i.e. Jermichael Finley, Nick Barnett, Mark Tauscher, Atari Bigby, and even Aaron Rodgers for a game).

But Packers coach Mike McCarthy has done a fantastic job with the hand he was dealt, and should speak volumes about Green Bay's coaching staff as a whole.

Green Bay's admirable batch of coaches will now (finally) receive the credit they've deserved all season long.

Experience

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ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: Donald Driver #80 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31 to 25 in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo b

Now that the Packers have sealed the deal on their fourth Super Bowl victory, experience is now irrelevant.  Not that it ever was -- by any means.

However, getting the "monkey" off of Aaron Rodgers' back will certainly help in their efforts towards repeating as Super Bowl champions.  So who's to say that can't do it?

Whichever way you look at it, Green Bay now has the competent pieces in place to be an NFC powerhouse for years to come.  And it all started with none other than Ted Thompson: the guy who rejected Brett Favre for the good of the franchise.

Sounds like it was a pretty good decision.

Drafting Success

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NEW YORK - APRIL 23: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers (California) poses with his jersey after being drafted 24th overall by the Green Bay Packers during the 70th NFL Draft on April 23, 2005 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. (Photo by

Back in 2005, the Packers chose to utilize their first-round draft choice on the University of California's Aaron Rodgers; who is just one of the many noteworthy draft selections Green Bay has transformed into Super Bowl-winning playmakers.

Today, he's leading them to Super Bowl prominence and international recognition.

Packers GM Ted Thompson deserves all the credit in the world for compiling some of the most consistent, hard-nosed draft choices year in and year out.

Who will Green Bay take in this year's draft?

Chances are, they'll have a significant impact on Green Bay's 2011 Super Bowl hopes.

Defense, Defense, Defense

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ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: Nick Collins #36 and Cullen Jenkins #77 of the Green Bay Packers celebrate after Collins returns an interception for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in A

As good as Aaron Rodgers was in his Super Bowl debut Sunday, so was the Packer defense even more so.

Dom Capers' squad forced three of Sunday's most critical turnovers, putting Rodgers and the Green Bay offense in superb position to get the job done.  A defense sans Charles Woodson usually spells for disaster, however for this batch of defensive play-makers, it wasn't too much of a problem.

The league's second best overall defense coming into Sunday, Green Bay put the clamp down on Ben Roethlisberger, and especially Rashard Mendenhall; holding Pittsburgh's freakish tailback to just 63 yards on 14 attempts.

With Nick Barnett, Morgan Burnett, and Cullen Jenkins returning to the roster at the beginning of next season, Green Bay's defense will only get better.

It's a scary thought.

Aaron Rodgers

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ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after an 8 yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings against the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by

What else can we say?

Green Bay's franchise icon has stolen the hearts of many fans across the nation more than we've ever seen before, and it took just three seasons to do so.  And even under the pressures of his first Super Bowl, Rodgers did what had to be done.

It wasn't easy, but it had to be accomplished.

Leading the way for the most storied franchise in NFL history, Rodgers' 2011 postseason ranks at or near the top of any quarterback performances; all on the road, I might add.

If not for a bundle of dropped passes by his receivers, we could be talking about a Super Bowl performance for the ages.

You can expect Rodgers to be torching defenses for a while.