Convincing win over hapless Cardinals leaves Packer fan hoplessly optimistic.

Let me start by saying that I am fully aware that this is a homer pick from a fan who is hopefully and possibly unreasonabley optimistic, but I'm putting this out there because come December when the Packers are in the playoff race everyone will be saying "nobody saw this coming." And they will be wrong, because I'm seeing it coming right now.

Don't look now but the Packers have a chance to get back to .500 against a very bad Bills team. Their remaining schedule after that includes two games against what I think is a very overrated Vikings team (although tonight will determine whether that is a fair assessment or not) as well as games aginst the Jets, 49ers and Lions. The only really tough games remaining on Green Bay's schedule are New England and Chicago.

More important than their schedule, however, is the team itself. At the beginning of the season everyone scoffed at Favre for calling this Packers team the most talented he's ever been with, but it's starting to show. Each week the Packers are a better team, and each week a new player seems to come into his own. The famous Broncos-style zone blocking system that was introduced in training camp is developing into a powerful running attack, as is evident from the two 100-yard rushers against the Cardinals.

Favre is just as good as he ever was, as I have already explained. As the young players around him learn the system and the game at an NFL level, this team is going to continue to improve. Players like Brandon Miree and Vernand Morency have become big contributers (unfortunately, both are injured and should miss a week or two, but no worries-Ahman Green looks to be healthy for the first time in two years). David Martin is starting to live up to his potential. Aaron Kampman is the David Eckstein of the NFL: tough, hard-working, gritty, unathletic, white.

But perhaps the most promising news is the teams criticism of themselves, because players are taking the blame for their mistakes instead of blaming coaches or teammates:

Dave Rayner on the fake field goal on 4th and 1: "That was completely my fault. I didn't know we were running a fake. Coming off the field, they huddled up, I went on the field and I was ready to kick. But I'm supposed to look up and kind of see what arrangement they're in. I heard them say 'keep it' and I thought they said 'kick it.' It was 100% my fault."

Mike McCarthy on the same play: "I should have went with my first (thought). My first reaction was to run it there because we obviously came right out of the gate running the ball very well."

Defensive coordinater Bob Sanders on the blown coverage by Patrick Dendy that allowed Troy Walters' 17-yard touchdown catch: "It's my responsibility to make sure the call gets in there and gets communicated. I'll take that responsibility and I'll get it corrected as best I can."

Dendy on the same play: "It was definitely my mistake. I was playing the wrong coverage."

When players take responsibility for their mistakes they can correct them, and expect the Packers to continue to correct mistakes each week. If they continue to improve the way they have throughout the season, look for them to be playing in January.

Finally, it is always helpful for a team to fly under the radar as long as possible (see last year's Steelers). With the Bears running away with the division and the NFC East beating up on each other, don't expect anyone to pay attention to the Packers.

At least, not until Christmas time when everyone starts saying, "Where the hell did these guys come from? Who saw this coming?"

Nathan Franklin saw it coming. That's who.