Wow, what a game on Sunday down in the Georgia Dome. Reminiscent of years gone by. It was the perfect display of the type of football that made the Packers so dominant in the nineties. Could this be the answer Green Bay has been seeking all year? Get back to the basics. No, I mean the real basics that constructed the Packers into that dominating force of the nineties. Run a true West Coast Offense by one of the game's masters, and see where it takes you.

And all because it was what worked with the players the Packers had left on their roster. With the running game put squarely on the shoulders of a first year player with no experience, and a patchwork receiving corps, Green Bay had no choice but to play things close to the vest. Who knew it would work so well?

The West Coast Offense the way it was meant to be run, and had been run during the Holmgren years. That's what we witnessed on Sunday down in Atlanta. And you can't ignore the results. I seriously think people forgot what it was like to run a near flawless West Coast offense. Sherman hasn't had much success doing it in his career and that could be for a lot of reasons, namely play calling. However, the fact of the matter is he's seen it work now and he should do everything in his power to continue doing it.

Remember back when Green Bay came out every Sunday and worked it to perfection, they won. It was what made them Super Bowl champions. However, I sincerely believe that winning had gotten so common place that most people took it for granted. I think people started getting complacent with the short dink-dunk yard chewing, clock consuming, grinding drives that was the West Coast offense.

They forgot that it was the reason the Packers were winning. They got bored watching the slow, meticulous offense slowly trudge down the field. They wanted the long ball. They all screamed for Favre to "air it out" and go deep. They wanted to see 40, 50, 60 yard completions every play. They longed for something to get their blood pumping. And when the Packers got away from their origins, when the Packers started listening to their fans, when Green Bay forgot who they were and what Favre and the offense had been groomed for, the team wasn't so efficient.

And the Packers fell from grace.

But you see, with a little bit of a running game, and an offense that worries about getting first downs instead of touchdowns, even with a depleted roster, it's still possible to win. Remember to take everything in moderation and keep focused on who and what you are as a team. If Sunday's win proves nothing it proved you have to play to your players' ability.

Against the Falcons, Favre was in prime form, running the offense that suits him so well. He showed he still had the touch and the finesse to do it well. He looked like he was having fun again. The running game was effective enough to keep people from cheating on their coverage and the short, sharp passing of the Packer Hall of Famer sliced up Atlanta's defense in fine style. All short, precise passing, too. Nothing longer than 21 yards which is the key to the West Coast offense.

The underneath stuff, the quick slants with the receivers actually getting some YAC, that's yards after catch, turning a quick three or four yard completion into a eight, nine, sometime ten yard total on the pass. Favre found his corps of makeshift receivers cutting on quick outs, trailing underneath, slants that cut to the heart of the Falcon's defense. Bing, bang, boom and the offense moved down the field and scored.

That's not to say they were all that methodical. The first drive of the game went 74 yards in eight plays and the Packers never had to face a third down. Quick tempo that confused the opposition. But what it stemmed from was the West Coast theory of quick, short, dink-dunk passing and a running game that had to be given some respect.

Another thing the West Coast is very effective at doing is grinding out long drives that leads to points and, as importantly, it keeps the other team's offense off the field. What we saw Sunday should have looked very familiar to a lot of people. It was the Packers of old. The West Coast offense in all it's glory. The defense playing strong and keeping the opponent's offense on the ropes, causing turnovers and capitalizing on the miscues it was wrecking on their adversary. I really don't like to look back and say "what-if" but if the Packers had played like this from the beginning, heaven only knows where they'd be standing now going into the second half of the season.

One side note, it was nice to see the coaches make the change and get Klemm out of the lineup. Scotty Wells is a much better athlete than Klemm and it showed on Sunday.

Of course, other heroes from the Atlanta game are Samkon Gado. If he isn't just a flash in the pan because he was playing in front of his family then the Packers may have found a diamond in the rough. Kudos to Driver who spend all day double and triple covered and yet managed to find the seams in the Falcons' defense. And then continually fighting for the YAC. It added an extra element of excitement to the game, as well.

On defense, Bates did a wonderful job keeping the Falcons' offense guessing and off guard. I watched him blitz probably the most he has all season and mostly with speedy Al Harris from the outside. Atlanta never adjusted for that corner blitz and the pressure made Vick scramble more than he wanted. And with Bates' scheme of having linebacker Nick Barnett shadow the speedy Atlanta QB kept Vick from doing any real damage running the ball. Barnett had a great game and displayed his speed and agility all afternoon. And he was so close to actually scoring a touchdown on that fumble recovery.

So the question is now whether or not what the Packers found on Sunday against the Falcons, which was almost completely opposite of how they demolished the Saints, will last? Next up is a very special home game at Lambeau against Minnesota; it's on Monday Night. The Vikings, who are thinking they finally found themselves this year, are going to be tough as usual. One good thing that could play in the Packers' favor, they'll be getting Robert Ferguson and backup tight end David Martin back from injury this week, which will give Favre more legitimate targets.

But it's always a tough game against Minnesota and there's no reason to believe that won't be the case in front of the world on Monday Night Football. So another victory for Green Bay is possible but it will depend on whether or not Sherman can keep the boys believing in themselves and playing tough-nose football. Minnesota's defense is prime for good West Coast offense beating. They play their safeties over the top too much and that could be the difference for the Packers. We'll have to wait and see.

Until next time ... Keep Driving Forward.