In May of 2011 I witnessed one of the greatest ways to honor to a former player, the Testimonial game.

Gary Neville played for my favorite English soccer team, Manchester United and retired earlier in the 2011 season. In May, former teammates, Neville’s brother, all flew to Manchester to play in a friendly match against Italian club Juventus. It was a big deal, the Theatre of Dreams – Manchester United’s home pitch – was filled with 42,000 fans, who wanted one last chance to say good bye to Neville.

How cool would this be in Green and Gold and Driver’s face?

From a fan’s perspective and the first time seeing such an event, I was mesmerized. David Beckham, who hadn’t played for ManU since 2003, was there. It was an All-Star type game filled with Neville’s closest friends and teammates from his 20 year career. Neville was subbed off of the field with 7 minutes left in regulation. I know some non-soccer fans might think, “They didn’t even let him finish the game?!” but being subbed off allowed Neville one last chance to soak up the fans love.

As it was announced that he was subbed off, he’s the lone player leaving the field and the fans generally take this time to show their appreciation. Standing ovations, sideline of players and coaches ready to embrace, is there a better way to celebrate a great career?

The testimonial game is unique to soccer and friendly games make it easier to execute. Players don’t slide tackle or go “cleats up” when you’re playing a game to honor someone. The NFL doesn’t lend itself to a game for show (see the Pro Bowl), but the Packers Donald Driver situation made me give pause.

I do not think the Packers should keep Driver active on game day just for the sake of being able to say “Donald Driver was active for his last game.” Now, before anyone gets too upset, I love Driver. He’s a great Packer. He is Packer People, has been a great ambassador for the team and for the game.

But I also love the Packers. And I am a firm believer that no player is above the team. While the Packers are playing for a birth in the NFC Championship game, active game day roster decisions should only be made with the idea of winning in mind; not the idea of honoring someone.

But I do agree with a part of the Packers should activate Donald Driver movement. He’s a great Packer, and he should be honored.

How great would it be to have a Driver testimonial at Lambeau Field? Imagine a spring time flag football game, with current and former Packer players.  Imagine former coaches or members of Driver’s family on hand, in the game, on the sideline. Now imagine it at Lambeau Field.

The Donald Driver Testimonial game will never happen; I can’t even begin to think of the logistics or CBA/contract issues that would arise. But it would be really freaking cool if it did happen. And, in my opinion, the most fitting tribute to a great Packer player.

2012 was a memorable year for many reasons. There was a US Presidential election (please, no political commentary-thanks). The Olympics in London. The devastation of Hurricane Sandy. And we all survived the Mayan prediction of the Apocalypse. Just a few of the countless memories 2012 will leave behind.

Packer fans experienced more than a few ups and downs in 2012. The high of a 15-1 regular season collapsed with a crushing playoff defeat at the hands of the Giants last January. Donald Driver won Dancing With the Stars. The Fail Mary was perhaps the low point of the NFL season, and ultimately helped contribute to the Packers missing the number 2 seed in the playoffs. The Packers won the NFC North. Lovie Smith was fired by the Bears. It was quite an eventful calendar year in Green Bay.

Part of New Years traditions is the resolutions we all come up with. Promises to lose weight, save money, stop smoking, and eat better are commonly heard in early January, only to be forgotten by many by the end of the month. It is something we have all done, and continue to do every year.

While I will not divulge any of the personal resolutions I have made for 2013, there are a few I have committed myself to as it relates to the Packers. I am fully committed to following through on each of these for the next year. Whether I can do it or not remains to be seen, but if I can, it will definitely make following the Packers a little bit less stressful.

Here are my Packers resolutions for 2013:

• I resolve that I will not turn the other way every time Mason Crosby lines up for a field goal. He is the Packers kicker (for now) and I am confident he will make every kick he attempts.
• I resolve that I will not hurl profanities toward my TV or radio whenever Mike McCarthy calls for the John Kuhn draw out of the shotgun, even though it has not worked in 3 years.
• I resolve that I will not completely lose my mind when Dom Capers rushes 3 and drops 8 into exceptionally soft coverage with the game on the line, even though the Prevent defense has not worked since…well, ever. However, I do retain the right to somewhat lose my mind when this does occur.
• I resolve that I will not get upset with Aaron Rodgers when he finally does get injured by taking an unnecessary sack because he holds onto the ball too long.
• I resolve that I will not refer to James Starks as “Neo” anymore. Instead I will call DuJuan Harris the “Neo Neo”.
• I resolve that I will not not say “Fire Capers” anymore-he’s doing a fine job getting that done without my support.
• I resolve to enjoy the final games of Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and Jermichael Finley in a Packers uniform. Two of the three will not be back next season. Perhaps even all three.
• I resolve to hold my opinions to myself when Ted Thompson makes his head scratching off season moves, even though they may drive me nuts.
• I resolve to not question Mike McCarthy’s play calling. If Mike wants to throw the ball 100 times a game, go for it.

