Ask a lot of Green Bay Packers fans this past spring how they felt about the draft, and they would have told you the Packers had no chance in the world of making the playoffs. Boy, were we ever wrong..

General manager Ted Thompson was rehired by the Packers after a stint in Seattle with the Seahawks. He was known as a great football mind and could spot talent. It was hard to see that in the first couple drafts and offseason moves that he was a part of. One of his first moves was to let coach Mike Sherman go. He hired Mike McCarthy to his first head coaching job. It's tough being a head coach in the National Football League anywhere, especially in Green Bay , also known as Titletown USA .

In his second year as a head coach, Mike McCarthy has done one heck of a job. Not many people knew about this long time assistant when he was hired for the head coaching job in 2006. He was Brett Favre's quarterback coach for one year and had a couple other assistant coaching jobs around the league. Everywhere he went, he helped the offense produce more each year. There were plenty of people wondering if this guy could get the Packers back to its glory days but I don't think anyone is questioning that any longer. He brought his blue collar work ethic and the players are following suit.

Brett Favre , the ageless quarterback, has been hitting on all cylinders and breaking records along the way that will be hard to top. The guy is 38 years young and playing like he did in 1995 when they went to the Super Bowl in New Orleans . It's hard to believe two years ago he was thinking seriously about retirement. He can still throw the rocket ball and confuse opposing defenses.

It would be wrong to not mention the offensive line. They have given Favre the time to pass the ball and the running backs plenty of room to move. There were some bad offseason moves with the loss of Marco Rivera and a couple others but the new additions are starting to gel. The veteran leadership of Scott Wells and Mark Tauscher on the line has been invaluable.

The wide receiving corps has come together faster than many thought and everyone is getting the ball. Veteran Donald Driver continues to catch the ball on short passes, gets plenty of yards after the catch and is able to catch the long ball. Second year receiver Greg Jennings has been a pleasant surprise to many and one of Favre's favorite targets so far. The return of Koren Robinson, after serving a one year suspension by the league, solidifies an already dangerous receiving group. Tight end Donald Lee has been coming up big in the loss of Bubba Franks

One of the most pleasant surprises has been at running back. After Vernand Morency was lost to injury, in comes Ryan Grant. Grant has been unreal in his few starts and given the Packers another force on offense that they haven't had for a while.

The defense, which has to be one of the youngest in the National Football League, is playing like they have been together for years. The acquisition of cornerback Charles Woodson gave the Packers experience and leadership in an area where they have been weak for a few years. Drafting former Ohio State University linebacker A.J. Hawk in the first round of the 2006 draft was a sign of things to come. No one thought it would be this soon. Veterans Nick Barnett and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (KGB) have led the way for the tenacious defense.

The way the Packers are playing is reminiscent of 1996. The major difference with this team is they have some well known players but nothing compared to that team. Brett Favre , Don Beebe, Andre Rison, Reggie White, Keith Jackson, Santana Dotson, Desmond Howard, and Gilbert Brown are a few names that come to mind when you think of the team that brought the Vince Lombardi Trophy home again after 29 years.

This Thursday's game in Dallas is huge. Little did anyone know how huge it would be when they looked at the schedule in the preseason. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will be facing Favre for the first time in his career. What makes this special is Romo is a Burlington , Wisconsin native (southwest of Milwaukee ) and grew up watching Favre .

A poll in USA Today had 53 percent of readers taking the Packers over the Cowboys on Thursday night. The current line is Dallas winning by 6 ½ points. Whatever the outcome, there is a good chance these two teams will be playing each other in January and all Packers fans can hope it's on the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field.