Long story short, the Green Bay Packers will be a much different team next season.  Brett Favre’s retirement means for the first time in what seems like a lifetime, number 4 will not be under center. The team appears ready to launch a new era.

The real question is, are you ready for the Aaron Rodgers era?

Once again, the Packers added depth at several key positions and filled some holes, via the draft. For the third year in a row, the Packers selected a wide receiver in the first three rounds, this time Jordy Nelson, from Kansas State, had the honor. And many people are saying the Packers had the steal of the draft in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm.

But the real steal of the draft will be third round pick Jermicheal Finley, tight end, from Texas.  Teamed with Donald Lee, they will be the best tight end combo the Pack has had since Mark Chumura and Keith Jackson in the mid 90’s. 

This is a young, talent-laden team. The Packers have the potential to win the NFC North and advance far into the playoffs. 

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Unpredictable, unreliable, and unlucky are three ways to describe the early play of the Milwaukee Brewers. Their slow start directly correlated to uneven play by some key young players.  Ben Sheets and Jason Kendall were two early bright spots for the Brewers.

Then their young super stars Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder started to heat up. Corey Hart has also played well. And Kendall’s defensive presence has helped the young pitching staff.

Small market teams have trouble overcoming injuries and the Brewers were hit early by the injury bug.  Before the season even started Chris Capuano and Yovani Gallardo went down.  Gallardo was able to make three starts after his comeback before his season ending injury.  Relievers Eric Gagne and David Riske also spent significant time on the DL.

It doesn’t help the Brewers cause that the NL central is looking like a tough division. The Cubs and Cards continue to play well, even as the young Brewers heat up. These two teams are likely to stay in the race.

Ultimately, the story of this year’s Brewers team is yet to be written.  I think they will contend. In ’07, Milwaukee played flat when the division was on the line. Young talent coming of age will determine what happens at Miller Park this August and September.