My final resolution comes from the heart: I resolve to fully enjoy every little bit of joy the Packers bring. Every time I read about them, hear about them, or see them, I will take a moment and smile, and think about how much happiness they bring to me, and all Packer fans.

Even if they do drive me nuts at times.

I think they may need some straightening out.

It was a little weird that while perusing the Pro Shop online last season that I stumbled upon this t shirt. While it never made it to the shelves thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs, I did think it was weird it made an appearance online for people to purchase before the season was over.

Weird is an understatement to what I found today.

While I think Packers duck tape is by itself a dumb product, what caught my attention is what category it is listed under.

A Bedroom item?

Is this another whoopsie by the Packers marketing department? Or is it an intentional marketing ploy designed to help Packers fan create 50 shades of green and gold in their private lives?

I don’t want to know.

Sunday witnessed the Packers complete and total dismantling of the Titans in what some consider the most complete game under the Mike McCarthy regime. A day which saw the offense roll up over 55 points and over 450 yards while limiting the Titans to under 200 yards and coming within one minute of a shutout, Packer Nation was united in celebrating a first class beat down.

The past few days family and friends gathered to celebrate the Christmas holiday across the globe. As part of the tradition, the exchange of gifts was done, and smiles once again were plastered on the faces of many Packer faithful. All across social media were pictures of proud Packer fans showing their new additions to their collections. It was quite a sight to see.

All in all, a very nice couple of days for Packer fans.

But what if the Packers, the team we all love, disappeared forever? How would these past few days, along with many other things in our lives, have been different?

A regular visitor to the Eat More Cheese Facebook page and die hard Packer fan proposed this possibility when he asked the following question:

If the Packers folded tomorrow, gone from the NFL, what team would you be rooting for?

Almost seems like the impossible, right? But what if it happened?

It is difficult to imagine the NFL without the Packers. After being part of the NFL for over 90 years, to suddenly have them disappear seems hard to comprehend. So much history, so much nostalgia, the Packers ARE the NFL. However, things do happen, and it could happen.

As a fan, I could not imagine the Packers not being in existence. Green and gold runs through my veins, as it does all Packer fans. It’s who we are. It is almost impossible to explain to non Packer fans what being one means. It is in our DNA.

So what if the Packers folded tomorrow? Which team would my allegiance go to?

I will firmly state there is no way in hell the Bears, Vikings, or Lions would become “my team.” Zero. None. No way. I just could not do it. I’m not even going to explain why I feel this way. If you are reading this, you probably feel the same way. It’s just not going to happen.

The East Coast teams get dismissed almost as quickly. The Giants, Jets, Patriots-ugh. All nos.

Carolina, Miami, Tampa? Absolutely not.

How about the West Coast? Could the 49ers, Seahawks, or Raiders become my new favorite team? Chances are no.

This is a very difficult question to answer. After a lifetime of cheering for the Packers, I cannot think which team would suddenly become my favorite if the unthinkable were to occur. Chances are, it would be the Indianapolis Colts, if for no other reason they are geographically close to me. But it would not be the same as being a Packers fan. Ever.

What team would become your “favorite” if this were to happen?

The Titans never stood a chance today, getting absolutely destroyed 55-7 in front of more than seventy thousand of the most dedicated fans on the planet.

Aaron Rodgers threw for over 300 yards and 3 TDs. Randall Cobb set the single season yardage record. The defense held the Titans to under 300 yards en route to sacking Jake Locker 7 times.

It was domination from start to finish.

The captain’s pic was its normal bit of comedic brilliance.

Ho Ho Ho Aaron!

Nice smirk James. Only thing better is catching 7 passes for 100 yards and your 13th TD of the season today.

Merry Christmas from Jayme and John.

GO PACK GO!

This time, the focus is the Minister of Defense, Reggie White.

Hall of Famer, All Pro, and all time great, White was a key part of the revival of the Packers in the early 1990′s. Along with Bob Harlan, Ron Wolf, and Brett Favre, White helped make the Packers a force to be reckoned with once again, culminating with a 35-21 victory in Super Bowl 31.

Gone far too young at the age of 43, his impact on the NFL and in particular the Packers is still felt to this day.

RIP Reggie.

Go Pack Go!

They did not disappoint.

Walking away with a 21-13 victory over the Bears, the Packers clinched their second straight NFC North championship. James Jones had 3 TD catches. Clay Matthews had 2 sacks. It was a wonderful sight to see the Packers clinch in Chicago.

Speaking of wonderful sights:

What are you smoking Aaron?

Think Graham Harrell should have used a stepstool.

Congrats to the Green Bay Packers-your 2012 NFC North Division Champions!

Some may think that his movies are nothing more than childish, infantile journeys into the depths of stupidity.

Others, like myself, think his films are comedic genius.

