Charlie's Revenge

CMW- The Ultimate Packer Fan
To say that Charlie has been a life-long Packer fan and lover of Brett Farve is no exaggeration! Now to give credit where credit is due, both Jeremy and Mick have loved them too, but Charlie's has been almost an obsession. I only have one picture of Mick in Packer gear from years gone by and all these of Charlie.... When Bret defected to the Vikings I didn't think Dan and I would hear the end of it from the boys... the ultimate insult.

The fan gear was total and complete
This kid has been known to wear his fan gear (Grandparents kept him well supplied) to school, even on airplanes and in Minnesota where he, Dan and and brothers watched the Packers live in '05 for a thrill of a lifetime (can't find those pictures expect the top one).... like I said.....

Getting ready to wear this to school....

Mick a fan too....

Infamous in our family history is the Superbowl ' 97 where he lost the $1 bet to Don Guidice and sobbed in my arms after the Packers lost to the .... of all the shame... the Denver Broncos..... Even I cried.

So today Charlie's first story in the WSU Daily Evergreen appeared. Charlie the writer and journalism major....He has been writing blog columns for WSU but this is his first actual column in the daily newspaper that is produced on campus. Can you guess what it might be about?!?!? Smile. Anyway- thought you would enjoy his creative slant on the Vikings with Brettie as their QB as seen through the eyes of this life-long fan.

Charles writes:

Vikings loss restores fan’s faith in sports
Packers fans everywhere rejoiced at loss
Charles Westerman
The Daily Evergreen
Published: 02/05/2010
Two weeks ago, as the New Orleans Saints kicked an overtime field goal to beat the Minnesota Vikings, I screamed four words.
"There is a God!"
I've been a Green Bay Packers fan since I was 5, and after years of watching Brett Favre (the adulterer of Packer Nation) throw game-ending, postseason interceptions in a green and gold uniform, it was nice to have just one that didn't come back to bite me in the keister. The fact that he did it in a Vikings uniform may have renewed my faith in the justice of sports. Maybe it's seasonal depression (I almost cried the other day because a stain didn't come out of my favorite pair of blue jeans). Maybe it's the fact that I had to listen to my older brother scream the North Carolina Tar Heels school song in my face after they won their second national championship in the five last years, as I, a Duke fan, sat motionless. Or maybe it was because the hearts of all Packers fans were two sizes too small after having to witness Favre in purple and gold. Whatever it was, I was needing a win. By a win I mean a Minnesota loss. A lot was at stake. If the Vikings had won their first ever championship with my childhood bringing, gun-slinging, three-time MVPing quarterback, I don't know if I'd ever be able to pick up a Sports Illustrated again.
I was honestly thinking of giving up sports for a while. But then late in the fourth quarter, as the Vikings seemed to be closing in on a game-winning field goal, fate threw a little redemption my way. As I stood in my living room and watched Favre throw that all too-familiar, season-ending interception, I felt freer than a grocery store coupon. It was like after you've had a bad day and you find a $20 bill in your pocket. It gives you hope that the tides are about to turn.
For the Packer fans, it looks promising. Favre is too old to keep playing. He got slammed like a Tiger Woods sex-joke against the Saints, and you could tell spending 19 out of 40 years of his life in the violent NFL was catching up with him.
This again gives the Vikings their classic problem of not having a good quarterback on a team loaded with talent Even better news, Adrian Peterson has been getting full-time carries at running back in the NFL for three full seasons. Ask guys like Larry Johnson and LaDainian Tomlinson on how long the shelf life of being a premiere running back in the NFL is.
Even if Peterson has the longevity to stay at running back, his slippery hands seem to be a serious fumbling liability, anyways. The fact that Steve Hutchinson and Bryant McKinnie are starting to age also will hurt Peterson as he gains many of his yards running behind these two road graters.
So while the Vikings seem to be fading a bit, the Packers have a bright future on the horizon. Aaron Rodgers has proven himself be a top five NFL quarterback in just his second season as a starter, which is not bad considering successfully replacing a franchise hall of fame quarterback has only been done by Steve Young.
In addition, he has young talent in his receiving core like Jermichael Finley and Greg Jennings. On the defensive side of the ball, the Packers' 2nd-ranked overall defense is very promising. Cornerback Charles Woodson was the Defensive Player of the Year, and young studs like Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji are promising pieces to the new 3-4 defense the Packers transitioned to this season. Needless to say, my faith in sports hath been restored, and I'm predicting a return to glory for the Packers in the next decade.
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