Mike Holmgren came to Green Bay nine years ago and conquered all. Now he will come back next Monday Night, prime time, to the people he deeply loved, to a place that made him famous.

At least for a part of the night, I will bury my hatchet. During the pre-game introductions, I will be gracious, appreciative, and honored to host the man who helped bring respect and honesty back into an organization that was gasping for breath before he came.

How will we greet him? With a hug, of course, and a thanks. We expect him to shower us with platitudes all week long, to wave and smile for his appreciation of everything these Green Bay Packer fans have meant to him.

But after that, it will be over. Instead of pounding up and down the Packer sideline, Mike, the gentle giant, will be getting after his silver and blue - and Packer fans will be getting after him.

His every move will be scrutinized. His every call questioned. When he gets mad over an official's lack of wisdom, the fans will tell him to back off.

When he pulls Jon Kitna aside after an on-field mistake, the memory of another young quarterback not so many years ago will surface. When he tries to break out of his mold as a conservative play caller and push the ball down field, Packer fans will ask why? Is he trying to show up Sherm Lewis? Or is it he knows something about the Green Bay defensive backfield that he (and everyone else) has seen before?

But Mike, be careful. A lot has tran spired over the past nine months. This team has changed, thanks to players like Derek Mayes. It's no longer your team. It's Ray's.

The brotherhood of coaches aside, this is Rhode's breakout game. This is his chance to, once and for all, prove to the fans, the team, and the NFL that his aim is true.

We truly love what Mike Holmgren did for the Green Bay Packer organization, but we don't like the way he left.

It was too cold, too harsh, too quick, and too greedy of a move for our taste. Yes, we all would love to improve our stature, but it all seemed so sleazy to us.

The dining with the billionaire, the courting of the city, the glowing words.

Yes, we were jilted. We expected him to stay. We thought the loyalty he so confi dently embraced and encouraged here would stay here. We were wrong.

Now is a new beginning, both for Packerdom and Holmgren and it comes to a quick head next Monday.

It's only Tuesday and the pace has quickened - the excitement level is rising. By game time we will be boiling.

Holmgren remembers those feelings, the way people approach football games in Wisconsin.
If he doesn't, the Lambeau experience will remind him. Welcome home, Mike.