Regardless of what you may think of Will Ferrell, there is no denying that this is a great pic from last night at Lambeau.

What was he thinking during this moment we may never know. What I’m envisioning is he is summoning his inner Ron Burgandy and shouting “PACKER FANS, ASSEMBLE!!!”

Nice stache. Must be taking lessons from Aaron Rodgers.

The victory continued the Lions losing streak in Wisconsin, which goes back to 1962 (or something like that). More importantly, thanks to the Bears crappin’ the bed against the Vikings, the Packers moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC North.

Before the game, Rodgers and crew continued their tradition as only they can.

Wonder what Finley was thinking when this pic was taken.

Welcome to Bears week. They still suck.

It seems like we are all experiencing a little Déjà vu with the seemingly non stop additions to the Packers injury list this season. It was bad in 2010, but this season is much worse. The Packers just can’t seem to get a break.

Luckily I have a lot of free time to sit and think about things like the Packers injury list.

For some reason this afternoon, the song “Everybody Hurts” by REM came into my head today as a possible theme song for the 2012 Packers. It seemed appropriate, as it certainly seems that this season every single player has been listed on the injury report at least once.

The lyrics didn’t really fit the idea for the song, as it is about the pain every person feels in their life, not the pain football players experience. So I started thinking about the song as a background for some new lyrics, dedicated to the Packers.

Here are some updated lyrics to the song, as it relates to the injuries the Packers are experiencing this season.

I would offer to sing it, but my fee is far too pricey:

Every Packer Hurts 

“When your line is gone..and you just can’t seem to run the ball…Aaron Rodgers stands alone..when you think you’ve scored enough..to win the game…hold on….”

“Don’t let James Starks go….was out till Week 5…every Packer hurts….sometimes”

“When your name’s Mike Neal…you just can’t stay on the field….that makes three years in a row….oh no…”

“Don’t look now, but Clay is down….oh shit, Bulaga’s on the ground…every Packer hurts….sometimes”

“Jennings just can’t go…but he sure wants to doe…Jennings just can’t go….no, no, no, he’s a no go…”

“When you’re Cedric Benson…Lisfranc is not your friend…Even Woodson’s missed time this year…what the fuck?…don’t call him Chuck…”

“Bish please…he can’t play this year…thank goodness we’ve got DJ…oh no we don’t…he can’t play…”

“Every Packer hurts…TJ and Crabtree missed time too…every Packer hurts…sometimes”

“Every Packer hurts…sometimes…”

“So hold on…hold on…you listening Finley? Hold on…Hold on…Hold on…You hear me Randall? Hold on…every Packer Hurts…”

John Rehor is a writer at Cheesehead TV’s Eat More Cheese and co-host of Cheesehead Radio (blogtalkradio.com/cheeseeheadradio). He also hangs out at Dick’s Favorite Blog (www.dicksfavorite.com) He can be contacted at johnrehor@yahoo.com.

Alex Smith was the incumbent, performing near or at a Pro Bowl level thus far in 2012. He sustained a concussion against the Rams on November 11, and hasn’t played since while recovering from this injury.

During his absence, Colin Kaepernick stepped in as the starter, and after two solid performances, has been named the starter for at least one more game, despite Smith’s being cleared to play going forward.

In short, Alex Smith has been Wally Pipp-ed in favor of Kaepernick.

This morning, while listening to Green and Gold Today, the following came across my timeline on the Tweeter:

“Up and Coming: Aaron Rodgers Subs for Injured Brett Favre”

It was five years ago today that for all intents and purposes, the Brett Favre era ended in Green Bay when he was injured against the Cowboys, and third year quarterback Aaron Rodgers entered the game. Although the Packers lost the game 37-27, and Favre would regain his starting spot the following week and for the rest of the season, this game was a glimpse into the future direction of the Packers.

After reading the short recap about the game as well as the game recap on ESPN, I got to thinking-what would happened if the Packers followed a similar path the 49ers are following?

Think about it for a minute: Favre is the starter, gets injured, Rodgers takes over for him, and never relinquishes the starting spot. Would this have changed the outcome of the season? Would the Packers have made it to the Super Bowl this season with Rodgers leading the team the rest of the way? Remember, Mike McCarthy was reportedly close to benching Favre in the NFC Championship Game, making the comment “If that guy weren’t Brett Favre, I’d bench his ass!”

Perhaps just as good a question is if this were to take place is what would the reaction of Favre have been? Would he have been a team player and accepted his new role while the team was continuing to win en route to a Super Bowl victory? Or would he have been the pompous, arrogant Favre that showed all too often in his final years in Green Bay, voicing his displeasure over the decision instead of thinking about the team first?

We will never know the answers to any of these questions, and in the end it does not matter, as both the Packers and Favre went ahead to follow their own paths to the future. But it is an interesting discussion point to wonder what could have happened, if this switch had been made mid season like the 49ers have chosen to do.