Before We Begin...

Before we begin looking back at the 2005 NFL Draft and what has become of the players and teams that drafted before the Green bay Packers, I want to give you a little overview on who I am as a football fan:

I am originally from New London, Wisconsin, which is less than an hour away from Green Bay. While the entire state of Wisconsin bleeds green and gold, I have been for years a die-hard Buffalo Bills fan. Maybe it's because there was too much lead in the water that I drank as a kid or that I was born under power lines that I chose a team several thousand miles away from my hometown to be my favorite football club, but in truth the main reason is that when I got into football they were the flashiest and exciting team in the league. Even though they broke my hearts four consecutive years by getting very close to winning the big game but falling short of doing so, I will always bleed Buffalo blue.

My blind devotion to the Bills has convinced me that Jim Kelly is the best quarterback of all time,

despite all the stats and facts that would prove otherwise.

This doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the excitement of the local squad. I especially became interested in the Packers when my father took me to see them play against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1992. That game is a very special one in Packers history, because it was that game that an unknown backup quarterback from Mississippi came in to replace an injured Don Majkowski. In that game, Brett Favre in dramatic fashion helped the Packers come from behind and beat the Bengals. The next week Favre started his first game, and thus began is famous streak of 297 consecutive starts.

Don't they look like such good friends?

My support for the Green Bay Packers was always more of a devotion to #4 than the team itself, so when the team decided to end their relationship with Favre (which had grown sour with Favre's waffling and prima dona antics) and go with Rodgers, I had a hard time accepting the fact that this was a good move for the organization and was a slap in the face to a player that helped bring a team back from the brink of obscurity to perennial champion contenders. My allegiance followed Brett and not the Packers, and when he joined the Minnesota Vikings I cheered for Favre to stick it to his old team and to prove them wrong.

During the 2009 season Favre did that, showing that even at the age of 40 he was still one of the top quarterbacks in the league, and he took the Vikings to the brink of their first Super Bowl in decades. Had it not been for a twelfth man on the field, the Vikings had a shot at hoisting their first Lombardi trophy with their former rival leading the way.

Rodgers, on the other hand, had a very nice season in 2009, but he lacked the killer instinct that Favre had and had yet to prove to be the better choice under center. He lost both contests to the Vikings and it was his fumble that cost the Packers a victory against a very beatable Arizona Cardinals club. Rodgers had talent, but Favre was still the better leader.

Things changed drastically in 2010, as Rodgers bucked concussions and a roster riddled with injuries to take his sixth seed club on a six-game winning streak right when they needed it most, propelling them to Super Bowl champions. Favre, on the other hand, looked his age for the first time and ended his streak against my Buffalo Bills. I was in attendance when Buffalo's Arthur Moats crushed the 41 year-old Favre and ended his consecutive starting streak at 297.

I still feel a little betrayed by the Packers' upper brass in turning its back to Brett Favre and siding with Rodgers, but I can now see why they did what they had to do, and it was because of their decision they now have a fourth Lombardi trophy in their display case.

So, there you have it: I'm a Wisconsinite Buffalo Bills fan that to this day likes Favre over Rodgers but can't deny the amazing skill and ability of Green Bay's new superstar quarterback. I hope that gives you some perspective on who I am as a football fan, and I hope that you'll enjoy poking fun of all the clubs that thought they didn't need Rodgers in their lineup!