KP Sports - A Super Season--Green Bay 2010-11 Champions

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W hen you think about it, this was supposed to happen. This Super Bowl-winning season by the Green Bay Packers was anticipated no, expected by the team, its fans and many others who follow the NFL before the first snap ever took place in the 2010 season. The Vince Lombardi trophy was coming back home. All the Green Bay Packers had to do was actually accomplish the feat.

Mission accomplished, Packers fans.

In a season filled with numerous injuries, key losses and ups and downs throughout, Green Bay prevailed in the end and brought the 13th championship to Titletown, with a 3125 defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

The offense carried the load and the defense held the Steelers when it mattered, giving Green Bay another Super Bowl trophy to the storied franchise for a new generation of fans.

It is this years championship squad, and Green Bays 12 other championship teams, which are celebrated in this magazine Super Season: Green Bay 201011 Champions. Here you will find a recap of the magical season of the Green Bay Packers from the first game through the Super Bowl victory.

We also feature some of the key cogs of this championship squad, including general manager Ted Thompson, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, defensive coordinator Dom Capers, the 2009 draft darlings of Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji and the close-knit and successful receiving group of Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, and Jordy Nelson.

Plus, we take a look at the 12 other championship teams in Green Bays history, from Curly Lambeau through Brett Favre.

This is a celebration of the greatest franchise in professional sports, with the Lombardi Trophy back where it belongs after 14 seasons. We hope you enjoy this publication, and as we all celebrate, say it with me, Go Pack Go!

Tom Bartsch

By Tom Bartsch

R olls nicely off of the tongue, doesnt it? For the Green Bay Packers, they can tell you all along this was the goal at the beginning of the season. Heck, they were fitted for Super Bowl rings before the game took place. Good planning. After 20 games, Green Bay stands alone at the top of the NFL. But as that season unfolded, there were plenty of opportunities for doubt to creep in, werent there?

You can start with injuries, including 16 players on season-ending injured reserve, that didnt stop right through the Super Bowl. The doubt could have grown with early losses to the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins. The season was on the brink after back-to-back losses to the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots. The playoffs began with the final two games in the regular season, must-win situations with the caveat that other teams needed to lose as well just for the team to make it to the postseason.

Finally, there were three daunting road games against the NFCs top three teams thanks to the Packers No. 6 playoff seed.

Yet, the Packers found a way to prevail through it all-come up with a key interception, have someone contribute off the bench, a great catch down the middle-in other words, find a way to win.

In the end, everything added up to Super Bowl Champions in a magical year that ushers in a new era for Packer fans that now features Rodgers, Jennings, Woodson and Matthews instead of Favre, Freeman, White and Butler or even Starr, Hornung, McGee and Nitschke.

This is a new team, a different team, a winning team built to last.

Its a dream come true, said quarterback Aaron Rodgers of winning the big game. Its what I dreamt about as a little kid watching Joe Montana and Steve Young, and we just won the Super Bowl.

And while everything about this team is fresh and new, the final game was eerily familiar to the 19 games that preceded it during the 201011 season.

We faced adversity again today, head coach Mike McCarthy said after the game. Guys stepped up. Its a very proud moment right now. I just cant say enough about that football team. No disrespect to the Steelers. We respect their football team.

We respect the way they play. But we fully expected to win this game. It is our time.

THE GAME

Green Bay jumped out to an early 70 lead on a 29-yard strike from Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers to receiver Jordy Nelson, and extended the lead to 140 just seconds later when Nick Collins intercepted Ben Roethlisberger for a 37-yard touch-down.

Rodgers wasnt done there, adding a 21-yard touchdown toss to Greg Jennings to stretch the lead to 213 before Pittsburgh rallied for a touchdown just before halftime to make it 2110 after 30 minutes.

It was during the second quarter when flashbacks from the regular season really started occurring. Injuries to Donald Driver (ankle), Sam Shields (shoulder) and Charles Woodson (collarbone) left the Packers on their heels. Even Nick Collins raced to the locker room before halftime with cramps. Only Collins and Shields would return in the second half. Yet, as per for the season norm, others stepped up to make plays.

Thats the way its been the whole year, said defensive coordinator Dom Capers. Nobody used them as an excuse. Guys went down, we put in guys and expected them to make plays.

Insert Jordy Nelson, who served as a reliable secondary threat but hadnt exploded as the main threat all season. On the NFLs biggest stage, Nelson caught nine passes for 140 yards and a touchdown, making a case for the MVP himself.

We feel there are hardly any defensive backs who can match up with us one-on-one, let alone four-on-four or five-on-five, Nelson said. Defenses just arent built that way.

Insert Clay Matthews and Ryan Pickett, who would team up and force a Rashard Mendenhall fumble early in the fourth quarter when the team desperately needed a big play.

Insert James Starks, the rookie running back who worked hard all day and came up with a 14-yard run on the Packers final scoring drive in the fourth quarter to keep the momentum going and the clock.

And then you have the stalwarts, the studs who helped carry the team all season.

Ahead just four points, 2117, in the fourth quarter with all of the momentum on the side of the Steelers after a third quarter of zero progress for the Packers, Rodgers guided the offense downfield and eventually found Greg Jennings for an eight-yard touchdown to boost the lead to 2817.

The Steelers struck again, on a 25-yard pass from Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace, adding a two-point conversion to make it 2825. The Packers responded, driving again down to the goal-line resulting in a field goal that made the score 3125.