In a typical season in the NFL, the 13-0 Green Bay Packers would be the lead topic of conversation. Only one team has gone undefeated for a full season — the ’72 Dolphins — and they are discussed every single year. When the 2007 Patriots were trying to go 19-0, their perfect record was discussed constantly. But the Packers have been lucky enough to be overshadowed by a few other major stories in the NFL. The biggest story has been Tim Tebow, and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers recognizes that Tebowmania has helped take the focus away from his team.
“There have been a number of positive distractions which have taken the focus off of us. We’re fine with that,” Rodgers said on his weekly radio show. “It was similar in the preseason when people were talking about the Eagles and other teams that they thought were going to be the tops in the NFC. We just kind of said ‘hey, we think we’ve got a pretty good team coming back.’
“I can’t say we’ve flown under the radar — there’s a little blurb on the SportsCenter bottom line about us just about every time you turn it on. They talk about it enough, I think. We don’t need any more attention.”
The Packers really have been lucky with their timing. When the Patriots were pursuing perfection, the pressure was on them constantly. Their players had to face questions every single day. You could tell it was wearing on them. The Packers have been answering questions about being undefeated for a few weeks, but with the national focus being on Tim Tebow, much of the pressure is off them. That’s a big reason why the Packers have such a good shot at going 16-0. Even Don Shula felt that was the case.
