But they also get the Arizona Cardinals in Tempe in September, which isn't as good as Tempe in December. Last season, the Packers squawked that their bye week was too early, coming after just three games. This season, the bye comes after seven games, and they'll probably complain that it came too late. And despite having dropped five of their last six Monday night games, most of them in excruciatingly ugly fashion, the Packers still find themselves in that showcase twice, which is one less than the maximum allowed. It's also better than the San Francisco 49ers, who after years of national prime-time appearances, were shut out altogether.
Nothing signifies the rise and fall of a team more than their national TV appearances.
Yet as long as the Packers have Brett Favre vertical and relatively coherent, they will be a player on the national stage. Entire lives will undergo serious upheaval because the Packers host the Vikings on Monday night or that they'll be in Miami on Oct. 29. Eventually, everyone's life will settle down, plans will be made and people will set about the task of enjoying, or agonizing over, another season. Even all that unsavory talk of renovation, stadium districts and sales taxes will be shoved into the trunk as the season nears. There's something about the release of the Packers schedule that renews the spirit and gladdens the heart.