Ouch. That one has to hurt. Packer fans, I feel your pain. I still laugh at it, but I definitey know what you're going through right now. This was your year. You were a team of destiny. All you had to do was win one more game at home and you were going to the Super Bowl. You couldn't lose.
Until something happened. The game didn't unfold as expected. You were nervous when you went to overtime, but you still kept reassuring yourself that your team would find a way. They had to. It couldn't end any other way.
And then, the field goal attempt. You hope for a bad snap, but it's solid. You see the ball rise through the air and head toward the goalposts and your heart sinks. You know that it's going to be good. The ball sails through the uprights. You last desperate hope for a flag is dashed and it's over. You are crushed.
Been there, agonized that. I almost feel a twinge of sympathy for you. Almost. And then I remember the day after the '99 NFC Championship Game. I was on vacation in the Florida Keys and feeling absolutely miserabe after the Vikings had fallen to the Falcons.
My wife and I were out for a walk in the neighborhood where our inlaws had a vactaion home. A truck with Wisconsin plates pulled up and an older couple struck up a conversation with us. After learning that we were from Minnesota, the gent broke into a wide grin. "How 'bout them Vikings?," he needled. It took all of my available control to refrain from pulling him from the cab and delivering a thorough thrashing.
So Packer fans--while I understand your pain and suffering--it will not prevent me from savoring this moment for all it's worth. And by the way, trying to console yourself by saying "there's always next year" doesn't really hold water in today's NFL (unless you're the Patriots). For most teams, the window isn't open that very often or for very long. When your time comes, you better find a way to get through 'cause you don't know when you'll get another chance.
How 'bout them Packers?
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