Aaron Rodgers And Desmond Bishop Begin The Quest To Go Back-To-Back

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Aaron Rodgers is coming off a season (hell, a year) that belonged to him. It started by clinching a playoff berth in Lambeau, which paved a road through Philadelphia and Atlanta and Chicago, all the way to Dallas, and his first ever championship and his first Super Bowl MVP. Then he went out and won 13 straight games for the Packers, sewing up home field advantage on Christmas night. It was an absolutely remarkable campaign.

Does 2012 promise more of the same? Possibly. Desmond Bishop and the Green Bay Packers defense might have to start playing better though. Bishop (a Pro Bowl candidate early in the year) went out with injury sometime later in the season, and they haven't been the same since. Teams have been able to grind clock and keep the ball away from Rodgers, which in turn keeps defenses fresh and ready to go after him when he has the football. The quest starts against the New York Giants this afternoon, a team that probably will epitomize that formula to the letter.

Lose, and a long and disappoint offseason awaits (even if he's probably about to win the league MVP in a few weeks). Win, and we could have a lot of severely torn Cal fans out there for the NFC Championship Game (but what else is new? We always have deep questions to answer).

This is your open thread. Should be fun. GO BEARS!