You could just eat your heart out, watching the Super Bowl.

That's where we should have been. It should have been the Packers, not the Giants. You know it and I know it and I think the whole world, except for the nuts in New York, knows it.

The Packers are better than the Giants. And that's where the shame is. If we'd lost to a better team, I wouldn't be whining. But, whine I will.

The Giants are Super Bowl Champs, but I still believe they aren't as good as Green Bay.

We are reduced to "Wait 'til next year."

A lot of post-season talk has focused on how young the Packers are and how they should be able to repeat next year.

But I think there are issues, not the least of which is that the schedule next season looks to be slightly tougher than this year. But there are other, specific questions that must be answered:

1. Brett Favre. You don't need to say any more. What is he going to do? What do the Packers want him to do? If he plays next year, will he be the best quarterback on the team? The answer to that is "Maybe." While he had an outstanding year, there were chinks in his armor of invincibility and a lot of talk about how the bad weather affected him. Unless the Packers put a dome on Lambeau Field, that bad weather talk may be an issue again. He is more certain to be good than Aaron Rodgers, who may be a good quarterback. The thing is that nobody knows for sure about Rodgers. Do you want to risk a possible Super Bowl run to find out? Tough call. Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy earn their money on this one.

2. What kind of a defense will we have? Bob Sanders, the defensive coordinator, did not distinguish himself during the season. He had players, but didn't seem to take advantage of their skills. Al Harris is one of the best cornerbacks in the league at blitzing, but toward the end of the season his number never got called. Conventional wisdom is that Sanders has to change his approach or the team needs a new coordinator to improve the defense.

3. Find a linebacker who can play pass defense. Brady Poppinga, for all his fire and passion, is an inconsistent pass defender, at best. He tackles like a maniac, but teams with good tight ends can cause havoc for the Packers when Poppinga tries to cover the tight end. It may be a different player or it may be growth by Poppinga, but it's an area where the Packers need something to happen.

4. Ryan Grant isn't the only answer to the questions about the running game. He had a good half-season, but you can't count on him. The Packers need to find someone to back Grant up or provide an alternative. In reality, they probably need two more running backs -- especially if McCarthy lives up to his pledge to commit to the running game. And that is part of it. I think it's also a problem with Favre running the show. The temptation to let him go nuts throwing is a strong one and it makes it very hard to commit to and stay with the run. The Packers would be a better team if they ran the ball with consistency and authority.

5. I know everyone says that the Packers have the best cornerback tandem in football in Al Harris and Charles Woodson. But the doubts are creeping in. Woodson is a year older and Harris has been exposed a couple of times. Finding a developed young corner or two should be a high priority. If Will Blackmon could ever stay healthy he could fill the bill. In two years he's been out more than he's been in and can't be counted upon to stay healthy. This is a place where free agency could be a big part of the answer.

On paper, the Packers of next season could easily be one of the strongest teams in the league. If Ted Thompson makes a couple of good draft choices and some select free agent signings, we could be in for good things next year.

The Packers have a ton of money and potential free agent signings could come from a group that includes running back Michael Turner of the Chargers, linebackers Lance Briggs of Chicago and Karlos Dansby of the Cardinals and defensive backs Marcus Truffant of Seattle, Randall Guy of the Patriots and Dominique Foxworth of the Broncos.

There are high expectations for the Packers next season. The big problem with high expectations, however, is that they are sometimes very hard to live up to.