Some thought they'd never live to see this day while others feared it was an inevitability knowing all good things come to an end. . . . Either way, that day is upon us.

It used to be that when opponents came to Lambeau Field, they left beaten and discouraged. Used to be. . . .

The very idea of losing at Lambeau Field, where visitors used to be intimidated, was unheard of.

But things have changed.

It's sad to think we are witnessing the death of a fabled era in an historic legacy that was once rich with the tradition of winning. But it's true and it won't be a quick or easy fix I'm afraid. It will be a lot like what the survivors of the Titanic must have endured watching the great ocean liner slowly sink into the freezing waters of the North Atlantic.

Gone is the magic that once resided at 1265 Lombardi Avenue. While most teams consider their fans the 12th man, and though the Packers' loyal fans are some of the greatest fans in the civilized world, Lambeau Field and it's fabled glory was often too much to overcome if you were the opposing team. Mind numbing, finger freezing temperatures, swirling winds, a frozen field that felt like cement, and some of the worse inclement weather to be found. And all outdoors. That was what the visiting teams had to look forward to when they traveled to Green Bay Wisconsin to play football in Lambeau Field. Most men trembled when they stood within the hallowed walls of the great confines of Lambeau Field, the birthplace of some of the greatest NFL players in history. At home, with all of their boisterous fans, the Packers were virtually unbeatable. . . . The Packers have lost their last 4 home games going back to last year and are a dismal 4-7 of their last 11 home games under Coach Sherman.

And at one time, even the odds makers in Vegas knew of the stealth winning power Lambeau Field gave the Packers. Since the start of the Packers' season back in 1992, when Holmgren, Favre and Ron Wolf got their start together, the Pack has played 114 games at home, counting playoffs. Now, if you subtract the first five games of that era, when the odds makers had no idea what had been built in Green Bay yet and gave the nod to the opponents, of those remaining 109 home games, the Packers have been favored to win 106 of them. . . . The Packers were the underdogs Sunday against the Buccaneers.

Gone is the gunslinging team that always seemed to find a way to win the close games. The back to back home games were lost by a total of 3 points.

Gone is the smash-mouth running team that chewed up defenses who claimed to be the best the league had to offer that certain season. . . . Thus far the Packers have accumulated just 237 total yards, which brakes down to 3.3 yards per carry and 79.0 yard per game average.

Gone is the defense that always found a way to keep the team in the game when it came down to crunch time. . . . So far this year, the Packers' defense has created just 1 turnover.

Gone is the leadership who controlled the dynasty that was once considered the team to beat no matter what record they were sporting at the time of their meeting.

Gone are the Packers we all watched and cheered for over the last fifteen years when winning was a way of life in Green Bay.

Winning won't come so easy now, or in the near future, by the looks of things. Even on the Sunday afternoon when the club enshrined the battle armor of one the team's most recent fallen warriors, the one player who is thought by some to be the main reason the Packers got back to Super Bowl form, and of course I'm speaking of Reggie White, even on the Sunday they retired his jersey the current Packer team couldn't find enough internal fire to beat an opponent supposedly worse than they were.

The Packers couldn't muster up the fortitude to beat the Cleveland Browns, led by a quarterback who hadn't found a way to win in Lambeau Field in his last 10 visits. Not as a Buccaneer. Not as a Seahawk. Trent Dilfer had never tasted victory in Lambeau. And usually, when a team has all of that going for them, winning the ballgame is a gimme.

Not with this Packer team.

The Browns, and Dilfer, managed to beat the Packers and steal away the thunder of the half time ceremony, and spoil Green Bay's home opener.

Gone is the sense of pride to defend the reputation of all that is Green Bay football. Tampa Bay came to Lambeau the next Sunday, on a loosing streak of great proportion. The Buccaneers hadn't beaten the Green Bay Packers on their home soil since 1989. Coincidentally, some of those defeats came with Trent Dilfer at the helm ... Dilfer, the same quarterback that had guided the Cleveland Browns to beat the Packers the week before. But again, it wasn't enough of an incentive for the Packers to chalk up their first victory of the year.

And so, the Green Bay Packers start the season 0-3. The last time a Green Bay team started out 0-3 was back in 1988. But what's even scarier, the Packers have not lost back to back home games in what seems like forever. That wasn't enough incentive to keep it from happening on Sunday against the Buccaneers.

Gone is any resemblance of a Packers' team capable of intimidating their opponent at home this year or possibly any year in the near future. Fifteen years of dominance is all but gone.

The Frozen Tundra is melting.

Now I have my own thoughts on how to cure this downward spiral but I'm a fair man, and so, I say let's wait at least for another week before we start calling for Sherman's head. But trust me, I'm definitely sharpening the ax as I wait for Monday night and the Carolina Panthers.

And if you're thinking that it's not possible -- that they won't fire Sherman mid-season, consider this; if the Packers lose Monday night at Carolina, Ted Thompson will join Bart Starr as the only general managers in team history to begin their careers 0-4. How much more of Sherman will Thompson take?

Until next time, Keep Driving Forward.