There’s a group of hardcore Brett Favre followers and they believe that #4 can do no wrong. There’s a group of Packers fans who were sick and tired of Favre’s antics and they couldn’t wait until he was gone. Then, there’s the rest. Whichever category you fall into, you seem to look for validation on an almost daily basis. Statistically, Rodgers is the better QB. If you’re talking wins and losses, Favre has been on the better teams. If you’re angry with Ted Thompson and/or Mike McCarthy, then the two games versus the Vikings were your revenge filled epiphanies. The saga, drama, finger pointing will go on for generations it now seems.

Yesterday, Jason Whitlock, of Fox Sports, wrote a column in which he called Brett Favre the MVP of the season this year and Ted Thompson an moron. Those of you in the “Favre is the best ever” camp emailed me the link to this article numerous times yesterday and today. By the way, you can stop now, I’ve read it.

The point is, it’s over. Favre has moved on, he’s extracted his revenge on Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy with the Vikings beating the Packers twice this season and now it’s on with the second half of 2009. So what is it you want, to sway the nation in to your thought process? Were you hoping that Ted Thompson would be fired on the spot or that he’d call a press conference to say, “Gee, I was wrong and you were right, forgive me”. Come on!

For Packers fans, the focus should be on the team and where do they go from here. A dangerous, yet winnable, trap game awaits them in Tampa this weekend. It appears that the offensive line will be bolstered with the return of Tauscher and Clifton. We all know that if Rodgers has the time to throw he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Rodgers is a tremendous fantasy QB but now he’s got to consistently win and that’s a total team effort as any real football fan knows. Back to Chad and Mark, with their return maybe the run game gets into gear as well. On the horizon is the return of Jermichael Finley and Jordy Nelson, both of whom were integral weapons for Rodgers. We can’t forget about Korey Hall and the desperately needed presence he brings to special teams.   Defensively speaking, the finger-pointing has been addressed and now we’ll see, after 7 games, if this unit begins to “get it”. Barnett’s playing better and better each week but I’m hoping that the progression of A.J. Hawk continues and it’s not a one week wonder. Clay Matthews, the only player with an abundance of 3-4 experience has certainly shined in this defense but it all starts up front. Cullen Jenkens and Aaron Kampman have to progress. They’re both professionals and they have to continue to get better. Funny how no one was complaining, quite the opposite actually, when they were trouncing teams in the pre-season and after the Chicago game but I digress. This all leads me to the penalties, ahhh the penalties. Mike McCarthy said this week that specific individuals have been spoken to and the stupid penalties will not be tolerated, as if they were before. I think the intense media and fan scrutiny has finally sunken in to many heads that giving your opponent yardage, a lot of yardage, really does hurt your chances to win if you’re not an elite team.

Here’s the question that’s bouncing around the rounded innards of my cranium; Are the Packers the bad team that showed up in the first half of last week’s game against the Vikings or are they the darn good football team that came back and made it a game in the second half? If the Packers play a penalty minimum game and they give Rodgers time and they hold their opponent to around 275-300 yards of total offense, they’re a very good team. It’s the self inflicted issues that this undisciplined bunch can’t seem to overcome. It’s as if they’re afraid of success. I will say this, the media scrutiny and pressure of Favre has passed. There’s nothing on the horizon now but decent football teams and rivalries. Unless fate produces “Favreageddon 3; The Post-Season”, the purple clouds have lifted and now it’s time to move on.